Review & Giveaway: Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilman

Publisher: Saga Press
Series: The Devil's West #1
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
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Blurb from goodreads:

A heroic fantasy by an award-winning author about a young woman who is trained in the art of the sinister hand of magic, but at what price?

Isobelle, upon her sixteenth birthday, makes the choice to work for the devil in his territory west of the Mississippi. But this is not the devil you know. This is a being who deals fairly with immense—but not unlimited—power, who offers opportunities to people who want to make a deal, and they always get what they deserve. But his land is a wild west that needs a human touch, and that’s where Izzy comes in. Inadvertently trained by him to see the clues in and manipulations of human desire, Izzy is raised to be his left hand and travel circuit through the territory. As we all know, where there is magic there is chaos…and death.

Bea's Thoughts:

I follow Ms. Gilman on both Facebook and Twitter had had been seeing snippets of this story as she was working on it. When she offered review copies, I jumped at the opportunity as she's one of my favorite fantasy authors. She did not disappoint. 

"Silver on the Road" was a fresh take on the hero's journey, a teen's growing up, and having your wish granted. Despite having been raised by the devil, and seen him in action close up, the bargain Izzy makes ends up costing her in ways she didn't anticipate. And when the devil unexpectedly sends her on the road with a strange man as her mentor, who isn't entirely clear on what it is he's supposed to be teaching her, she's hurt and confused.

The world felt very much like ours but was different enough that I could see the similarities while keeping it separate it from our world. It's layered and textured and feels real. Gilman's gift for description shines through in this story and the language is beautiful. She provides just enough information and detail so the reader isn't lost, at times we're learning with Izzy, but there are still unanswered questions. Around the middle of the story the pace was slow and I got impatient but Gilman was slowly unraveling her story and my patience was rewarded. I liked Izzy and loved seeing her growth. At only sixteen she's already quite strong and courageous; I can't wait to see what else she has in store.

"Silver on the Road" is a coming of age story filled with poetic language, adventure, a different take on the devil, and a new perspective on North American history. It was entertaining, fascinating, and a wonderful story. I'll be looking for the next book.

Read my interview with Laura Anne here. 

Laura Anne is generously giving away a print ARC of Silver on the Road to a reader in North America. No purchase is necessary. You must be 18 years old to enter or have your parent or guardian enter for you. VOID where prohibited. Please read my Privacy Policy and Giveaway Policy.

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