Silence by Michelle Sagara (DAW)

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Series: Book 1 of Queen of the Dead

Publication Date: May 1, 2012

Author Information: Website

Mogsy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

 

This is going to be a tough review for me to write, mainly because Silence is one of those books I just couldn’t get into, but when the time comes to describe the reasons why, I am at a loss. I mean, it’s not like there were a bunch of faults I could point to, or even any single factor in the book which I vehemently disliked. At the same time, nothing about it stood out for me either. As a whole, it just left me feeling cold.

The story? I thought it was okay. The book follows Emma, a grief-stricken teen who has taken to visiting the graveyard at nights ever since her boyfriend died in a car accident. One evening during one of these routine walks, she runs into Eric, the new boy at school. There is a mysterious old woman with him, and when Emma experiences the old crone’s touch, it awakens a power in her. After the events of that night, Emma realizes that she can see, touch, and speak with the dead. 

It turns out that Emma is a Necromancer. And that means Eric now must kill her. As to why he has to do that, it wasn’t really explained beyond the fact he belongs to a group of Necromancer hunters, so clearly Emma has to die. Like I said, it’s not a terribly deep story; there are lots of moments like this where I just had to tell myself to roll with it. In any case, Eric is obviously very conflicted about having to kill Emma, and as such is hoping that current circumstances will take care of that business for him. For you see, Emma has discovered the trapped ghost of a four-year-old boy and is determined to help save him, but in doing so she will be putting her own life on the line.

Anyway, the characters in this novel? Also just okay. Emma is a person who is completely ruled by her emotions, leaping into situations without ever thinking things through. I came to understand her friends’ exasperation with her. And with the exception of Michael, who is a good portrayal of a teen with a neurodevelopmental disability, everyone else feels like a variation of the usual archetypes you’ll find in a young adult novel. You have the best friend with a heart of gold, the queen bee whose parents are loaded and throws all the wildest parties, or the smart-alecky guy with the smug and edgy attitude (Chase royally grated on my nerves. He’s like that kid you knew in high school, the one who would swear because he thinks it makes him look cool, and whom everyone just wanted to throttle).

The writing? It was okay as well. The storytelling? Maybe a little on the slow side, but otherwise okay too. Like I said, there wasn’t anything I really disliked about Silence. I grant you I might not be giving this book the fairest shake here, but I think I’ve reached the point where “just okay” doesn’t quite cut it with me anymore, especially when it comes to a young adult novel. Sometimes, it’s the bunch of little minor things that can compound and sour me on the overall experience. Similarly, I think this book is one of those cases where too many “so-so’s” managed to build up and wear me down.

You’ll definitely see me picking up Ms. Sagara’s books again in the future, but they probably won’t be from this series. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I won’t deny I’ve become a lot pickier with my YA lately, and overall Silence simply lacked the “oomph” I was looking for.