Born of Silence (The League) [Kindle Edition]

Sherrilyn Kenyon (Author)

Book Description

In a universe where corruption and deception rule all aspects of life, sparks of rebellion threaten to ignite . . .

BORN OF SILENCE

As the Resistance leader, Zarya Starska's only goal is to topple the government that destroyed her entire family and left her penniless. Her biggest asset is a mysterious man known only as Kere.

But Kere has a dark secret. Born into a world that is as privileged as it is corrupt, his real name is Darling Cruel-and he is heir to the government Zarya wants to overthrow. No one has ever seen the real man behind the legend. No one except Zarya. But when she allows a weapon he designed to be used against his beloved sister, all bets are off.

Betrayed by the Resistance, Darling's goal is not only to reign, but to kill every Resistance member he can find. Zarya must stop Darling's reign of terror, but can she reach past his insanity to restore the hero who once fought by her side?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kenyon boldly goes where no author has gone before and claims yet another genre as her own. With her League series, she has created a new, addictive universe and proven herself the undisputed master of the cross-genre novel." (Publishers Weekly )

"[A] publishing phenomenon...[Sherrilyn Kenyon is] the reigning queen of the wildly successful paranormal scene." (Publishers Weekly )

"Kenyon's writing is brisk, ironic, sexy, and relentless imaginative." (Boston Globe )

"Kenyon delivers the goods readers have come to expect, and more." (Booklist )

Review

A publishing phenomenon...[Sherrilyn Kenyon] is the reigning queen of the wildly successful paranormal scene Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 790 KB
• Print Length: 699 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (May 1, 2012)
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005UK9U10
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,118 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Surpassed my expectations May 1, 2012

By Jen TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

I went into this book convinced I was not going to like it. Darling has been a beloved character for me ever since the start of the League series. And I was absolutely livid about the idea that after three books, Sherrilyn Kenyon was taking a character who had always been gay and making him straight. From the moment I finished Born of Shadows, the idea festered in my head. I complained about it for a year. Then I started reading this book and it blew me away from the very beginning.

Obviously, Darling is not gay and in my heart of hearts, that may always bother me on some level. But Kenyon makes it work. I'm not going to spoil how, because it's part of the journey. In fact, I'm going to try really hard to keep as much of the plot to myself as I can because I don't want to rob you of the shocking twists and turns the story takes us on.

The bare bones are as follows: Darling has been having a super-secret affair with a Resistance fighter named Zarya for two years, but he's been doing it as his alter-ego Kere. She has never seen his face but their love is real and they plan to get married. And then it all goes to hell. Darling's miserable past is slowly revealed over the course of the book and as horrible as it is, what he goes through in the present may actually be worse. The depths of his misery are hard to bear. I question whether anyone can go through what he does and emerge with a soul intact on the other side, no matter the depth of the love or friendship that surrounds him.

Kenyon is the queen of the tortured heroes and while Acheron may always reign supreme as the most tortured, Darling gives him a run for his money --and if you've read Acheron that should tell you a lot. What Darling has, though, that Ash never did is an amazing friend in Maris. I love Maris. He is the glue that holds Darling together when he begins to crack, and I'm so glad this character existed to give our hero some shelter from the storm.

As for Zarya, she makes a mistake that has serious consequences. But I believe she is a good person. And there is absolutely no doubt that she loves Darling with her whole heart. The question becomes whether her love will be enough to help heal him.

The cast of the previous League books feature prominently and Kenyon does a fantastic job maintaining continuity. I loved learning how Darling became part of the Sentella and seeing how Nyk, Syn and the others became his real family. It's also great to see the old characters not just used as placeholders for a happy ending update, but as a real part of the story.

And the ending. It was one heck of an ending. A game changer for the series.

I'm not going to say any more, except that if you are a League fan and were on the fence about this book, I urge you to read it. You'll be moved... outraged... and amazed. Or at least, I was. 4 1/2 stars.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars What the Heck was Kenyon thinking? June 7, 2012

By Tuck

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

OK. So I am only half way through the book, and had to write a review. While I truly enjoyed her previous books in the series, this one is sad. First, agree with other reviewers that you may have PTSD after this book. If you have ever had any trauma in your real life, you probably want to pass this book up. No joke, the crimes committed against Darling is not for the faint of heart.

Now lets get to the heroine. I can't remember disliking a women so much; I really don't know where to start. She is beyond selfish, and at one point I KNEW she would meet her end (hopefully sooner rather than later) and a real woman would step in to save Darling. Sadly, at the half way point in this book, I see she's here to stay. At one point she is throwing things at Darling because she's mad at him. Seriously?! The man has been tortured by HER own people, and since child hood, and she gets mad so she throwns things at him? She pushes his buttons constantly, and only feels sorry for her own pathetic life. Her apology to Darlings sums up to, "My bad." I really wish at some point he uses his blaster on her, but I doubt that will happen. It concerns me a little that others find her character so amazing. A more self-absored, shallow, idiotic heorine you won't find. She's not the princess, but a bigger spoiling brat you can't find, unless you look at Darling's mother. His family is beyond disgusting, and Darling's restraint against those who have hurt him is the true fantasy in this book. I'm all about a strong female character lead, but can she have any human decency? A caring soul? Kindness? Decency? Why is she not begging him for forgiveness every moment of every day for the pain she has caused,even through ignorance? The excuse of I didn't know doesn't wash. Lady, you're the boss, that line doesn't cut it. If she is Darling's saving grace, God have mercy on his soul.

I don't like leaving leaving a book unfinished, but the next half I don't doubt will be just as painfull. The only saving grace is Kenyon's writing is well done, which is why she got two stars. Sadly what you are reading is all about Darling's torture or the consequences of his torture. I feel bad for Kenyon. Something happen to cause her to write a book like this?

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Too much torture, too many flashbacks May 20, 2012

By sch3gsd

Format:Kindle Edition

If you liked Acheron, you'll love this book. If you're tired of heroes that are tortured beyond belief and you expect your heroines to do more than just stand around gaping at people who tell her how horrible a life her lover has had, then don't bother with this one. I'm honestly surprised that there aren't more negative reviews for this one.

I started out loving Kenyon's books but lately I have become incredibly bored with her writing. I'm really tired with how much detail she puts into torturing her heroes. I like a solid back story, but she goes into such depth on every possible bad thing that could happen that it becomes exhausting and out of balance. A character that goes from hideously tortured, maimed, and mentally unbalanced to happy, sane, and fair, just doesn't work for me. The fact that much of the damage was revealed during drawn out flashbacks and through extensive character dialog just made it that much more tedious to get through. The story gets bogged down by all the misery. Kenyon has gotten as bad about torture as Laurell K. Hamilton has gotten about kinky sex - both can be good for a story, but too much gets monotonous.

I still enjoy her story lines and I'll continue reading her books to follow them, especially this series. But personally, I think this book would have been better if she had cut the length of the book down by a hundred pages and spent less time torturing the believability out of her story.

More About the Author

In the past two years, New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon has claimed the #1 spot twelve times. This extraordinary bestseller continues to top every genre she writes. With more than 23 million copies of her books in print in over 30 countries, her current series include: The Dark-Hunters, The League, Lords of Avalon, BAD Agency and the Chronicles of Nick. Since 2004, she has placed over 50 novels on the New York Times list. The preeminent voice in paranormal fiction, with more than twenty years of publishing credits, Kenyon not only helped to pioneer, but define the current paranormal trend that has captivated the world.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#7 in Books > Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic

#18 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#21 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#28 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#48 in Books > Teens

#7 in Books > Romance > Fantasy & Futuristic

#18 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#21 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#28 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#48 in Books > Teens