Book Review: With Silent Screams by Steve McHugh
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With Silent Screams is the third book in the Hellequin Chronicles series by Steve McHugh. In this installment, we discover more about our protagonist Nate Garrett, who is a sorcerer extraordinaire. He encounters a new type of magic that isn't the same kind of magic he uses but it is pretty much magic and is called alchemy. Alchemy is the practice of manipulating physical non-organic material into different configurations and shapes. In With Silent Screams, we see how this power can be used for both good and evil.
The book starts, as they always do, with a flashback, this time to the 1970s when Nate is investigating the disappearance of a young girl who is related to some influential people in the underground world of the supernatural. As Nate learns more about the girl's disappearance he finds out that his long-time friend wasn't telling him all the facts, which leads toward catastrophic outcomes for those Nate swore to protect and a falling out with his powerful friend who goes by the name Galahad. Nate also meets a forest troll by the name of Rean who will pay dearly for his involvement in this affair.
When we inhabit the present time, which is around 2014, Nate is called to investigate the death of the sheriff he worked with on the case from the flashback. While investigating the scene he is nearly killed by a targeted explosion meant to kill him and anyone else in the area. He doesn't die but he does commit himself to unraveling the circumstances that lead to his friend's death. On his way to learning the truth, he meets a vampire who gives him resources in exchange for something more valuable than money. He also finds out about a conspiracy to overthrow the king of the realm called Shadow Falls, which is just one of many realms connected by gates that have very dedicated guardians who protect them. He also meets a new ally, an untrained but very powerful alchemist named Caitlin whose mother and brother have turned evil, forcing her to make a very hard decision.
Overall, this book is super fun and in line with the previous books. We learn more about the world and are introduced to new powers and creatures. We learn more about Nathan's past and what kind of person he is. The pacing is good even if it is a little hard to remember all the names and connections between characters. The book’s action and humor are its greatest features and the mysteries are fun to work through. I regularly found myself excited to find out what was going to happen next and had a hard time putting the book down once I got going. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to get into the next one.
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Read my previous reviews of Steven McHugh’s other titles:
Book Review: Crimes Against Magic by Steve McHugh
https://joesnotesblog.com/blog/book-review-crimes-against-magic-by-steve-mchugh
