Synopsis:
Bounty Hunter. Necromancer. Outcast.
She goes on the hunt when the law doesn’t want to get its hands dirty.
Born and bred in the harsh northern winters, Hunter collects bounties on thieves and murderers for a handful of coin, dragging Rip, her animated corpse, behind her. Trust wears thin in the wild Territories, and the law doesn’t always land on the side of justice. Or the side of a necromancer.
Shadowed by the influence of a wealthy Shadesilver baron, Hunter takes on one last job. But instead of an easy payday, Hunter finds something she never expected, something that will tear open old wounds and set her on a path to find justice… for someone else.
Review:
It feels as though the mashup of the fantasy and western genres has become more common as of late, and as a reader who loves both, it’s been a pleasure to witness. Cold Silver for Souls is a fantastic series opener that leans hard into both the western setting and the magical backdrop, and I greatly enjoyed my time in these pages.
The story follows Hunter, a bounty hunter shunned by much of society because she’s a necromancer, a magical ability that wins her few friends on her travels. She makes no effort to hide what she is, as she’s followed everywhere by Rip, a dead man under her control.
Cold Silver for Souls feels like it is best understood as an introduction to a new world and new characters, and I think that it serves that capacity beautifully. The story transports us to various locations, introduces a host of interesting characters, and sets the stage for what promises to be a much larger tale.
This is my first time reading one of Tori’s books, though I’ve had The Blood Stones sitting on my kindle for what feels like ages, and I was impressed by her skill. Writing a western is hard because it’s too easy to fall into clichéd tropes, but she threads the needle with an expert hand. The story feels like a western, from the clothing to the food (as a born and bred midwesterner, I think this is the first time I’ve seen lefse mentioned in print, and it made me so very happy) to the people running their shops and establishments.
If I had any complaint about the story, it’s that it really does only feel like an introduction. There’s clearly a lot more to this world, to this story, and even to Hunter than we’ve been given, and I want to know more. While the story here feels complete enough to be satisfying, it’s already a world I would like to spend far more time in.
I greatly enjoyed this book. It was a quick and fun read with an excellent balance of character and action. I’m very much looking forward to the next!
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