Of Silver and Shadow by Jennifer Gruenke

Thank you #NetGalley and publisher #Flux for an opportunity to read Of Silver and Shadow by Jennifer Gruenke.
A fabulous, magical story about a young woman, Ren Colins,  a commoner who can wield silver. In the land Erdis, magic is banned for the commoners and saved for the king and his family. The King kills all the people that can wield magic. 
Ren Collins struggles day to day to survive in a poverty stricken community. She uses her magic secretly to help support herself and those she cares for. Since magic is banned,  she needs to be quiet and secretive. One evening, two men tell her they know her secret. 
After an evening of playing cards, Ren is followed by the two men, both members of a rebellion. They ask her to join the group to free the people. Ren, who has struggled all her life, agrees to help the group, but for profit only. 
The first half of the story, author Jennifer Gruenke, does well with character buildup and narration. The first few chapters help us understand why Ren is loveless and cares for no one but herself. 
 The second half of the story happens so fast, it felt like it ended abruptly. While I enjoyed the ending of the story, I felt it could have used more ‘magic’. It felt rushed and empty. 
However, the ending left a bit of a cliffhanger and I hope to read a second book!
This review can also be found at my personal blog theundeadreader.blogspot.com