Hello, everyone! I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog recently because I’m just getting back from a trip. So, I’ve been largely focused on getting things ready for the travel, traveling, and unpacking and setting things to rights now that we’re back. The trip to Baltimore was a lot of fun, but it didn’t leave me much time to read or write. Hence the sort of mini hiatus.
That being said, today I’ve got a review of a new book by one of my favorite authors, The Silent Paths of Night by David R. Slayton. I enjoyed the first book in this series, Dark Moon, Shallow Sea, and adored the Adam Binder series by this author. This meant I had high hopes for this book. Did it live up to them? Read on to find out!
From David R. Slayton, bestselling author of White Trash Warlock and Rogue Community College, comes the epic sequel to the award-winning Dark Moon, Shallow Sea.
For Raef, priest of the moon goddess Phoebe and one-time thief, it was too much to hope that resurrection of the moon and his mistress might set the world aright. The Grief still chokes the docks and streets of Versinae with vampiric ghosts, while the nations of Aegea prepare to war against each other.
Even worse, Phoebe did not return alone. Something evil came with her. Rerek, a demon who once waged war with the gods themselves, Corpse-Taker and sower of chaos, is back to make sure there is no peace in Aegea, now or ever again. And it has a plan.
Raef and his beloved Seth, knight of the sun god Hyperion, are all that stand between Rerek and utter destruction. But the ghosts of their respective pasts, the dangers they must face, and the truths that await them will test them as nothing they’ve yet endured. One way or another Rerek will get what it wants … and it will use Raef and Seth to achieve it.
***Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***
The Silent Paths of Night was a great sequel that took the story in some interesting directions. So much depth was added to the characters and world-building. I really loved being back with Raef and Seth, and the latter had a remarkable journey of self-discovery and growth over the course of the novel. The plot didn’t always hold my interest, though, but the ending more than made up for it and left me completely gobsmacked.
My issue with the plot of The Silent Paths of Night really comes down to just one thing. It felt like it couldn’t really decide what book it wanted to be. Sometimes it wanted to be a novel about the political maneuverings of this world. Other times it wanted to be a story about fighting demons. Then at times it also wanted to explore BIG character background revelations and provide resolutions to some relationship threads from the previous book. There were moments where the different threads all wove together well, but mostly it felt like the story was ticking off one box and then moving on to the next just because it needed to. The different pieces all felt a little too discrete, and it created some moments of weird pacing. Some big and exciting things seemed glossed over because the book was trying to do too much and moved from thing to thing too quickly.
That being said, there was so much cool world-building in The Silent Paths of Night. I liked learning more about the history between the gods and the demons. The demon Rerek was such an interesting addition to the story, and his corpse-taking powers led to some truly epic scenes. The characters also traveled to all sorts of new and established locales. I enjoyed getting to see the impacts of the previous book’s events on different places, and each of the different islands/cities felt unique with distinct cultures and lore. I had a really great time exploring the ins and outs of the world alongside the characters.
As for the characters, I appreciated how Raef grew into his role as the head of Phoebe’s sect. He became embroiled in the politics of the different cities and had to learn to balance his personal desires against what would be best for his city and the whole world. While he did struggle with his anger at times, he clearly possessed a good heart that cared deeply for others, especially the less fortunate. The real star of The Silent Paths of Night, though, was Seth. He had such a great story of self-acceptance and growth, and his journey with his faith was a compelling one that had me misty-eyed at times. I liked how his story went from him struggling to believe he was worthy of his god’s love to finally believing in himself and trusting his own judgement and abilities. His deep desire to know his history and roots was also very compelling, and his anguish at not knowing where he came from really leapt off the page. I was pleased, but not surprised, with where his search for answers led him, and I’m curious to see how the knowledge of his origins impacts the larger story. What a cliffhanger!
My favorite thing about The Silent Paths of Night was the relationship between Raef and Seth. Their love was quiet but deep, and it just felt cozy and endearing. They were clearly each other’s safe space, and they each intentionally went out of their way to create that space for each other. I just really loved all of their interactions and how they looked out for each other in the sweetest ways. They were definitely couple goals.
All in all, The Silent Paths of Night was a solid continuation of the story set up in Dark Moon, Shallow Sea. The world-building and character work were fantastic, and there were some really cool action sequences and standout moments that had me in awe of Slayton’s storytelling. I just wish the disparate story threads had been integrated a little more seamlessly instead of feeling like a constant string of side quests. Therefore, I rate the book 4.25 out of 5 stars.
There you have it! My thoughts on The Silent Paths of Night by David R. Slayton. Have you been reading this series? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!