If a voice can end worlds. What is the price of silence?

WHAT IS THE COST OF SILENCE?

Mankind has spread itself across the galaxy, building a near-utopia ruled by the Ascendance, with order maintained by their wielding of the Deep Language of the cosmos.

Rebellions can be wiped out and planets destroyed with a single word.

Elyth, former Ascendance agent, is on the run. Lost after her discoveries of corruption in the system, she longs for the simplicity and blind dedication of her life as an agent. But Elyth is quickly tracked and cornered by the Ascendance.

However, they aren’t there for punishment. Instead, they offer her a deal…

Elyth agrees to join a team of elite agents exploring a new planet in order to clear her name and rejoin the fold. But things soon start to go awry. Strange sounds are heard in the wilderness, horrifying creatures are seen stalking the forests, and even the landscape itself seems to change during the night.

As expedition members start dying, two things become clear: the planet is awake, and it is speaking back.

We left Every Sky a Grave with Elyth leaving the First House to embark on her new future, free of the reigns of the Paragon and the rulings of the First House. Three years have passed and Elyth’s life is shattered by the arrival of Hezra agents. Requiring her help to search a mysterious new planet that popped up in the shadow of Qel, she agrees to help. The team are challenged with a new enemy and it’s going to take everything Elyth has to stop it.

Jay Posey has a beautiful way of immersing you into the story and you feel a part of the team. The world building is phenomenal and the small character cast allows for fully developed, rich characters to bring the story to life. Elyth is an amazing character, so full of depth and I love her conviction to always do the right thing, no matter the personal cost.

This is an absolutely brilliant sequel to Every Sky a Grave. If you’re into sci-fi, you’re going to adore this series. I highly recommend it. The ending leaves us with an option to have a new series in the future and I really hope this happens.

Words are powerful indeed. 

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LONG REVIEW

**Includes spoilers from Posey’s first book in this duology “Every Sky a Grave”. Read ahead at your own risk. **

We left Every Sky a Grave with Elyth leaving the First House to embark on her new future, free of the reigns of the Paragon and the rulings of the First House.

Three years have since passed and Elyth seems to have found the quiet life she sought out only for it to be put in jeopardy by the arrival of Hezra agents. Forced from her new life, she finds herself face to face with Hezra and her beloved sister Nyeda. Hezra and the First House have aligned for some reason yet to be known to Elyth. Thinking that the Paragon has enlisted Hezra to kill Elyth for her departure from the Ascendance, she is shocked when they instead ask for her help.

“An alliance,” Elyth said “Because you feared what I might become?”

“No Exile,” Nyeda said “Because we fear what you already are.”

“And,” Nyeda added a moment later. “Because we need your help.”

Troubled by this new alliance between her former house and their enemy, she is under no obligation to help. A new planet has mysteriously appeared in the shadow of Qel and Hezra are sending a unit to investigate it. In typical Elyth style after the events of book 1, she queries why they haven’t sent the almighty Paragon herself. She wasn’t expecting the reply that they had, and she’s now missing.

Elyth, along with Nyeda and a contingent of Hezra agents prepare to depart to Qel’s shadow with the hope of finding the Paragon of the First House. While things appear mostly-normal, that soon changes. The planet is deadly, people are dying and it seems like the planet itself is trying to talk to them.

What I love about this duology from Posey is that we have a relatively small cast and as such you get a beautiful insight into each of them. They aren’t filler characters to make the world feel bigger, they have important parts to play in this book and they each leave a mark.

Two favourites for me are Korush and Subo. I loved the discussion of whether its soul exists and if Korush and Subo share one. It’s strange to feel something for what is essentially a machine but my god did that hit me in the feels. Korush I can’t help but love, he is a true follower of The Way and though a man of few words, he is quite the character. Reminds me slightly of the Mandalorians.

Captain Ames deserves a shout out too for being the light-hearted relief and bringing a sense of normality and relatability to this otherwise extraordinary group of individuals. I love how he knows he is out of his depth and yet, still endeavours to help.

Varen, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with. I like how he sees the world and how he tries to encourage Elyth to arrive at the conclusion he’s already at. He feels like a teacher that is just waiting for his pupils to get to his level. I hate him for one of the reasons in the book which I cannot say here but he redeems himself with his actions towards the end.

Elyth will always be my favourite, she is a complex character that is constantly growing. Despite leaving the House and having no obligations, she will always do the right thing. She is a natural leader and will endure so much hardship in following her own beliefs. Courageous and inspirational. I adore her.

Elyth smiled to herself. Content.

Now she had given all that she had.

This is a brilliant sequel to Every Sky a Grave. I loved seeing Elyth grow and realise her true potential. It was great to see the other side of the Ascendance and it feels like it would be easy for this story to continue in a new series which I would LOVE to see. 

It’s fast paced, full of action and an absolute pleasure to read, I highly recommend it. 

Purchase links:

Waterstones | Goldsboro | Forbidden Planet