Empire of Silence took me two weeks to read, but despite that length of time and the slower pace of the plot, I was never exactly bored at any point - which really surprised me. The beautiful writing and unpredictability of Hadrian’s misadventures kept me moving steadily on. And now, after letting this book sit in my memory for a couple weeks (and completing the sequel Howling Dark), I find myself thinking back to this one more and more fondly. The world and characters truly take on a life of their own, and every choice they make has consequences that ripple waves far into the future. Hadrian’s overarching struggle to simultaneously embrace, overcome, and push away the fact of his noble birth is absolutely fascinating to me, and sets the stage for an intriguingly complex main character. This book was fantastic and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is into epic fantasy/science fiction.

Reactions:

- The Marlowe family dynamic is so frustratingly sad! But makes a lot of sense. Hadrian says he never sees Delos or his mother again (sob), but maybe we'll see his father and Crispin again?? I've got my fingers crossed.
- RIP Gibson, you were the man. (But maybe Hadrian will see him again? One can hope.)
- What happened to Demetri and the Eurynasir?? I NEED ANSWERS
- RIP Cat. I didn't really feel anything for the character at the time, but WOW Hadrian mentions her so much after the fact that now I care. XD
- The story really picked up once Hadrian went to the Colosso. Every scene there with the myrmidon crew was fantastic.
- Valka is so cool, oh my lord. Her and Hadrian have such an adorable friendship, and older Hadrian seems to hint that romance lies in their future? Hadrian has a bit of growing up to do first, though. He's kinda just a lovesick puppy following her around, while she sees him as a younger colleague (and a brat lmao). Can Hadrian get out of the friendzone?? We shall see. XD 
- That vision in Calagah tho. 0.0
- Definitely seeing the Anakin Skywalker parallels in Hadrian. His moments of weakness when he copies his father's cruel voice and makes the wrong choice are SO fascinating. I love a character who makes bad choices.
- A surprisingly happy ending to this first book! And a beautiful wrap-up as well.