It was a pleasure to return to Aegea. Slayton has created a rich, immersive world, and stepping back into it with this cast of characters felt genuinely rewarding. The balance between mythic influence and narrative momentum works especially well here. One of the highlights for me was seeing how the characters have evolved since the previous installment. Seth’s personal arc, in particular, stood out, showing meaningful growth from where he began earlier in the series. I’m very much looking forward to what comes next, and this installment further solidified my investment in the series.

I want to cry! I need book three now! I can’t possibly wait. I might actually perish of longing in the intervening months. This book was beautiful. I loved having Seth and Raef adventuring together for a whole book. Their relationship is so beautiful. I am obsessed.

Seth, Knight of the Sun, continues to battle with his devotion: to the god he prays to, to the cohort he has longed to be part of, and to the community he feels saved him from a life of darkness. He has suffered a great deal and is still adrift in the world. Grounded by his bond with Raef, he begins to parse out where he truly belongs.

Raef, the last priest of the Goddess of the Moon, is hanging on by a thread. He is trying to build from the ashes of the ruin he inherited, but there is an insurmountable gulf between what he has now and the Temple he once grew up in.

Amidst all of this the boys have to track down and defeat the demon they released when they freed the moon goddess.

Fantastic read! 10/10. The author managed to create a wonderfully built book packed with action, well built and rich characters and an incredible and convincing lore. I was immersed from start to finish and can’t wait to read the next installement of this serie.
Highly recommend all books by this author, he never deceive and you are always in for a great experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book.

I was so excited to get this sequel to Dark Moon Shallow Sea, & it did not disappoint. The Silent Paths of Night wastes no time getting started, & I was very happy to see Seth & Raef back together again.

While the first book focused a lot on Raef’s backstory, The Silent Paths of Night lent more toward where Seth came from. Seth really goes through it in this book, & is faced with questioning his faith, his purpose, his future, all while even questioning in the first place goes against his Knights code.

We see Raef taking his rightful place as a priest of Phoebe & finding where he belongs amongst the church & politics. Being a leader makes him have to take pause a bit with his usual instinct & I loved watching him try to fit where his faith & his purpose extended to.

There’s a lot of great returning characters, maybe one I could’ve done without returning (lol), & some great new characters, including a little boy that I immediately loved.

David R Slayton’s world building is so great & his characters are so fun to read. Even as a high fantasy, the story is relatable to the reader, because who hasn’t had doubts or fears or questions? Who hasn’t wondered what their purpose was or if they can overcome? This is such a great addition to the series, & Slayton’s catalogue in general, & I am already clamoring for a book 3. 5 stars, 2 thumbs up, loved it.