Blog Tour: Of Silver and Beasts by Trisha Wolfe (review, giveaway, excerpt)

Of Silver and Beasts (Goddess Wars #1)
written by Trisha Wolfe
published by Trisha Wolfe

find it here: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Goodreads

Why did I pick this book: I participated in the blog tour hosted by the Tuff Girl Legion. (I received a copy of this book for review purposes.)

Did I enjoy this book: I did.  I tore through it in two days.

I was instantly addicted to Kaliope – the steampunk version of Katniss Everdeen.  She’s tough.  She’s guarded.  She’s got a soft spot for the helpless.  Like Katniss, she has her share of struggles:  faith versus science, love versus duty, the good of one versus the good of many.  Like Katniss, she’s forced to fight her allies.  Like Katniss, she lives in a world where things aren’t always what they seem.

Kaliope’s a more extreme version of Katniss, though: her innards contain a bit of clockwork and a lot of mercury – a most coveted resource in her world – giving Kal the upper hand in battle.  Her softer side is a bit squishier, too; she has more faith in… FAITH… than her dystopian counterpart.  It’s naivete, perhaps, but it makes Kal just slightly more loveable – more addictive.

I did, of course, have a few issues with the book.  Beyond the grammatical errors & typos that are sadly commonplace in e-books, I found it difficult to determine how Kal (and by Kal, perhaps I mean Wolfe, or perhaps I even mean myself) feels about the goddesses. It’s possible I’m projecting my own ambivalence, but I think the storyline would be more successful if Kal had been cured by magic rather than a deity.  It seems, especially in the world that Wolfe has created, that magical intervention makes more sense than divine intervention. Having said that, though, I’m already anxious for the next installment.

Would I recommend it: I already did!  After about 100 pages I sent my sister a text saying she NEEEEEEEEDS to read it.  =)   If you like dark, dystopian fantasy you’ll enjoy this book.

Will I read it again: I’m planning to read it again just before the second book comes out (to refresh my memory).

About the book – from Goodreads: In the sand-covered queendom of Cavan, the goddess once saved a young Kaliope’s life, preventing the mercury her father attempted to hide in her blood from reaching her heart. Now, a cybernetic clamp filters it, but the silver streaks swirling faintly beneath her skin are a constant reminder that she’s different.

When nineteen-year-old Kaliope is chosen as head of the Nactue Guard, she becomes the sworn protector to her empress. In the midst of an invasion on a neighboring land, Kaliope is placed in charge of guarding Prince Caben, the last heir to his kingdom. But when they’re attacked by the feared Otherworlders, Caben and Kaliope are abducted and taken below to a realm where they must fight for their life in a caged arena.

Kaliope struggles to protect her princely charge, keeping him and herself alive while battling inhumanly opponents, and trying to save the stolen, sacred relic that will restore her empress’s life force and all of Cavan. And if she can somehow awaken the goddess within her, she may save what’s most important.

New Adult Dark Fantasy: Intended for readers 17 years of age and older.

The cool sensation of the fresh water on my skin helps me forget my nerves and I lie back, floating just below the top of the water. My body dulls, the cold soothing my sore muscles, and I welcome the numbness. The ceiling of the cave is sprinkled with tiny clusters of white lights, dotting the canopy above our heads like stars in the sky. I feel as if I’m sitting on the rooftop of my apartment, staring at the night sky, not here in the Otherworld, awaiting my death.

The water rolls, rocking my body, and I glance over as Caben floats up beside me. He’s on his back also, and points to the lights dusting the cave ceiling.

“Diamonds,” he says.

“Really?” I don’t know much about any minerals other than mercury. And somehow, diamonds as our stars makes my chest heavy. It’s too beautiful. “How can you tell?”

“The ultraviolet light shows the impurities,” he says. “The imperfections actually absorb the dark light, causing the diamond to emit a visible glow.” He chuckles. “A very expensive lighting effect.”

I laugh. “Quite expensive.” They twinkle as they reflect the rippling water. “But almost more heavenly than the stars.” I lower my voice at the end, hoping he didn’t hear my spoken thoughts.

Caben doesn’t speak, and the trickling of the stream and lap of the pool becomes the only sound as we float in compatible silence. I could drift off, fall asleep in this peaceful place, but I know we still have a mission to complete before the Reckoning.

This thought awakens me, and I touch my feet to the bottom of the pool and begin to wade toward the edge.

I hear Caben’s heavy groan. “No you don’t,” he says, and captures the bottom of my tunic. He tugs me through the water, back to the pool’s center. “Not yet. This could be our last reprieve, and I plan for us to enjoy it.”

As I turn to face him, his fingers slip from my shirt to my waist, grazing my stomach. My skin prickles, and I shiver, matching the trembling water around us. His deep blue eyes meet mine, and he swallows, his Adam’s apple working. Slowly, he begins to inch up my tunic—

“Wait.” I place my hand on top of his.

He cranes an eyebrow. “It should really have time to dry before we go back.”

Logically, that makes sense. But the heated look he’s giving me says so much more. And regardless of the attraction I may feel for the prince—a woman would have to be blind—and whether or not we actually escape this hell … what then? We share an intimate moment once, and go back to our stations in life, simply pretending nothing happened?

Or maybe I’m reading too much into his gaze. He’s a man, and physical desire is self-serving. He may die … and he probably wants to bed a woman one last time. Everything about his character screams he’s not one who thinks past the moment.

I could lose myself for now, give in to the pulse quickening my blood with need, but I’ve never shown a man the clamp over my heart. It would have to be something I did for a different reason if I ever chose to do so. Not merely because I may die soon.

As I push his hand away and start to swim off, he grasps my waist, encircling his firm arms around my stomach, and pulls my back to his chest.

“Don’t run from me,” he breathes into my ear. “I’m not asking for anything. Not even whatever it is you’re hiding. Just stay here.”

About the author: Trisha Wolfe is the author of the YA Steampunk Destiny’s Fire (Omnific Publishing), the NA Historical/Supernatural Astarte’s Wrath, and the upcoming YA Utopian Fireblood from Spencer Hill Press, October 2013. Her NA Dark Fantasy Of Silver and Beasts available May 2013.

She’s the creator of YA Bound, a promotional site for the Young Adult genre. Also a member of SCWW and The Apocalypsies. Check out www.TrishaWolfe.com for more on her books and bonus material. Follow Trisha on Twitter @TrishWolfe and like her Facebook page for updates.

Find Ms. Wolfe here: web, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway