Silent No More

I’ve enjoyed previous J.A. Andrews books I’ve read, so when I saw Runelight pop up on Audible, I knew I had to grab it. It’s a behemoth of a book, but any fantasy reader will love that, and I was no exception. 

Runelight follows the story of Kate, who is a Keeper. This is a sort of story teller/magic wielder in this world. The book opens with Kate as a young child, with her two brothers, finding a mysterious box in a cave. Through a series of unfortunate events, the box is stolen and her younger brother disappears. 

Now, Kate and her older brother Bo, as adults, have set out to find the box and hope that it leads them to where their brother is, if he still is alive. Bo travels the world and sends Kate letters and information about the possible whereabouts of their brother and the box, while she stays put in a giant castle as a Keeper, piecing together the clues Bo finds. They do come across the box, and then Bo also disappears. Kate, along with a surly elf, Venn, set out to find Bo and try to retrace his last steps. 

I absolutely loved this book. One of my favorite things about Andrews as a writer is the strong themes that she weaves throughout her stories. It’s impossible to miss the theme of sibling relationships, and Kate and Bo’s tenacity in trying to find their younger brother. Venn and Kate’s friendship, and the general theme of friendship, is endearing. 

Andrews also does characters so, so well. The dwarf brothers, Silas and Tribal, were an absolute delight. The way Andrews weaves breathtaking descriptions without having too much purple prose makes me… jealous. I wish I could write like that. 

I won’t spoil anything else. But I will say, the plot itself hooks the reader in and doesn’t let them go. All in all, I will say this will probably be a contender for my favorite book of the year. That, combined with Kate Reading’s flawless narration, had me spellbound from start to finish. I can’t wait to start on the second book.