‘Of Silver and Shadow’: a Debut Novel of Magic, Rebellion and Badass Females

Many thanks to NetGalley, Flux and the author for the advanced reader’s copy of Of Silver and Shadow in exchange for my honest review.

• Title: Of Silver and Shadow
• Author: Jennifer Gruenke
• Publisher: Flux
• Pub. date: 16th February 2021
• Series: DEBUT NOVEL
• Pages: 480
• Genre: fantasy, young adult, LGBTQ, romance

Ren Kolins is a silver wielder—a dangerous thing to be in the kingdom of Erdis, where magic has been outlawed for a century. Ren is just trying to survive, sticking to a life of petty thievery, card games, and pit fighting to get by. But when a wealthy rebel leader discovers her secret, he offers her a fortune to join his revolution. The caveat: she won’t see a single coin until they overthrow the King.

Behind the castle walls, a brutal group of warriors known as the King’s Children is engaged in a competition: the first to find the rebel leader will be made King’s Fang, the right hand of the King of Erdis. And Adley Farre is hunting down the rebels one by one, torturing her way to Ren and the rebel leader, and the coveted King’s Fang title.

But time is running out for all of them, including the youngest Prince of Erdis, who finds himself pulled into the rebellion. Political tensions have reached a boiling point, and Ren and the rebels must take the throne before war breaks out.

Content warning: alcohol consumption, blood, death, death of a parent, executions, one fade-to-black sex scene, toxic relationships, torture, violence

I selected this book on NetGalley because it was a fantasy debut. Simple as that. I have hardly read any debut fantasy reads, so this story with its blurb that hinted at a complex, magical story caught my attention straight away.

The story is centred around a good ol’ rebellion in the works. We have four main characters here: the rebel Darek, the silver wielder thief Ren, the youngest prince Kellen, and the badass King’s Child Adley. The setting is Erdis, a kingdom ruled by a ruthless king who massacred anyone with silver wielding abilities in a coldhearted power grab.

The story begins with Ren putting her street smarts into practice with a little card trick and some thievery. Then we meet Darek and his brother Markus who try to recruit Ren into their rebellion since she’s pretty much the only non-royal silver wielder alive in Erdis. Kellen is the youngest son of the king of Erdis and stands out as the sole fun-loving, warmhearted member of his family. Adley is part of said ruthless king’s scary guard, the King’s Children, but she is way more than just a badass archery whiz.

The story follows all four of these characters as their lives get way more complicated as this rebellion grows and the King’s Children get more stabby.

Ren Kolins. What can I say about this badass pit fighter with a sarcastic tongue that isn’t gonna be just absolute adoration? This girl is all hard edges and sharp cuts. I just love this about her. I have been reading way too many books where the female MC has breakdowns and soft moments (but I am still a sucker for those), so my love for Ren just really surprised me!

Darek freaking Hollister. He’s basically a Mars bar: hardshell with a soft centre. I can’t get over how much I love this guy and his messy hair tied back. The way his relationship with Ren just grows in this book is a big reason I am wishing there is a sequel on the horizon. And his big brother vibe? His worrying over his little bro, Markus, is just too adorable!

Then there’s Adley Farre. Another badass female MC with way more substance than being just an assassin. Her relationship with Lesa just added more spice to this story and the character. I was really invested in the great moments they shared together. If anything, I wanted more of their story!

Lastly (but certainly not the last great character in Of Silver and Shadow) is the youngest prince of Erdis, Kellen Lyandor. This guy is still a mystery to me in many ways, but I get that is probably because he is still figuring himself out as well. Kellen definitely delivered some of the best lines in this book that had me snickering to myself.

This is a high fantasy novel, so there were way more characters involved obviously. I loved that the bad guys were very legit bad guys with bloodthirsty goals and evil personalities, but Gruenke managed to deliver some character-defining moments for some of them as well (like the Crown Prince), so I really liked their moments in Of Silver and Shadow.

One ‘not so good’ point about the characters is that this book felt like an introduction to some of the characters. I am up for any sequel that Gruenke pops up with at this point!

The rebellion is the main thing that drives this story, and there isn’t really much space for anything more here. I liked that the story didn’t branch off in any other direction. It stressed the importance of this rebellion needing to succeed.

The relationships in Of Silver and Shadow were very interesting: there is both an F/F and some M/F relationships. I was really rooting for Adley and Lesa throughout the book. There is something wonderful about these two damaged individuals finding a wholesome connection between the two of them. As for the other two M/F relationships (no names because I don’t wanna spoil too much!), one was a slow burn but satisfying AF, and the other has real potential but is still rocky.

There is quite a bit of conflict that the main characters need to work through. I think all four MCs showed a tremendous amount of growth by the end, thanks to this. There was a healthy amount of drama, so I did not feel like the story suffered from a ‘saggy middle’. Also, I would say the plotline was very smooth and transitioned nicely from event to event.

First of all, the setting. I loved that there were more than two kingdoms! Erdis is surrounded by a handful of other kingdoms and that meant complex politics! Oh, the drama! If Guernke decides on writing more books set in this universe, I would love to see more of the kingdoms! But I still loved the bottom-up worldbuilding here!

Erdis as a kingdom is fascinating. There were many parts – or districts – and Gruenke took the time to explain the kingdom’s layout in the first few chapters so that by the end I knew exactly where everything was. I would have loved a map though! That would be the coolest addition to this book that I would recommend!

I loved that Of Silver and Shadow had a lot to say about the culture of Erdis. A majority of the story took place in the districts rather than the palace, so we get different characters from various backgrounds. It’s such a rich mix of royalty, commoners, rebels, markets and fairs. I just love a book that doesn’t get too focused on its drama but takes the time to introduce us to its world.

Also, I discovered that Gruenke has Pinterest boards set up. I highly recommend you check them out when reading this book!

The theme of good versus evil was a major part of this book, especially with the rebellion, and characters like the king and the Crown Prince playing such prominently cruel and coldhearted roles. There were a few interesting characters that played out this theme in more intricate ways though, like Ren’s growth throughout the book, and Prince Kellen’s moral dilemmas in the palace.

Love and friendship were my favourite themes here. I loved how the characters came together in the story and the whole ‘found family’ trope that came about. It just felt so wholesome!

Lastly, courage and perseverance were huge plot drivers here! I just loved how the rebels were so dedicated to their cause, and even gushed like crazy at Adley’s feats!

I absolutely loved Of Silver and Shadow. Whatever I wasn’t happy with was so minor that I can’t even remember them at this point. This book was written so well that I kept forgetting this was Gruenke’s debut novel! Absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves a well-built high fantasy, badass females with weapons, and a wholesome found family!

Jennifer Gruenke is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, where she studied communication and writing. She grew up among the redwoods of Northern California, and now lives in Charlotte with her books and the houseplants she hasn’t killed yet. If she’s not writing or reading, you’re most likely to find her in a cafe, music venue, or the aisles of Trader Joe’s.

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Are you planning on picking up a copy of Of Silver And Shadow? Or did you get a chance to read it? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!