Book Review: A SONG OF SILVER AND GOLD

Melis Noah Amber

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Book Review: A Song of Silver and Gold by Melissa Karibian, cover

Thanks to Hansen House for a copy of A Song of Silver and Gold in exchange for an honest review. 

Summary

Out in the open sea, it’s kill or be killed. No one knows that better than Kaelyn. For the past year, Princess Kaelyn of Avalon has disguised herself as a man, Captain Kae, and led her crew into tumultuous waters to eradicate sirens on a journey fueled by revenge for the death of her brother. When they return home and experience a fatal siren attack on Avalon’s harbor, Kae sets sail again to destroy the sea demons once and for all.

Aqeara is a siren warrior of Meyrial, an underwater kingdom hidden from humans. When her negligence during the Avalon harbor attack causes the death of Meyrial’s princess, she seeks the help of a sea witch to overturn her banishment. Aqeara is given a human body and has until the next full moon to carve out Captain Kae’s heart in exchange for a spell to bring the dead princess back to life.

When Kae’s and Aqeara’s paths cross, they fall into a whirlwind romance, complicating their respective plans. Kae must decide whether her desire for revenge against sirens overrides her feelings for the woman she’s falling for, and Aqeara must choose between resurrecting the dead princess or sparing Kae’s life. ( — from the publisher)

The Little Mermaid, with a twist

Queer retellings of fairy tales are pure joy. Melissa Karibian’s A Song of Silver and Gold is a unique take on The Little Mermaid. To be fair, Hans Christian Anderson‘s version is a queer allegory, to begin with, but this book takes the subtext and makes it sapphic text. With pirates. 

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That’s right, folx. There be pirates, ho! I cannot express enough how much I love gay pirates. Karibian — what a perfect name for the author of a pirate book — also hits on several major romance tropes. I won’t tell you which ones, but it’s literally half the list of the most common. OK, I’ll let you know one: There’s only one bed! 

Book Review: A Song of Silver and Gold by Melissa Karibian, cover

Kae, Aqeara and all the other main characters are morally grey, which is always fun. It’s especially lovely to see in media about queer people. I’m glad we’ve reached a point where it’s not inherently dangerous to create imperfect 2SLGBTQ+ characters — i.e., humans.

That said… 

I had some qualms

While I genuinely did love the plot of A Song of Silver and Gold, Melissa Karibian’s writing style felt uneven. For example, when it served the turn of phrase, her characters knew modern slang. When it suited the plot, they didn’t. Moreover, a lot of the dialogue felt stilted.

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I wasn’t sure if this book was set in our world in the future or another world entirely. When reading fantasy, I never wonder if characters are “actually” speaking English. But here, when a so-called antiquated language turned out to be Spanish, I started to wonder. 

Next, we all know pirates are super queer, right? The queer pirates in A Song of Silver and Gold are closeted because they’re afraid of how the crew would react? I don’t know … it didn’t ring true, even in-world. 

*Major spoiler below*

Now, I realize the epilogue of A Song of Silver and Gold was setting up a sequel, but I hated that the Achillean couple who just got together are separated at the end.

Not only separated but in a violent, violating way. I would have preferred the epilogue to be the prologue of a sequel if we get it. It’s such a horrible, sad place to leave a queer couple. That said, should that sequel come out, I will be reading it.

Should you read it?

If you love fairy tales, especially the Grimm type, then yes. You need a tough stomach for this one. Content-wise, it’s still in YA territory, though I should note the characters’ ages could push this towards NA. 

The story Melissa Karibian created in A Song of Silver and Gold outshines the book’s technical flaws. 

A Song of Silver and Gold comes out on June 15. Pick up a copy at your local indie book store or library. 🔱📚

Content warnings: violence, homophobia, queer death and trauma.

This article was originally published on 6/12/22.

https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/book-recommendations-our-flag-means-death/

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