Title: Silent Kingdom
Series: Silent Kingdom (Book 1)
Author: Rachel L. Schade
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: 3/5 stars
Overview: I can’t resist a free book, especially when the free book comes with a stunning cover and an intriguing blurb. Sure, there’s every chance it will turn out to be a weak story filled with every sort of inappropriate content, but then again there’s also every chance it could be a hidden gem.
Rachel L. Schade has provided just such a hidden gem.
Characters: Halia is the only POV character, with the story told from her first-person perspective. She serves as a great narrator, though I didn’t really connect with her. She’s skilled with a bow, though, which is always a win in my book.
The supporting characters are fleshed out well. I’m especially interested in Avrik’s arc; he could go one of two ways, and I do hope he chooses the right one. The poor boy.
Content: I’m pleased to say that this book is quite clean. My biggest fear with any new YA fantasy is that it will be either full of language or sexual content, but fortunately this has neither. There’s only a hint of a romance; it’s really just two teenagers crushing on each other. They’re cute.
A character is attacked, and her friend thinks the attacker is trying to rape her (he’s not).
There is a good bit of violence, with people dying rather graphically. It’s not overly gratuitous, though; well within the boundaries of YA.
Writing: The plot had so many fantastic twists! I didn’t see several of them coming. The plot progresses at a steady pace, neither too fast or too slow. It definitely held my interest. And the ending had me eager to read the next book!
Summary: While this book won’t join the ranks of my favorite stories, it’s still a fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed. It has lots of great elements, including subtle Christian themes that were a pleasant surprise. I would recommend this to fantasy fans aged 15+.