World of Silence: Book Review

My Review

An archer longing to help fight, ignored because he is deaf.

Ohhh my goodness, this is one gem of a book!!! A beautiful, powerful, skillfully told story that has a brilliant premise off the bat. I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. (I have to consciously work to organize my thoughts to write something of a coherent review. 😀 ) With classic morals, stirring adventure, a fight between good versus evil, and messages of truth that spoke to my soul, World of Silence is a novel the Middle-Grade genre desperately needs.

CHARACTERS

Kaytlin Phillips immediately pulls us into Fledge’s head, shows us the conflict warring inside him, and engages our sympathy. Fledge felt realistic and well-developed and it was easy to understand his motivations. His character arc never grew stale to me – it kept changing, moving, keeping us interested and in suspense. He struggled with fears until the very end – his arc didn’t come across to me as forced or cheesy or unnatural. Also, did I say how much I loved him? No? Okay, well, I LOVED HIM!!!!!!!!!! A LOT. His bravery despite the obstacles being thrown his way… let’s just say the poor dear needs a hug. (And I’ll be the one to give it to him, thank you very much.)

And Hayden. I NEED MORE OF HIM. *petitions the author to write a sequel more about Fledge and Hayden’s friendship* *winks* Adara was a spirited girl who makes the story even more interesting AND says many quote-worthy things, like: “That is what the Wings of Peace is and always has been about, spreading peace and hope in the wake of evil.”

Galexia… that dragonness was awe-inspiring, and yet she still had a personality of her own. I loved her. Kaytlin did an amazing job of making me feel for her. Some of my very favorite scenes were those between her and Fledge. Their interactions were brimming full of the most poignant emotions – and the writing just came alive in those scenes.

WORLDBUILDING

How World of Silence‘s world (no pun intended) was shown was a fantastic example of how to describe your fictional world in your novel. We were shown, for the most part, only what mattered to the main character, Fledge – and through his POV, to boot, not as a bored bystander. (By the way, it’s written in first-person POV, which fit the book very well.) No dry, long explanations of how the world works. I was shown just enough details to form a picture of the surroundings. So yes, I LOVED the worldbuilding. Dragons and Wolvins help it to spring to life, too. *grins*

THEMES

Fledge longs to be seen as more than a deaf archer who seemingly needs (but spoiler alert: DOESN’T NEED) to be coddled. When he realized his misbelief, and that he’d been wanting the wrong thing all along… oh, my heart. Guys, the themes carry this book. Strong, hard-hitting, beautiful truths shown through Fledge’s struggles. 10/10.

Other random thoughts…

“War was not pretty, and it was no game.” (World of Silence, page 268) I love this quote. Kaytlin shows the wounds and pain war bring; she doesn’t glorify it like many fantasy authors do. (Side note, she also has people get hurt – and their wounds don’t immediately leave. I SO APPRECIATE THIS! Way too many authors have their characters up and about, wound completely either forgotten or suspiciously healed.)

WRITING

Beautiful, balanced writing that fit the book well. May I just treat you to a few choice examples of her writing style? Here you go…

“Questions darted through my mind like arrows.”

Not only do I love this for its imagery, but Fledge is an archer. Of course he would think of an analogy like this. BRILLIANT choice on the part of the wonderful author. 😉 Am I right? You know I am. (And there are so many natural-feeling examples of this in play in WoS!)

“Tension permeated the air and I held my breath as my heart thrashed in my chest.”

I’ve read many heart pounded‘s and heart beat fast‘s in my day (lol, that makes me sound like I’m ancient), but I’ve never read a “my heart thrashed.” The motion and energy bundled in this phrase is just delicious.

Another…

“….my heart jumping like a rabbit in my chest…”

Same thing here. Just so good.

And:

“Drawing the string back, I took a breath of the earth-heavy air, exhaled, and then released.”

“Earth-heavy air.” *sighs happily* What a solid, vibrant description. Now I’ll stop my fangirling over her writing and go on to the next thing I have to say. (As you can see, I have a lot to say. But don’t worry, I’m almost done.)

WRITING WITHOUT USING SOUND

Try writing a story without sound. IT’S HARD. Really hard. Kaytlin Phillips nailed it. I’m so impressed at the way she wrote so descriptively despite being unable to use the sense of hearing. *round of applause for her*

OVERALL

Kaytlin Phillip’s World of Silence is a promising debut that anyone can enjoy, but especially those who love fantasy stories with strong Biblical messages and touching moments and thrilling adventure. And dragons. I just… I truly loved it. I hope and am sure that this story will inspire and touch the hearts of many! (It already has for me!)

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About the book

Silence. Complete silence. That was all I heard.

Fledge Owenby is a deaf archer struggling to be seen for his potential instead of his disability. When forgotten and left behind during a dragon attack, he thinks it is the chance to prove himself that he has been waiting for. But who knew one trip out of the bunker would change everything?

Saved from evil dragons by a dragoness, Fledge wonders why she would help him and soon discovers how similar they are. He is deaf and she is without fire. Drawn together by a bond, not even he can understand, Fledge and Galexia are unwittingly pulled into adventure.

Betrayal of the highest level, deception, and a war that never should have been. Fledge must find a way to end it all while trying to be seen as the boy he is, instead of the disability he has.

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Book Links!

Goodreads

Purchase Link

About the Author

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Goodreads Author Profile

Facebook

Blog

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 16th

Sisters Three – Blog Tour Launch Announcement 

The Sword of the Penmaiden – Guest Post and character interview

Vanessa Hall – Spotlight and Review

Tuesday, May 17th

Kristina Hall – Review and Sneak Peek

Wednesday, May 18th

Saraina Whitney – Review

Tasha Van Kesteren – Interview

Thursday, May 19th

The Introspective Introvert – Interview

Friday, May 20th

Abbigail Befus – Facebook Review

Teen Writers’ Nook – Review

Bookish Productions – Review

Saraina Whitney – Behind the book Interview and Sneak Peek

Saturday, May 21st

Sisters Three – Character Interview

Sunday, May 22nd

Sisters Three – Fan Art

Monday, May 23rd

Saraina Whitney – Character Interview

Vanessa Hall – Interview

Tuesday, May 24th

Bookish Productions – Behind the book interview

Into my Writing Journey – Spotlight

Release day!

Wednesday, May 25th

Sisters Three – Launch announcement and Winner of the Short Story contest announcement!

The Introspective Introvert – Sneak Peek – Lillian Keith

Kristina Hall

Saraina Whitney

Vanessa Hall

Tasha Van Kesteren

Abbigail Befus – Facebook

Into my Writing Journey – Issabelle Perry

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Do you fangirl over lovely descriptions in your favorite books? (Tell me I’m not the only one. ;P) What was your favorite part in World of Silence? Do you find that some books glorify war in a way that does ring true in real life? What’s your favorite fantasy book? Have you tried writing without including the sense of sound?

(By the way, I’ll be busy the rest of this week, so I’m sorry if I get to your comments rather late! <333)