Silvie’s Choice
Written by Viola Tempest
I’m a big fan of mythology and love the different ways it can be incorporated into stories. One culture’s mythology I don’t see as much as I would like is Japan’s, so when I saw Silvie’s Choice by Viola Tempest was available for me to review, I leapt at the opportunity. If you’ve taken a look at the blurb above, you’ll see the novella offers kitsunes (trickster fox spirits) and onis (demons) with more figures from Japanese folklore included within.
Despite Japanese mythology factoring into Silvie’s Choice, the book doesn’t strictly adhere to those folktales. Instead of Earth, it is set on another world (which I don’t believe is named, unless I missed it), and there is no mention of Japan, from where these myths came. The book also features fae (or yosei, in Japanese myth) and dragons. While it’s possible that these are influenced by Japanese tales, they aren’t synonymous with their folklore, and nothing about their characterisation in the book sounds like their origins lie in Japan. Purists will likely struggle with this, but these elements converge to tell an entertaining fantasy story that’s accessible to readers, regardless of their familiarity with Japanese myth. Tempest has created a great setting for the tale where the Japanese elements add to the world’s vibrancy.
In addition to creating an enticing setting, the author has crafted an entertaining plot. It focuses on protagonist Silvie, a kitsune warrior whose home is under violent attack by dragons, as are the worlds of onis, faes and humans. With the help of her brother, Aoki, and her lover, Asari (which I don’t believe is a real name; my thoughts immediately go to the blue-skinned race from Mass Effect, and if they’re the author’s inspiration, I’m down with it), she works to unite the four worlds to beat back the dragons. This is further complicated by a darkness lurking within Silvie, trying to poison her mind after being tainted by the power that fuels the dragons.
That’s a fair amount for Silvie’s Choice to get through, but at 154 pages in paperback (or an estimated 113 pages on your favourite eReader), it doesn’t have much space to do so. The book falls into a trap that plagues many novellas, by telling a longer novel’s worth of story within its page length. While a light read that is indeed enjoyable, the book doesn’t take the time to add depth to its plot, and it instead moves through the story at a fast pace. Silvie’s struggle with the darkness infecting her isn’t provided in any great detail, and instead happens quickly. While the book predominantly focuses on the kitsune world, it touches upon three more, none is explored in any depth. While it all works well enough for the book’s size, a longer book could have provided more depth to the story, world and Silvie’s struggles. This would have lifted these elements, and something closer to the average length of epic fantasies could have resulted in a riveting story.
Tempest’s writing style is light and engaging, which brings a friendly voice to the prose. This is particularly evident in the book’s first chapter, which serves as a prologue about bored gods competing to decide whose race is the best. This chapter is written in a style akin to a fairy tale, which almost had me double checking I was reading the right book, given the lighthearted prose doesn’t gel with Silvie’s Choice’s more serious cover. As it moves into the second chapter, the prose becomes more serious as it tells the story, fitting better with its tale. There are times throughout the book where the prose slips into a lighter tone, but rather than feeling deliberate, it feels like the author slipped into it. As friendly as the prose feels, I would have liked a little more colour to it—something else that would have increased its length—which could have helped with its consistency.
While the book’s cover presents a fairly serious tone, it also features the hallmarks of a young adult book. Silvie’s Choice is not marketed this way, but the author’s writing style fits within the genre, as does Silvie’s character journey, and her supporting cast. The book features some darker moments and a fair amount of violence, however none of this is written explicitly, and isn’t any more confronting than most books in the genre, not to mention far less confronting than certain examples, as well. Fans of young adult fantasy will likely enjoy the book.
The book’s cast is an enjoyable collection of characters, but like other elements of Silvie’s Choice, they don’t fare as well as they would in a longer book. The characters engage the reader as they move the story forward, but the novella doesn’t explore them with any great depth. There’s a large amount of dialogue in the book, and the characters go back and forth with each other with ease. Although the dialogue doesn’t sound entirely natural, these characters are mythological figures steeped in fantasy, and dialogue conveys this well.
Silvie’s Choice’s length is shorter than I would have liked, as a longer book would have made for a more compelling experience. Its length results in a light read, crafting an entertaining fantasy story. It blends Japanese mythology with epic fantasy tropes in a way that is accessible for readers, young and old; however, if it was a longer book, it could have been compelling.
Favourite Passage
Silvie returned to the Island of Dragons after a successful raid on the mainland. She tossed her blade to the side and leaned against the wall. Blood covered every inch of her body, but she didn’t care. There was a sensation within her, telling her that she usually did something after coming in from a battle, but she couldn’t recall what it was.
Arashi took a seat next to her and placed his head on her shoulder. She kissed his cheek. Like hers, it was stained with patches of crimson from the war. She closed her eyes, happy with what she had accomplished, and the humans she had killed in this raid.
Silvie’s Choice, Chapter Twelve
Silvie’s Choice was provided by BookSirens for the purpose of an honest review.
Silvie’s Choiceis available in paperback eBook from retailers, including—but not limited to—Amazon.
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Silvie’s Choice
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