TL;DR Review: Spicy, steamy, dark and broody yet surprisingly colorful. An awesome prequel to the Gilded Blood series.
Synopsis:
Two years before Talia’s story ended, Zayn’s story began…
“I could smell her attraction for me, so potent I could almost taste it; somehow, I knew that if I ever let myself steal a sip of her nectar, I would never be able to satisfy my appetite with anything – or anyone – else ever again.”
***
I am the bastard prince of the summer court, the lone survivor of my mother’s slaughtered bloodline. Enslaved by her killer, I spend half my days as his emissary in the savage wilds of the Fae Realm, and the other half toiling away in a tattoo studio in the heart of Miami.
Because my curse forbids me from killing my family’s murderer – or myself – I have thusly persisted; a broken, half-elf, half-incubus abomination with the boot of a beast on my back and the thirst of a beast lurking within.
But when a needle-phobic art school dropout appears at my door begging for a job, her eyes glistening with golden tears, my entire existence is turned upside down. For in this strange and beautiful creature, I have found two things: a reason for living, and a path to salvation.
Full Review:
What’s an incubus to do when he’s cursed to never fall in love, only for the perfect woman to blow into his life in a breathless hurricane of colorful hair and an overdose of adorable?
Zayn has spent the last faerie-gods-know-many-years of his life magically enslaved to the creepily evil Sol. Though Sol killed his entire family, the rune inked into Zayn’s flesh keeps him from not only rebelling or raising a hand against the bastard, but even thinking bad thoughts. Worse, it stops him from contemplating or finding a path to freedom.
Into the grim, darkness of his life comes Talia, ditzy and clueless yet supremely talented artist who applies for a job at his tattoo parlor. Zayn’s attraction to her is instant, but the real shock comes when he realizes that she has gold blood (Rh Null IRL, but in this world, MAGIC!).
Her gold blood is a power he can’t let Sol get his hands on, and one he hopes may be his salvation one day. So he accepts Talia on as his apprentice and…well, when handsome boy meets smoking hot girl who seems to wear only lacy bras, low-cut tank tops, and shorts and skirts, I don’t need to tell you where this story’s going.
Silver Blood is a high-steam, high-spice romantic urban fantasy that does a marvelous job of showing Zayn’s struggles with his inner urges (as an incubus, he needs to feed on the sexual energy of humans, at high cost) while falling irrevocably head over heels for Talia. He wants her but can’t have her, needs to protect her from harm even if that means pushing her away and sacrificing his own chance at happiness. He’s EVERY GUY who is trying his best to be the best he can in a terrible situation.
Does he always do the right thing? Of course not. But his heart’s in the right place and we, like Talia, can forgive him.
The story is set in the days leading up to Inked, the first book in Rachel Rener’s Gilded Blood series—a series set from Talia’s perspective, which I absolutely adored. It’s fascinating to see the world from Zayn’s perspective, to follow along with his struggles and efforts to break free of his curse while also protecting Talia. It adds greater insight into the character we know and come to love in Talia’s adventures.
It was a delight to be back in this world, dark though it may have been. I burned through this book in two days because, as with everything Rachel writes, the sparkling wit and colorful characters are just so much fun I couldn’t put it down.
If you’re looking for a “he falls first” urban fantasy adventure told from the brooding, too-handsome-for-his-own-good-yet-innately-decent man’s perspective, Silver Blood will be an absolute treat.
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