Publisher:
Date of publication: November 9th, 2023
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: The Talisman
The Search for Synergy—Book 1 (review here)
Riders of Fire and Ice—Book 2 (review here)
Windy City Ruins—Book 3 (review here)
The Battle for Verdana—Book 4 (review here)
Slumber of Silence—Book 4.5
Desperate Tides, Desperate Measures—Book 5 (review here)
A Dragon’s Dyne—Book 6 (review here)
Purchase Links: Kindle
Goodreads Synopsis:
Ah-hah! Nothing like the pungent smell of an ancient cave and the thrill of the hunt for a pair of mangey Garms to really make you feel alive, huh? In this canon novella of The Talisman Series, “Slumber of Silence”, Rome and Julian find themselves out on a mission for The Alliance, tracking a couple of Garms through a cave system that seems as old as the mountain range that shadows it. At first, it’s just another heroic operation to protect our world from the invasive Darkbrands, but the boys from Georgia quickly determine that these dank and cavernous passageways are so old and mysterious that they may have never even seen a human or dragon before. Or have they? What long-forgotten riddles hide within the pressing darkness of the cave? What silent and slumbering secrets have been kept for eons undiscovered? And without any backup from The Alliance, will Rome and Julian even survive to tell them?
First Line:
“Dude,” whispered Julian perches on a rock a few feet behind Rome.
Slumber of Silence by Brett Salter
Important things you need to know about the book:
Pace: The pace of Slumber of Silence is fast-paced.
POV: Slumber of Silence is told from Rome and Julian’s 3rd person POV. There are later chapters that are told from Mr. Jones 3rd person POV.
Series: Slumber of Silence is a novella between The Battle for Verdana and Desperate Tides, Desperate Measures. Readers cannot read this book as a standalone.
Trigger/Content Warning: Slumber of Silence has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:
- Violence
Sexual Content: There is no sexual content in Slumber of Silence.
Language: There is no swearing in Slumber of Silence.
Setting: Slumber of Silence is set in a cave bordering a desert in an unknown country.
Age Range: I recommend Slumber of Silence to anyone over 13.
Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):
After the ending events of The Battle for Verdana, Rome and Julian are set on a mission to defeat Darkbrands and seal Portals. Their current mission sends them into a cave, where they encounter and battle several Darkbrands. But, there is a secret deep in that cave, one that both Rome and Julian are surprised to discover. What is that secret? And will Julian and Rome keep what they found a secret, or will they let their allies know?
Main Characters
*Julian (aka Jules): Jules was still the same focused but goofy kid as in the previous books. I liked seeing him on a one-on-one mission with Rome. His talents and personality could shine since he wasn’t showing off in front of his sister/cousin.
*Rome: Rome stayed the same from the previous books. He was still the strong, silent type who protected Julian from himself (in most cases). I liked that he discovered what was in the cave and his connection to it.
My review:
Slumber of Silence was a good read. I recommend reading the first four books before reading this one. Now that is out of the way, I loved seeing Rome and Julian doing Darkbrand battles solo. It showed how much they matured since book 1.
The main storyline centers around Rome, Julian, their search for the Portal and the Darkbrands, and later in the book, the secret they found. The storyline was well written and did fill in some gaps for me (what they were doing between Verdana and Measures).
The battle scenes were well-written. I liked that the author had Rome and Julian work for their battles. He didn’t just hand them their victories (and he does this throughout the book).
I was stunned when the author revealed the secret in the cave. I liked Rome’s connection to the secret and what Rome saw when he touched it. I also agreed with Julian and Rome’s decision to keep what they found a secret.
I enjoyed the end of Slumber of Silence. I liked seeing Rome and Julian’s (and Mr. Jones’s) thoughts on their battles. And, as I said above, I liked Rome and Julian’s decision to keep what they found a secret.
Many thanks to Brett Salter for allowing me to read and review Slumber of Silence. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
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