Synopsis:
The Saint of Silence trades coins for every sordid divulgence uttered to him. The darker the secret, the higher the price.
Leena has a secret, one that has haunted her since she was seventeen – she can see the dead. When her brother falls ill, she knows what she must do: seek the Saint.
But Leena’s secret is more valuable to him that she could have imagined. To save her brother, she must make a deal with him to find the ghost he’s searching for.
All paths lead to Weavingshaw, a cursed estate on the moors. As Leena grows closer to the Saint, and is plunged into his world of danger, deceit and desire, she learns that he is hiding his own secrets – ones that have the power to destroy them all.
Review:
I love it when you can tell it will be a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers with a gaslamp setting and current societal reflections.
Tonight was its crucible – either for it to burn or to solidify. It seemed to Leena that they both danced around these two.
Leena, the daughter of refugees, goes to see the Saint of Silence, the first of his kind to pay for secrets. The first of what? Well, that takes a while to be revealed and I wasn’t entirely satisfied with how this was plotted.
Leena is trying to save her sick brother, divulging that she can see ghosts, something that has seen her chased from job to job.
St Silas strikes a bargain.
The writing style is atmospheric and deliberate. The scenes were vivid and dark (oxymoronic I know). Leena is resilient and knows her mind. I enjoyed the relationship between her and her brother.
What didn’t work for me was the unclear world-building. A lot is held back to add this layer of mystery and secrecy, but instead it felt muddled and sometimes frustrating.
As it was obvious to me where the relationships and plot were going, it did lose some of that tension and propelling magic.
The soldiers on the street stop to interrogate me daily, but they bow to you.The colour of your skin, the tenor of your voice, even your accent, all proclaim your right to exist here.
However, I enjoyed the writing and the slow burn, as well as the future poetical, so I will be reading on.
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