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elibanna's review against another edition
2.0
There was a lot of cussing for me, but I liked it besides.
felyn's review
4.0
Okay, lemme see... Young adult, necromancy, mysterious not-quite-good guys, and a ridiculously named but lovable Rotti? Yeap, alright, I'm in.
The problem is the book takes a long time to get anywhere. It's interesting, and I would definitely suggest it as summer reading for the fantasy-reading (pre?)teen in your life, but I'm not entirely sure it's as far up my alley as originally assumed.
That being said! The plot revolves around Emma and her newly awakened powers of necromancy. She doesn't know what the hell is going on, she only knows that she's having massive headaches, weird encounters with Eric (the new guy at school), and has started seeing people other people can't. Combine this with her on-going struggles with depression (She's in recovery phase when we meet her, but it is a topic that is discussed) over the death of her boyfriend, and you can see this is not an ideal thing for a high school student. She has a good heart and truly cares about the people in her life, which makes her an anomaly among necromancers, however, as she finds the "point" of her powers to be unthinkable and is driven by her desire to help the spirits she comes into contact with.
I also want to point out - and please excuse my neurotypical POV/approach here - that one of our main characters is on the Autism spectrum, and is included completely and absolutely. Michael's one of Emma's close friends, and their peer group understands that while he processes things differently, this doesn't make him "less than". It was nice to see a character on spectrum being represented in a perfectly "normal" way, without being a plot device needed to be rescued, saved, or a burden to be worked around.
The problem is the book takes a long time to get anywhere. It's interesting, and I would definitely suggest it as summer reading for the fantasy-reading (pre?)teen in your life, but I'm not entirely sure it's as far up my alley as originally assumed.
That being said! The plot revolves around Emma and her newly awakened powers of necromancy. She doesn't know what the hell is going on, she only knows that she's having massive headaches, weird encounters with Eric (the new guy at school), and has started seeing people other people can't. Combine this with her on-going struggles with depression (She's in recovery phase when we meet her, but it is a topic that is discussed) over the death of her boyfriend, and you can see this is not an ideal thing for a high school student. She has a good heart and truly cares about the people in her life, which makes her an anomaly among necromancers, however, as she finds the "point" of her powers to be unthinkable and is driven by her desire to help the spirits she comes into contact with.
I also want to point out - and please excuse my neurotypical POV/approach here - that one of our main characters is on the Autism spectrum, and is included completely and absolutely. Michael's one of Emma's close friends, and their peer group understands that while he processes things differently, this doesn't make him "less than". It was nice to see a character on spectrum being represented in a perfectly "normal" way, without being a plot device needed to be rescued, saved, or a burden to be worked around.
billyrusso's review against another edition
5.0
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT OMFG!Books
I happened to be browsing around Chapters when I stumbled upon this book. At the time, I had far too many to buy and far too little money so I had put it back on the shelf and walked away. I went back and got it the next day because I regretted it. I love a good necromancy story and there aren't many out there in the YA sphere. The only other one that even came to mind was Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers series.
I was hooked from the start. These days it's rare for me to know I'm really going to love a book from it's first page but Silence did it for me. The writing style is fantastic and fresh. Michelle had a way of weaving words together beautiful to create the dark, interesting world of the book. I flew through the first chunk of the book. I began to pace myself because Silence was one of those gems that I didn't want to read too fast because then it would end.
The characters in Silence were fantastic. There's Emma - the lead - who has been through a lot in her life. She's lost two people that she loved very much: her father and her boyfriend Nathan. After Nathan's death she shut down, pulled away from the world and the people around her. Even though she is still very much grieving, she's still so very strong. She puts her friends and family before herself. She's even willing to put strangers before herself sometimes. She's been through so much that you sympathize with her and begin to really feel her pain and sadness. The other characters were brilliant as well. They each had their own distinct personalities and ways that they fit into Emma's life. Allison and Amy are vastly different and yet they fit into Emma's life in their own ways. Ally is the quiet girl on the sidelines. She is definitely not an outcast but she is fine with where she stands in the social sphere of Emma and her other friends. Amy is the queen bee. She's headstrong, stubborn and she throws all the parties. Out of all of Emma's friends, I liked Michael the most. He is a high-functioning autistic boy. He is no burden to his friends. They are very protective of him. They help him day to day but that's their norm; they wouldn't have it any other way. He's especially helpful in all the supernatural things they are now knee deep in. He sees things in black and white. While others might try to explain the ghosts as a trick of the mind or rationalize it because they're afraid of the unknown and the weird, Michael sees it as 100% truth because he saw it with his own eyes and it is now his reality. The group of friends was such a thrill to read about. I found myself wanting to be one of them too.
It was nice, for a change, that the story didn't focus on a romance. There were romantic aspects such as Emma's love lost with Nathan, and a spark with her and Eric but by no means was it a central plot point and that was very refreshing. The first installment of the series focused more on the necromancy, what Emma was, who Eric and Chase were and the lore that will surely take off in book two and beyond.
Silence was by far one of my favorite reads this year. I love how Michelle tackled real life problems in such a supernatural setting. It was the perfect blend of fantasy with reality and it worked brilliantly. There were many mysteries that were revealed slowly as opposed to one big reveal and I thought that was a great way to keep the reader going and guessing. I cannot wait for book two to come out. Michelle has me hooked.
I happened to be browsing around Chapters when I stumbled upon this book. At the time, I had far too many to buy and far too little money so I had put it back on the shelf and walked away. I went back and got it the next day because I regretted it. I love a good necromancy story and there aren't many out there in the YA sphere. The only other one that even came to mind was Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers series.
I was hooked from the start. These days it's rare for me to know I'm really going to love a book from it's first page but Silence did it for me. The writing style is fantastic and fresh. Michelle had a way of weaving words together beautiful to create the dark, interesting world of the book. I flew through the first chunk of the book. I began to pace myself because Silence was one of those gems that I didn't want to read too fast because then it would end.
The characters in Silence were fantastic. There's Emma - the lead - who has been through a lot in her life. She's lost two people that she loved very much: her father and her boyfriend Nathan. After Nathan's death she shut down, pulled away from the world and the people around her. Even though she is still very much grieving, she's still so very strong. She puts her friends and family before herself. She's even willing to put strangers before herself sometimes. She's been through so much that you sympathize with her and begin to really feel her pain and sadness. The other characters were brilliant as well. They each had their own distinct personalities and ways that they fit into Emma's life. Allison and Amy are vastly different and yet they fit into Emma's life in their own ways. Ally is the quiet girl on the sidelines. She is definitely not an outcast but she is fine with where she stands in the social sphere of Emma and her other friends. Amy is the queen bee. She's headstrong, stubborn and she throws all the parties. Out of all of Emma's friends, I liked Michael the most. He is a high-functioning autistic boy. He is no burden to his friends. They are very protective of him. They help him day to day but that's their norm; they wouldn't have it any other way. He's especially helpful in all the supernatural things they are now knee deep in. He sees things in black and white. While others might try to explain the ghosts as a trick of the mind or rationalize it because they're afraid of the unknown and the weird, Michael sees it as 100% truth because he saw it with his own eyes and it is now his reality. The group of friends was such a thrill to read about. I found myself wanting to be one of them too.
It was nice, for a change, that the story didn't focus on a romance. There were romantic aspects such as Emma's love lost with Nathan, and a spark with her and Eric but by no means was it a central plot point and that was very refreshing. The first installment of the series focused more on the necromancy, what Emma was, who Eric and Chase were and the lore that will surely take off in book two and beyond.
Silence was by far one of my favorite reads this year. I love how Michelle tackled real life problems in such a supernatural setting. It was the perfect blend of fantasy with reality and it worked brilliantly. There were many mysteries that were revealed slowly as opposed to one big reveal and I thought that was a great way to keep the reader going and guessing. I cannot wait for book two to come out. Michelle has me hooked.
epicemmy's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this as the start to a new and intriguing series. When she gets a creepy kiss from an old woman in the graveyard with a ice cold paper lantern, she starts seeing the dead. Emma's not like other Necromancers, however, so she doesn't use the power of the dead for magic. But as she transitions into a Necromancer, a powerful one too, Eric is charged with killing her. Except he knows she's different, that she's not evil, and ends up in a lot of hot water with his boss. This book had a lot of unexpected aspects--things I look forward to having explored more fully in book two.
sarrie's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fairly good read, though I wonder if it could be considered adult. I would class it New Adult/YA. It did deal with some heavier issues, but in a well thought out manner. I enjoyed it overall as a light read. If you're looking for anything heavier go elsewhere.
ssohn's review against another edition
4.0
A+ for doing something other than vampires, zombies, or werewolves.
annarocks's review against another edition
2.0
Eh, it was just okay. I didn't really connect with the main character, or the other characters, for that matter. I didn't like them or care, one way or another. I attribute that to poor writing. And, on poor writing - the author takes forever to explain what's going on. We know there is something special about Emma, but what is? What is her power? What does a necromancer do and why is that dangerous? The author is slow to explain, and then does so only in the most vague terms. I suspect she didn't do her research, so she didn't want to say the wrong thing, or else, didn't have much to say on the topic. It left me unsatisfied. Even with the obvious to-be-continued ending, it didn't leave me anticipating the next one.
misterrious's review against another edition
3.0
The writing was so staccato and I had no idea what was going on half the time. I kept trying to piece it together...but it was kind of confusing. If the writing was smoother and there was a teensy bit of explanation as to what was going on, it would have gotten more stars, because I liked the concept behind the writing. And I liked the characters.
billyrusso's review against another edition
5.0
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT OMFG!Books
I happened to be browsing around Chapters when I stumbled upon this book. At the time, I had far too many to buy and far too little money so I had put it back on the shelf and walked away. I went back and got it the next day because I regretted it. I love a good necromancy story and there aren't many out there in the YA sphere. The only other one that even came to mind was Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers series.
I was hooked from the start. These days it's rare for me to know I'm really going to love a book from it's first page but Silence did it for me. The writing style is fantastic and fresh. Michelle had a way of weaving words together beautiful to create the dark, interesting world of the book. I flew through the first chunk of the book. I began to pace myself because Silence was one of those gems that I didn't want to read too fast because then it would end.
The characters in Silence were fantastic. There's Emma - the lead - who has been through a lot in her life. She's lost two people that she loved very much: her father and her boyfriend Nathan. After Nathan's death she shut down, pulled away from the world and the people around her. Even though she is still very much grieving, she's still so very strong. She puts her friends and family before herself. She's even willing to put strangers before herself sometimes. She's been through so much that you sympathize with her and begin to really feel her pain and sadness. The other characters were brilliant as well. They each had their own distinct personalities and ways that they fit into Emma's life. Allison and Amy are vastly different and yet they fit into Emma's life in their own ways. Ally is the quiet girl on the sidelines. She is definitely not an outcast but she is fine with where she stands in the social sphere of Emma and her other friends. Amy is the queen bee. She's headstrong, stubborn and she throws all the parties. Out of all of Emma's friends, I liked Michael the most. He is a high-functioning autistic boy. He is no burden to his friends. They are very protective of him. They help him day to day but that's their norm; they wouldn't have it any other way. He's especially helpful in all the supernatural things they are now knee deep in. He sees things in black and white. While others might try to explain the ghosts as a trick of the mind or rationalize it because they're afraid of the unknown and the weird, Michael sees it as 100% truth because he saw it with his own eyes and it is now his reality. The group of friends was such a thrill to read about. I found myself wanting to be one of them too.
It was nice, for a change, that the story didn't focus on a romance. There were romantic aspects such as Emma's love lost with Nathan, and a spark with her and Eric but by no means was it a central plot point and that was very refreshing. The first installment of the series focused more on the necromancy, what Emma was, who Eric and Chase were and the lore that will surely take off in book two and beyond.
Silence was by far one of my favorite reads this year. I love how Michelle tackled real life problems in such a supernatural setting. It was the perfect blend of fantasy with reality and it worked brilliantly. There were many mysteries that were revealed slowly as opposed to one big reveal and I thought that was a great way to keep the reader going and guessing. I cannot wait for book two to come out. Michelle has me hooked.
I happened to be browsing around Chapters when I stumbled upon this book. At the time, I had far too many to buy and far too little money so I had put it back on the shelf and walked away. I went back and got it the next day because I regretted it. I love a good necromancy story and there aren't many out there in the YA sphere. The only other one that even came to mind was Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers series.
I was hooked from the start. These days it's rare for me to know I'm really going to love a book from it's first page but Silence did it for me. The writing style is fantastic and fresh. Michelle had a way of weaving words together beautiful to create the dark, interesting world of the book. I flew through the first chunk of the book. I began to pace myself because Silence was one of those gems that I didn't want to read too fast because then it would end.
The characters in Silence were fantastic. There's Emma - the lead - who has been through a lot in her life. She's lost two people that she loved very much: her father and her boyfriend Nathan. After Nathan's death she shut down, pulled away from the world and the people around her. Even though she is still very much grieving, she's still so very strong. She puts her friends and family before herself. She's even willing to put strangers before herself sometimes. She's been through so much that you sympathize with her and begin to really feel her pain and sadness. The other characters were brilliant as well. They each had their own distinct personalities and ways that they fit into Emma's life. Allison and Amy are vastly different and yet they fit into Emma's life in their own ways. Ally is the quiet girl on the sidelines. She is definitely not an outcast but she is fine with where she stands in the social sphere of Emma and her other friends. Amy is the queen bee. She's headstrong, stubborn and she throws all the parties. Out of all of Emma's friends, I liked Michael the most. He is a high-functioning autistic boy. He is no burden to his friends. They are very protective of him. They help him day to day but that's their norm; they wouldn't have it any other way. He's especially helpful in all the supernatural things they are now knee deep in. He sees things in black and white. While others might try to explain the ghosts as a trick of the mind or rationalize it because they're afraid of the unknown and the weird, Michael sees it as 100% truth because he saw it with his own eyes and it is now his reality. The group of friends was such a thrill to read about. I found myself wanting to be one of them too.
It was nice, for a change, that the story didn't focus on a romance. There were romantic aspects such as Emma's love lost with Nathan, and a spark with her and Eric but by no means was it a central plot point and that was very refreshing. The first installment of the series focused more on the necromancy, what Emma was, who Eric and Chase were and the lore that will surely take off in book two and beyond.
Silence was by far one of my favorite reads this year. I love how Michelle tackled real life problems in such a supernatural setting. It was the perfect blend of fantasy with reality and it worked brilliantly. There were many mysteries that were revealed slowly as opposed to one big reveal and I thought that was a great way to keep the reader going and guessing. I cannot wait for book two to come out. Michelle has me hooked.
lsneal's review
2.0
Melodramatic, and with a story that kept making me flip back to see if I had missed a page or chapter or something. Nope. The missing chunks of the story/reasoning that were seemed to be intentional on the author's part.