Book Review: The Silver Road

From the publisher:

Myth and magic combine in this unforgettable adventure drawing on Irish folklore, from award-winning author Sinéad O’Hart.

The seandraiocht – the Old Magic – isn’t remembered like it once was. Its power is fading…When Rose is entrusted with a powerful stone by a Frost Giant, she is swept into an adventure full of danger. The stone can be used for great good or great evil, depending on its keeper. It leads Rose to discover the magic that runs through all of Ireland. A magic that is threaded together beneath the land: the Silver Road. But the Silver Road is under threat.

Now Rose must keep the stone from falling into the wrong hands and embark on a quest to find its rightful owner and keep the magic alive . . .

My review:

I really enjoyed this latest book from fellow Irish author Sinead O’Hart. It’s a fast-paced, exciting story, with lots of magic and mythology and heart woven into it. Best of all (for me) is the Irish setting, the Irish mythology, the very Irish characters and the occasional word as gaeilge.

With so much to love in this book, I will call out the things I particularly liked:

The imagery of the Silver Road as a gigantic invisible net placed over Ireland of old well-woven magic.

Nellie and Gracie, two fabulous characters, and I loved the magical side street with the cobblers and the sweet shop.

Rose is a strong heroine, both likeable and relatable, and I felt for her in the difficult position she was in with her tormentor Emer’s dad employing Rose’s father. A situation Emer was able to exploit to the full.

I have to say I loved Emer too, and she really came into her own at the end of the book.

I loved the madcap midnight race across Ireland, and all the Irish places that Rose travelled past, and how these were woven into the story.

There’s a lovely exchange at one point between Rose and Emer, when Emer says to Rose: ‘Why you?…What makes you special?’ Rose replies ‘Maybe nothing does… I’m not any more special than you, right? But that doesn’t mean we’re not important.’ The combination of Rose’s humility with the acknowledgement that everyone matters (even Emer) is one of my favourite themes of the book.

I could go on about the magic, the stakes, the twists and turns, the humour and friendships between many very different characters (and species) but I would never get this review finished!

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book. If you can get hold of a copy, be sure to have a read. I’ve really enjoyed other books by this author but this is my absolute favourite of them. Looking forward to seeing what comes next!

The Silver Road by Sinead O’Hart will be published by Piccadilly Press on 28th September this year. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

Valinora Troy

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21 responses to “Book Review: The Silver Road”

  4. Sounds like an interesting book, but will probably not be available on this side of the pond, sadly. Interestingly, my daughter Nell’s middle name is Grace, and she spent a semester in college studying in Cork!

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    • UCC (if that’s where she went) is a fabulous building, and Cork people are lovely. Studying in Cork qualifies your daughter as an honorary Irish woman too! I hope she enjoyed her time here. 🙂

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  5. This sounds like such a cool story, Valinora! I love that this is by a fellow Irish author and incorporates an Irish setting, and the characters sound really compelling—that exchange you quote is really beautiful. Thanks so much for the thoughtful review!

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    • For some reason your comment went into spam, and I only happened to see it today, sorry! You focus on the graphic novels for now! You can get to novels later! 🙂 Good luck with your study!

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