Silver Eve Review: Evie

Book: Silver Eve
Author: Sandra Waugh
Series: Guardians of Tarnec
Standing: Book 2 (ongoing)
POV: 1st person by Evie, past tense
Setting: Rood Marsh, Gren Fort, Haver
Genre: YA fantasy


Source: Physical copy
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 384
Release: September 22nd, 2015

Goodreads The Healer Evie saves two herbs for herself—yew, a quick and painful poison, and heliotrope, for the deep, deep sleep that never ends. After the death of her beloved, seventeen-year-old Evie Carew wants nothing more than to lose herself forever in Rood Marsh. But when the old seer Harker tells her she’s meant for a greater task, Evie’s curiosity keeps her going. What is this shell that Harker insists she must find? And why can’t she stop thinking about the handsome Rider Laurent, the man who saved her on the worst day of her life? Soon Evie discovers that she is the Guardian of Death, the second of four Guardians who must awaken to their powers to recover four stolen amulets. Together, the amulets—Life, Death, Dark, and Light—keep the world in balance. To take back the shell that is Death’s amulet, Evie has to learn to trust her Healer instincts and understand that love never dies. In this spellbinding fantasy, Sandra Waugh continues the beautifully written series begun with Lark Rising.

A fantastic sequel, and definitely better than the first book in all aspects!

After the battle between the Troths--who attacked the peaceful village of Merith--and the Riders--whom Lark journeyed far to plead for their help--Evie has left the village in grief. However, it doesn't take long before the Rider Laurent comes after her, revealing that Evie is the Guardian of Death. Now tasked with finding Death's amulet, Evie must endure attacks and resist attempts to manipulate her by the Breeders. But this new life is very different from the calm Healer life Evie has led so far, and nothing is quite as simple when you're stricken with grief...

I liked Evie a lot more than I liked Lark from the first book. We glimpsed Evie in the first book, simply knowing her as Lark's cousin, and a very talented Healer. Evie begins the book in a numbing state of grief, and though she tries to lose herself in the beginning, what ultimately keeps her going is her sateless curiosity. Evie struggles with the concept of being the Guardian of Death; as a Healer, she has dedicated her life to preventing death, yet she finds herself as the Guardian of Death nonetheless. But as she learns, being a Healer means facing death daily, and knowing how to ease those who cannot be saved into death. Her stubbornness to accept things was a perfect parallel to the fear she felt for being chosen as a Guardian.

The Rider Laurent is our next Complement after Gharian, though the concept of it is not as stressed as it was in the first book. Though Laurent didn't have as much backstory as Gharian, I adored his fierce determination to follow Evie everywhere, and for letting her do things her own way and in her own time. He wasn't pushy, and let her grow as she needed to. And when Evie disappears again, he takes it upon himself to seek her out, no matter his own condition. Laurent's relationship with his horse Arro was also adorable, as until Evie, Arro has always been his number one priority. Laurent made Arro truly feel like one of their own, a character in its own right. Laurent wasn't invincible, which made him very human, and as we see a few times, needs Evie to help him out in some situations. And since I've been shipping Evie and Laurent since the very end of the first book, I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed by his character!

I found it ironic that Evie compared herself to Lark, whereas Lark consistently compared herself to Evie. But they both walk their own paths, and both subject themselves to hardships in an attempt to save one another. That is their fatal flaw: doing things they really shouldn't be doing in an attempt to save one another. And as we see, these acts of selflessness is what brings the Breeders closer to victory...

One new thing that is revealed is the affinity each Guardian has over an element. I suspected it in the first book, but it was finally confirmed in this one. Evie's element is water, and I enjoyed how much water played a key role in the plot. The theme of water was also in the smaller details, like funeral rites or the setting.

When I first picked this book up, I was afraid that it would have the same beginning and ending place as the first book, where Evie's story begins and ends within the book. However, I was extremely glad to be proved wrong. Lark herself is still a very active character, continuing to go through hardships, not completely retaining her happy ending in the the first book. Evie's story too is far from over in this book, and will no doubt make an appearance in the next book. They are weaved together, the fate of one tied to the fate of the other. The author continues to torture the characters even after their respected books, and ultimately torture us, leaving us fearful for them and their fates.

This book literally ends with everything in tatters. The overall plot of the series has taken a twist I never suspected, and Tarnec is even more vulnerable than before. Everything is not fine, not even with Lark's amulet back. The plot has opened up so much, with endless possibilities now. I hope the next Guardian's story is good, because I care too much about Lark and Evie for them to not come back in anything but the glory they deserve. 

All in all, I enjoyed this book significantly much more than the first book. The language and writing didn't take as long to get into, Evie was a much fiercer and stubborn character, Laurent was the perfect complement to Evie's character, and the plot was filled with great twists and turns, magic and adventure. I can't wait for the next Guardian's book, which will be dealing with the Guardian of Dark, to come out! I can only guess what will happen, and which of the remaining Riders will be her Complement...