Palace of Silver Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Palace of Silver (The Nissera Chronicles #3)
Author: Hannah West 
Genre: YA Fantasy/Retellings
Release Date: April 28, 2020
Publisher: Holiday House

Synopsis:

Return to the land of Nissera, home to spectacular magic. An uneasy peace reigns now that Valory has vanquished the Moth King and settled into her rightful place as queen of Calgoran. New leaders Glisette and Kadri hope to usher the neighboring kingdoms into an era of healing and prosperity. All should be well.

But there’s a fourth queen in charge: Ambrosine, banished overseas to Perispos. Driven by vanity, she vows to become the most powerful and beautiful ruler in the world, even if it means oppressing the mortal kingdom she is meant to protect. Meanwhile a dangerous uprising led by elicromancer-hating rebels gains momentum. Rot spreads through the Forest of the West Fringe. Valory goes missing. Facing enemies on all sides, Glisette and Kadri must reckon with the role of magic. How far will they go to defend their power—and can they build an uprising of their own?

West intertwines homages to Snow White and Bluebeard with her imaginative magical setting for an exhilarating installment in the acclaimed Nissera Chronicles. Stunning hardcover edition includes a two-page map and family tree.

 

Palace of Silver is the third installment in a wonderful young adult fantasy series and one that definitely won't disappoint fans of the series. Obviously, since this is the third book in the series, I very highly recommend reading the first two books in order before this one. Otherwise you'll be pretty confused and it'll take a long time trying to figure out the various people, places, and events that are referenced from the first two books.

One of the major things that caught my attention and made me love the book was the author's writing style. If you read my reviews, you know that a book's point of view can make or break a story for me. I almost always prefer the first person POV because I feel it lets the reader connect on a deeper level with the narrator. Not only did the author write the book in the first person, but it's told from multiple perspectives. Glisette, Kadri, and Ambrosine all get a chance to tell their parts of the story. What I really loved was that each character's narrative was written in the first person, so I felt like I got to know each of them on a whole new level that wouldn't have been possible with any other writing style. I loved getting to know each of them throughout the book - their strengths and weaknesses, faults and flaws, hopes and dreams, and everything in between. It really brought their characters to life for me and made them all feel very realistic.

The plot of the story was definitely interesting with lots of things happening between the three smaller story lines. Another thing I really liked was that at the beginning of each chapter, the author lets us know who is narrating and where they are currently at and sometimes even what point in time. This really helps the reader keep track of who is where and doing what at any given time and also pulls the three smaller plots together to form the main story. The author continues to do a fantastic job with the world building. Right from the beginning, I felt like I was pulled back into their world like I had never left. I felt like I could see every little thing that was described and anything that the girls sensed (felt, smelled, saw, etc.) - I was right beside them and experiencing it all too. The plot might not be wholly unique, but it's really hard to find a book that is anymore. I didn't care that some parts of the story were obvious and I knew what was going to happen. What really mattered was getting to read each of the girls' stories as the main plot intertwined them to the climax. I loved getting to know each of the girls even better and enjoyed learning more about their world. That's what made all the difference for me personally and it was exactly what I had hoped and expected. I hope there's going to be another book in the series because I want more of these strong female leads and I want to see where the author will take us next. Very highly recommended for fans of YA fantasy, retellings, fairy tales, and readers who are already fans of the series.

 

I'm the author of young adult books including The Nissera Chronicles series and The Bitterwine Oath. ​I've been writing fantasy since kindergarten, when I penned my first tale about a princess who ran away and lived at the top of a flagpole with two loaves of bread. But it wasn't until I studied abroad in Orléans, France during college that the premise for my first novel materialized. The fairy tale castles, the snowy winter days, and a Disney princess pencil that arrived in a care package from my parents provided the inspiration that allowed me to wrangle all my untold and unfinished stories into a novel. 

I currently live in the Dallas area with my husband and our two rambunctious rescue dogs.

 Win a copy of KINGDOM OF ASH AND BRIARS, REALM OF RUINS, and PALACE OF SILVER (US Only)

Starts: April 22, 2020

Ends: May 6, 2020

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