A Hymn in the Silence (Dark is the Night, #2)by Kelley York & Rowan Altwood
Self-published
eARC
LGBT, historical, paranormal, romance
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 come 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 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, nestles 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 if 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.
A Hymn in the Silence is a sequel for A Light Amongst Shadows; it's fantastic to dive back into the world of James and William, of Victorian England and of eerie ghosts. While it has everything the first book had, there's also a change in point of view from James to William, and change in time, because this sets over a year after the first finishes - the boys graduated from Whisperwood and live on their own now. It is quite a change from before, but A Hymn in the Silence had everything else I fell for in the first one; adorable and not subtle James, reserved and grumpy William, and their brilliant dynamic. Virgil also makes an appearance, which is brilliant and I hope there'll be more of him in the future.
While their relationship is more established and thus deeper, it's still the same dynamic and same adorable relationship as it was before. I love it, and I admit I was a little scared at the beginning as sequels tend to complicate the relationship, have miscommunication that just ruins the ship, and introduce new characters just to complicate existing dynamic. Luckily it doesn't happen here; there's this brilliant banter and I laughed out loud so many times; James is hilarious and his obsession with cake absolutely relatable. Without spoiling anything, there are some struggles James and William have to go through and some of them are significant for their relationship, but it's beautifully done. There are new characters introduced, some of whom are important for the story, but they are well balanced and exist for their own sake and not just to complicate anything. York and Altwood are just masters, and I loved every page as much as I loved A Light Amongst Shadows. Definitely a great sequel that left me wanting more. I mean, there has to be another story about James and William, right?
Again, York and Altwood have found the perfect balance between mystery, action and romance, all of which are woven together beautifully. There are plenty of creepy moments, which made my skin crawl so badly that I could only read this during daylight hours (again, I'm not one for horror and I loose sleep way too easily). Atmosphere is brilliantly eerie, a small rural English village with a close-knit community. There are a manor, farms, village church, and never-ending woods; it's so different from Whisperwood, but that's not a bad thing in this case.
A Hymn in the Silence is a captivating rollercoaster of emotions. There are both funny, cute and creepy moments, which I loved so much. I could hardly put the book down! I love the world and the characters, and I honestly cannot get enough of them. I'm already excited for the novella, which will star Benji, but I also need another novel (or three). I definitely recommend you to pick up the series, because it's such heartfelt and stunning story.
5 of 5 stars
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