Flower of Song and Silver

Shadow and Ruin #0.5

by Ryver Knight, Kris Ruhler

Ria is tasked with protecting the only zoia flowers in Tell’s forests. Day in and day out, she tends to them and ensures that their songs are bright. The flowers are her life’s work, after all.

So what is she willing to sacrifice for them?

This short story complements the Shadow and Ruin series.

Genres: Fantasy

41 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 30, 2023

About the author

Ryver Knight is a YA Fantasy author from Ontario, Canada. When she’s not studying alchemy with goblins or drinking tea with elves, you can find her crafting nonsensical stories in her writing cave. She’s an avid reader (duh) who eats an unhealthy amount of sugar, loves listening to rad tunes, and may or may not be lacking in vitamin D.

Smoke and Spells is her debut novel.

Subscribe to her newsletter using the following link to receive the prequel to the Althuria Chronicles, Daggers and Destiny: https://ryverknight.com/welcome/
She’d always love to hear from you! Feel free to shoot her a message at contact@ryverknight.com, or any of her social media platforms (Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter, and Bookbub).

And oh, I almost forgot!

Her greatest joy is knowing that people are reading and enjoying her work. Every single purchase, review, and download she gets makes her day a little brighter. You’re the best!

Reviews

[Danique van Dijk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you BookSirens and Ryver Knight for providing me with an early copy in exchange for my honest review!

So yeah, I did actually look up 'short books' on BookSirens, because I've been in the mood for shorter reads lately. This one was perfect for that!

Ria protects zoia flowers, which have healing characteristics. When a strange man comes by her house to ask for shelter from the rain, she slowly begins to trust him.

Although I didn't have a clue what the story was about, I also didn't expect the direction that it took. I mean, him stabbing her in the back actually physically hurt - I cannot believe it. I kept hoping for a happy ending, not going to lie. I didn't trust Elias from the first second that we met him, but I kept hoping it'd be okay.

It might be important to read other books in the series before reading this one, because I do admit that I was a bit confused about the world. Ria apparently has magic that she didn't use anymore, but it didn't get explained why not. It also wasn't completely clear what her 'flower magic' did, since it seems like she could easily learn it to Elias and thus anyone could do it. Furthermore, I didn't have a clue what the Piercer was, and I wish that'd be explained a little. I'm guessing it'll be explained in later books, and I wonder if it'll terrorize the village after this or whether it has 'reached its purpose'.

All in all, I liked the story. Although the world wasn't very clear to me, it was an easy and entertaining read! I'm interested to read the rest of the series too, once I'm reading longer books again :P

Although it was a short book, I apparently did care for the characters. Although they didn't have that much depth (since the book is so short), I was spitting mad by the end of it - poor Ria! Couldn't help but feel for her.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't even read the blurb for this, the cover had me sold. This was a short novella which complements a series of books by the same author - I haven't read the other series. It was a beautiful tale of a young woman protecting magical flowers and the heartbreak and destruction caused when a strange man visits her. It's a very quick read so there isn't much character development or relationship building but I appreciate the effort gone into describing the magic system of the flowers and it has me intrigued to try more by these authors.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Thank you to Booksirens and the authors.

[Ash Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Very short and to the point novella. But I managed to connect with the MC despite that. Her flowers :’(

[Brianna Blackwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super cute short story. It kept me engaged the entire way through, I wound definitely recommend this, especially if you are planning on ready the series this book is a prequel novella to.

This story explores a girl who tends flower that hold magical healing ability for her home. She meets a man during a storm one night and the story goes on from there.

For those into fantasy, I would recommend!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, short and very sweet and a real page turner. Ria lives all alone she cares for flowers that yield magical nectar which has healing properties this is her life's work and she is content, Then a man comes and she realises that she was lonely, she loves his company and he even helps her in her work, but is all as good as it seems?

[merlin513 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, short and sweet and absolutely heart-rending . . . with a sorta happy ending???
(at least for my black heart it was!)

A cautionary tale indeed!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Flor PL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Run, her mind screamed. “Come in,” her mouth said.


I feel it could be the beginning of something really big, like the origin of a legend, the end of hundreds of songs and the beginning of wars.
I'm going to be really looking forward to the next book.

At the same time I think it's going to be a better read when there are more books to lean on for information and want to know the beginning of it all.

Thanks to BookSirens and to the authors for the copy
°°°°°°°°
Siento que podría ser comienzo de algo realmente grande, como el origen de una leyenda, el fin de cientos de canciones y el comienzo de guerras.
Voy a estar realmente atenta al siguiente libro.

Al mismo tiempo creo que va a ser una mejor lectura cuando haya más libros en los que apoyarte para tener información y quieran saber el inicio de todo.

Y es realmente corta.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this story.

The novella did a perfect job of setting an opening to a new world and raising the interest of the reader.

The story was perfectly paced, although the characters were not deeply developed, for this kind of story it was just right. It was a story about trust and the dilemma of choosing to believe in existance of good people and take a risk or choosing a lonesome life and being safe.

I see this story as a brief backstory of a monster in this new world and its reasons for destruction. A sad story of the birthing of a monster. We'll see if my theory was right :) I will definitely continue reading this series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for this ARC!

This was an exceptionally short story.

The general plot was - girl has an important but isolated role within her community, she meets someone and bad things happen.

The prose and imagery used throughout was pretty and at times magical.

The YA elements of the story felt more like a junior book for ages 8-14 rather than older teen.

As much as this was a short story it felt like explanations were missing around key points which could have been further explained even by adding in an extra paragraph or two.

The girls magic was not explained in any detail which meant the ending was very flat.

I’d of loved a bit more background on the world.

4 out of 5 - I enjoyed this book but I didn’t love it and it didn’t change my life.
I would of preferred to rate this at a 3.5 because I really think an additional paragraph here or there in this book could have made it easily a 5.

[Keturah Sergeant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very short story that probably makes more sense in combination with its linked series. Without that context it was okay, a story of developing love, sudden betrayal and destruction. The love element felt so rushed, the betrayal practically inevitable, so the plot was predictable. However, it is well written and it would be intriguing to see what happens next in the MCs life, how this experience changes her and what will become of the selfish prince.

[Mandy-kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ Run, her mind screamed. “Come in,” her mouth said. ✨

Flower of Song and Silver by Ryver Knight 🌸🌳🪴🏡

This short story follows Ria, the protector of the Zoia flowers, what transpires after a stormy night what a mysterious stranger graces her doorstep.

This story is incredibly well written. For being such a short story, I found the writing so compelling, and I truly was taken through a roller coaster of emotions as I was reading. I wish this had been a longer story, because I enjoyed it so much.

I want to know more, to dive into the background of these characters, and the end came far too quickly. But don’t they always with good books?

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique, immersive story vividly outlining the stark differences between good and evil, being a nurturer and a destroyer of life in any form whether it be flora or fauna in nature and the consequences which follow such actions as a whole.

This is my first time reading a fantasy work by Ryver Knight in collaboration with the immensely talented Kris Ruhler and it was such a thought provoking, suspenseful and enjoyable novella which had a karmic twist that I never saw coming until towards the very end. I will gladly read other future works by this dynamic, talented author duo in the future.

[Kez Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short epic fantasy introducing you to a wonderful world including magic.
Ria dedicates her life to caring for and protecting precious Zoia flowers, a lonely but peaceful existence until a stranger turns up one day in a storm.
As their connection grows and he helps care for the flowers it seems like a happy scenario for all, and she hopes there are no ulterior motives.
The writing is poetic, gripping and entertaining with a dark twist.

[Zarlina Josefsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every single thing about this one. The setting, the language, the main character... it was all perfect, and the story was so, so beautiful. It felt like I was right there, in that hut, tending to those flowers, and I never wanted to leave.

Absolutely stunning.


I received this book through Book Sirens in return for a review. My review is my own honest thoughts and is not any way impacted by the fact that the book was free.

[Alice White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flower of Song and Silver is a short story set in Ryver Knight and Kris Ruhler's Shadow and Ruin series. This story is about a young woman tasked with protecting magical flowers, it is well-written and kept my attention throughout. I really enjoyed reading Ria's story and am now interested in the rest of this world's tales.

[Terry M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, eloquently written fantasy. A lonely life for Ria, protecting magical flowers, but then an unexpected visitor gives her hope for more. A 'Tales from the Unexpected ' kind of ending which was brilliant. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily .

[Mika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review includes spoilers, read at your own risk.



• • • •



In Depth Discussion/The Review

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

Likes:

Good representation and clarification of emotions of the characters.

Interesting, exciting, and not boring in the slightest.

Dislikes:

At first she is letting the stranger in even though she has a bad gut feeling about it, which was fine, but then she decided to actually listen to her gut feeling for something smaller of danger for telling the stranger that she isn't alone. If she still fears him then why did she even let him in?

Barely description of anything. One scene goes to another in such a short time. (Only exception for the glowfish pond scene).

Extreme mood swings of the main character. From 'I don't trust him' to 'I trust him' and not even the slightest reasoning 'For whatever reason, she did' (page 20). Instead of reasoning it with his charm or anything, no nothing.

He said, she asked. He smiled. All the time. No rich vocabulary.

The beginning of the sentences was too often the same. And one after the other. (Page 23 as an example).

The ending wasn't my cup of tea as the protagonist transformed herself into a big creature to eat them all. It didn't make sense to me. She had the magic in her hands and then she could fully transform? There wasn't even a reasoning behind this, it just happened, out of the blue.

The ending was predictable, 'cause the story was too short to actually make a reader connected to the villain who seemed fine at first and as the main character also had second-thoughts the readers did the same. And when the scene came where right after apologising the villain said that the glowfished eat eachother I knew that something was about to come, a classic used for many stories, apologising, saying something off and then attacking.

Rating

How it works: Only everything that is lower than 9 gets reduced from the final rating. Depending on how strong it inflicted the overall enjoyment of reading it affects differently.

[ Story 8 / 10 ] -

[ Characters 7 / 10 ] -

[ Triggering 0 / 10 ] +

[ Topic/Genre 10 / 10 ] +

[ Writing style 6 / 10 ] -

[ Grammatic and spelling 10 / 10 ] +

[ Ending 6 / 10 ] -

Final Rating

3/5

Final thoughts/Questions

The story was too short to make a reader connect to any character. If the shorty would have been a bit longer, word choice was a bit richer and the decisions the protagonist made would have a better reasoning then I would have given it more stars. But I think reviews are there to make someone help with their work and not criticising them. If the story would have been perfect then I wouldn't have something to write about in my review.

Started the book: 05. March 2024

Finished the book: 05. March 2024

Wrote the review: 05. March 2024

[Courtnee M · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Flower of Song and Silver" by Ryver Knight and Kris Ruhler stands as a concise classic short story, encompassing 41 pages for a swift reading experience. The narrative unfolds with a rudimentary tone in vocabulary, swiftly advancing the plot with occasional twists. Notable is the limited character development, primarily centered around Ria. The unexpected conclusion at the end of the story diverges from anticipated resolutions, with a suggestion that the narrative might have found a more fitting conclusion at page 38.

In my evaluation, the overall reading experience is positive, with a particular interest in exploring more works by these authors. It is worth noting that this review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the author for free, a courtesy for which I extend appreciation not only to the author but also to BookSirens. This is my honest and voluntary thoughts on this story.

[Norah (Studying) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flower of song and silver is a very short novella.

There isn’t much to say other than that this book has a really quick pace because it’s 40 pages. I really enjoyed reading this, it was pretty refreshing between larger books. I haven’t read anything by Ryver Knight and Kris Kuhler but this book introduced me to their writing and I’m very curious to pick up their other books.

Even though because this book is so short and you won’t really connect to the characters I was still pretty shocked with the plot twist.

I would recommend anyone to try this book out because it’s really fun!

Thank you to booksirens and the publisher/authors for giving me an advance copy for free, in exchange I’m giving my honest review.

[Alesha Melville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flowers of Song and Silver is an interesting short story of a girl named Ria, whose whole life revolves around the magical flowers of her kingdom, and a stranger who comes to her home.

The story of the flowers is beautifully told and the plot was great. This story is very short so the world building is not super intricate and the character development is not incredibly detailed.

If you are looking for a quick fantasy read, this book is for you. There is not a lot of romance or intrapersonal relationships as this book is very short, but it is done well.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kata · Rating 3 out of 5]

YA fantasy
Short story
Magic & magical flowers
Betrayal
Sacrifice

Flower of Song and Silver is a short YA fantasy story about Ria who has been chosen to protect the flowers of life.

The story itself was really short, about 25 pages so there wasn’t a lot of time for character introduction or development.

The idea of the book sounds promising and I think that it would have worked nicely as a longer book instead of a short story.

I would have loved to learn more about Ria and the flowers.

Overall a fast and easy read.


I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

[Ranti Oyebode · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy reading this.

I haven't read the other books in the world/series so my review is solely based on this book.

I was able to connect with the character, despite it being quite short. Some of the relationship elements and the ending felt rushed, but it was understandable considering how long it is. Some of the writing is a bit juvenile. There are a lot of sentences that are not as detailed as I would have liked or are just very awkwardly constructed. This didn't really take away much from the reading experience though. I would probably read more (hopefully longer) books from this author

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Diana Jaques · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magical flowers are Ria's life. She lives to protect them but at what cost.
A mysterious man knocks on her door during a storm and their meeting is one that will change her life.

Flower of Song and Silver is a short book that I definitely recommend.
This book is also a part of the Shadow and Ruin series.

A YA fantasy that leaves you wanting more. Magic and mystery are mingled together and you are left on a cliffhanger.

Magical flowers, a mysterious man and a plot twist.
What's not to love?

I received an advanced copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Marija P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I got this book to get me out of reading slump and it worked! I enjoyed reading every page of it (even though it's just a short story). I could easily imagine Ria's life as flowers' guardian, her emotions once she met Elias and her emotions at the end of the story. The last scene left me with mixed feelings. It was cool, I really like the idea (P.S. read it, I don't wanna spoil it, but I wanna talk about it so bad)!

I received an ARC for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book - enjoyed the shortness of it, the beautiful and captivating writing. The writing was magical, and the descriptions left me wanting more. It was an excellent teaser to a book, but left me wanting just a bit more - just enough more to keep me guessing and trying to guess what the next book will bring.

I received this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Adrianna Heaney-velu · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Flower of Song and Silver,” by Kris Ruhler

Ria is tasked with protecting the flowers of Tell’s forests, until a mysterious man shows up in her life.

A very short novella about greed and trust. I liked the book, but I wish it was a bit longer and maybe more about the impact the flowers have on the townspeople and why. It has a good moral of the story vibe, and I was glad I did read it. 3 out of 5 stars.
Thanks for the free book, booksirens.

[Becki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great short read. I haven't read any of the other books in the series, however I will be reading them now I have read this one. I think some parts of it could have been explained a little bit more, even a few more sentences would have kept it as a short story. If you like fantasy YA books then I think this is one that you would enjoy as a short read.

I received an advance review copy for free from Booksirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ellie Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instantly I was intrigued by the blurb of this book. The storyline was different and unexpected which was nice as some fantasy books can be relatively similar. This was a short read which I enjoyed- I reckon if it had been a full sized book it would be very popular, regardless, it was a lovely novella.

I am intrigued to see what other books the author has published 🫶🏻

I received this book as an ARC read which I am grateful for. Thank you authors and BookSirens ❤️

[Sentinelle23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️😲 Mindblowing!!!

Young Ria gently inhaled the embalming scent of silver flowers, overwhelmed by her emotions.
She observed, amazed, the ocean of flowers that stretched to the horizon.

Ria took great care of her beloved flowers...

******************

What a breathtaking contrast between the beginning and the end of this novelette!!!

I loved the characters, the plot, and I would never have guessed that ending!

Bravo to the authors!!

[TaniaRina Valdespino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to hear a symphony of flowers!
What a refreshing way to spend one’s time. And just imagine a world in which we valued plant life and all the benefits we would reap!

Fave line:
‘Sometimes, the most beautiful things emerge from the darkness.’

I’ve already enjoyed ‘Quest of Shadow and Ruin’, so next for me is ‘A Blade of Night and Winter’. TBH, I’d like a copy of Ria’s ‘Magic, Herbs, and Silly Incantations’…