Since graduating from Whisperwood School for Boys, William has found a sense of normalcy in his life with James. He has a steady (albeit secret) relationship, a home, and a job—even if it doesn’t pay the greatest. Nevermind that he lacks James’ reckless bravery when it comes to dealing with spirits; he does his best and it hasn’t killed him thus far.When a new client calls on their expertise in … expertise in solving a grisly multiple homicide, William resists. They’re spirit hunters, not detectives. But the money is too much to pass up when they don’t know when their next meal will be, and soon they’re arriving at Evenbury Manor, nestled in a close-knit rural community, ready to investigate.
They’re in over their heads, but in very different ways than William could have anticipated. The hills are filled with creatures far more dangerous than any they’ve ever encountered, and their usual tactics aren’t working. On top of his renewed struggles with his addiction, William is left to fend for himself against the dead to protect not only the community, but the person in the world that’s most important to him.
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I’m going to cut straight to the chase: If you have ever worried that a sequel to a book you fell in love with couldn’t possibly live up to all that had come before it, you’ll understand how much I attempted to maintain realistic expectations of A Hymn in the Silence. This book, however, is utter perfection and not only solidified my love of James Spencer and William Esher, but it has propelled authors Kelley York and Rowan Altwood onto a very short list of authors whose work I will read, blurb unseen.
At the end of A Light Amongst Shadows, after the horrific events during James and William’s third year at Whisperwood School for Boys had been resolved but which had also left its share of scars as lifelong place markers for the terror that had unfolded there, York and Altwood led readers to an Epilogue which found James and William in a new home as well as on the cusp of a new income source. The fascination with spiritualism during the Victorian Era is a well-documented reality and serves as the foundation for our heroes to scrape out a living together, working for a medium who also happens to be the aunt of their former classmate Preston Alexander. When Mrs. Bennett offers James and William a new assignment, one for which they would be most handsomely rewarded if successful, it presents several conflicts, not the least of which includes they aren’t detectives and, secondly, this will be a test of William’s commitment to this line of work, if not his commitment to James as well. But, money often speaks volumes and is the ultimate temptress, especially when it’s scarce, so into the fray they jump.
One of the singular highlights of York and Altwood’s collaboration on this series is their ability to draw every scene, whether it be terrifying or sedate or romantic, in such a way that one can’t help but be drawn into the story visually or emotionally, or both, simultaneously. Their work is clever, intricate, and detailed, though never in a way that reads as anything but fast paced and purely entertaining. And if one happens to learn something along the way, well, we are all the more enriched for the experience. Not to be outdone, however, is their gift for characterization and the seemingly effortless ability to draw their readers into the lives of the people who populate this series. James and William are flawed and each come from families that are the direct cause of the challenges they work to overcome, and I appreciate that the authors avoided the handy love-conquers-all fix to the personal issues they face. James and William still each battle their own proverbial demons but rather than weakening them, it only serves to illustrate their strength and courage and will to survive, especially in the face of William’s addiction to laudanum and the additional temptation of alcohol to further help him cope.
As this story unfolds on a quiet estate in a pastoral village, the horrors that are exposed are brilliant and chilling. The disappearance of two townspeople coupled with the inexplicable murder of a family, young children included, becomes fertile ground for the authors’ imagination, the motive and means of the crime being ghastly and chilling. There are many heart pounding moments during this investigation filled with ghosts and demons and the walking dead, which tested James’ and William’s resolve and skills as well as their relationship. They are single-hearted, without question, but there are also insecurities that continue to weigh on them. In this novel, we see events through William’s eyes, we learn more about his addiction and a childhood that continues to haunt him, and it only made me love him all the more.
The success that York and Altwood achieved in leading their readers into this novel at the end of Book One is once again accomplished in A Hymn of Silence when Preston takes over the narration. What at first might seem a puzzling narrative transition instead becomes a thoroughly enticing lead-in to the next adventure in the series, when Preston volunteers to carry out a job for his aunt and also offers up some significant news about Benjamin Pritchard—the man Preston happens to have feelings for which go far deeper than mere friendship. There is more danger ahead and more mystery and mayhem as well, as is guaranteed by certain events which I won’t mention but will say have paved a clear way towards the overall arc of the series.
Since leaving the school he has a great life, even if he does not like his job. Life is about to change when they are offered a well paying job. They take it but what will happen next? Follow them to find out
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
5 Stars!
Okay, so I’ll be the first one to tell you I’m a wuss when it comes to horror anything (just ask my daughters), but as I’ve recently discovered, maybe it doesn’t apply to books as much as to movies. Perhaps I’m a more visual person or something? *shrugs* I have no clue. However, both this book and the first in the series, A Light Amongst Shadows—which you totally should read if you haven’t already, not only because it’s amazing, but because we meet James and William there and you don’t want to miss out on the start of their love story—are pretty scary and I stayed up until 4:20am this morning finishing it, despite me having to wake up at 4:40.
AHitS is the continuation of the Dark is the Night series and it starts 6 months after James and William graduate and start working with their friend Preston’s aunt, who is a medium and has been training them to hunt and vanquish ghosts, spirits, demons and the like. William is still dependent on laudanum (and hard liquor) to get by, although James is in charge of doling out the former. My heart broke for William that he has to rely on that to be able to interact with others. James is his usual sweet and happy self, but it’s obvious he’s not a boy any longer and he can stand up for himself, even against William. The love between them is palpable and stronger than ever, even when things get difficult between them, you just know they are going to do their best effort to make it.
As I was chatting with my co-blogger Tracy, one of the things I like best when I read a historical book is to be privy of all the things men had to do to be together. It generally was a secret, seeing that if the wrong person found out and told on them, they ran the risk of imprisonment or even death. In William and James’ case, their closest friends know that they’re together and they try to be as inconspicuous as they can, but sometimes their youthful disposition and the love they feel for each other play against them. It was sweet that they would share these little but meaningful gestures like a kiss on the forehead, or calling the other darling or dear, or just exchanging a look that could mean anything to others but was everything to them. It was just lovely… and kind of reckless when they risked exposing themselves.
I adored Adelia and of course, it was delightful catching up with Virgil and I’m really intrigued about Preston and Benjamin. Are we getting their story next? Please say yes. *makes puppy eyes*
The book had several twists and turns and some came as a huge surprise, and there were some loose ends so I’m hoping this isn’t the last we’re seeing of William and James. I’m really intrigued by what The Order really is and about Thomas, too. As villains go, he was a tridimensional, kind of fanatically evil religious one, very believable in his role. And I so didn’t see the part about Adelia’s father coming either.
Ms. Altwood and Ms. York are certainly a formidable writing team, be it YA like the first book or a story with a more adult feel to it like A Hymn in the Silence, it was a masterfully constructed one, the world building and the execution were a thing of beauty and I can’t recommend both books enough.
*** Copy provided to the reviewer via Booksprout for my reading pleasure, a review wasn’t a requirement. ***
This book was perfection! I fell in love with James and William in A Light Amongst Shadows (one of my favorite books of the year!) and was so happy to learn that we’d be getting more of their story, as I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. I had no idea, though, that A Hymn in the Silence was the book I needed! And that I needed it in William’s point of view. Oh how I loved being inside his head.
As he and James take on the biggest job of their short career as spirit hunters, nothing could have prepared him for the trials and tribulations they’d be put through- both professionally and personally. William made me FEEL so much, for him and for James, and for everything they went through. Not only was the mystery they were hired to solve keeping me on edge, but William’s uncertainty and vulnerability made my heart hurt for him. And while battling the very real demons set on hurting anyone in its path, with James in the forefront, William was dealing with his own struggles when it came to his addiction, which was once again starting to get the best of him.
I really loved this story, maybe even a touch more than I did A Light Amongst Shadows! The world building in this book was stellar, the story-telling so totally engaging, and William and James completely endearing. I was so wrapped up in these two, in their crazy, creepy, dangerous adventures, it was hard to put this book down. And even now that it’s been a couple of days since I’ve finished, I’m finding it hard to let go.
Amazing ghost story! Great mix of suspense, adventure, friendship and romance!
The change in pov with regards to A Light Amongst Shadows, from James to William, serves as a lovely way to gain more insight into William’s thoughts and feelings this time. His anxiety comes across far more, same for his opium addiction and how it effectively holds him hostage, it’s a crutch but a dangerous one.
William and James are hired to solve a mystery that may or may not involve supernatural culprits. Either way, they soon have reason to fear they are in over their head. Time to call in reinforcements! We get to reconnect with Virgil and meet a wonderfully brave and intelligent new character, Adelia! Loved her!
William and James are marvelous together as always. It was wonderful to see how they have come along since their time spent at Whisperwood. Their banter is fun to read, but their more emotional moments will tug at your heartstrings something fierce.
I loved how they included so many historical details, in the subtlest of ways, sometimes by using certain quaint words and other times by casually mentioning everyday facts of life of the 19th century. Going from the more banal stuff like fashion choices and horse-drawn “cabs’, to the more peculiar practice of taking memento mori photographs, which seems a rather morbid custom from a 21st century perspective.
This is a beautifully written story and a joy to read thanks to the authors’ eloquent and expressive writing style. I also very much enjoyed the quirky humor that they incorporated throughout the story with, among other things, the never-ending quest for a “company name” for these two fearless spirit slayers.
Kelley York and Rowan Altwood really understand how to tell a tale in a way that’s so clear and compelling that as a reader you are completely sucked into the story. It almost seems to play out before you like a (scary) movie. So it wasn’t always the most relaxing read… things have a way of going bump in the night in ghost stories, after all. I swear I almost jumped right out of my seat a couple of times. Don’t read this book in bed, you’ll be scared to death imagining what might come crawling out from under it…
I also loved the mystery, or rather mysteries, that needed solving. It was exciting to try and figure it out ahead of the characters. Emphasis on try. The plot was well-thought out and there was plenty of suspense and danger, with ghosts and other threats lurking in the most unexpected of places.
So recommend this!!