BOOK REVIEW - The Silents: An Everhaven Novella by Elizabeth J. Rekab

The Silents: An Everhaven Novella

Author: Elizabeth J. Rekab

Genre: NA Dystopian Romance / Coming of Age / Fantasy / Mystery
Publication Date: 1 February 2021

Book Description:

In a town beholden to a mysterious deity, only the Silent can hear the truth...

19-year-old Kat Jones is about to be forced into an arranged marriage with the awful Peter Ellis. Kat doesn't love Peter though; she loves her boyfriend, Adam Ashby, and dreams of running away with him. But that's not possible; the magic around Everhaven physically prevents any resident from crossing its border into the Outside world. However, there is one place in town where she and Adam can go to avoid arranged marriages: The Silence. They're a group of the most devout citizens who pledge their lives to the Provider, the deity responsible for Everhaven's good fortune and the magic surrounding the town. 

Out of options, Kat and Adam enlist. At first, they believe they've found a loophole to stay together. But as the day-to-day dealings of the Silence grow increasingly unsettling, Kat realizes she may have just walked into a situation even worse than marrying Peter. A situation with grave consequences that could very well spell death... or worse.

The Silents is a prequel novella set 35 years prior to the events in Everhaven.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

MY REVIEW

I haven't read the other books in the series, but I found this to be a good prequel. It has certainly left me intrigued. We're introduced to Kat Jones who is being forced into an arranged marriage to Peter Ellis, a man she has no affections towards while being taken away from her boyfriend, Adam Ashby, who she actually loves. Feeling pressured by her parents and the community of Everhaven to live a life of misery, Kat and Adam are forced to flee Everhaven and join The Silence, a community of devout worshippers of the Provider who are outside the jurisdiction of Everhaven. Kat and Adam choose to serve the Provider as one his His chosen. However, very quickly, Kat and Adam discover that things are not as they appear in The Silence and Kat realises that she might have chosen a fate far worse than what Everhaven had offered her.

This was an enjoyable story with a lot of life lessons to be learned. Both Kat and Adam were relatable characters and likeable. They faced one dilemma after another, and it was, for the most part an enjoyable journey. I found their romance believable. The fact that they were willing to risk everything for each other showed their loyalty for each other. I also liked that their relationship wasn't without its flaws and difficulties. There were things about Adam that Kat didn't know about (specifically the incident with his father), which surprised her as she thought they knew everything about each other, but instead of reprimanding him for keeping things from her, she tried to understand his position and how difficult it was for him to reveal everything about himself, especially things that made him feel weak and ashamed. It's little things like these moments that highlighted their strong bond and make you able to anticipate their reactions in any given situation. There are a lot of things these characters had in common but the will to escape, to be free and safe, was at the top of that list. The fact that they weren't just running away for each other but for a stronger purpose gave a sense of authenticity to their bond and relationship. I can't say I favoured one character over the other as nothing particularly stood out that made me like one over the other.

I must admit, I wasn't as excited as I had anticipated to be. I really liked the characters, but I wasn't as excited about the plot. It didn't come across as fantasy, except for the debacle with the souls that Kat stumbled upon. I would have liked to get a better sense of the fantasy element as it didn't feel as though I was reading a fantasy book. I got a somewhat mystery vibe in the sense that there were things about The Silence I wanted to know about, but there weren't many puzzles to solve, which given the things said about The Silence I thought there would be something for me to solve. I was expecting it be scary. I don't know if it's the cover that gave me that impression or the blurb, but I anticipated some terrifying moments, but it was very PG-13, which made it feel more like YA fiction instead of NA fiction.

I didn't like the POV switch towards the ending of the book. I found it a little disorienting and somewhat anticlimactic, especially with Dean's introduction. I thought it could have been better executed as it didn't really add much progress in the way of the plot.

Overall, it was a good read that made me curious about the series.

VERDICT:

Rating: 3 Star

Source: StoryOrigin