Silver by Talia Vance

Silver by Talia Vance

Books Stats:
Reading level: New Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Celtic Mythology
Trade paperback: 374 pages
Publisher: Flux
Release date: September 8, 2012

Series: Bandia #1

Source: Publisher

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

"As I step into the room, a silver flash blurs my vision. Before I can take a breath, the world falls away."

Brianna has always felt invisible. People stare right past her, including the one boy she can't resist, Blake Williams. But everything changes at a house party where Brianna's charm bracelet slips off and time stands still. In that one frozen, silver moment, Blake not only sees her, he recognizes something deep inside her she's been hiding even from herself.

Discovering she is descended from Danu, the legendary Bandia of Celtic myth, Brianna finds herself questioning the truth of who she is. And when she accidentally binds her soul to Blake, their mutual attraction becomes undeniable.

But Blake has his own secret, one that could prove deadly for them both.

Bound together by forbidden magic, Brianna and Blake find themselves at the heart of an ancient feud that threatens to destroy their lives and their love.

Love that’s destined to cause feuds and wars. There’s something about that type of love that has readers coming back for more. Personally, I think Talia Vance created a wonderful romance between her two main characters, Brianna and Blake. However, SILVER isn’t just a simple love story. Brianna is a teenage girl who, until recently, was ignored by everyone. Not ignored in the sense that no one liked her, but in the sense that no one was actually aware of her. Because of something paranormal. Her high school years were spent in the shadows of her friends as she saw them fall in and out of love. But for Brianna, going out with a boy wasn’t possible because boys literally had no clue she was there. I think this theme of being invisible in high school is very interesting, even though Talia Vance isn’t the first one to elaborate on it. I mean, probably everyone ends up feeling invisible, once in their lifetime, so it’s a great way to have the readers form a link with the main character.

As a huge fan of Greek Mythology, it was no surprised that the Irish Mythology from this book enthralled me. The mythology and the world Talia Vance has created is refreshing and very interesting. However, it does feel like the author was in a rush to write out her story and I truly think more time could have been dedicated to details of the paranormal aspects. As a descendent of Danu, an Irish goddess, Brianna is considered a Bandia and must learn how to manage her new and destructive powers, all on her own. Especially controlling her attractiveness and appeal from anyone surrounding her because being recognized and noticed might not be in her best interest. Since the book left me wanting more information on the Bandias, I found myself searching the Internet for more details. My search didn’t reveal much so I’m assuming the author elaborated quite a bit on the myth surrounding Danu and truly made it her own.That being said, I hope we learn more about the Bandias in the future books.

I think a lot of the book’s appeal comes from the fast pace and the easy flow. Never a dull moment, the story is very youth oriented because of the gossip and teenage quarrels, but it adds so many interesting bits. Conflicts between Brianna and the group of men set out to destroy all the Bandias also creates interesting action that’s sure to please any type of readers.

One last thing I want to mention is Brianna’s love of horses. Obviously horses are a symbol of Irish culture and her dedication to horses was a great way to foreshadow her Irish roots. I think small details like this make novels so much more complete and enjoyable. For a debut, I think SILVER was well written but I really hope to get more information about the world of the Bandias in the future release. SILVER will surely be stacked on many shelves this fall because it’s a debut YA novel you don’t want to miss. Let yourself be enthralled by the Bandias and I’m sure you won’t regret it!

Read an excerpt

Posted by Unknown at 07:30

 Flux, Gods, Review, Talia Vance, young adult  13 People left their mark