Bumpy Oak Books

**spoiler alert**

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

4 stars

Jennifer Gruenke’s debut novel Of Silver and Shadow is a high stakes, fast-paced fantasy that will leave you wanting more. Readers follow Ren, a silver-wielding thief who might have gotten into more than she bargained for when she agreed to join the rebellion. With the elite fighting forces called the King’s Children hunting down rebels, and all magic eradicated from the kingdom aside from the royal family, things get messy for Ren very quickly.

I really enjoyed myself throughout this novel. Gruenke has a writing style that envelops the reader into the story, and her plot was constantly moving forward. My favorite characters were undoubtedly Kellen and Darek (you can’t say I’m not consistent), and I am so grateful that Gruenke avoided the love triangle trope there even if she did leave it open for future books.

It was so welcome to have one of the main couples of the series be the LGBTQ pair of Adley and Lesa. They may not have been favorite characters, but I was happy for their inclusion. I also caught the hint that Markus may be queer as well, though he wasn’t shown to be in a relationship.

There were some pacing troubles near the end where everything tidied itself up super quickly, but nothing that detracts horribly from the success of the book.

There was absolutely room left for a sequel, but I’m always happy when a book one is capable of being a standalone if someone doesn’t want to invest in a series. This book does manage to achieve that.

Ultimately, super happy with this debut novel, happy to see room for growth for Gruenke, and excited to add her as a new author to watch in the future.