Review: Silver Kiss by Naomi Clark

Silver Kiss by Naomi Clark
Urban Fantasy
March 1, 2010
Paperback/E-Book, Novel Length
Queered Fiction

Why I read: I read Naomi Clark’s short story, “Wolf Strap” and really enjoyed it and when this was offered for review, I eagerly said yes.

Ayla is ready to come home to her werewolf pack after eight long years away. She left, frustrated with the non-acceptance of her human girlfriend Shannon, but she is ready to give it another shot. She misses her parents and her brother. While Ayla awaits word to see if she got into the police force, Shannon restarts her private investigator business. Her first client back is a missing child case, one she is not used to dealing with. Molly, a troubled werewolf has gone missing and her mother, who was tossed out of the pack years ago, needs help where the police and pack won’t give it.

It comes to the attention of both Shannon and Ayla that wolf teens are smoking cigarettes they call Silver Kiss. It gives them an extra edge, but often leaves them violent and acting out of character. When Ayla spots a feral wolf, giving a young wolf a hard time, her suspicions go on alert. When the feral attacks her and she scents the same scent of the silver kiss cigarettes, Ayla fears Molly’s disappearance and the sudden appearance of the feral wolf is not a coincidence. Meanwhile, Shannon must deal with being an outsider to the wolf politics and this causes stress on their established relationship.

Silver Kiss revisits this great urban fantasy world that Naomi Clark first set up in “Wolf Strap”, from the Queer Wolf Anthology. I get such varied reactions when I tell someone I am reading a F/F book. Yes, there is romance in this book, but I would classify it more as an urban fantasy. While issues in Ayla and Shannon’s relationship play a big role in this book, the actual sex scenes are very light.

Silver Kiss not only deals with the mystery surrounding the troubled missing teens and violent feral on the loose, but also the tricky relationship Ayla and Shannon have. At first all seems perfect – they have been dating for six years, and both are easy going. Ayla does have her werewolf instincts which rush her to protect and quick to tempter, but their relationship seems very mature and solid. But now they are living in pack territory, surrounded by Ayla’s family. There are many times Ayla goes for a run, or gets into wolf trouble and Shannon is unable to be present nor participate. A subtle stress starts to build, and eventually a big blow out forces them to face the matters at hand. Shannon starts to want to move away from the pack, to stat living as a “normal” couple again. Ayla is unsure if she can leave her pack again, but can’t imagine a future without Shannon either. Their relationship has some really interesting dynamics and I loved the way events unfolded.

Naomi Clark writes a book that is very easy to get into and I very much enjoy her voice. Silver Kiss has a good world building, a fascinating relationship, and enough action and mystery to keep you intrigued to the end.

Rating: 4/5

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