“Rebellion of Silence”
Author: Brittney Martin
Being an avid Science Fiction fan I really wanted to love “Rebellion of Silence” by new author Brittney Martin. Unfortunately what I wound up with at the book’s end was a rather dismal “it was okay” feeling.
In all fairness I found the jacket description of “Rebellion of Science” to be interesting; this was what prompted me to read it in the first place. Sadly Martin’s writing style / ability is what was lacking and consequently this book became a less than enjoyable read for me.
The premise for “Rebellion of Silence” is good: A bloodthirsty race of inhuman creatures known as the Rahion are bent on destroying everything the city of Kirave holds dear. Avarah, a main character in this tale, is one of the many who have joined the rebellion known only as “Silence.” These rebels are determined to free their city and bring both justice and truth back to the people. In order to succeed Avarah must place her trust in a man who himself is part Rahion and the story that follows sets the stage for what is apparently meant to be the first book in “The Adon Series.”
With that said, what wasn’t good about “Rebellion of Silence” was the writing… Martin obviously has a great imagination but her writing was neither clear nor concise. There were a lot of inconsistencies; loose ends that were never explained and major flaws with grammar that left me subconsciously scratching my head while trying to piece together what Martin was trying to say. For example: “Sier dropped his arms to his side and smirked when even the group of criminally oriented men, standing around a cluttered table, glimpsed over them.” I literally had to reread that sentence three times to figure out what I think Martin meant. Maybe it was supposed to read: “Sier dropped his arms to his sides and smirked when the group of criminally oriented men standing around a cluttered table glanced over at them.”
For just the grammatical reasons alone “Rebellion of Silence” was a difficult read; I had to slog through two hundred and seventy five pages that were disjointed; did not flow well and…did not always make sense. I hope that Martin will be able to take something constructive and helpful from this review because I do understand that what makes a book great, whether fact or fiction, is the writer’s ability to successfully grab and hold the reader’s attention. Martin – keep using your imagination and continue forward with the “Adon” series but think about taking some classes to help with your writing skills. Also, finding a professional editor to help you wouldn’t be a bad idea either…