- Author: Alex Marshall
- ISBN: 9780356505091
- Publisher: Orbit
- Genre: Fantasy
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A Crown for Cold Silver started out slow and made me wonder just how many characters I was going to be introduced to before I got to the story. Then, it got so good that it became one of the best books I’ve read this year, and I’m hoping Alex Marshall writes a sequel. The story didn’t end on a cliffhanger, but I can tell there is more to be told, and I want to know what happens next, especially with Zosia, my favorite character by far. All of the characters are great. They’re complex, flawed, even irritating at times, but Zosia is amazing because she kicks major butt, but makes plenty of mistakes, and she’s an older character.
In fact, none of the characters in this book are your run of the mill Fantasy characters. Not everyone is white, straight, young, and beautiful or handsome. The older woman, Zosia, isn’t a witch, and Hoartrap, who is a sorcerer, is built like a barbarian. These are just two of the characters you meet that don’t fit the standard Fantasy archetypes. The world is racially diverse, gender norms don’t exist, and sexuality is a non-issue in their society. However, the author doesn’t present these details in such a way as to make the story into one that either has no morals or is vastly superior to our world. The world in which the characters live is as messed up as ours. They just have different problems.
This book is not for kids, or anyone who has a problem with excessive cussing. I don’t think there’s a single character that doesn’t let some foul language rip at least once. There is also a lot of bloodshed and violence (none of it is sexual though), and the characters get themselves into quite a few deadly situations. Not all of them make it, and the ones that don’t aren’t the ones you expect. You should be prepared to be surprised by quite a few events throughout the story, because around the time when you think you have everything figured out and know who is up to what, you’ll end up doing a double take. You might do several double takes before you’re done. If you’re looking for an epic fantasy full of non-standard characters, or if you love Dungeons and Dragons or the “A Song of Fire and Ice” series, you’ll love A Crown for Cold Silver.