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mad_about_books's review
5.0
Writers of fiction provide Readers with places of escape from a mundane world of ordinary happiness and sadness, human hurting human, by providing them with worlds of excruciating goodness and evil in which to revel. Writers can inflict whatever degradation and horror imaginable upon their characters without fear of reprisal. When you think of it that way, Writer as God and Reader as Accolyte, the world of books and stories becomes a vile and evil place where the worst can happen without consequence. Religion ruins everything.
Are our lives preordained, written in a book bound and unchangeable? Writer as God? Or, do we wallow in self-determination? So many questions in need of answers that seem only answerable after a lifetime of contemplation. Then, there is the Book, the one that brings it all into clearly muddy view. I am struggling not to do a single spoiler, and I feel that anything too specific will spoil things. What I will say is that there is not enough praise I can heap upon THE SILENCED TALE. My usual go to for a book like this is to say that I wish I could give it six out of five stars. That's not good enough here. This book, this series, is a perfect ten no matter how I determine the score.
For me, it is important to come away from reading with new understanding of things like the human condition, the state of the world, and current events. J. M. Frey manages to incorporate ideas such of these into her fiction. I don't read a book or story BECAUSE a book or series has a strong female lead, but I do appreciate when it does. The books in The Accidental Turn series revolve around a brash, smart woman who also relishes being a woman. I can't say more.
There are currently three novels and two novellas set in two worlds united and separated by magic. I would recommend that they be read in the following order:
Book 1 - THE UNTOLD TALE
Novella - Arrivals
Book 2 - THE FORGOTTEN TALE
Book 3 - THE SILENCED TALE
Novella - Ghosts
The first book can well be read as a standalone; however, to stop there would be to deny yourself the pleasure of reading the entire saga.
When all is said and done, the one thing in all this that I would like to read is Pip's PhD thesis. Oh yes, and the best adventures from the Scrolls of Bevel Dom.
Are our lives preordained, written in a book bound and unchangeable? Writer as God? Or, do we wallow in self-determination? So many questions in need of answers that seem only answerable after a lifetime of contemplation. Then, there is the Book, the one that brings it all into clearly muddy view. I am struggling not to do a single spoiler, and I feel that anything too specific will spoil things. What I will say is that there is not enough praise I can heap upon THE SILENCED TALE. My usual go to for a book like this is to say that I wish I could give it six out of five stars. That's not good enough here. This book, this series, is a perfect ten no matter how I determine the score.
For me, it is important to come away from reading with new understanding of things like the human condition, the state of the world, and current events. J. M. Frey manages to incorporate ideas such of these into her fiction. I don't read a book or story BECAUSE a book or series has a strong female lead, but I do appreciate when it does. The books in The Accidental Turn series revolve around a brash, smart woman who also relishes being a woman. I can't say more.
There are currently three novels and two novellas set in two worlds united and separated by magic. I would recommend that they be read in the following order:
Book 1 - THE UNTOLD TALE
Novella - Arrivals
Book 2 - THE FORGOTTEN TALE
Book 3 - THE SILENCED TALE
Novella - Ghosts
The first book can well be read as a standalone; however, to stop there would be to deny yourself the pleasure of reading the entire saga.
When all is said and done, the one thing in all this that I would like to read is Pip's PhD thesis. Oh yes, and the best adventures from the Scrolls of Bevel Dom.
alexperc_92's review
5.0
I received an e-ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
The thrilling conclusion to this amazing series is here! I can't express my love enough for this book which, along with the series, should be given more attention. It's not your usual story, the author hints lots of social issues through her writing in a brutal, yet sarcastic way and there is a wonderful cast of characters!
So, after the end of the second book and its adventures, Forsyth, Pip and their sweet daughter return to their normal lives. But Elgar Reed, the author of the books Forsyth came from, is plagued by nightmares and a stalker. Soon a hunt will begin where a known villain is alive and kicking and slowly magic is seeping into our world.
There are many POVs here; Reed Forsyth and some of Pip. I love how Reed slowly tries to learn more about his own characters and how hard he also tries to be there for Forsyth and his family. Pip is, as usual, a smart, strong woman who will do anything for her family, despite the fear of losing them.
And Forsyth! My beautiful, sweet, cinnamon roll gets a hard edge on his character! I didn't expect some things to happen, which actually had me trembling while reading! Some action scenes were very powerful!
There is a certain scene in a Con, where magic seeps in! Imagine all the cosplays suddenly getting magic powers! That's all! No more spoilers!
There was also a huge surprise in this book, which I didn't expect and I grew to love. The ending? It gutted me because I am not prepared to leave these amazing characters behind! Luckily Frey will also have a collection of short stories, so there'll be that!
In the end, anyone should read this series! It's enjoyable, quirky with a good dose of action, romance and humour!
The thrilling conclusion to this amazing series is here! I can't express my love enough for this book which, along with the series, should be given more attention. It's not your usual story, the author hints lots of social issues through her writing in a brutal, yet sarcastic way and there is a wonderful cast of characters!
So, after the end of the second book and its adventures, Forsyth, Pip and their sweet daughter return to their normal lives. But Elgar Reed, the author of the books Forsyth came from, is plagued by nightmares and a stalker. Soon a hunt will begin where a known villain is alive and kicking and slowly magic is seeping into our world.
There are many POVs here; Reed Forsyth and some of Pip. I love how Reed slowly tries to learn more about his own characters and how hard he also tries to be there for Forsyth and his family. Pip is, as usual, a smart, strong woman who will do anything for her family, despite the fear of losing them.
And Forsyth! My beautiful, sweet, cinnamon roll gets a hard edge on his character! I didn't expect some things to happen, which actually had me trembling while reading! Some action scenes were very powerful!
There is a certain scene in a Con, where magic seeps in! Imagine all the cosplays suddenly getting magic powers! That's all! No more spoilers!
There was also a huge surprise in this book, which I didn't expect and I grew to love. The ending? It gutted me because I am not prepared to leave these amazing characters behind! Luckily Frey will also have a collection of short stories, so there'll be that!
In the end, anyone should read this series! It's enjoyable, quirky with a good dose of action, romance and humour!
lolajoan's review
5.0
Such a great series. It's really got it all. If you like fantasy, metafiction, and in general good fun books, you should read it.
maanorchidee's review
4.0
It is finally time to get Turnt again!
(And again, I am sorry for that pun.)
It is the third and last installment of the Accidental Turn series, because as Pip says: "Fantasy books are often trilogies". In contrary to the first two parts, I didn't get the third part for free but a) I happily paid for it and b) you're still getting an honest review.
It took a while for me to start this book. Despite checking J.M Frey's newsletter, I completely missed the release of this book (how???) and when I bought it, my eReader died and it took me months to get a new one, since I tried saving my old one. It was worth the wait, since the series ended on a high note.
The Silenced Tale takes place around a year after The Forgotten Tale (I think?) and it alternates between two POVS: Elgar's and Forsyth's. While writing this sentence, I came to the realisation that I've been mispronouncing Forsyth's name for a year.
The story fully takes place in the so-called Overrealm, aka our world. I was a bit disappointed that we weree not going to get some Hain, but alas. Strange things are happening in the Overrealm to both Elgar and Pip. Elgar is having a crazy stalker that even kills his cat Linux and tries to kill his assistent Juan. Pip's nightmares increase and she gets weird episodic attacks. Turns out that the Viceroy has made his way to the Overrealm and he wants to kill Elgar and use Pip.
Forsyth, or Syth (wasn't it Seth?), only has his computer programme Finnar and his returning magic.
Whereas the book wasn't perfect, I only have some highlights to give in this review.
First, PIP'S FEMINISM. If you've read my reviews for the other two books, you sense a pattern: I love Pip's feminism, but I find it very exclusive. In this book, she actually gets called out for it! It started with Forsyth thoughs. He thinks his wife's need to not be feminine can be seen as degrading to the ones who do want that. I fucking yelled, but I thought: "man, if only someone would tell her that to her face", and it happened. Abni, a new character, flat out tells Pip that her feminism is exclusive and not only that, but Pip realises what she's done wrong and apologizes. That's character development.
Second, new characters like Juan and Abni were added to the story and it was great. Of course, there were multiple new characters, but these two played a big role.
Third, Elgar.... he's something. He genuinely tries to be better and become less sexist/racist/homophobic/yikes. He slips up and I am happy to see that the other characters do not tolerate it in any way, while also still giving him room to grow as a person. His reasoning behind his book series felt... eye opening. Now you understand what kind of awful pathetic person he was. Now you can see him grow. Well, up until his death.
Fourth, the actual ending. PLOT TWIST. J.M. Frey did a wonderful job with Abni, who turns out to be a radicalised fan and who eventually kills Elgar (holy shit!). Just like Pip, you liked her. Damn, I loved her even. And as Forsyth points out, the violence is the bad part. Everyone can have different thoughts, but when they become extreme, it's not okay. It's not bad that Pip liked Abni and agreed with her. It would've been bad if Pip would agree to killing people.
I mean, as Forsyth says, the difference lie in the actions that people do. When this racist dude told Pip that she would look "anime" after buying those weird material arts props, I had a moment of "yeah kill him Pip", but Pip never would and it's nothing more than a matter of speech. Abni, on the other hand, went fucking crazy.
The whole ending was just wonderful with the Viceroy and the fans battling. I can't believe that it resulted in 57 deaths, including Elgar's. It was nerve wrecking and I couldn't put the book down. It was also a bit too gore-y for me, but I'll manage. In the end, Pip was the big hero, and I applaud that decision. I also love the plot twist that made Forsyth the main character, not Kintyre.
One thing that surprised me is that Kintyre and Bevel got pulled to the Overrealm and that they stayed, leaving Hain and Wyndam behind. Honestly, I finished the book a week ago and I still don't really know how to feel about that. It's not a bad thing, but I am also not thrilled. Mostly, I'm upset that they didn't get a proper goodbye. Maybe I should write fanfiction about this.
And yeah, those were my main thoughts. As always, I loved the meta and I loved Pip calling out sexism and racism. I loved the fact that Alis and Forsyth are learning Chinese.
It is just a really great conclusion to a great series and I will miss these characters.
(And again, I am sorry for that pun.)
It is the third and last installment of the Accidental Turn series, because as Pip says: "Fantasy books are often trilogies". In contrary to the first two parts, I didn't get the third part for free but a) I happily paid for it and b) you're still getting an honest review.
It took a while for me to start this book. Despite checking J.M Frey's newsletter, I completely missed the release of this book (how???) and when I bought it, my eReader died and it took me months to get a new one, since I tried saving my old one. It was worth the wait, since the series ended on a high note.
The Silenced Tale takes place around a year after The Forgotten Tale (I think?) and it alternates between two POVS: Elgar's and Forsyth's. While writing this sentence, I came to the realisation that I've been mispronouncing Forsyth's name for a year.
The story fully takes place in the so-called Overrealm, aka our world. I was a bit disappointed that we weree not going to get some Hain, but alas. Strange things are happening in the Overrealm to both Elgar and Pip. Elgar is having a crazy stalker that even kills his cat Linux and tries to kill his assistent Juan. Pip's nightmares increase and she gets weird episodic attacks. Turns out that the Viceroy has made his way to the Overrealm and he wants to kill Elgar and use Pip.
Forsyth, or Syth (wasn't it Seth?), only has his computer programme Finnar and his returning magic.
Whereas the book wasn't perfect, I only have some highlights to give in this review.
First, PIP'S FEMINISM. If you've read my reviews for the other two books, you sense a pattern: I love Pip's feminism, but I find it very exclusive. In this book, she actually gets called out for it! It started with Forsyth thoughs. He thinks his wife's need to not be feminine can be seen as degrading to the ones who do want that. I fucking yelled, but I thought: "man, if only someone would tell her that to her face", and it happened. Abni, a new character, flat out tells Pip that her feminism is exclusive and not only that, but Pip realises what she's done wrong and apologizes. That's character development.
Second, new characters like Juan and Abni were added to the story and it was great. Of course, there were multiple new characters, but these two played a big role.
Third, Elgar.... he's something. He genuinely tries to be better and become less sexist/racist/homophobic/yikes. He slips up and I am happy to see that the other characters do not tolerate it in any way, while also still giving him room to grow as a person. His reasoning behind his book series felt... eye opening. Now you understand what kind of awful pathetic person he was. Now you can see him grow. Well, up until his death.
Fourth, the actual ending. PLOT TWIST. J.M. Frey did a wonderful job with Abni, who turns out to be a radicalised fan and who eventually kills Elgar (holy shit!). Just like Pip, you liked her. Damn, I loved her even. And as Forsyth points out, the violence is the bad part. Everyone can have different thoughts, but when they become extreme, it's not okay. It's not bad that Pip liked Abni and agreed with her. It would've been bad if Pip would agree to killing people.
I mean, as Forsyth says, the difference lie in the actions that people do. When this racist dude told Pip that she would look "anime" after buying those weird material arts props, I had a moment of "yeah kill him Pip", but Pip never would and it's nothing more than a matter of speech. Abni, on the other hand, went fucking crazy.
The whole ending was just wonderful with the Viceroy and the fans battling. I can't believe that it resulted in 57 deaths, including Elgar's. It was nerve wrecking and I couldn't put the book down. It was also a bit too gore-y for me, but I'll manage. In the end, Pip was the big hero, and I applaud that decision. I also love the plot twist that made Forsyth the main character, not Kintyre.
One thing that surprised me is that Kintyre and Bevel got pulled to the Overrealm and that they stayed, leaving Hain and Wyndam behind. Honestly, I finished the book a week ago and I still don't really know how to feel about that. It's not a bad thing, but I am also not thrilled. Mostly, I'm upset that they didn't get a proper goodbye. Maybe I should write fanfiction about this.
And yeah, those were my main thoughts. As always, I loved the meta and I loved Pip calling out sexism and racism. I loved the fact that Alis and Forsyth are learning Chinese.
It is just a really great conclusion to a great series and I will miss these characters.
alexandra_92's review
5.0
I received an e-ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
The thrilling conclusion to this amazing series is here! I can't express my love enough for this book which, along with the series, should be given more attention. It's not your usual story, the author hints lots of social issues through her writing in a brutal, yet sarcastic way and there is a wonderful cast of characters!
So, after the end of the second book and its adventures, Forsyth, Pip and their sweet daughter return to their normal lives. But Elgar Reed, the author of the books Forsyth came from, is plagued by nightmares and a stalker. Soon a hunt will begin where a known villain is alive and kicking and slowly magic is seeping into our world.
There are many POVs here; Reed Forsyth and some of Pip. I love how Reed slowly tries to learn more about his own characters and how hard he also tries to be there for Forsyth and his family. Pip is, as usual, a smart, strong woman who will do anything for her family, despite the fear of losing them.
And Forsyth! My beautiful, sweet, cinnamon roll gets a hard edge on his character! I didn't expect some things to happen, which actually had me trembling while reading! Some action scenes were very powerful!
There is a certain scene in a Con, where magic seeps in! Imagine all the cosplays suddenly getting magic powers! That's all! No more spoilers!
There was also a huge surprise in this book, which I didn't expect and I grew to love. The ending? It gutted me because I am not prepared to leave these amazing characters behind! Luckily Frey will also have a collection of short stories, so there'll be that!
In the end, anyone should read this series! It's enjoyable, quirky with a good dose of action, romance and humour!
The thrilling conclusion to this amazing series is here! I can't express my love enough for this book which, along with the series, should be given more attention. It's not your usual story, the author hints lots of social issues through her writing in a brutal, yet sarcastic way and there is a wonderful cast of characters!
So, after the end of the second book and its adventures, Forsyth, Pip and their sweet daughter return to their normal lives. But Elgar Reed, the author of the books Forsyth came from, is plagued by nightmares and a stalker. Soon a hunt will begin where a known villain is alive and kicking and slowly magic is seeping into our world.
There are many POVs here; Reed Forsyth and some of Pip. I love how Reed slowly tries to learn more about his own characters and how hard he also tries to be there for Forsyth and his family. Pip is, as usual, a smart, strong woman who will do anything for her family, despite the fear of losing them.
And Forsyth! My beautiful, sweet, cinnamon roll gets a hard edge on his character! I didn't expect some things to happen, which actually had me trembling while reading! Some action scenes were very powerful!
There is a certain scene in a Con, where magic seeps in! Imagine all the cosplays suddenly getting magic powers! That's all! No more spoilers!
There was also a huge surprise in this book, which I didn't expect and I grew to love. The ending? It gutted me because I am not prepared to leave these amazing characters behind! Luckily Frey will also have a collection of short stories, so there'll be that!
In the end, anyone should read this series! It's enjoyable, quirky with a good dose of action, romance and humour!
ninjamuse's review against another edition
4.0
In brief: Forsyth and Lucy Piper are safely back in Canada after their adventures in Forsyth’s fictional homeworld. It’s been peaceful, but suddenly Lucy’s having nightmares, Forsyth’s author’s being stalked, and they might not be able to think their way out this time. Third in a trilogy.
Thoughts: And I thought the last two books had achieved peak metafiction!
I don’t even know where to begin with this one. It is so fannish and too real and I don’t even know how Frey managed to upend some of the tropes she did, or how she thought to do so. I’m not even sure I can effectively compare the plot to the last two, because it was so different. It’s a very different feel compared to the other books in the trilogy, doesn’t follow the same patterns, but if you couldn’t guess from the summary, that’s sort of the point.
There’s actually not a lot I can discuss without spoiling things, now that I think of it. So much of the story relies on surprises and not knowing what comes next. But I can say, as a nerd who’s been steeped in lit and fandom for years, I a) can absolutely tell that Frey has too, with some of the things she’s tackling and the angles she’s used and b) was completely delighted by the metafictional hoops she wove this through. The climax is something else.
I’m also really pleased by the level of diversity in the book, and the portrayal of fandom, and the fact that (see: hoops, metafictional) there are 110% valid plot reasons for them too.
This isn’t to say it’s a totally perfect book. There were a few sections that felt slow without adding all that much to the tension, and while the fandom stuff jived, the police stuff and some of the legal/financial things felt off-kilter, like there was fudging for plot reasons. Those things threw me, made it a bit easier to wander off for a while, but I can forgive the latter because getting all that pitch-perfect would’ve changed the story for the worse. The slowness? Could just be me. It’s not like those sections didn’t have important stuff in them either.
I’m definitely more of a fan of this series now that I’ve finished it. They’re more complex than they sound, especially this one, and, as I predicted before I bought the first one, absolutely my thing. (So complex one could pull a Pip and write their dissertation on them.) Good fantasy, good story, good characters, good themes, good understanding of tropes and craft, with a lot of smart things to say.
Warnings: Gore. Villain who thinks nothing of stalking, abuse, killing animals, or mind-rape. Allusions to torture. Sexist old white man trying to be better. Several misogynistic and racially insensitive comments, shot down and called out. Radicalized fans. Earthquake- or bombing-like scenario.
8.5/10
Thoughts: And I thought the last two books had achieved peak metafiction!
I don’t even know where to begin with this one. It is so fannish and too real and I don’t even know how Frey managed to upend some of the tropes she did, or how she thought to do so. I’m not even sure I can effectively compare the plot to the last two, because it was so different. It’s a very different feel compared to the other books in the trilogy, doesn’t follow the same patterns, but if you couldn’t guess from the summary, that’s sort of the point.
There’s actually not a lot I can discuss without spoiling things, now that I think of it. So much of the story relies on surprises and not knowing what comes next. But I can say, as a nerd who’s been steeped in lit and fandom for years, I a) can absolutely tell that Frey has too, with some of the things she’s tackling and the angles she’s used and b) was completely delighted by the metafictional hoops she wove this through. The climax is something else.
I’m also really pleased by the level of diversity in the book, and the portrayal of fandom, and the fact that (see: hoops, metafictional) there are 110% valid plot reasons for them too.
This isn’t to say it’s a totally perfect book. There were a few sections that felt slow without adding all that much to the tension, and while the fandom stuff jived, the police stuff and some of the legal/financial things felt off-kilter, like there was fudging for plot reasons. Those things threw me, made it a bit easier to wander off for a while, but I can forgive the latter because getting all that pitch-perfect would’ve changed the story for the worse. The slowness? Could just be me. It’s not like those sections didn’t have important stuff in them either.
I’m definitely more of a fan of this series now that I’ve finished it. They’re more complex than they sound, especially this one, and, as I predicted before I bought the first one, absolutely my thing. (So complex one could pull a Pip and write their dissertation on them.) Good fantasy, good story, good characters, good themes, good understanding of tropes and craft, with a lot of smart things to say.
Warnings: Gore. Villain who thinks nothing of stalking, abuse, killing animals, or mind-rape. Allusions to torture. Sexist old white man trying to be better. Several misogynistic and racially insensitive comments, shot down and called out. Radicalized fans. Earthquake- or bombing-like scenario.
8.5/10
chymerra's review
5.0
The Accidental Turn series is one of my top 10 favorite series. I have loved every single book (and short story) that was in the series. I was very much looking forward to The Silenced Tale. I am happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed by this book at all. The Silenced Tale was everything that I expected and then some. The Silenced Tale weaves a magical tale that will not let you go.
The plot of The Silenced Tale was great. It is split between Forsyth, Pip, and Alis in Victoria, British Columbia and Eglar in Seattle, Washington. , Elgar has noticed that there are odd things happening. Like the eyes of his favorite waitress changing color. But when he is attacked, he realizes that there is something very sinister out to get him. Forsyth, Pip, and Alis have settled into their lives in Victoria. But things are far from normal. Something is happening to Pip and it is not good. She cannot sleep without having nightmares. When Elgar calls Forsyth to tell him what is happening to him, Forsyth seems to think that they are related. And that they are tied to Pip, Alis, and Forsyth’s escape from Hain. Everything is revealed at a comic con where Elgar is a guest speaker. Who is the man in black? Why has he singled out Elgar, Pip, Forsyth, and Alis? What does he want?
Elgar became a little more likable in The Silenced Tale. He made an effort to stay in Forsyth, Pip, and Alis’s lives. He was trying to forge a relationship with them. But it was hard after the events of The Forgotten Tale. But, like I said, he was trying. I did feel kind of bad for him about that. He screwed up big time and he was trying to make it right. Which kind of made me feel bad considering how the book ended.
Forsyth shone in this book. While Elgar was dealing with his stalker, Forsyth was trying to figure out who it was while dealing with Pip’s sudden health issues. Plus he was taking care of a toddler. Not easy. Forsyth and Pip decided that they should be with Elgar, regardless of how they felt about him. Forsyth tried to unravel who Elgar’s stalker was before the accident. It was after that he decided that he need to be with him. I loved seeing Forsyth’s growth in this series. It was amazing!!
I was not surprised at who the villain was. I thought the author did a great job of keeping his identity a secret. Well somewhat of a secret. Pip’s vines glowing were a huge tip-off for me about who the villain was. It was creepy at how he went about trying to destroy Elgar. I was glad to see him get what he needed at the end of the book.
The end of the book blew my mind. I can’t get into anything without giving away the ending. But I will say this: Pip owned it. Did she ever!! Also, there was a huge surprise that I was not expecting. But going with what happened previously in the book, I should have seen it coming. I thought the epilogue was very sad. But it wrapped everything up perfectly.
I would give The Silenced Talk an Older Teen rating. While there is no sex, there is language and violence. I would not let anyone younger than 16 read this book. There are also trigger warnings. There are stalking and talk of domestic abuse.
This is a book that I would gladly reread. I would also recommend it to family and friends.
Pros of The Silenced Tale:
A) Insight into Elgar’s past and what makes him tick
B) Pip and Forsyth’s relationship
C) Alis
Cons of The Silenced Tale:
A) Pip’s illness and what/who it was related too
B) Lack of Bevel and Kintyre
C) The TV show based on the books. I wasn’t a fan of that storyline.
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**
The plot of The Silenced Tale was great. It is split between Forsyth, Pip, and Alis in Victoria, British Columbia and Eglar in Seattle, Washington. , Elgar has noticed that there are odd things happening. Like the eyes of his favorite waitress changing color. But when he is attacked, he realizes that there is something very sinister out to get him. Forsyth, Pip, and Alis have settled into their lives in Victoria. But things are far from normal. Something is happening to Pip and it is not good. She cannot sleep without having nightmares. When Elgar calls Forsyth to tell him what is happening to him, Forsyth seems to think that they are related. And that they are tied to Pip, Alis, and Forsyth’s escape from Hain. Everything is revealed at a comic con where Elgar is a guest speaker. Who is the man in black? Why has he singled out Elgar, Pip, Forsyth, and Alis? What does he want?
Elgar became a little more likable in The Silenced Tale. He made an effort to stay in Forsyth, Pip, and Alis’s lives. He was trying to forge a relationship with them. But it was hard after the events of The Forgotten Tale. But, like I said, he was trying. I did feel kind of bad for him about that. He screwed up big time and he was trying to make it right. Which kind of made me feel bad considering how the book ended.
Forsyth shone in this book. While Elgar was dealing with his stalker, Forsyth was trying to figure out who it was while dealing with Pip’s sudden health issues. Plus he was taking care of a toddler. Not easy. Forsyth and Pip decided that they should be with Elgar, regardless of how they felt about him. Forsyth tried to unravel who Elgar’s stalker was before the accident. It was after that he decided that he need to be with him. I loved seeing Forsyth’s growth in this series. It was amazing!!
I was not surprised at who the villain was. I thought the author did a great job of keeping his identity a secret. Well somewhat of a secret. Pip’s vines glowing were a huge tip-off for me about who the villain was. It was creepy at how he went about trying to destroy Elgar. I was glad to see him get what he needed at the end of the book.
The end of the book blew my mind. I can’t get into anything without giving away the ending. But I will say this: Pip owned it. Did she ever!! Also, there was a huge surprise that I was not expecting. But going with what happened previously in the book, I should have seen it coming. I thought the epilogue was very sad. But it wrapped everything up perfectly.
I would give The Silenced Talk an Older Teen rating. While there is no sex, there is language and violence. I would not let anyone younger than 16 read this book. There are also trigger warnings. There are stalking and talk of domestic abuse.
This is a book that I would gladly reread. I would also recommend it to family and friends.
Pros of The Silenced Tale:
A) Insight into Elgar’s past and what makes him tick
B) Pip and Forsyth’s relationship
C) Alis
Cons of The Silenced Tale:
A) Pip’s illness and what/who it was related too
B) Lack of Bevel and Kintyre
C) The TV show based on the books. I wasn’t a fan of that storyline.
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**
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