Review: Silver Blood - Emma Hamm

Silver Blood by Emma Hamm
Series: Series of Blood #1

My rating: {★★★☆☆}

Adult Fantasy
Published October 1st 2016 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Source: Electronic Copy Provided by Author

A PROPHECY TO FULFILL

Two hundred years ago, our world changed forever. Two realms combined in an explosion of magic. One morning everything was normal and the next? Every human body was host to another magical creature who had thoughts and a mind of its own. However, with power comes darkness. Someone wants to wipe this earth clean and will stop at nothing to consume it.

SHE IS NOT A HERO

Or so she thought. Wren had grown up with another voice in her head but had never considered herself magical. She doesn't have the talents other people have. She certainly doesn't have the abilities anyone else has. But she is charming and manages her business quite well. She deals in emotions and makes people happy. It's a simple life, but it's hers.

HE THINKS SHE COULD BE

Burke was a bodyguard first and always. He had been sent to collect her and deliver her in person to the most powerful creatures in their world. But the moment he steps through the broken door of her shop, his world changes forever. She's strange. She's uncomfortable. And she's so damned beautiful. He is convinced she is part of a prophecy that can save their world.

But how to convince her?

Actual Rating 3.5 Stars

It all begins with a prophecy.

Emma Hamm has created a unique world and in Silver Blood we follow Wren and her mysterious curiosity of an Entity that she hosts.

Wren's character is unfaltering and strong and it's nice to see a woman who knows who she is and isn't necessarily a damsel in distress. She may let herself be rescued on occasion, but more often than not this girl can stand on her own two feet. She's eccentric and adorable and a realistic and relatable heroine.

Burke was a little more difficult for me to connect with but I did like his character and felt that he was a good romantic interest for Wren. He's far from infallible but he's a gentleman and always seemed to have the right things at heart.

I really enjoyed the side characters of Jasper and Lyra - they provided some much needed complexity to the relationships in the book and offered friendship and camaraderie - always a great dynamic to read. I believe the second book in this series focuses on Lyra and that does make me happy that we'll be getting to know more about this particular character.

They started laughing all over again. This was family, Wren decided. Not just alone together but also comfortable with each other. They teased. They laughed. They found comfort in each other in the darkest of times.

The writing was well grounded and flowed nicely with enough description to paint a vivid picture of the world. I don't think this was the author's debut work, although there were a few things that did say 'debut' to me.

This book is written as a third person narrative and this worked well most of the time. Sometimes the 'head-hopping' in the narrative was a little difficult to follow and at times I had to re-read scenes to get a better feel for them and the characters, particularly when The Five were introduced.

There was also one instance in the very beginning of the book where it seemed to me that the narrator's voice was 'off' - becoming more of a detached observer than an omnipotent third person narrator.

"Perhaps it is important at this point to explain the unfortunate circumstances which led the world to the current time."

I don't have any preference in styles of narration but I do need it to be consistent so that I'm not thrown from the story. There were also a few small issues with editing, but nothing that detracted from the story too much.

All in all this was a solid start to a new fantasy series and I am very excited to continue with this story.