Silksinger: a review

by Laini Taylor

In this sequel to Blackbringer, Taylor returns to the story of Magpie and Talon, while also weaving in the stories of several new characters.

Yay! I loved this book. Granted, I wasn’t quite as blown away as I was by Blackbringer, but I think this was simply because the world was familiar instead of being completely new. I was happy that we also got significant amounts of Mags and the other characters from the first book. I’ve noticed a slight tendency for sequels to move to completely different characters, offering at most a tantalizing glimpse of the characters from the first book. I think it works for some series and not for others, so I was glad to see that Taylor chose to stick with Magpie.

And once again, the worldbuilding was absolutely amazing. The language and slang, the landscape, the culture. Above all, I felt that it was all done with a purpose. It helped to inform the motivations and actions of the characters. Because Taylor convinced me that her world and history were real (okay, you know what I mean), I believed that Hirik’s secret was a big deal.

I loved Whisper as well. Magpie is great, but I was glad to see someone who appeared to be fragile and delicate, but who actually had a great strength of character, and a pretty neat skill which wasn’t being tough and wielding a sword. We need sword-wielding girls in books, but we also need girls who sing silk into fabric.

One of the other things I really liked was the slow, understated romance. It’s definitely there, but it was so nice to have a break from the “from the first time I saw him/her, we were magically, instantly, passionately in LOVE.” This felt more like Anne and Gilbert than Heathcliff and Cathy, and that I am completely in favor of.

Book source: public library
Book information: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2009

My Laini Taylor reviews:
Dreamdark: Blackbringer
Lips Touch (about halfway down)

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