Review of: Silver In The Blood by Jessica Day George

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Historical Fiction

In 1890 Dacia and Lou are girls of high society and their biggest concerns are their European tour and the handsome young men they encounter.  On the occasion of their seventeenth birthdays, they are required to return to their ancestral home in Romania to meet the rest of the extended family.  It looked like it would be a rather boring parade of ancient grandmothers and aunts, so when they begin to notice odd people following them, and receive strange inquiries about whether they are Wings, Claws, or Smoke.  Once in Romania, they find that they are part of a family of Shapeshifters.  Even more incredibly–Dacia and Lou have a destiny to fulfill.  Whether that destiny will uphold their family tradition or upend it is up to them.

In the past, I have enjoyed Jessica Day George’s Princess series (Princess of the Midnight Ball, Princess of Glass, and Princess of the Silver Woods) so when I saw Silver In The Blood and recognized George’s name, I knew I had to read it.  Though it has a historical setting, it’s definitely more in the realm of fantasy than historical fiction.

Silver in the Blood started a little slow for my tastes, and had me wondering whether it was just going to be a novel about silly teenage girls flirting across Europe.  Still, there was enough of a plot for me to keep reading, and I’m really glad I did.  I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect out of the whole shapeshifting thing, but I definitely wasn’t expecting what did happen.  I don’t want to spoil anything for you guys, so I won’t say more than this, but rest assured it’s not your average YA vampire book.  The tempo of the book really picked up as I got into it, and by the end it was really difficult to put down.  The plot just kept unwinding and developing throughout the whole book, and it really made for an enjoyable quick read over the holidays.

Dacia is a fun character, but the way Lou comes into her own throughout the course of the book was one of the more notable character developments that I’ve read lately. It’s always good to read about a character that overcomes personal phobias and becomes much stronger than he or she ever imagined, and Lou was definitely one of those characters.  I think her personal development was one of the biggest aspects of the plot.

If you enjoy Jessica Day George’s Princess books, then you should definitely read this one.  Beyond that, if you like YA fantasy, this one is well worth the read.  It’s very original, fast-paced, and just a fun book to read when you have some free time and feel like something pretty light.

I really liked it: 4 out of 5 stars