Last year, when I read A Feather So Black (which received the same rating as this book), I felt it had a wobbly start but found its footing by the end of the first act and really took off after that. I also felt the ending was quite nice and it left me greatly anticipating the sequel (and here it is!). My largest complaint, other than the first act, was the lack of originality in the characters. We’ve met them before. They may have gone by other names and been in other books by other authors, but they aren’t exactly the deepest wells of originality. 

I’m thrilled to report A Crown So Silver has an absolutely excellent first act. I was riveted from the start, even if I didn’t anticipate the quality of the steamy scenes so early in the book (though they were quite welcome, as I do love steam when it’s well written and it fits). Telling you anything more than that is definitely spoilerific. 

The second act, though? Yeah, this book kind of goes…I won’t say haywire, but it does get messy. There are new characters, a new place, new magic, new friends, old enemies, new questions, new answers, new puzzles, and more and more and more. This results in the kind of fast pacing I don’t like to see, which is chaotic, hapdash pacing. It causes the book to feel like the author simply had so much story to tell it was simply shoved in where it seemed like it might fit. It becomes a series of this happens and then this happens but oh then this happens but then…

The book doesn’t come back around until the last 15% (plus or minus 5%), but when it does it comes back in a big way, and it brought back that same feeling I had at the end of A Feather So Black, where all of a sudden I was loving how the story was being wrapped up, how the main plotline of this installment was being winded down, and looking forward to the next installment. 

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Adult Fantasy/Book Series/Fantasy/Romantasy/Fantasy Series/Spice Level 1