Born of Silence, A Review

I have stated numerous times that I would read and love anything Sherrilyn Kenyon wrote up to and including a soup can. I read Acheron and was probably one of maybe 5 people worldwide who didn’t think it was too intense. That being said, Born of Silence devastated me. It was so intense, so dark so unbearably harsh that I almost stopped reading it. Fortunately my love of all things Kenyon took over and I was able to read this story.

In Born of Silence, Sherrie has mastered the art of the tortured hero. All of The League heroes have been battered and bruised, overcome tremendously horrid childhoods to become amazing men who fight for right and eventually find love. Darling’s story was the darkest of them all. Honestly the darkest of any of Kenyon’s Heroes, IMHO. And yet the sneaky Ms Kenyon pulls it off, it is still at its core, a love story between two people who have nothing in common except that they have everything in common.

Zayra, born into the aristocracy before her father was betrayed and named a traitor, her family destroyed she fought her way to the top and became the leader of the Resistance, determined to overthrow the corrupt Cruel family. *sidebar.. I love that The hero’s name is Darling Cruel it leads a sinister tone to the entire book.. and tells us so much about him, he is a darling from a Cruel family.. Ok back on track*  Zayra is in love with Kere, one of the five founding members of the Sentella, the largest organized group against the League. One that stands for justice not corruption, greed and avarice. He comes to her cloaked in darkness and no one really knows what he looks like.

Darling Cruel, born to be king.. his father was betrayed by his jealous brother, leaving him in charge of Darling and his siblings. Darling has spent his life fighting for his family doing anything to make sure they are safe. He is determined to survive and rule his country. His one stroke of luck in his entire life was that his evil uncle hired a League Assassin to keep track of him and make sure he didn’t betray him. What good old Uncle Arturo never realized was that when he hired Nykerian, he had given Darling a friend for life. One who taught him more than how to survive but how to win. Finally, Kere has discovered a way to save his family, not betray his friends and marry the woman he loves.. instead...

Zayra and Darling have so much to battle through, they have to first and foremost forgive each other for some stuff. Although, I did tend to get a little irked at Zayra when she would get mad about how she was treated.. yeah, not gonna spoil it but... Besides forgiving each other they had to unite a world battered by years of being ruled by the scum of the galaxy, who ruled with a malicious heart born of envy and they had to fight both the resistance and the aristo’s. I did chuckle at Sherrie’s use of the media. Something anyone from this world would understand. Propaganda to the masses almost destroyed Darling more than once.

This story is hard for me to even write about. I couldn’t stop reading it and believe me I wanted to. Many times. I don’t think it was the torture itself but rather who was doing the torturing. It really gives an insight to how a good person can act like an animal in certain circumstances. It explains how throughout history, you hear stories of decent men raping and pillaging the innocent along the way. And yet it doesn’t excuse them or forgive them it makes you think.

We do get to catch up on the rest of the Sentella and there are a few kick ass scenes that seriously must be read. One scene where poor, beleaguered, effeminate Darling tossed Nykerian over his shoulder and across the room.. OOOPS. Another when Darling announces just who and what he is.. we also learn a lot about Maris and his family, the good (Maris) the Bad (Most of the rest of his family) and the Ugly (ok, they are all beautiful but they are way ugly inside).

I think in many ways this book has so much power to it because it really is about human emotions... Greed, Envy, Malice, Love, Loyalty, Betrayal, Forgiveness, Revenge... it runs the gamut and plays into pieces of ourselves. Throughout the intensity and darkness Sherrie throws us some of her trademark wit.. it is like a light in the darkness that is this story. All things said, yes you should read this book but do not expect a perfectly wonderful story.. or one where yes the hero has a tortured past but we are removed from it. We see it up close and personal and consequently fall deeply in love with this Darling man..

Shauni