- Title: Silverskin
- Author: Caitee Cooper
- Series: The Portlock Series, #1
- Genre: Supernatural Fantasy Romance
- Publishing Date: September 15th, 2023
- Publishing Co.: Laughing Elk Press
- Length: 334 pages
- Format: Kindle Unlimited, Paperback, Hardcover
- Acquired: Given free eBook in exchange for an honest review
- Amazon Link: Silverskin
When Ellie Forth sets out to have a great Alaskan adventure with her remaining family members, she’s got something to prove—and not to them, but to herself. Four years after the unexpected death of her mother and sister, she’s ready to re-embrace her adventurous side.
Oliver Cole’s life, on the other hand, is very simple: go to work, catch fish, come home, and stash every penny earned into his bank account so he can afford to pay for college. But his life is turned upside down when Ellie and her brother—two nearly-forgotten acquaintances from his childhood—burst back into his life.
After a horrific encounter with the supernatural deep in the Kenai Peninsula, Ellie and Oliver must team up to discover the truth about what happened in Portlock, and how to fight a rising tide of evil that has the power to envelop not just Alaska, but the entire world.
Final Judgment: 5 Stars out of 5
Siblings Ellie and Sam have had their fair share of tragedy. And as they attempt to enjoy an Alaskan hunting trip with what is left of their family and some old friends, they are hit with another wave. And even more worrisome–things don’t seem to be adding up. Something strange is out there. But when Ellie tries to inform her brother, he doesn’t believe her. Ellie must wade through her grief, her brother’s incredulity, and her loneliness to figure out what happened out there on that island in Alaska.
I will admit that this book totally surprised me, in a good way! It’s set up as just your average, contemporary fiction story in the beginning–with perhaps a hint of romance–but then it swerves into a tense supernatural mystery that immediately picks up the pace. I was so invested in this story that I went to bed dreaming about the characters.
The writing itself is phenomenal. Ellie, Oliver, and Sam are their own, unique characters, with realistic thoughts, fears, and idiosyncrasies. Again, they were so well-created that they took up residence in my head as I slept. It was almost as if I truly knew them. And that made this thriller novel even more tense. I couldn’t bear the thought of my friends getting hurt–or worse, killed–and yet, they kept throwing themselves into danger! Talk about my heart racing.
I’m also a sucker for romance, and this one is a somewhat slow burn, which was a perfect contrast to the thrills and chills of the rest of the plot. Really, this novel had pretty much everything that I love: great characters, an intriguing premise, a dash of supernatural horror that could be actually happening in our current reality, and tense interactions between characters who simply want the best for those they love, but can never quite reach that impossibility.
Overall, great read. I cannot wait to continue the series and see what happens! I left desperately wanting…