The Silver Pear: Volume 2 (The Dark Forest) Paperback – 29 Sept. 2014

Diener has once again taken the reader into exciting new territory! I look forward to reading more of the Dark Forest Series. Diener is a very versatile and believable writer - her historical romance series, and now her leap into the fantasy world! Highly recommended!

I did enjoy this two part fairy tale. I enjoyed the characters and the ambiguity of some of them including the wild magic. At times jumping between Rune and Kayla and Soren and Miri was a bit irritating and even ruined some of the intensity of the action. However taken as a whole I enjoyed the story.

This short fantasy follows on from The Golden Apple. I enjoyed the first book, based on Scandinavian folk tales, and this book is excellent. Everything I've read by Michelle Diener is a worthwhile read.The Silver Pear is an amulet of sorts worn by a female magic user, Miri, who stores extra magic in the pear. When a number of honest men are captured by unwittingly touching a bespelled gem, and each transported to a dungeon, the girl bravely frees them in spite of the castle lord. A hired magic user has just arrived and he attacks her; she manages to drop the pear out of sight but is thrown in the dungeon herself. One of the freed men, Soren, can't bring himself to ignore her plight.The original story focused on Rane and Princess Kayla, who are now travelling through the wild woods worrying about an upcoming mage war and hoping they will get out of the woods alive; witches, water nymphs and wood boggarts are not all they find, and there's armed men in every fortified town.This is a gripping, varied and character-full read, with many touches of realism to bring the setting alive. Fantasy fans will find themselves immersed and there are threads of romance to keep us hoping that everyone can make it out alive. If you have read Mythago Wood or A Different Kingdom you will find The Silver Pear a similar type of read but with considerably more magic.

Kayla is an unlikely princess and Mirabelle is an unlikely sorcerer but together they will make a formidable team against the dark sorcerers but they will need Rane and Soren if they hope to stay alive for magic always exacts a price in this thrilling fantasy romance.This steady to fast paced plot keeps readers on their toes as the captivating characters’ paths takes some twists and turns on the way to save their world. Kayla and Rane’s path have them locking horns with sorcerers while they are searching for Soren and Soren’s path has lead him straight into the arms of Mirabelle and together their path has them going up against sorcerers as well. The dark sorcerers’ deadly battle with each other has set their path on a greedy grab for magic and power. The well orchestrated paths are full of suspense and excitement ensuring that the reader never gets bored and that they are completely caught up in the story but they do have to pay attention are they will find themselves a little lost along the way.The well written scenes and details easily capture the imagination and bring the story to life as the characters forge their way through treachery and betrayal to fight for their people and for each other. There is plenty of romance as Mirabelle and Soren finds thenselves attracted to each other and of course Kayla and Rane’s attraction is still going strong, but retrieving the golden apple and the silver pear and stopping the destruction takes up a lot of their time.Michelle Diener’s fascinating world of magic and magical creatures enthralls the reader with lots of suspense and adventure with some romance as well and there was no way I could put this story down once I began reading it. The Silver Pear can be read without reading The Golden Apple first, especially with the helpful refresher in the beginning of this book but I recommend reading them in order to get the complete magical experience.