Silver in the Blood Read-Along Wrap-Up #SilverRA

Join the read-along!

The SILVER IN THE BLOOD READ-ALONG hosted by 
Dena @ Batch of Books and I (Tressa @ Wishful Endings) has officially come to a close! 

This has been the schedule for the read-along:
July 10th: Kick-Off (My Post/Dena's)
July 17th: Mid-Point, Chapters 1-16 (My Post/Dena's)
July 24th: Wrap-Up, Chapters 17-32 (My Review/Dena's Wrap-Up/Dena's Review)
Final Thoughts on the Book

Thoughts about the characters. 

I love Lou! She's fabulous and I love how she evolves and comes into her own in this first book. Dacia also changes quite a bit too and I ended up really liking her versus just tolerating her in the beginning. It took her a while to get there, but when she does she is very fierce. I still love Lord Johnny as well. I'm a little undecided about Mr. Arkady. I'd like a better picture of him and who he is. I know he has feelings for someone specific and that they are intense, but he's still a vague character to me. I was happy with the final roles that Aunt Kate, Radu, and Lou's father all played.

Then lets just mention the villains. I hate Prince Mihai and Lady Ioana. At page 260 my thoughts about Prince Mihai were: "Oh, THE GALL!!! The man is very conceited. And spoiled. How could anyone follow him???" And then my thoughts on Lady Ioana on page 266: "And how could they blindly follow her? She's pretty much evil." So, I think hate is a pretty accurate word for them.

Thoughts about the plot.


The first half was slow and steady and the intensity just kept building and building. I liked it. By the time the end was coming you could just feel the intensity. The pace worked for me and I really like how things end.

Least favorite part, if there is one. 


I really hated the way people so blindly followed others, but I would say my least favorite was with Prince Mihai and Dacia because of how she becomes timid.

Most favorite part.


The ending. I would say even more specifically when Lord Johnny says "Beautiful." Dacia finally takes charge and Lou is fantastic and... Yeah. That's my favorite part.

Any favorite lines or quotes?

There was the one line I mentioned above, but nothing else really stuck out to me. 

Thoughts about the conclusion. 

It was crazy, chaotic, a little scary, violent, triumphant, sad, romantic... I could go on.  It wasn't a cliffhanger, but more of a segue into the next book. I felt it was the perfect ending for this book.

Any predictions for book two? 

Well, I know for sure that we'll be seeing more of Lord Johnny and Mr. Arkady and the girls, of course. I'm thinking Lady Ioana will probably appear in some way as well.

Other thoughts...


It would be interesting to actually meet Dacia's mother. She wasn't involved in Romania and I'm wondering which side she'll be on. We also don't meet Dacia's father and I'm curious about him as well.

Any questions?


1. What will Lady Iona decide to lead the family to do next?
2. Where will Dacia and Lou go and what other things (magical or creatures) will they face?
3. Will we get to know more about Mr. Arkady?

Check out Dena's wrap-up and review as well. You can see my full review here.


If you read with us how did you do and what did you think? If you didn't, feel free to share any thoughts.

Now I'd like to welcome Author Jessica Day George to my blog to answer a few questions about Silver in the Blood...

Author Interview

1. Which character was your favorite to write?

I liked writing about the main characters’ grandmother, Lady Ioana, who was just so HORRIBLE.

2. What inspired you to write about shape shifting?

I’m not a huge fan of werewolves, per se, but I do love the idea of being able to turn into a certain animal at will. I’ve thought about it a lot, and I think it would be both very scary and very cool to have that power, so it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do in a book.

3. How did you come up with the villain(s) for this book?

To be honest . . . I don’t totally remember. This book just came together all at once, but it was about five years ago. Once I had a handle on the main characters, Dacia and Lou, I knew immediately who they would be facing.

4. Was anything particularly difficult about writing this book?

The only other time I’ve written a book set in a real country it was Norway, a place I studied all through college. So trying to stay true to the history and spirit of Romania, a place I had only briefly visited, was hard.

5. Will there be any strong gypsy roles in the story or the series?

Not really.

6. When you researched Romania for the book’s setting did you find anything interesting or intriguing that you’d like to share?


Yes, and the result is . . . this book!

7. What was your favorite thing about your visit to the country?

So. Many. Castles.

8. What was your most fulfilling or favorite thing from this story?

Lou coming out of Dacia’s shadow to be more independent.

9. What’s your favorite part of being an author?

There is nothing as thrilling as starting a rough draft!

—Jessica

About the Book

Silver in the Blood (Silver in the Blood, #1)Silver in the Blood
(Silver in the Blood #1)
by Jessica Day George
YA Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Hardcover, 358 pages
July 7th 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Summary

New York Times bestselling author brings dark secrets to life in a lush new YA perfect for fans of Libba Bray or Cassandra Clare.

Society girls from New York City circa 1890, Dacia and Lou never desired to know more about their lineage, instead preferring to gossip about the mysterious Romanian family that they barely knew. But upon turning seventeen, the girls must return to their homeland to meet their relatives, find proper husbands, and—most terrifyingly—learn the deep family secrets of The Claw, The Wing, and The Smoke. The Florescus, after all, are shape-shifters, and it is time for Dacia and Lou to fulfill the prophecy that demands their acceptance of this fate . . . or fight against this cruel inheritance with all their might.

With a gorgeous Romanian setting, stunning Parisian gowns, and dark brooding young men, readers will be swept up by this epic adventure of two girls in a battle for their lives.

   

About the Author


Jessica Day George is the author of many books for young readers, including the wonderfully whimsical Tuesdays at the Castle and three books in the Dragonskin Slippers series. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a librarian and bookseller. Jessica lives with her family in Salt Lake City, Utah.


Giveaway

Giveaway Rules: Open to international entrants as long as the Book Depository ships to you for free. You must be at least 13 years old to enter and have parental permission if under 18. Please ensure that you correctly enter your email (and check your junk mail folder) so that we have a way to contact you. Void where prohibited by law. Enter via the Rafflecopter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


I'll be pulling the giveaway winner later this weekend. So good luck to all who entered! Hope you enjoyed reading along with us!

5 comments

  1. Cali Willette7/24/15, 2:41 PM

    Good review. Wow I can't believe she has gone with a darker tale. I still want to read it and I like t read dark stuff; I am just surprised. :0

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  2. I've read mixed reviews of this but after reading yours, I want to read it! What to do, what to do? :) ~Pam

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  3. Seeing reviews for this book pop up in my feed just continues to remind me: I *must* read the rest of Melissa's books. Her debut was so sweet and unique to the mail-order-bride genre. :)

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  4. Sounds like this book introduces a whole new world!

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  5. Thanks for review. Hope will reach and enjoy this book.

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I love comments! I try to read and reply to them all. Feel free to agree or disagree and generally share your thoughts with me.