Silas has done many horrible things as a demon without apology or regret. He has his reasons for creating his granddaughter and putting her in harm’s way.But what are those reasons?Why did he become a demon?Why did he manipulate the Crane and Dubois bloodlines to create Mattie Hathaway to take on Deleriel, a Fallen Angel?Silas’s past has been kept closely guarded, his intentions his own.But now … intentions his own.
But now those secrets are threatened, his past about to be laid bare to the only two people he cares about.
Will it cost him everything when they discover the real reason he created his granddaughter, or will they understand?
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You know what I love? When an author can write a short story that has deep world building and fantastic characters. Apryl Baker is clearly one of those authors because Silas is so richly full of details, I couldn’t believe it was so short!
What a fantastic plot that kept me engaged. I’ve read a few things by Apryl Baker, but I have not had the opportunity to read anything by her until now. I’m hooked. Her writing is fantastic, her characters are relatable and flawed, and her plot was really well developed.
I recommend checking out Silas! It’s a great, short story.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of a blog tour with Lady Amber’s Reviews & PR. All opinions are my own.*
Find this review and more on my blog: https://www.jessicabelmont.wordpress.com
I really enjoyed this book. It was a great addition to the series. I liked the backstory for Silas’s motivation.
Great book! Hard to put down. The insight of the character Silas was heartbreaking but yet so great. It helps the reader understand why he does what he does. Can’t wait for more!
The origins of Silas Haversham are finally revealed. Throughout the series we’ve only known the Demon Silas – the one responsible for creating Mattie/Emma Rose and who has taken many souls over his hundreds of years as a demon.
Mattie wants to know why he has a certain soul bound on his shelf. Silas decides to tell her. We then are transported back to the 1800’s when Simon was a kind, happy man married to the love of his life with a 5 year daughter and a son on the way. He didn’t believe in the supernatural or that their was true evil out there and it had invaded his house. This was his first introduction to evil fallen angel Deleriel and it tore his family apart in more ways than one.
To avenge the wrong done to his family Silas makes a deal with Deleriel with plans on one day killing him. Which is where the creation of Mattie came in as we know from the previous books. It was nice to get to see Silas as a human before grief and revenge turned him into a demon and it helped you to understand why he was the way he was.
So glad to finally know Silas’s back story, can’t wait to see if she does this with some other characters. If you enjoyed The Ghost Files series you need to read this novella. You definitely want to know why he is the way he is.
4 Cranky Stars
This is the conclusion of the Ghost Files. The loose end that needed tying and I’m glad it ended with Silas. We see him so much, but we’ve never really knew his origin until now. It’s filled with death and despair and why he avenges his family. He loses his family in one fail swoop and it’s life altering and he blames many of things on it including himself but he never realized the evil was under his roof. With the help of his dear friend Benjamin he is introduced to the world of demons and how to fight them sadly though this is one evil you can’t destroy.
I thought I was sad when the Ghost Files ended but we got more of Mattie AKA Emma in the spinoff series about her new life as a Crane. We see Silas in these books as well and he comes off as a mean man, but he still has a soul buried under the muck. I always thought he meant well even if he had a crappy way of showing it. Seriously no ones grandfather should treat them that way but it was all for a reason and if Mattie can forgive so can we. This books does go back to his time and is more of a historical book which I usually shy away from but I really enjoyed it. Now I’m even more ready for the continuation of the Crane Diaries.
I am a huge fan of Apryl Baker. I am continuously amazed by her character development skills. She had this way if drawing you in and allowing you to get emotionally attached to her characters. Silas is no different. Silas has always been a contradiction of sorts to me. However, this book beautifully explains so much in his human back story. I cried earnest tears for this fictional character. My heart broke for him. I highly recommend this book if you have ever read any of the ghost files books. Once you pick it up, you won’t put it down until the end.
Initially I wasn’t so sure we needed a Silas origins novella, but Apryl proved me wrong! This was a great book! As always, Apryl’s characters have depth and emotion and come alive on the page. This novella gave so much insight into Silas who is such a complicated character. Apryl is so skilled in creating this man we both love and hate at the same time, who is both evil and altruistic at the same time. You’re left loving/liking Silas but not being quite comfortable that you do! There’s a character in this novella that I’m not a fan of, mostly because I didn’t get the reason why the character acted the way the character did. This person could have handled their angst/issue an easier way, but then the story wouldn’t be as interesting so I can go with it.
If you’re a fan of the Ghost Files series and the follow up Craine Diaries series this book is a must read. You could even read this before Ghost Files if you’re a stickler on timelines, but it will be a bit before Silas shows up in the series, and I’m not sure if it would add to or detract from the character that is Silas if you knew this info before reading the series? Whatever you decide, don’t skip reading this book! If you haven’t read The Ghost Files or The Craine Diaries, you need to!
Silas is an extremely complicated deity. He makes deals with most heinous people, so he can torment them later. He will punish the ones he loves to get the outcome he desires. This book delves into why Silas is the way he is. What you learn, will answer the puzzle, why do we want to love him.
I was really happy Apryl Baker decided to tell us more about Silas! His part in the GH/CD series is so important that its nice to understand why he, of all ‘people’, acts the way he does. My heart broke for him in this book and it explained so much about him! Great read!
What a beautiful tragedy, the human life of Silas. Let’s face it, we all know he has a softer side, but it’s so rare we think of him primarily as this evil demon – that always has a bigger agenda. But why did he trade his soul? Was it just for power? What does it have to do with his sister and her soul? This book pulls him out of the darkness of mystery and proves that those glimpses of light we see in him are ingrained. Soulless or not, his humanity is still there in the tiny recesses of his subconscious, especially for Maddie/Emma. Not only do we get his personal story, but we also get an almost sweet family-like setting for the telling. Everything about this book was perfect to me. It’s an emotional mind-movie for the heart.
I have loved Silas since I started reading The Ghost Files and this book has only increased my feelings towards him! It was great to get to see what made him tick so to speak. Read this book! You will not be disappointed.
Yet another great book by Apryl Baker. I loved reading about how Silas became a demon. This book was impossible to put down and I was sad when it ended. I would definitely recommend this book!!
Silas was once a good son, and a great big brother, he had a wife and beautiful children that he loved. How did he become the demon that Emma/Mattie knows? This is a novella that dives into the chain of events that made him become the demon that he is.
This novella builds on the Ghost Files universe and provides the story behind Silas and his motivations – no, he wasn’t always a demon! Now that we have the backstory for Silas, I need to go back to the very beginning and re-read all the Ghost Files books with this new perspective!
This book pulled me in, I couldn’t put it down. Once again Apryl Baker has down me into the world that is part of Emma. Silas history and background explains why he is, who he is. My emotions rode the waves as development of the story went. Great character and background build up. I literally couldn’t put the book down, it pulled me in. How everything is detailed and developed and the different history of each character. Though now I wonder about the history of a few other characters and how they intermingle with the present day in the day. The Ghost Files and Crane’s diaries are my favorite of Apryl Baker series. All her writing is wonderful, I would reccomend any of her books.
This book is a MUST READ for Ghost Files and Crane Diaries fans. This book takes us back to the beginning and tied together and confirmed SO many loose ends that I suspected and it gave me several surprises along the way. I love how the author continues to develop the main characters and I hope we see a couple more books like these giving us the history of some of my other favorite characters and letting these characters tell us their sides of the story. An AMAZING read! Silas Forever!
I loved that we finally get a glimpse into what makes Silas tick. Now I want more from his past to come to light.
Disclaimer time – this is my first introduction to the Ghost Files universe and the character of Silas. Yes, I realize I may be a little late to the party, but it didn’t matter. Silas is one of those characters carrying around a lot of hauntingly emotional baggage. This baggage begins to be unpacked in this novella by Ms. Baker as Silas reminisces on events of his past. The story is predominantly told through events of the past and these events are tied back to the present. Ms. Baker was able to provide sufficient detail in this short novella to portray Silas as a demon who has had to make some very difficult decisions when it comes to those closest to him. You can’t help but want to read more about him after getting this glimpse into his past.
This book was mesmerizing. By showing everyone what Silas was really puts so many of his actions in the first 2 series into perspective. After reading this book no one can look at Silas as “just a demon” because the pages just breathed life into him. The Author does a great job of making all characters 3D but this just made me feel like I was actually listening to someone sit down and tell me about their life. I cried, I laughed, I felt what Silas felt. It was incredible.