Argenterra
The Silverlands Book One
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
For lovers of epic fantasy…
In a land where oaths can’t be broken, be careful what promises you make.
To break the binding oath is to risk the very magic of Argenterra.
Best friends, Sophy and Aria, are on a family trip in Scotland when they find themselves swept away to another world.
The lush land of Argenterra is imbued heavily with a magic known as the GIVEN – but while Aria adapts quickly, able to use and recognize the magic as naturally as if she’d been born in this world, Sophy struggles to find her place. Far from discovering her own magical gifts, Sophy is unable to feel the GIVEN at all. Something about the magic has warped and changed her appearance and she’s lost her vibrancy, becoming a mere shadow of her former self. Previously the attractive, outgoing one, now she is ugly and unable to fit in, whereas Aria has grown in confidence.
As Aria thrives, quickly falling in love with a dashing prince, Sophy fights to survive in an increasingly hostile and deadly realm. She pairs up with Oakheart, ambassador to the king, on a quest to discover her true purpose in the kingdom, but soon the darker side of Argenterra and its people becomes apparent to both women.
The GIVEN is not without cost – the laws of this magic dictate that oaths are bound with the GIVEN and the inhabitants of Argenterra bear the mark of the original, ancestral oath to the land. Every promise must be kept or the land’s magic will compel its completion. Only murder can sunder a binding oath and then magic will wane and Argenterra will become the Ungiven Land – but no native Argenterran has that power.
Now trapped by binding promises of their own, Sophy and Aria’s friendship will test oaths and Sophy’s very presence will pose a true threat to Argenterra...
Customer Reviews
Loved this fantasy
Argenterra is the first in Donna Maree Hanson's new series, Silverlands. It brings an alternate fantasy world which is both unforgiving in its beauty and pure in its treachery and dangers together with a solid friendship story as we follow Sophy and Aria through their combined and individual challenges with their new lives in Argenterra.
Argenterra's magic, the given, permeates everyone and everything in the land. It's used in everything from building and cooking to healing and holding the people to their oaths. I liked how the given not only weaves through the lives of the characters but through the story itself. The given has its own history, champions and enemies. The given lives through the story as a character in its own right, complete with unique relationships with other characters and a life changing challenge.
For me, characters and their fellowships (among other things) bring Argenterra to life.
I appreciated and felt how close Sophy and Aria were. It didn't matter what else was going on, I could always count on solid affection and support between the two. *Sucker for buddy stories here* There relationship was well put together and supported and left me genuinely anxious when they weren't together.
My favourite character, besides Sophy/Aria is Oakheart (in spite of my Kindle text to speech calling him Oh-Eckhart, silly Kindle.) As much as Dellbright came off as too good to be true (which he was), Oakheart is *that good.* For me, he is the pure hero of Argenterra.
I also liked how each castle and land was distinct and appreciated the care Hanson took hi-lighting both their faults and reasons to shine. Loved the forest people and Lillia and the screamers (scary, scary, scary.)
Hanson reveals Argenterra to us through her characters' experiences, particularly those of Sophy and Aria which I enjoyed because I felt like I experienced Argenterrra first hand through their adventure.
And I'm very grateful for the sample of book two, The Crystal Gate. Not only did it reassure and soothe my delicious worry at the end of book one, it also twisted my engagement to the story up several notches and I'm very eager to move in to book two.