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Lou and Dacia are two very proper cousins from the New York elite, circa 1890. Though Dacia is brash and forward, Lou is more reserved and sensitive. Neither feels comfortable in her own skin. After an unfortunate decision on Dacia’s part, both girls are sent to their family in Romania, a trip that has been dangled tantalizingly in front of them forever. Once they get there, though, there are too many mysteries. Why is a strange man following Lou around? Why is their dear cousin acting so strangely? Who is the very handsome young man who shows much too much interest in Dacia? The deep family secret they discover in Romania will change them forever.
I felt this book was too long. The synopsis on the back of the book reveals the “deep family secret” I mentioned above, yet the characters only find out halfway through, despite many, many hints and obvious clues. The characters didn’t intrigue me much. The two girls underwent major personality changes when they figured out the “deep family secret,” and I did not find these at all believable. Some change would have been acceptable — even expected — but that drastic? No, it just didn’t work.
I appreciated the research that George mentions she did in the acknowledgments, but I didn’t see much of it in the actual prose. George has always somewhat lacked in setting description, but when I expected more, I got less. Romania’s architecture and landscaping feels like it would be much different from what most readers would be familiar with, but we only get cursory descriptions of the “Middle-Eastern French fusion” architecture.
That being said, I really enjoyed the premise of Silver in the Blood. The magic was well-described and the supporting characters were realistic and seemed shaped by their experiences, rather than just put there for the sake of variety. The time period was all right, but I didn’t feel it much except in the (copious) descriptions of the girls’ wardrobes.
Try the author’s Princess of Glass.
Rated: Moderate, for some swear words that seemed more intense than the situation called for, and for obvious intent and mentions of rape.
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