A Hymn in the Silence

Dark is the Night Series, Book 2

By: Kelley York, Rowan Altwood

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Since graduating from Whisperwood School for Boys, William has found a sense of normalcy in his life with James. He has a steady (albeit secret) relationship, a home, and a job - even if it doesn't pay the greatest. Never mind that he lacks James' reckless bravery when it comes to dealing with spirits; he does his best, and it hasn't killed him thus far.

When a new client calls on their expertise in solving a grisly multiple homicide, William resists. They're spirit hunters, not detectives. But the money is too much to pass up when they don't know when their next meal will be, and soon they're arriving at Evenbury Manor, nestled in a close-knit rural community, ready to investigate.

They're in over their heads, but in very different ways than William could have anticipated. The hills are filled with creatures far more dangerous than any they've ever encountered, and their usual tactics aren't working. On top of his renewed struggles with his addiction, William is left to fend for himself against the dead to protect not only the community, but the person in the world that's most important to him.

©2018 Kelley York and Rowan Altwood (P)2019 Tantor

2nd book also fantabulous!

I loved the first book so much and felt Kale Williams did a great job with the narration, so I was confused about the change in narrators. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Joel Leslie and love everything he’s performed. In listening, it became clear that the change in narrators was because they each came with a different MC point of view. It really works here, but it did take me a couple of chapters to get into the change. It might be easier if you don’t go from book 1 straight to book 2.
I really hope they’ll continue to put this series in audiobooks.

Couldn't have asked for more!

When I heard Joel Leslie was going to be narrating this book, giving life to sweet William, I was sooo beyond excited- I was completely thrilled! Mr. Leslie is one of my favorite narrators, he never fails to bring all the feels to his performances, and I just knew he'd be perfect for sweet, vulnerable William...and he was! I don't think there's another narrator out there who could have done William justice, to be honest. He brought all the uncertainty and vulnerability that I love about William to his performance, and it just made me fall in love all over again.

This book was perfection! I fell in love with James and William in A Light Amongst Shadows (one of my favorite books of 2018) and was so happy to learn that we’d be getting more of their story, as I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. I had no idea, though, that A Hymn in the Silence was the book I needed! And that I needed it in William’s point of view. Oh how I loved being inside his head.

As he and James take on the biggest job of their short career as spirit hunters, nothing could have prepared him for the trials and tribulations they’d be put through- both professionally and personally. William made me FEEL so much, for him and for James, and for everything they went through. Not only was the mystery they were hired to solve keeping me on edge, but William’s uncertainty and vulnerability made my heart hurt for him. And while battling the very real demons set on hurting anyone in its path, with James in the forefront, William was dealing with his own struggles when it came to his addiction, which was once again starting to get the best of him.

I really loved this story, maybe even a touch more than I did A Light Amongst Shadows! The world building in this book was stellar, the story-telling so totally engaging, and William and James completely endearing. I was so wrapped up in these two, in their crazy, creepy, dangerous adventures, it was hard to put this book down. And even now that it’s been a couple of days since I’ve finished, I’m finding it hard to let go. Both this book and ALAS will be ones I'll listen to on repeat!

Great story!

This was a thoroughly enjoyable second entry into the series and I'm really looking forward to the third book. The characters were believable and you really grew to care about them. The struggles of the MC with his drug addiction and the depictions of sensory overload were well done. I could really feel and relate with the MC's struggles of feeling like "there's something intrinsically wrong/different about me compared to everyone else." It must have been a terrible struggle back then to be authentic and autistic. The relationship between the MCs was beautiful and I adored all the scenes in which they spoke openly with one another. All in all, I really liked the book. My only complaint is the narrator. I'm not a fan of Joel Leslie and the way his voice quivers like he's overly emotional even when describing oatmeal or something; feels overdone and fake, however the book is still worth listening to. I'd recommend.

cant stand Joel Leslie

the book was wonderful, unfortunately I am NOT a fan of Joel Leslie, all of his women sound like they are 110 years old and all of his other voices sound like uptight snoby aristocrats.....SOOOO I fell in love with the first story and the narration in the first book was beyond sublime and perfect, to the point where I was actually scared of the ghosts and dead in the first book BECAUSE of the great narration, and was so distraught over Oscars fate that I almost shed a tear, this one I barely made it through the book and seriously considered returning it, I whished I would have noticed that they changed narrators before I went gung ho and got the book, its not common to switch narrators so I thought "hmm this could honestly be one of my favorite stories to date" than I heard the whiney snooty voice of joel and about died of horror, oh well lesson learned, always pay attention to the narrator before I purchase.=(

Descent Story...But...

I was terribly disappointed when I found Kale Williams was not narrating this book. Much of my pleasure and enjoyment of the first book was because of his beautiful voice. I found my attention wandering through A Hymn because of the narration. Nothing against Joel Leslie but, when you already have the timbre and tone of emotion set up in your mind only to have it jarringly disrupted, it certainly takes one right out of the story.