Reader's Review: "Argentum" by Debbie Manber Kupfer

Synopsis from Amazon:

Argentum is the thread that binds all magic …
The silver of Miri’s cat charm passed on through the generations.
The silver of Jessamyn’s scepter, the source of her illusions.
The silver of Quentin’s scrying bowl, forged by Merlin.
All intertwine in Argentum.

With Alistair gone a measure of peace returns to P.A.W.S., but Miri is tormented by nightmares. The silver charm that had recently hung around Alistair’s neck is now in Miri’s possession and seems to have taken on a life of its own. And then it mysteriously disappears.
Jessamyn seeks help from Quentin, who claims to have repented his past association with Alistair, but can he be trusted?
And what of Jenna? The young girl rescued from Alistair’s pack house holds a terrible secret. One that could determine the future of P.A.W.S.

The P.A.W.S. saga continues with Argentum!

>>>>>>>>>>>>

My Review:

Phew! FIVE YEARS is a long time to wait before continuing a series! (I also think it’s some kind of record…)

Seeing as that’s the case, I was not surprised that reading this book felt like arriving at the family reunion of someone you just started dating. There’s like, ONE character you sort-of-know, and they are familiar with just about everybody you encounter already, in some way…

But then again, after the “re-acquaintance jitters” wear off, a good author will launch into a story so compelling that you can’t help but get onboard with the protagonists and welcome every plot twist as it comes.

Kupfer is just such an author.

I had almost completely forgotten the whole of the first book—except I knew there was a girl named Miri who found out she could shapeshift and who defeated a werewolf named Alastair… This book picks up in the aftermath of that battle, where we learn that although Alastair himself might be dead, his “essence” lives on in his still-committed acolytes, and his legacy is still very much a problem for Miri and for the rest of P.A.W.S.! 

We delve into the past, namely when Jessamyn first met Quentin, and we see how that first meeting carried with it implications that would come to fruition in the present. The story jumps around still quite a bit—I’m thinking of one scene in particular that at first seemed like an awful thing that happened, but removed and at a distance from the main characters—but Kupfer doesn’t keep the reader at arm’s length, revisiting this “inconsequential” scene again and again, from the perspective of the victim, an onlooker, the perpetrators… and finally one of the main group who happened to be there that night. So a misfortune become a key turning point in all these converging stories! 

I think that was my favorite part of this adventure: there are some slower moments, it’s not all exciting shifter scenes and dueling magics and diabolical scheming happening all the time. Yet even the “lag moments” are not wasted, and Kupfer takes the opportunity for world-building and character development. Passages that would otherwise have ended up as info-dumps of sheer exposition are handled with care, and deliver the necessary points without bogging down the plot.

Now, I will say that the length of time since I read the first book may have dulled my memory of it to the extent that I assumed the target audience to be much young than I think it actually was. In particular this second book has several scenes of intense and graphic depictions, events and subjects that might not be age-appropriate for middle-grade readers (as I assumed this was.) Let’s just say that I can definitely appreciate this series more as a young-adult-aimed story. Nothing too mature in the details, but definitely more than I was expecting. (Caveat lector!)

All in all, Argentum does it’s job as a sequel, carrying well from the first book, and setting up a solid plot for the third book! I would rate it a solid ****4 STARS**** for a quality premise, fantastic and eclectic characters, plenty of satisfaction in the resolution, and well-balanced conflict. If you’re looking for something unique in shifter novels, why not start here?

Further Reading: (Also By The Author/Urban Fantasy/Shifters/Strong Young Heroines)

The P.A.W.S. Saga--Debbie Manber Kupfer
       -P.A.W.S.

      -Argentum (*This book)

The Therian Way--Kimberly Rogers
       -Leopard's Heart 
       -Wolf's Path 
       -Tiger's Shadow

The Portal Prophecies--C. A. King
     -A Keeper's Destiny 
     -A Halloween's Curse 
     -Frost Bitten

The Bhinian Empire--Miriam Forster
     -City of A Thousand Dolls 
     -Empire of Shadows

-The Purple Door District--Erin Casey 

The Firebird Fairy Tales--Amy Kuivalainen
       -The Cry of the Firebird 
       -Ashes of the Firebird 
       -Rise of the Firebird

Talented Series--Amy Hopkins
     -A Drop of Dream 
     -A Dash of Fiend 
     -A Splash of Truth 

Wonderland Guardian Academy Series--Pauline Creeden
       -Red The Wolf Tracker 

Judah Black Series--E. A. Copen
       -Fortunate Son (prequel novella) 
       -Guilty By Association 
       -Blood Debt