#Review - Thorn Kissed and Silver Chains by Shannon Mayer, Kelly St. Clare #Fantasy

Series: World of Honey and Ice # 1
Format: Kindle, 271 pages
Release Date: November 28th 2022
Publisher: Hijinks Ink Publishing
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Fantasy

Underhill is my ruthless mother. Her realm is my deadly home. The brutal creatures here are both foe and friend.

But the group of fae that just attacked me? They’re all foe. Dragged from my game of hide-and-seek with a dragon, and my home of twenty-one years, I’m thrust into a weak, ugly realm.

Earth.

Something is taking the fae children of the Irish court, and an Oracle has declared I must find them. Nope. Not my problem. Bye. Except a three-year-old girl they suspect is the next Queen of All Fae was taken too. She’s crucial to the success of my mother’s work and the well being of all, including these simpering fae who’ve forgotten who they are.

Now they have my attention.

The child-snatching darkness flickers in and out of sight, spreading in secret, reaching through cracks and fissures to seize and steal the innocent. Yet I earned each breath in my life by understanding that which seeks to kill me. I will learn the ways of this enemy and find its lair, ideally without the Seelie and Unseelie males who only slow me—even if they’re not quite as stupid as most Earth-dwelling fae.

All I’m sure of is that Underhill is testing me. My mother is testing me in her typical, brutal fashion. And I will not fail.

Thorn Kissed and Silver Chains is the first installment in the authors World of Honey and Ice series by authors Shannon Mayer, and Kelly St. Clare. Apparently, according to my trusty notes, this story takes place after the ending of the co-authors previous series. Once could legitimately call this book # 4 is the authors Honey and Ice series but with a new cast of characters and a few returning ones including Queen Hyacinth and Kik, land kelpie.  

At the decree of the Oracle, an unnamed girl, the daughter of Underhill, must be found. She must undertake a quest to find and free the stolen children of the Fae, including the young queen of all Fae. This daughter of Underhill is quite the wild animal when a contingent of soldiers find her. Fierce, filthy, and unfortunately, injured, she is captured and taken, treated as a monster, barely human. 

One of the soldiers calls her Silver, for her barely visible hair color, and the name sticks. Silver is rough around the edges, having only had contact with her mother, Underhill, and a few characters we met throughout the first 3 books. She is out of her element, trying to navigate this new world, using the lessons of Underhill to guide her. But nothing has prepared her for what awaits her, or the attraction she feels for the soldiers that join her on this quest. 

Especially not the two men, Aaden & Cormac, that she must deal with on her quest to rescue the next fated Queen of Fae. Aaden seems to be a kind soul and Silver doesn't think he is bad to look at either. Cormac on the other hand was a male that Silver would dearly love to hurt but in a twist of fate, the three may be connected in ways that make no sense. Silver also has Orlaith, aka Orry, a bat with a sense of humor along for the ride.

I settled on 3.5 because it is apparent that you may want to read the authors first three books, especially the finale, before you jump into this once for it to make any sense. I can't for the life of me remember who the Oracle was, but I think I may have some clues. I also had a hard time dealing with Silver's broken speech. I don't understand why Underhill left her alone for 20 years of her life and didn't bother to give her a name. I also have no clue who Sigella is. Are we to presume we know from the original series?  

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