Silver

Oct 06, 2012 Keertana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kick-ass-heroines

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Silver is an adult urban fantasy novel like no other. First and foremost, it tackles one of the most unique ideas I've come across in my reading of werewolf lore and I just loved the manner in which this was executed. It was told mostly as a murder mystery, but it contained heavy character development as well, switching between the perspectives of Andrew and Silver. In all honesty, it is them who drive this novel forward, with their scarring pasts and struggles to make a better...more Rating: 3.5 Stars

Silver is an adult urban fantasy novel like no other. First and foremost, it tackles one of the most unique ideas I've come across in my reading of werewolf lore and I just loved the manner in which this was executed. It was told mostly as a murder mystery, but it contained heavy character development as well, switching between the perspectives of Andrew and Silver. In all honesty, it is them who drive this novel forward, with their scarring pasts and struggles to make a better future for themselves and their romance is very subtle and truly beautiful to see play out.

While I truly enjoyed reading Silver, with its plot twists and dark tale, I did think it could have benefited from a little more emphasis on the world-building. It isn't shabby in the least, but I would have liked a few more details. Furthermore, I found that some scenes, while definitely contributing to some of the character qualities that Andrew and Silver possessed, could have been cut out entirely. In my opinion, they didn't do much for the novel and made it a little chunkier than it could have been. Lastly, and most probably my biggest qualm, was the unrealistic situation when it came to the villain. I found it a little hard to believe that the villain was so preoccupied with a beautiful woman that he didn't hear his prisoner break free of his chains on the floor below and make a racket while crawling up the stairs towards him...you see what I mean?

Yet, overall, Silver was an excellent tale. As a character, Silver can often come across as insane due to her situation, but the ultimate way in which this was dealt with and the fact that Andrew was able to see her inner strength despite that just made me fall in love with the romance - and this book - even more. If you're looking for an unique take on werewolf lore or are just another fan of Adult Urban Fantasy with a tinge of murder mystery and a hint of romance, this is just the book for you! :)

You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.(less)

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Jan 14, 2013 Amanda Masters rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was really good. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline a lot but thought the story a little predictable. I liked the character of Silver. I liked that her character had a lot of depth. The character of Dare was good but as I said predictable he is the typical were with a bad past that he is running from with a strong need to protect Silver no matter the cost to him.

The story centers around Silver running from someone she calls her "Monster" who has injected her with liquid silver....more

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Oct 10, 2012 Jami Russell rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was an okay book but you know, and this, I'm sure, is just me, I am sick and tired of atheist characters. I don't know if it's because it's the hip, in thing, or if the author is one and therefore writes one. I just know it's a trend I'm tired of. And it really makes no sense here. Andrew is a freaking WEREWOLF! He's a supernatural being, beyond the explanation of science. An atheist werewolf makes as much sense as an atheist ghost. You know for a fact that there's strange things out there....more This was an okay book but you know, and this, I'm sure, is just me, I am sick and tired of atheist characters. I don't know if it's because it's the hip, in thing, or if the author is one and therefore writes one. I just know it's a trend I'm tired of. And it really makes no sense here. Andrew is a freaking WEREWOLF! He's a supernatural being, beyond the explanation of science. An atheist werewolf makes as much sense as an atheist ghost. You know for a fact that there's strange things out there. How can you deny the possibility of gods and goddesses in all shapes and forms?

And even when he's confronted with evidence to the contrary he still wants to explain away and deny it. I just wanted to reach in and smack him for being so pigheaded and blind.

If at least it had been explained why he didn't believe like "If the Lady exists why did she let my wife die? Why won't she make my daughter forgive and love me again?" I could buy it. But in this case, I don't.

Dude, Andrew, you heal incredibly fast, you can shape shift - something that is scientifically impossible - the only thing that can be explained by science is your allergy to silver. But not the fact that every single werewolf is. (I'm allergic to nickle myself. I can't wear earrings with nickle in them or my lobes swell up.) At the very least you should be agnostic, not a flat out non-believer.

I'm sorry, I just can't buy it any more than I can buy those books where vampires are smart enough to have a society and use technology, but still make humans, their main food source not to mention the source for new vampires, close to extinct once they take over the world. (Honestly, vampires smart enough to do all that would NOT kill children and pregnant women willy-nilly and would set up good medical programs as well as breeding programs. Plus not allow their own population to get out of control.)

I just could not suspend my disbelief because of this one issue. Don't try to explain it to me because it still won't make sense to me.

Oh, and can I add how sick and tired I am of "Oh! Religion bad!" themes? Ug! There's lots of GOOD things religion did too, you know. Did you know people who are religious are more likely to recycle? We also live longer because we're less stressed out. Less likely to commit violent crime. There's lots of people alive today who would otherwise be killed because they're "Evolutionarily inferior" due to things like being handicapped. How about owning up to all the evil atheism has done? Hilter, Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, all atheists. Ask anyone who's left Vietnam how bad their atheist based government treats them. Hey, look at China, atheist based government exporting deadly dog treats and lead paint covered toys.

The whole "religion bad" theme is tired already. Yes, there are people who claim to be believers who've done terrible things. But it's NOT religion's fault. It's the fault of greed and jealousy. Looking to grasp land and money. How about authors stop blaming religion and start blaming humans for being greedy little a**holes? Stefen was just insane after his torture. No need to blame religion. Blaming religion for bad things people choose to do is as stupid as blaming video games or music. Evil is a choice. (less)

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Sep 18, 2012 Emily Alburns rated it 4 of 5 stars

Silver is Rhiannon Held's debut novel, and already I am looking forward to her second novel, Tarnished. From the first page you're swept into the action. Andrew Dare is an enforcer charged with the protection of his pack. He is on the trail of a lone wolf tainted with the smell of silver. Silver is deadly to Weres and only European Weres carry silver on them as a weapon. Details later revealed in the book lead Dare to believe the lone wolf is tied to his past. Instead, what he finds is a young w...more Silver is Rhiannon Held's debut novel, and already I am looking forward to her second novel, Tarnished. From the first page you're swept into the action. Andrew Dare is an enforcer charged with the protection of his pack. He is on the trail of a lone wolf tainted with the smell of silver. Silver is deadly to Weres and only European Weres carry silver on them as a weapon. Details later revealed in the book lead Dare to believe the lone wolf is tied to his past. Instead, what he finds is a young woman who has been injected with silver, her arm scarred from silver restraints. Dare brings her to his pack with the intent of leaving her in safe keeping so he can hunt the one responsible unhindered. But his alpha, Roanoke, doesn't want her. He feels that since she probably came from a western pack, she either belongs there, or should be put out of her misery and killed. Knowing his alpha is being short sighted, Dare is determined to discover this threat to his and all North American packs before its too late.
Silver is on the run from a monster, her only companion Death, a black wolf who speaks with the voices of the dead. As only she can see and hear him, she unsettles others and is believed to be insane. With silver poisoning her system and her subconscious protecting her from remembering whatever occurred to her and her family, Silver is lost, her instincts telling her to run and protect others who could get caught in the crossfire. In Dare she sees a warrior, and following Death's suggestion, someone who may be able to protect her. Tired of running, of waiting for Death or the monster to take her, she goes with Dare, knowing she may be leading the lone wolf to his death.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Silver brings a new voice to the urban fantasy genre. I liked how the alphas took their names from the territory they controlled, for example, Dare's territory was Roanoke, therefore his alpha was called Roanoke. Also, I like how their wolf selves were referred to as their wild self, and the human as the tame self. By the end of the book all questions are answered without a quick information dump at the end. Tidbits of back story and story line are given like bread crumbs, moving the book along at a smooth, steady pace to the climax. Silver is strong enough to stand on its own, but I felt that it could be continued as a series. Which, after I checked out Rhiannon's page, her second book, Tarnished, is due in 2013! Yeah! Rhiannon Held is definitely added to my to be watched pile. Can't wait to read Tarnished, and highly recommend getting Silver.(less)

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Aug 19, 2012 Jade rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is Rhiannon Held's debut novel, and as such, it was impressive. The characters were complex and strong, the plot was well thought out, and the entire concept was original. I hadn't read anything quite like it before.

What I found most interesting was the complexity of the pack lifestyle and the religious beliefs of her werewolf characters. Those aspects held my attention even more than the actual story, though that did a fine job of keeping me on my toes as well. The ending was, at least for...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Shaun Duke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Every time I read an urban fantasy, I remind myself that I am not the primary audience. After all, much of what I dislike about urban fantasy are the very things I dislike about bad books. Stereotypical characterization, repetitive narratives, and repetitive tropes (if I see one more tramp stamp cover I'm going to blow a gasket). But Rhiannon Held's Silver bucked the trend, taking what should have been yet another stupid werewolf novel and turning it into a rigorously constructed sociological fo...more Every time I read an urban fantasy, I remind myself that I am not the primary audience. After all, much of what I dislike about urban fantasy are the very things I dislike about bad books. Stereotypical characterization, repetitive narratives, and repetitive tropes (if I see one more tramp stamp cover I'm going to blow a gasket). But Rhiannon Held's Silver bucked the trend, taking what should have been yet another stupid werewolf novel and turning it into a rigorously constructed sociological foray into a potential werewolf culture.

The novel's focus, oddly enough, is on Andrew Dare, not the character from which the novel draws its title. A werewolf pack enforcer, Dare discoveres Silver wandering in Roanoke territory, seemingly delirious and injected with, well, silver (the connection to her name is explained in the novel). Silver's condition reminds Dare of a past that he would rather forget, and one which we
discover through him as he battles against the memories. Working to uncover those responsible for Silver's torture, Dare must confront the demons that make him anti-social and unwilling to lead.

One might say that I'm an unusual reader when it comes to urban fantasy. All those flashy monsters and the like really don't mean much to me if they are substitutes for character development. What is powerful about urban fantasy for me isn't so much that it is the fantastic littered in contemporary spaces; rather, it is that urban fantasy seems like a perfect space for examining the relationships between characters, human and otherwise. Silver is such a novel, with a tangential focus on plot. What centers the novel, and made it work for me as a fantasy, are its characters. Dare is sympathetic and mysterious; reading about his development as a character, moving from a man afraid of responsibility to a man who must take it, was refreshing, in part because it meant the story needn't reduce itself to a long series of random werewolf fights in order to explore a set of themes (in this case: haunted pasts, torture, pack culture, etc.). Likewise, Silver, the second POV (less focused in this novel for reasons that become obvious as you read), suffers from similar traumas. Though her development is less pronounced than Dare's -- it is partly her past that Dare is trying to uncover -- Silver's growth as a character offers a emotional exploration into psychosis and werewolf phenomena. Readers expecting an action-packed novel would do best to explore elsewhere; this is not that kind of story.

Perhaps the novel's greatest strength lies in Held's attempt to take a fantastical concept -- the existence of werewolves -- and put a soft science spin on it. Much of the novel draws attention to the dynamics of werewolf packs and the power struggles that exist within them. While the idea is likely not original, it is one that Held handles well. Rather that infodump, the pack dynamics play a central role in the plot, allowing the reader to see the interrelations between packs, the ways in which individuals maintain pack dominance (including Dare's struggles with his own alpha nature), and so on. One might look at Silver and call it anthopological urban fantasy. That would be a fair assessment considering that Held has argued in interviews that the world of Silver is more science fiction than it is fantasy; the werewolves have an implied evolutionary origin in the novel, which will play a more important role in future novels. Whether her universe can be conceived as a science fiction one is up to speculation; regardless, the rigor with which Held constructs her werewolf culture means the story never takes its fantastic elements for granted. That's something I can appreciate as a reader. The werewolves don't exist just for the sake of existing, as is sometimes the case in urban fantasy. They exist because there's a seemingly logical reason for it. I sometime call this "building a world that feels lived in." Silver brings us that world: a lived-in-world in the present, with a definable, if not mysterious, history.

My largest criticism of Held has to do with what she does not adequately cover. One of the subplots is the expected development of a relationship between Dare and Silver. While Dare struggles against his instincts, feeling that even a sexual flirtation with Silver is a violation of his ethical code, he eventually gives in, and it is implied that they will remain mates (in werewolf terms) for future novels. What troubles me about this is what it says about the characters, and what is not said about how others view their relationship. In other words, their relationship is, to put it bluntly, troublesome for precisely the reasons Dare cites: Silver is disabled and still psychologically unable to cope with what has happened to her, even though we see her move away from that weakness towards the end of the novel. In a very real sense, her ability to consent should be questioned, puzzled out, and explored in more depth. While Held does attempt to explore this social dynamic, Dare seems to give in too easily to temptation, and not enough resistance, in my mind, is provided by the secondary cast. Perhaps this stems from Dare's alpha nature. If so, I hope future novels will delve into the problems of their coupling.

Overall, though, this is a solid first novel. Even if what Held does is not wholly original, her ability to craft a werewolf mythology that is more anthropoligical than paranormal is commendable -- and certainly appreciated by this reader. Silver is the kind of novel that shows an author's strengths. Held handles the character drama with focus and molds a fantastical present worth exploring further. She has a lot of potential as a writer, and I sincerely hope Silver does well enough to warrant future books, whether in this series or otherwise.(less)

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Aug 02, 2012 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book very much. It's a great little werewolf book. Andrew Dare is a werewolf enforcer. He's not really a part of the Roanoke pack, but he's their enforcer. He punishes other wolves and drives off lones and strays from other packs. He's got a dark past, plus he's wound pretty tightly. This guy doesn't do anything casually.

He's chasing a lone wolf that's crossed into their territory (which seems to be the whole east coast of the US), but she's not a typical stray. She's hurt and she s...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Silver James rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books-read

is the debut paranormal novel by Rhiannon Held. This isn't a romance, though it is a love story. This isn't urban fantasy though it's a gritty depiction of werewolf life. The language is both sparse and lush, the ideas both lofty and grounded. There are universal truths in this book, presented in a lyrical story of light, death, madness, and redemption. Andrew Dare is enforcer for the Roanoke pack, which encompasses most of the eastern part of the US. Dare has a dark and ugly past and many oth...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, arcs

The damaged beauty of both the hero and heroine is just one piece of what makes SILVER such an entrancing book. Haunting and romantic, SILVER delivers all of the satisfaction of SHIVER with a more adult tone, a combination that had me riveted from the first chapter. There is just titillation to fire the imagination without ever diluting the importance of Dare and Silver's other concerns, and though the action lagged a bit for me in the middle, the strong characters and well drawn world more than...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Linsey Duncan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Silver is a well-written, engaging urban fantasy that features werewolves and a romance-tinged main plot. But Silver has other ambitions besides "extremely competent genre tale." Silver is concerned with culture. Silver is concerned with how werewolves act and love and worship. What are their taboos? How might one pack act differently than another? Who leads and who doesn't? What's strength and what's weakness? Many of these questions are addressed contextually, through character behavior more t...more

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May 21, 2012 Leeanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, i-own, for-review

I haven’t read many werewolf books, other than the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. The summary for "Silver" caught my eye, though — a werewolf who can’t shift? I wanted to find out what had happened to Silver, and how she lost her “wild self.”

Silver, the main female character, has an interesting past. She was tortured with silver, which took away her ability to shift into were form. Torture with silver isn’t something North American packs do, but Andrew Dare, the main male character, r...more I haven’t read many werewolf books, other than the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. The summary for "Silver" caught my eye, though — a werewolf who can’t shift? I wanted to find out what had happened to Silver, and how she lost her “wild self.”

Silver, the main female character, has an interesting past. She was tortured with silver, which took away her ability to shift into were form. Torture with silver isn’t something North American packs do, but Andrew Dare, the main male character, recognizes it from his time in Europe. Andrew is the reinforcer for the Roanoke pack, a job that keeps him a lone wolf — literally.

The blurb on the back cover makes it sound like a hot romance develops between Andrew and Silver as they hunt down the monster that hurt her. The relationship that springs up between them feels a lot more like a friendship that moves into something more because of shared experiences, not because they’re all hot and bothered for each other. So the blurb is misleading, but I didn’t mind. One of my biggest complaints with urban fantasy is romance, so I was happy that there wasn’t a lot in "Silver." Not everything needs to be a love story.

For me, "Silver" isn’t a memorable book. I kept putting it down and not being motivated to pick it back up. While I liked the author’s writing style — particularly some of her descriptions — the pacing of the book was slow. It’s only 320 pages, but it read like twice that length. Some tighter editing would have improved the flow, and taken out some unnecessary passages.

I had a hard time caring about Silver or Andrew. Silver was hard to follow, because she was somewhat crazy. Sometimes she talked to Death; the silver poisoning affected her mind as well as her ability to shift. I have to give the author credit for writing a believable crazy person (as unpolitically correct as that has to sound), but Silver’s conversations with Death made the beginning of the book confusing.

"Silver" is the first in a trilogy. I probably won’t pick up the next two, because I don’t have that driving urge to find out what Silver and Andrew are going to do next.

I received this book through the Amazon Vine program.. (less)

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May 02, 2012 Jo (Mixed Book Bag) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, paranormal

Paranormal
Just some background. I received a advance uncorrected proof (ARC) of Silver from Amazon Vine. This is the first published novel by Rhiannon Held. After reading Silver I assume that it is the first in the world Rhiannon has built.

My take on the novel:

Worldbuilding: This is a totally different take on werewolves and how a pack functions. There was a lot to get in and it is handled beautifully. Mixed into the story line there is a hint here and a hint there. It never intrudes on the stor...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Amy Jacobs rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

First off, I don't know why this is classified as a Fantasy. I felt it fit better in the Paranormal Romance or even Urban Fantasy, but definitely not quite as Fantasy only. What made me want to read this book was the werewolf characters. It had been awhile since I stepped into the werewolf world and decided to read about them again.

When Andrew comes across Silver during a run for the pack, he is held responsible in finding out where she has come from and where she is suppose to belong. Sounds g...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Virginia Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance, suspense, thriller

When an intruder wanders into the Southwestern Virginia territory of the Roanoke pack, enforcer Andrew Dare goes into full tracking mode. Andrew, also known just as Dare, is a werewolf, and so is his target. When he catches up to his prey, he discovers a dazed and damaged woman who says her name is Silver. She has been tortured and brutalized, and she claims to speak with Death, who travels as her companion. Silver can provide few clues to her real identity, and Andrew is unsure of how to return...more

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Jul 04, 2012 K. Bird rated it 4 of 5 stars

The story begins in a stream of consciousness talk about a Lady, and Death following, and trying to outrun a monster. You get the sense that the speaker isn't all completely there.

And she isn't. After that bit of Silver's POV, we spend most of our time in the POV of her protector, Andrew Dare.

They are both werewolves. Silver has been tortured by someone to the point she cannot shift, has visions, a dead arm, and won't remember her name.

Andrew was sent by the powerful pack leader of most of the E...more The story begins in a stream of consciousness talk about a Lady, and Death following, and trying to outrun a monster. You get the sense that the speaker isn't all completely there.

And she isn't. After that bit of Silver's POV, we spend most of our time in the POV of her protector, Andrew Dare.

They are both werewolves. Silver has been tortured by someone to the point she cannot shift, has visions, a dead arm, and won't remember her name.

Andrew was sent by the powerful pack leader of most of the Eastern United States, Roanoke, to find this lone wolf invading their territory.

But when Andrew finds Silver, he can't just banish or kill her. His duty to his kind forces him, despite a past that causes all the other wolves to shun him, to bring Silver back West to find out who and why did this terrible thing.

This decision will completely break apart Andrew's life, forcing him to face his own power and forgive himself for his own past.

Don't come into this book looking for sexy werewolves and teen angst. Silver reads more like Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega Books than Laurell K Hamilton's were.

Andrew is very thoughtful; he always thinking through the consequence of his actions, stance, and words on the other characters. Silver is half-mad, and we have to guess at what she means. These things are not boring for me, however if you like the other kind of werewolf, this may be a slow-paced book for you.

I liked how the consequences of actions linger. Andrew thinks to himself something along the lines of "There's no happy ending for Silver" an in a way that's true. One also wonders if there will be a happy ending for Andrew after defying his Pack, and running rough-house over the Western Packs in order to find the torturer.

I also liked how Silver walked a narrow line of madness. Andrew was constantly theorizing how she could know things (that she said Death told her) and it made me question if Death existed or if Silver's unconscious were putting things together.

I will definitely be looking forward to any sequel, Andrew's tough, honor-bound caring and Silver's madness really appealed to me.

This Book's Snack Rating: Like hummus and pita for the satisfying friction between Andrew's rigorous self-control and Silver's creamy madness(less)

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Jun 11, 2012 Radiant rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a different kind of story from what werewolf books i read..
Silver (as she calls herself) is a lone werewolf ..andrew sees in his mission as enforcer to get her back to her pack wherever it is and get his job done.
She is delusional n has hallucinations..that's what everyone thinks...but i think that the part which is interesting in the book..her chat with the Death himself..is it bcoz of the side effect of the silver that a monster has injected himself in her?No one knows and silver hers...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Donna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, romance, 2012-read

Andrew Dare has a dark past that has left the werewolves of North America despising him and the European werewolves wanting him dead. Because of that dark, questionable past Dare has taken the lonely position as the Enforcer for the Roanoke pack, which is made up of werewolf sub-packs on the East coast. Being an Enforcer means Andrew doesn't truly belong to a pack but is a neutral lone wolf who does the Roanoke pack's alpha's bidding when a werewolf gets out of line. While tracking down a female...more Andrew Dare has a dark past that has left the werewolves of North America despising him and the European werewolves wanting him dead. Because of that dark, questionable past Dare has taken the lonely position as the Enforcer for the Roanoke pack, which is made up of werewolf sub-packs on the East coast. Being an Enforcer means Andrew doesn't truly belong to a pack but is a neutral lone wolf who does the Roanoke pack's alpha's bidding when a werewolf gets out of line. While tracking down a female werewolf that he thinks is carrying silver to do harm to others, he finds instead a crazed werewolf who had been injected with silver. The crazed werewolf calls herself Silver and says she has lost her wild self so she can no longer shift into a wolf. The silver poisoning in her blood has caused Silver's mind to splintered off into another reality where she walks and talks with Death and can't remember who she is, her past or who tortured her. Now, with barely any clues, Andrew has to carefully navigate the political channels of the werewolf hierarchy to find out where Silver is from and the sadistic person who tortured Silver.

SILVER, the first book in an urban fantasy romance trilogy by debut author Rhiannon Held, left me with mixed feelings about the story. I really liked the origins of werewolves for this story and how it was worked into the this story, making it entertaining to learn about it. I also enjoyed the mystery surrounding what happened to Silver as a good buildup throughout the book, and it kept me reading. I liked how Silver's personality evolved and found her as someone I liked a lot.

Where I have mixed feelings is the romance in the story and the ending. I never felt any romantic connection between Dare and Silver. The romance read and felt more like a warm friendship that was deepened by a kinship felt because of the familiar. The ending was a disappointment because I didn't feel like the antagonist responsible for the horrible events in the book really lived up to them in person and I didn't care for how things ended for Silver. Her ending felt unfinished. But since this is the first book in this trilogy maybe Silver's fate will take a different turn in the future books, one I could feel good about.

Overall, SILVER was a good story for the most part but I don't think SILVER stands out from the other books in the urban fantasy genre.
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Jun 29, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Silver is Rhiannon Held's debut novel that takes us into the world of werewolves.

Andrew Dare has a past that he can not live down. Because of the demons that follow him around he feels the need to be separated from a pack. Because of that, Andrew has become the enforcer of the Roanoke Territory. He is the one sent on missions to find loan wolves or to take care of the business that the alpha has no time or desire to deal with. Dare has become the boogeyman of his species. Everyone has heard the...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Dianne Socci-Tetro rated it 2 of 5 stars

Silver by Rhiannon Held

Silver, one of our protagonists, is actually named Selene but she has no ties to who she used to be before the attack. Silver/Selene had been injected with liquid silver. She sees a wolven image of death and talks to him and she can no longer call her ‘wild side’ or her wolf. Therefore, she can no longer change.

Andrew Dare is the Enforcer for the Roanoke pack and he is on the hunt for someone who stinks of silver. He is disliked by all the wolves since he is an enforcer,...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Anthea Strezze rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who enjoys character-driven fantasy.

Recommended to Anthea by: John Scalzi's Big Idea feature

Silver, by Rhiannon Held, is one of the best werewolf stories I've ever read. I found it a completely new, and compelling, take on the trope, in part because her werewolves are all born that way, not changed over from normal humans via violence. Instead, the werewolves have their own mythology and culture, within the larger scope of living as a secret ethnicity within the human population.

You can read more about the ideas and worldbuilding and genesis of the story in John Scalzi's "Big Idea" fea ...more

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May 25, 2012 Kathy Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting sort of werewolf book spent a lot of time talking about pack dynamics in the New World while exploring two damaged characters. Our male main character is Andrew Dare who is working as the enforcer for the Roanoke Pack. He had spent some time in Europe but is back home after losing his mate and going on a killing rampage to get those responsible for her death. He came back with a very bad reputation, lots of guilt, and an essential feeling of loneliness. He is in the Roano...more This was an interesting sort of werewolf book spent a lot of time talking about pack dynamics in the New World while exploring two damaged characters. Our male main character is Andrew Dare who is working as the enforcer for the Roanoke Pack. He had spent some time in Europe but is back home after losing his mate and going on a killing rampage to get those responsible for her death. He came back with a very bad reputation, lots of guilt, and an essential feeling of loneliness. He is in the Roanoke Pack but not really accepted by it. He is an alpha wolf who doesn't want responsibility for anyone but himself.

Andrew is sent to track down a lone wolf and finds Silver. She has been injected with silver, has lost her wolf, has hallucinations and is generally crazy. She sees a black wolf she calls Death who talks in the voices of those who have died. When Andrew finds her, he wants to find out where she belongs and wants to find out who did that to her and stop him before he does it again. Using silver as a weapon of torture is something that had been done in Europe but wasn't common in America. His pack alpha wants to get rid of Silver but has no interest in finding the person responsible. As long as he stays out of his territory, he doesn't care who caused the problem.

Andrew decides to disregard his alpha's instructions and find out what is going on. He wants to help Silver. Together they go off to the West Coast to try to find a pack that knows her.The story is told alternately from Andrew's and Silver's point of view. Getting into the mind of a woman who has been poisoned by silver was a very surreal experience. It was fascinating to see her relationship with Death and it was fascinating to see her come to terms with her horrible memories and come back to reality.

This was a story of growth and change for both main characters set in an interesting world with a new mythology. It wasn't action packed. More time was spent on each characters' internal struggles than on external actions. I recommend it for fans of werewolf stories who want a quieter, more introspective book.
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May 21, 2013 Hannah M. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-read, books-i-own, fiction, urban-fantasy

Andrew Dare, werewolf and enforcer, has an important job. Eliminate any and all threats to the Roanoke pack. So when he gets the call that there’s a lone wolf roaming his territory that smells like silver, he’s got to investigate. Silver doesn’t remember anything about her life before the fire running through her veins and the loss of her wild self, she’s simply trying to survive with death as her only companion. She’s just not sure how long she can keep running.

Silver, Rhiannon Held’s debut nov...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Sarah by: Kristen

Shelves: genre__parallel-fantasy, dark, would-recommend, favorites, werewolves-shifters

Originally posted on my blog Alexis H. Masters - Check it out for more reviews and posts about my fantasy fiction book!

Silver is a very intense book. Newly published (June 2012), it tells the story of a lone woman struggling to regain her werewolf form even while she runs from the past that stripped her of it. Andrew Dare, the local Were pack’s enforcer catches her scent and brings her in, intending to kill her because she smells of silver – poison to Weres and a torture only used by the cruele...more Originally posted on my blog Alexis H. Masters - Check it out for more reviews and posts about my fantasy fiction book!

Silver is a very intense book. Newly published (June 2012), it tells the story of a lone woman struggling to regain her werewolf form even while she runs from the past that stripped her of it. Andrew Dare, the local Were pack’s enforcer catches her scent and brings her in, intending to kill her because she smells of silver – poison to Weres and a torture only used by the cruelest of their kind. When Dare discovers that this lone wolf was a victim instead, he tries to get her back to wherever her pack is… and finds himself thrown into the middle of a gruesome mystery that threatens all the Weres in North America.

The wolfless werewolf – she goes by the name Silver, having forgotten her name and her past in what seems to be severe PTSD. Silver is a very sympathetic character; her struggle to regain her “wild self”, her passionate discussions with Death (a black wolf that only she can see), and her strength to face what she cannot even remember for the sake of her friend are believable and real.

The cold enforcer – Dare is the enforcer of the Roanoke pack, the head security for all the Weres on the eastern US. When he runs into Silver’s scent, his first instinct is to take her down; she smells like silver and she’s clearly unhinged. But when he realizes the truth, his protective instincts as a strong dominant wolf kick in and Dare tells Silver he will hunt down her monster before he can find her again.

And that’s only the first thirty pages.

So many twists and teasers and secrets lurk in these pages. I backed up entire chapters to re-read them, just to make sure I’d gotten everything I could out of them. Held does a terrific job of weaving Dare’s past into the present predicament without chunks of obvious infodumping (thank you!). What I found most interesting was the aspect of the werewolves themselves. The story is excellent, but the fact that the characters are Weres isn’t essential to the plot – meaning anyone not overly interested in shapeshifter stories will still enjoy this book, and anyone who likes shifter stories will appreciate Silver’s unique view of the legends.

I highly recommend this book, and I hope for a sequel. The reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars is because there were a few things that I felt weren’t wrapped up very well in the end (not mentioned to keep things spoiler-free). Nothing major, but it would have been nice to see. Be aware, the story is a bit dark, but it is an interesting view of someone suffering from PTSD and the things they will endure to ensure their monsters don’t go after their friends.(less)

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Jul 15, 2012 tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this book, mostly because I liked the main characters, Silver and Andrew Dare.

It's a story of werewolves, but not the usual horror fare. It's werewolves as people, with their flaws and descriptions of were-life--the interplay between individuals, their hierarchies, their physicality (is this a word?) and their emotions, etc.

Andrew is an enforcer for the Roanoke pack, but he is not a member of the pack itself. He chooses not to be. He roams the Roanoke's territory, up and down th...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Candace rated it 3 of 5 stars

RATING - 3.5

QUICK SUMMARY - This urban fantasy centers on a young werewolf who has been tortured with what else, silver, to the point that it has affected her mind and her ability to shift into a werewolf. Andrew, an enforcer for one of the largest North American packs, finds her and feels very protective of her. He makes it his top priority to take care of her and to find out who has tortured her in such an unbelievable way.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS UF AND EVERY OTHER UF OUT THERE? - This boo...more RATING - 3.5

QUICK SUMMARY - This urban fantasy centers on a young werewolf who has been tortured with what else, silver, to the point that it has affected her mind and her ability to shift into a werewolf. Andrew, an enforcer for one of the largest North American packs, finds her and feels very protective of her. He makes it his top priority to take care of her and to find out who has tortured her in such an unbelievable way.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS UF AND EVERY OTHER UF OUT THERE? - This book completely took me by surprise. It's very different than most other UF's out there in that it is character driven, as opposed to plot driven, and it is very well written. If you want excitement, and a fast moving plot, this isn't the best book for you. The plot moved much faster the second half. The mystery of Who was the silver maniac? was not the strongest part of the book. The strongest parts were how Silver and Andrew grew throughout the book. Silver had all of the issues of the trauma to deal with. And the author shows Silver as she deals with them. (NOT overcomes them) Andrew has to deal with a lot of issues as well as trying to solve a mystery. As an enforcer, he has done things to other weres in his past that he is constantly trying to push from his memories and this case refuses to let him. He is beginning to have feelings for Silver, but when is it ok to be with someone who is not herself mentally? Only when her mind completely returns to normal? Is that even possible?

Besides these two great characters, the author explores pack dynamics very thoroughly; proper pack respect, pack hierachy and the constant dance required to keep peace among the strong-willed, interaction between packs.

SPOILER -This book has some beautiful scenes and some strong female weres. One of my favorite scenes is when Andrew puts his hands on Silver's shoulders and literally feels how dominant of a wolf she really is despite him believing she was a low-ranking wolf because of the tragedy she had been through.

OVERALL - I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy or werewolf books. Even if the plot was a little lacking, the characterization and pack interaction made up for it. Also, Kirkus says this is the first of a series so I am very excited to see where Andrew and Silver go next!
added later- I just found Book 2 is Tarnished expected out in May 2013 published also by TOR.(less)

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Jul 03, 2012 Carolyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, fiction, mystery, nature, science-fiction, romance, ya, magic, wolves-fangs-witches

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 13, 2012 Jeanbooknerd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

Rhiannon Held’s debut novel, Silver, takes an interesting spin in the werewolf genre. The book follows Andre Dare. After losing someone very close to him, he became a broken man. As an alpha male enforcer in the Roanoke Pack, his sense of responsibility has dwindled. Ordered to track down a lone wolf, things get complicated when he learns about werewolves losing the ability to turn into wolves. Taking manners in his own hands, Andrew bumps into more than what he had hoped for.

The most intriguing...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Ivy Reisner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, print, reviewer-s-copy, science-fiction-fantasy

When werewolf pack enforcer Andrew Dare finds a half-mad she-Were going by the name Silver, he must claw, bite, and persuade his way through the tangle of werewolf pack politics to find her attacker and defend all North American werewolves. Both of these characters are compelling. Silver is highly spiritual. She walks with Death ( a fun character in his own right, and a wolf). She can see the wolf forms oh Weres in human. She can sense The Lady (the moon). Dare has been torn down by a hard past...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Michael Loring rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Silver" is the debut novel of urban fantasy author Rhiannon Held, and what a debut it is!

It begins as Andrew Dare, the werewolf enforcer for the Roanoke pack, follows the scent of another Were who smells like silver. When he finds the person he finds a haunted woman who aptly calls herself Silver, having lost her original name to the madness that has encompassed her mind. She sees Death and has lost her wild self and is running from the monster who has injected silver into her now dead arm. An...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5/5 stars

Silver managed to do what no other werewolf urban fiction has managed to do yet – it kept me interested. Held’s world is believable and realistic. Her werewolves are gritty and wild with a human edge to them that is absolutely captivating. Her plot, while slow, manages to stay interesting and though some of the dialogue was offputting, it wasn’t awkward enough to make me put the book down. In the end, Silver has more depth, edge and realism than about 98% of the other urban fantasy bo...more

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