Tuff Girl Legion {Review, Excerpt & Giveaway}—Of Silver and Beasts by Trisha Wolfe

The LUV'NV is thrilled to join the Tuff Girl Legion in presenting Of Silver and Beasts, a fascinating New Adult Fantasy by Trisha Wolfe. Tuff Girls love heroines who kick ass, and Trisha Wolfe and her characters definitely rock the top of that list. Check out our review, read an exclusive excerpt, and enter to win eBook copies of Trisha's recent releases, a $15 gift card, and signed swag. Hoo-rah!

Of Silver and Beasts

by Trisha Wolfe

Book #1 of Goddess Wars

Publication: April 19th 2013 by Trisha Wolfe
Genre: New Adult Dark Fantasy

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In the sand-covered queendom of Cavan, the goddess once saved a young Kaliope’s life, preventing the mercury her father attempted to hide in her blood from reaching her heart. Now, a cybernetic clamp filters it, but the silver streaks swirling faintly beneath her skin are a constant reminder that she’s different.

When nineteen-year-old Kaliope is chosen as head of the Nactue Guard, she becomes the sworn protector to her empress. In the midst of an invasion on a neighboring land, Kaliope is placed in charge of guarding Prince Caben, the last heir to his kingdom. But when they’re attacked by the feared Otherworlders, Caben and Kaliope are abducted and taken below to a realm where they must fight for their life in a caged arena.

Kaliope struggles to protect her princely charge, keeping him and herself alive while battling inhumanly opponents, and trying to save the stolen, sacred relic that will restore her empress’s life force and all of Cavan. And if she can somehow awaken the goddess within her, she may save what’s most important.

Trisha Wolfe has done it again, pulling me into an original, intricate world that's imaginative and dark, fascinating and a little scary but also thrilling. Women rule and protect in one realm. Man conquer and hold another. But underground, neither gender seem to matter. There's very little known about the Otherworlders who live in the depths of the planet. They rarely surface—or more precisely, are never seen—and have been thought nearly extinct. When they invade the upper-crust kingdoms and sack them for slaves and mercury, their world's most precious resource, they're proven to be more mysterious, brutal, and a bit crazier than the stories have painted them.

Gladiator meets caged UFC fighting, it's a battle to the death in the pits of darkness. All for someone whose name even the Otherworlders won't utter. And all while Kaliope, the new head of the Nactue Guard, tries to protect her people, sworn sisters, and princely charge, bring back the artifact that powers her empress and land, hide the fact that she pumps mercury in veins, and understand the goal of her enemy. Whew! Like I said, thrilling and a kick-ass heroine.

But I adore how Kaliope has to grow into that role. She has the utmost faith in her goddesses and matriarch but little in her own purpose. Though has she earned her title to lead her empress's closest guard, she has doubts of living up to it, let alone exceeding it. And she must or her whole world will crumble. A part of me did crumble at the end of the book. Once again, Trisha Wolfe ripped my heart out while still giving me some hope. I fell in love with the characters and the relationships. I mourned the losses of both and smiled at the development of the new.

Plot- and character-driven, with rich world-building and emotion, Of Silver and Beasts  is a fantastic read. I'm anxious for the next installment of the series, scared yet excited for what it'll bring to the garden of silver goddesses and beasts.

eARC provided by Trisha Wolfe in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you!

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The Cavern Scene

The cool sensation of the fresh water on my skin helps me forget my nerves and I lie back, floating just below the top of the water. My body dulls, the cold soothing my sore muscles, and I welcome the numbness. The ceiling of the cave is sprinkled with tiny clusters of white lights, dotting the canopy above our heads like stars in the sky. I feel as if I'm sitting on the rooftop of my apartment, staring at the night sky, not here in the Otherworld, awaiting my death.

The water rolls, rocking my body, and I glance over as Caben floats up beside me. He's on his back also, and points to the lights dusting the cave ceiling.

“Diamonds,” he says.

“Really?” I don't know much about any minerals other than mercury. And somehow, diamonds as our stars makes my chest heavy. It's too beautiful. “How can you tell?”

“The ultraviolet light shows the impurities,” he says. “The imperfections actually absorb the dark light, causing the diamond to emit a visible glow.” He chuckles. “A very expensive lighting effect.”

I laugh. “Quite expensive.” They twinkle as they reflect the rippling water. “But almost more heavenly than the stars.” I lower my voice at the end, hoping he didn't hear my spoken thoughts.

Caben doesn't speak, and the trickling of the stream and lap of the pool becomes the only sound as we float in compatible silence. I could drift off, fall asleep in this peaceful place, but I know we still have a mission to complete before the Reckoning.

This thought awakens me, and I touch my feet to the bottom of the pool and begin to wade toward the edge.

I hear Caben's heavy groan. “No you don't,” he says, and captures the bottom of my tunic. He tugs me through the water, back to the pool's center. “Not yet. This could be our last reprieve, and I plan for us to enjoy it.”

As I turn to face him, his fingers slip from my shirt to my waist, grazing my stomach. My skin prickles, and I shiver, matching the trembling water around us. His deep blue eyes meet mine, and he swallows, his Adam's apple working. Slowly, he begins to inch up my tunic—

“Wait.” I place my hand on top of his.

He cranes an eyebrow. “It should really have time to dry before we go back.”

Logically, that makes sense. But the heated look he's giving me says so much more. And regardless of the attraction I may feel for the prince—a woman would have to be blind—and whether or not we actually escape this hell ... what then? We share an intimate moment once, and go back to our stations in life, simply pretending nothing happened?

Or maybe I'm reading too much into his gaze. He's a man, and physical desire is self-serving. He may die ... and he probably wants to bed a woman one last time. Everything about his character screams he's not one who thinks past the moment.

I could lose myself for now, give in to the pulse quickening my blood with need, but I've never shown a man the clamp over my heart. It would have to be something I did for a different reason if I ever chose to do so. Not merely because I may die soon.

As I push his hand away and start to swim off, he grasps my waist, encircling his firm arms around my stomach, and pulls my back to his chest.

“Don't run from me,” he breathes into my ear. “I'm not asking for anything. Not even whatever it is you're hiding. Just stay here.”

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Help Trisha and the Tuff Girl Legion get 50 reviews on Amazon to read this full scene from Caben's POV!
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Want another peek into Of Silver and Beasts? Read the other excerpt featured here on The LUV'NV.

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Trisha Wolfe

Her Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Trisha Wolfe is the author of the YA Steampunk/Paranormal Destiny's Fire (Omnific Publishing) and the upcoming YA Sci-Fi/Utopian Fireblood (Spencer Hill Press, October 2013). Her published short stories have appeared in YA literary journals, Fantasy magazines, and anthologies. She has written five books in the past three years and is currently working on a new YA Dark Fantasy series, Of Silver and Beasts, releasing June 2013.

She's also the creator of YA Bound, a promotional blog for the Young Adult genre. Also a proud member of YALITCHAT.ORG, SCWW, and The Apocalypsies. She's also a business owner, partnered with her partner, her husband. When she's not busy doing all of the above, she's a wife and the mother of a gorgeous teen boy who's the sounding board for her male characters.

Check out her website for more on her books and short stories. Follow her on Twitter or like her Facebook page for updates.

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