Review: Great continuation of this Fae series
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 24, 2014
This series has been my first foray into the paranormal fae world and I must say it has set a high standard. It ticked all the boxes for me, suspense, romance, mystery and characters that feel real even though the story says they are mythical. They are real aren't they? The way these books are written I felt they were.Silver Skin continues where Cold Iron left off, and while Silver Skin does give you enough information to read it as a standalone, I would recommend reading Cold Iron first so you don't miss anything.In Book 1, the Prince Consort tried to free the Queen and the Fae Court using Beth's latent Druid powers but she outsmarted him and sent him back to the imprisoned fae court, well almost all of him and that's where Silver Skin takes over the story and where Helene and Miach come in. Helene is Beth's best friend but she has no druid power, she is but a mere mortal, with normal human frailties, one being that she cannot stop the Fae who is periodically casting his glamor over her and controlling her body and mind. Helene has been glamoured before by Miach when he was trying to save Beth's life in Cold Iron, so Helene is very wary of approaching Miach for fear that she will lose control again. As there are increasing number of missing periods in her days, and Beth and Conn are in another country, she has no other choice but to approach Miach for advise and help. So begins their story which I enjoyed so very much.Helene is an intelligent, independent woman, steadfast in her convictions, not wanting to become dependent on anyone, let alone a fae sorcerer. She is a supportive and caring friend to Beth, loyal and loving. I loved Helene's strength of character, her determination to keep her own identity, her brazenness when holding fast to those convictions and when faced with challenges. She is a fierce heroine while at the same time empathetic and passionate. I loved the way she loved Miach and wanted to be loved.Miach, the Fae sorcerer, is a matriarch of his family, and at times a wily and devious character. He was the one to make the tough decisions when protecting his family, even though it meant it wasn't the easiest course to take. I really liked Miach's character, his fierce loyalty, his fairness, his passion for Helene and the way he went about romancing her. Miach is a true Fae, who are usually untouched by human emotions and morals, cold-blooded and dispassionate when dealing with people who are not useful in their world, but Miach has been living amongst the human race for so long he is affected by human emotion and his feelings grow for Helene into something he is somewhat unfamiliar with. He wanted Helene to want him for who he was, not the glamoured version, showing just how much Helene affected him.The continuation of the plot in Silver Skin was flawless, the storyline easy to follow and once again, I was immersed in this magical world. The blend of the modern day with the mythical made it so easy to visualize the story and see what was happening. The mystery and suspense was enhanced by the romance and passion between these characters and the whole cast of characters all served important roles in the development of the storyline. I was just pulled further and further into this mythical world as I turned each page. The only teeny, weeny thought I had about what could be different was the depth to which we were given backstory. While I appreciated it so that I didn't have to go back and remind myself of certain events, I thought it could have been a bit more condensed, but I am certainly no writer so not sure what you could cut out.Even though I really felt and enjoyed Beth and Conn's romance and passion and they are my favourite couple so far, Helene and Miach certainly kept me enthralled in their story and I can't wait to read Stone Song.