Jul 25, 2013

Review: The Silent Deal by Levi Stack

Title: The Silent Deal
Author: Levi Stack
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: 5.2.2013
Pages: 358
Genre: Historical, Mystery
Series: No
Source: ebook from author

Rating: A

Summary (from Goodreads):
When Viktor and Romulus, two peasant boys, dig too deep into their town’s strange past, they awaken the wrath of a mysterious overlord. As the blood brothers struggle to survive, their search for answers takes them through gambling parlors, bare-knuckle boxing matches, and dark forests full of wild animals and men alike. But even with the help of their friends, can they escape the deathly experiments their foe is creating in Staryi Castle?

Enter the bold lands of the Russian Empire where the colorful characters of The Card Game dwell, from the fortune-tellers and fire-jugglers of the Romani Gypsies, to the dangerous criminals that make up the Thieves World, the predecessor of the Russian Mafia.

An explosive mixture of adventure and mystery, The Silent Deal is a young adult novel that will rip readers through the pages. A perilous journey awaits…

Review:
Hello Russia! I have always wanted to travel and experience different places around the world. Especially old cultures, with their ways so different from ours. After reading this, I felt as if I actually traveled there!

Levi did an outstanding job bringing this story to life. I can just imagine the streets, the fair, the people with their clothes and even their attitudes in this epic journey. He was so detailed in the "brass art" and the cards that I believed there was no way he could have described this so clearly without having the real thing. The setting of Russia was detailed, I could close my eyes and imagine myself running through the forest or down the alley with any of those characters. You just have to read this to understand.

Not only was the setting beautiful, the characters are no disappointment either. Viktor had an amazing, yet heartfelt and sad, childhood. Levi gave you his history to better understand him and it was well worth it. Without it, you would have been clueless to countless question and the need to understand the answers Viktor sought. Romulus was by far one my favorites. You get a glimpse of his past but it's hard to understand at the beginning. Which is great, as you slowly unravel his life it all makes sense and your left with that "ahh I get it now" feeling. Or you suddenly make sense of things.

One of my favorite things about this book is that while you have the main plot between Viktor and Romulus, you also have the agenda of the Leopard, the Roma Gypsies, and all the while still trying to decipher what The Silent Deal is on your own.

The title holds true to this book. I loved that about it. I was so blown away by this first book that I cannot wait to have the second. I am left gasping at the end, wanting, no needing to know more.

Buy: Amazon

7 comments:

  1. That's a super-funky cover! Jack of spades? This sounds really intriguing with the mafia/thieves world!

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  2. Hmmm, I've never heard of this one! But I love love love historical fiction. And in Russia?! Cool! And that's awesome that it's a standalone. I'm glad you liked it so much, Hannah! :D

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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  3. So if you were left gasping does that mean there's a cliffhanger? I need to know these types of things going in Gabrielle! Love that it's set in Russia, I haven't read anything set there before and it seems like it would be such an amazing foundation for a story:) Lovely review!

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    1. There isn't a cliffhanger at the end but certain parts just made me gasp cuz it was not what u was expecting. There is a second book in process now. I have come to like Russia for my book lol. Thank you:-)

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  4. I haven't heard about this one either! Sound really good and different. Thanks!

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  5. Your welcome :-) I hope you enjoy it!

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