Book Review: Of Silver and Beasts by Trisha Wolfe

Title: Of Silver and Beasts
Series: ( Goddess Wars #1)
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Characters: Kaliope, Prince Caben
Age Group: New Adult
Swoon Factor: Amore
Genre Type: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Publication Date: April 19th 2013
Publisher: Trisha Wolfe
Format: ebook
Pages: 305 pages
Source: Author
Reading Challenge: For Review

Of Silver and Beasts is a New Adult Dark Fantasy by Trisha Wolfe, featuring one awesome, derriére kicking heroine. There was enough action and drama to keep me turning the pages, as well as a unique world setting and a touch of romance.

The Summary:

Kaliope has just been chosen as leader of the Nactue Guard, whose duty is to  protect her Empress. When neighboring land is under attack by the Otherworlders, it becomes Kaliope’s duty to protect Prince Caben, the last heir to his kingdom. Have patience with Prince Caben, if you think he’s a pain in the butt like I did, but give him a chance because he turns out great later.

What happens next is where some serious action happens. In the midst of attack on the Empress and the City of Cavan, Kaliope and Prince Caben are kidnapped and taken to the crazy underground arena. Get ready for some serious fight sequences, strange creatures, and some swoon worthy romance as they fight for lives.

The Setting:

There are two great settings in Of Silver and Beasts, both have some great setting descriptions given by the author and wonderful details put into the world building, making me feel like I was right there with Kaliope.

The beginning of the story takes place in the City of Cavan where Kaliope is about to become part of the Empress’s Nactue Guard. The city conjures up images of vast, sweeping deserts with Towering glass buildings. In the City of Cavan, women are trained to be warriors for their Empress. This is why Kaliope is such a great fighter, and plays an important part later on in the book.

The second setting takes place after the City of Cavan has been attached by Otherworlders. Kaliope and Prince Caben are captured and taken to an underground arena,  It is here where they must fight for their lives in a giant domed cage.  I lOVED this part of the book; the setting along with the great fighting sequences really make this book happen. It reminded me of gladiator style arena, but here you have not only men and women fighting, but bizarre monsters, who have been scientifically mutated by the Otherworlders, fighting against one another. It’s crazy and awesome all at the same time!

The Characters:

I really like both of the main characters Kaliope and Prince Caben. Kaliope is this awesome woman who has been trained to be a warrior, but deep down inside she has insecurities just like the rest of us, especially about the mercury inside her blood. Her character had a lot of emotional growth in the story. She needs to save her empress, protect the Prince, find a sacred relic, and kick some serious mutated monster butt! Nothing too much for a heroine like Kaliope.

Oh my gosh, when I first started reading about Prince Caben, I thought he was totally stuck up. But I quickly changed my mind once I got to know his character better, then I really liked him, a lot.  One of the best things about Prince Caben’s character is how he supports Kaliope, especially after they are capture and have to fight in the arena.

The Love Interest:

Amid all the action and fighting, there is a wonderfully slow building, romance between Kaliope and Prince Caben. There’s a lot of back and forth banter between the two, building great tension, leading to Swoon worthy romance!

Swoon Factor:

Amore. This is a New Adult Fantasy genre. The main focus is definitely the fantasy/science fiction element, but it also has a mature romance that is classy, but smoldering.

Swoon Factor "Quote"

He (Caben) pulls his head back, and his gaze trails over my face. I glance at the glowing rivers lighting my arms and know what he sees-the swirling mercury on my face; around my eyes.

His thumb skims my cheek. “You're my goddess.” Then his lips fall to mine as he rolls me to lie beside him.

What I liked:

This is my first book by Trisha Wolfe, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’m really glad I was given the opportunity to read Of Silver and Beasts.  I just need to say that the actions scenes featuring Kaliope were by far my favorite parts of the book, along with the great setting details.

What I would have liked or felt could have been better:

The only thing that comes to mind is at the very beginning of the book  it seemed a little slow, but that didn’t last long. For me, Of Silver and Beasts was nearly perfect, and definitely a great read.

The Ending:

If you're a fan of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and looking for a story with a strong female Main Character, and like great action and fighting scenes, then I think you should definitely check out Of Silver and Beasts.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

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