Book Review: Silver in the Blood

Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Publication Date: July 7, 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Source: Netgalley review copy

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.

I didn't like this book at all. This was my first book by this author, so I'm not sure if I just don't care for her writing, or if it was just this particular book. There wasn't really one thing that I can point to that I liked while reading this. I hate to be harsh, and I'm sure there is an audience for this book out there. I just found it boring and predictable.

On further looking, I see that I have read another book by Jessica Day George, and I liked it quite a lot, so it's just this particular story that I didn't care for.

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Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

Title: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
Author: Jessica Day George
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Count: 317
Why I read it: looked good
Grade: B

Synopsis:
Blessed—or cursed—with an ability to understand animals, the Lass (as she’s known to her family) has always been an oddball. And when an isbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out, and promises that her family will become rich if only the Lass will accompany him to his castle, she doesn’t hesitate. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle, which is made of ice and inhabited by a silent staff of servents. Only a grueling journey on the backs of the four winds will reveal the truth: the bear is really a prince who’s been enchanted by a troll queen, and the Lass must come up with a way to free him before he’s forced to marry a troll princess. 

My review:
The whole time I was reading this, I couldn't remember what it was called.  That really has nothing to do with my enjoyment of the story, though, so we'll move on from that.  This was a well-written re-telling of the nordic fairy tale, East of the Sun, West of the Moon.  It's a fairly quick read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I found some parts of the plot to be a little unbelievable, and I always get a little annoyed with overly curious characters, even when they have every reason to be curious.  I guess it's just one of those reading pet peeves of mine.  I don't care too much for stories where the main character has no idea what's going on, and nobody will answer their questions.

That being said, the story was interesting enough to keep me reading, and I would recommend this one to fans of YA fantasy or fairy tale retellings.