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Going to read this for the werewolves square instead of the demons square just to complete that square. Now I'm going to need a book for the demons square.
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This wasn't my favorite book in the series but it was still a really good story. If you have been following my reviews you probably already know that I adore this series. I remember reading this book back when it was first released and enjoying it and I liked it just as much on this audio re-read. This is a series that I have made a point to keep up with and look forward to every installment. I had a lot of fun listening to the audio of this story.
This story takes place away from most of the group and I have to say that I missed some of the characters that I have grown to love just a bit. Mercy and Adam are there for the whole book so I didn't have too much time to spend missing everyone else. Mercy and Adam are off on their honeymoon but they end up getting involved in a situation that needs their help. There are some interesting characters that are a part of this installment including some that knew Mercy's father.
This book had a lot of really good elements. I like how Mercy and Adam's relationship just keeps getting stronger. I really cannot get enough of these two and think that they are just perfect for each other. The chemistry between them is amazing. It was interesting to learn a little bit more about Mercy's background. Her father is really quite a mystery so getting the chance to learn a little bit more is really quite exciting. There was plenty of excitement in this installment. I mean there is a river monster to be battled so of course there is some excitement. This was the kind of book that you just don't want to put down.
Lorelei King does an amazing job with this audiobook. I really didn't expect anything else. She has done such a fantastic job with all of book in this series that I have listened to so far. She has become the voice of Mercy form me. She does a great job with a large cast of characters and brings a lot of emotion into the story. Her voice is very pleasant to listen to and she read the story at a very natural pace. I was able to completely lose myself in this book for hours at a time. I can't wait to listen to more of this series.
I would highly recommend this series to others. I do think that this is a series that really does need to be read in order since the relationships between the characters develop throughout the series. I can't wait to continue with my re-read of this series very soon.
Initial Thoughts
Not my favorite book in the series but still a really good story. Adam and Mercy are away for most of this book and I did kind of miss the rest of the regular group. Plenty of excitement in this installment.
Book source: Audible purchase
Opening shortly after the game-changing previous title Fire Touched, we find Mercy, Adam, and the Columbia Basin pack happy and settled in way they haven’t been in a very long time. However their good times are short-lived when Mercy is brutally attacked and kidnapped by Iacopo (Jacob) Bonarata, Lord of Night, head of the vampires. Mercy is cut off from her pack and mate-bond, on the run, and fighting to survive in a foreign land, while Adam must play diplomat to save both Mercy and ensure the security of his territory.
Silence Fallen is the tenth title in the amazing, richly developed Mercy Thompson series. Those readers/listeners who have followed the series since the start will probably notice the book has a different feel than previous titles in the series. First of all, Mercy and Adam spend almost the entire book separated from one another, similar to what happened in portions of the seventh title, Frost Burned. Additionally, due to the circumstances, the author has split the book into sections narrated in first person POV of Mercy (her normal method of storytelling), but also the book is shared in the third person POV of Adam (and very briefly another character). The book also goes back and forth a bit in time, with Mercy and Adam’s stories running parallel, but shifted slightly in timing. This all makes for a very different feeling book. The results are mixed in my opinion.
Overall, I enjoyed the story behind Silence Fallen. Ms. Briggs deals with the fallout from Adam and Mercy’s actions in Fire Touched, and even some subsequent titles. I like that there are repercussions from their actions, and that we continue to see the world changing as it uncovers and attempts to adapt to the supernatural world. Mercy’s kidnapping is a direct result of the actions in Fire Touched, and the outcome makes for a stronger pack in the long run. I also like that we learn more about both Werewolf and Vampire global politics. Mercy’s world has always been very small geographically, with trouble coming to her. Seeing Mercy function outside of her comfort zone was rewarding. I also loved watching Adam play diplomatic games, and getting his POV while it happens gave greater insight to how his mind works. With that said, I was slightly disappointed at the lack of time Mercy and Adam spent together. The stories are best when the pair works together to face and solve issues.
My biggest disappointment with the title is the addition of a male narrator for the parts of the book shared from Adam’s POV. While I understand the need for the dual POVs, and even like the idea, the new narrator did not work for me. Mr. Newbern is wholly new and NOT Lorelei King, who has narrated the series for the nine previous titles. Lorelei King is an amazing narrator, and she IS Mercy to me. She is also Adam, Stephan, Marcila, Ben, Elizaveta, Wolf, etc. So hearing someone else attempt “her” characters just didn’t work.
I will say that Mr. Newbern is a talent on his own, with a fine narrative voice, excellent accents, and I would enjoy listening to his work - just not here. Adam's chapters are told in third person, not first person like Mercy, so it wasn’t even necessarily Adam relaying the events, and the story didn’t need another narrator. Part of the issue is that I enjoy Ms. King’s Mercy at 1.25x speed; however this speed didn’t work for Mr. Newbern’s Adam, and I had to switch to 1.5x for when his sections were played. Second, the newness of his voice, when I am so accustomed to Ms. King, was jarring and distracting. Initially, I spent more time analyzing his voice rather than focusing on what he was reading. It’s too bad that the publishers just didn’t have Ms. King narrate Adam. She has established his voice over the course of ten titles, and I have to ask: why change?
In the end, I enjoyed Silence Fallen, but it just wasn't the same as the previous title (which was probably my favorite), mostly because I wanted more time with Adam and Mercy together. The story was solid, and I love that the author considered the fallout from previous events when developing the story. There was a twist at the end that caught me completely off guard, and that rarely happens. It made me want to listen to certain exchanges again to see if I should have picked up on something sooner. Unfortunately, I did not like the addition of a new narrator, and it ended up bringing down the entire listening experience for me. However, the book is very good and the series is one of the best out there.
Story: B+
Female Narration: A
Male Narration: C+
Review copy provided by Penguin Random House Audio
The tensions between humanity and the fae continue to get more dangerous and tense, with the werewolves in the unenviable position of being in the middle. Until a troll runs amok in the city, with the werewolves feeling the need to rush to their defence, especially since some of Mercy’s friends are being targeted by the fae
Mercy steps in – and in doing so draws a line in the sand to protect her people and her city. But in doing so she isolates them from the rest of the werewolves, the Marrock is unwilling to follow them to political ruin and possibly war with the fae. Mercy and Adam and their pack are alone to try and navigate the dangerous complexities of the different fae factions or be dragged into a war with no support.
This book brings in some interesting world building and development – not with the monsters, not with the new creatures or new magic – but with a whole lot of politics. I am glad to see the different factions of the fae – it’s usually so easy to present supernatural groups as a monolith, without differemnt factions (certainly without several different factions) that we would find among humanity. So seeing the fae, seeing the Grey Lords, actually struggling among themselves with their own agendas, their own conflicts and their own positions as well as some fae among them who are officially done with it all and want no more to do with the system. I even like the complexity of immortal relationships that Zee represents – with his honoured enemies he hated but respected.
It works nicely with the werewolf political position as well – as they try to find a balance between not being outright at war with the fae while also not allowing them to just run riot in their territory. The interactions between Mercy and the Marrock and Adam are all decently nuanced without masses of hurt feelings over political necessities. I really like how the pack is becoming strong because it is modern and progressive compared to the often backward and bigoted opinions of other packs and like how including non-werewolves as pack members or close to the pack is also bringing them new strength and options. The pack is better for its moving to the future rather than clinging to old ways even as it causes them political issues
I also like that Adam has kind of turned to his pack and told them to behave around Mercy. Kind of. I don’t know, we do have a prolonged history of members of the pack treating Mercy terribly (especially the female members because WOMEN HATE EACH OTHER IT IS KNOWN, though Honey turning into a big Mercy fan has kind of made up for that. I would quite like a middle ground between “Mercy is my lord and saviour, praise be!” and “Mercy is the terribad awful stain on humanity I will personally destroy!”) so having a line drawn under that is nice. But it would have been better if they’d learned to respect Mercy because she is due respect or because her actions have shown she deserves an alpha position. Or because Mercy has called them out on their shit and refuses to deal with them any more. Them respecting her because Adam has stood up and basically said “how dare you disrespect mah woman!” doesn’t help especially next to the backdrop of the series. Especially since, with Merc just making a blanket statement of sanctuary to all beings… well… isn’t is possible the pack might have a reasonable desire to question this beyond “Mercy is so terrible, gawd!” I don’t like the idea of stifling any questioning being framed as ensuring Mercy is respected
Christie is also still around. She continues to be an utter caricature of awfulness.
On that note, I’d also like to look at Mercy and Adam’s relationship. While it isn’t as bad here as we’ve seen in previous books, there’s one line that bothers me: it’s about how Mercy and Adam compromises. But the compromise is over Mercy’s “safety” which pretty much reads as “independence.” So the compromise isn’t about each side giving a little –it’s about how much Mercy gives up. The only thing Adam is “compromising” is how much freedom he allows Mercy. Like he questioning Mercy thing, the book is trying to force frames on debates and questions that don’t always apply or can be seen through a different angle very easily.
