Fourth of five books I read for the Indie Ink Awards. I really enjoy unique twists on legends and fairy tales and magical creatures. To take something that is considered established, even if not necessarily real, and create something new out of that magic is quite the feat. So I was pleased to read Dax Murray’s Shades & Silver, a twist on the legends of unicorns and fairies, all in one.

This book follows two different Ástfríður as they work to discover who they are. The first is Britt, a disabled Ástfríður who is about to craft her horn and choose which metal will represent her life. They are unsure of themself and must delve deep to discover what path they want to choose, and whether they will let their disability define them or merely be a part of them. The second Ástfríður is Astrid who is afraid that the others will discover their secret; that they cannot manipulate metal like the other Ástfríður. But there is more than a secret at stake, there is love, and lives.

I was really not quite sure what to expect when this book first started. It began with Britt’s story and the language was very poetic, flowing, that I immediately got lost. Then, Britt’s chapter ended and Astrid’s began, which was a bit jarring. I expected the two to weave together, but it felt very much like Britt’s story was merely an extra scene or a prequel or something. Related, but entirely unconnected. Still, once I understood this, I could dive into Astrid’s story.

The chapters were very short, which was fine given that the story was relatively fast-paced. But there wasn’t a lot of explanation given as to what was going on with the other characters that wove in and out of Astrid’s life. There was her first love, who sort of disappeared from her life for reasons I still don’t quite understand. And the reason for her oddness was never really explained. I’m not sure why it happened, not completely. 

As a short story, I think this piece works quite well since not all the threads of the story are necessarily resolved. As a novella or novelette, I don’t think it works nearly as well since my expectations are that more threads will be explained. 

I will say that the disability representation was done quite well, and having the Ástfríður be a completely non-binary society was very interesting. 

Overall, I would say that this book was interesting and unique, but it was a bit disjointed regarding having Britt and Astrid’s stories in the same volume, and it didn’t really provide the closure I felt like I needed. A good book.

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