CONTAINS SPOILERS


the book was extremely dark and graphic, but it was so good. Jaden being Kuro's foil was an interesting dynamic. I *hated* Jaden more and more as time went on. Kuro isn't perfect, and I actually like that. I prefer when characters are flawed. Caroline is a wonderfully written character, although I wouldn't describe her and Kuro's dynamic as "enemies to lovers". More like "complicated distrust to friends to maybe, sometime in the future, lovers?"

This was an easy read to get through. I did like the characters a good bit as well! It did have some depth to it that was a bit complex but wasn't to hard to follow. The kitsune aspect is what originally drew me in. The only complaint is the cliffhanger so I'm impatiently awaiting the next!

Thank you Danielle Thompson, Netgalley, and IBPA for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC for A Black and Solemn Silence!

I wanted to love this book and the cover is one of best I have seen so far this year. It has a great foundation and there were a lot of good things in the book it was just executed the best. One of the things is the chapter are way too long. Also every chapter felt like it could have been 3 chapters. Because of that the flow of the book is a bit off. This book had good moment the concept was good. The ending did bring the book up and bring the book up for me.

Put simply, this book felt a bit like a bad execution of another book I read. The novel follows Kuro and Jaden, two kitsune (or fox shifters). Kuro has been caught on camera, and the story shows the foxes’ ideological difference (i.e. violent or not) as they try to track down the photographic proof of their existence, and Kuro also accidentally falls in love with a woman who tries to kill him when they first meet.

Frankly, this book felt all over the place. It couldn’t tell if it wanted to be a romance, mystery, magical realism, or a revenge story. In theory, it could be all four, but its bad pacing and abrupt transition between side plots left me feeling detached from the story and I didn’t really care about any of it. Further, and this is partially my fault, I had just come from reading The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo, which similarly tracks a fox shifter whose now-dead daughter was caught on film, and her journey of revenge as she tracks down the photographer. Whereas Choo’s novel manages to beautifully weave together historical fiction and magical realism, tenderly rendering emotions and keeping the reader interested, I found myself incredibly uninterested in the romantic pairing, and I hated Jaden. I am not sure if the author intended to portray him as a morally grey bad boy, but he truly just comes across as an irredeemable villain.

The novel ends on a cliffhanger, and I found that I didn’t care about it. I won’t be reading the sequels, and give this 2⭐

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I am so happy I got the chance to read this book. It was different from my usual reads and I am glad for that because it gave me a different taste.
The writing style of the author and the flow is super nice. The story points were grabbing my attention immediately - I didn't want to put it down!
In addition, the chapters are of a good size as well, which is a book characteristic that helps me enjoy a book better.
Finally, I liked the characters, the descriptions and the way they were reacting realistically in certain situations.

Overall, I would say that I will definitely read the next book and of course read more of the future books of Danielle !

I really enjoyed this book. It tells the story of Kuro, a kitsune who has been living on the outskirts of the human world for some time. After he gets tangled upon a mess when someone takes a photograph of him he and his fellow ‘demon fox’ Jaden, try to get the photo back before it is leaked to the human world.

This story is written very well and I really felt connected to Kuro and his journey. The way the author writes the slow blend of the mythical world with the human world was great. The world building was done in a subtle way, without any feeling of confusion or overwhelm at any point.

It has a great mix of fantasy, thriller and murder mystery with some developing character depth as things go on. There is also an element of a love story which I found organic and interesting.

It does end of a cliffhanger so I’ll have to check out book two for sure!

Really liked the dark mystical vibes in this book and it was beautifully written! I did however find it a little difficult to connect to the characters, especially with the multiple povs. I enjoyed the cliffhanger, and look forward to reading more from Danielle Thompson!

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me with arc of this book.

I will be honest I did not enjoy this book - it really wasn’t for me but I can say that many will enjoy it

This is a book about a Kitsune who is struggling to find his way. The book is dark and spooky vibes and an air of mystery that was fun. The author is building a unique world.

For me it was a little disjointed and I struggled to follow the rules of the magic system. Which meant I was often pulled out of scenes trying to piece together what was happening. The multiple POVs added to the feeling for me which didn’t help

I’m sure many will love this but it wasn’t for me

I really enjoyed reading this book. The action started right away, it felt like you were dropped straight into the story with information coming at you in snippets of backstory rather than faced head on.

I would’ve liked more romance between the mmc and the fmc, but I assume that’ll be developed more in the coming stories.

I like it enough to read what comes next. It captured my attention.

The writing was very good and everything flowed really well. However I had a really hard time connecting with the characters. Overall I feel like the concept was really interesting. I am just not really a fan of main characters who sullenly just let things happen to them, and that is what I felt like they all were.

Book was good, I liked the novelty of the kitsune being in Appalachia. But it didn't hook me. The religious undertones felt a little heavy handed at times, that could be why. I am intrigued by the idea of the haunted souls being described, and the good kitsune and bad kitsune idea. And the eating of a souls energy. Maybe if the book wasn't a cliffhanger and I could see the end result I would have enjoyed it more. I'm sure that there will be an audience who will adore this book and it will resonate with them. But not me. I'd still probably read the sequel though if it was free or on kindle unlimited, mainly because I hate walking away from any book series I start without finishing it.

Love this book! Awesome new adventure with twisted and shocking parts that leaves you speechless. In the beginning everything is playing out it's kind of a lot, when you get to the middle of the book it helps you understand more of what's going on but towards the end you're so immersed. I absolutely want the second book like now! The ending was intense and I didn't want it to end. I read the whole book in one day!

A Black and Solemn Silence is Danielle Thompson's debut novel and the first novel in the Color By Numbers series. I would describe it to be a delightful mix of cozy fantasy, romantasy and perhaps fantasy crime.

Kuro has messed up: A human managed to take a picture of him. Kuro is a shape-shifting kitsune, or a fox demon, who feeds on the emotions that human souls produce. He's been living a quiet life in a forest with Jaden, another kitsune that he considers his brother. But if that photograph gets out, their quiet life will be over. Within his haste, Kuro accidentally trespasses on a young woman's property. Soon the photograph becomes least of Kuro's problems. There's something peculiar about the woman's soul, and soon Kuro finds himself trapped in a new, frightening situation, and he'll be forced to make a change: one way or the other.

I rate this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

OVERVIEW
This story was beautiful. I loved to watch Kuro grow and adapt and try to find a balance between being a fox and being a human. I think, above all, this was a story about growth and learning acceptance.

PLOT
The plot was quite generic and didn't offer a ton of surprises, but that actually worked quite well for the story. There was more space for the author to focus on growing the characters and the relationships between them (AKA the important stuff). There were some action scenes as well, though, and I honestly had NO IDEA what was going to happen next, which kept me turning the pages all day. (figuratively, since I read an ebook.)

CHARACTERS
I loved Kuro. He was so sweet and sort of vulnerable throughout the book. I felt like he had to suffer a lot in this book, so I hope we'll get to see him be happy in the next ones. The most fascinating character I thought was Jaden: I never fully knew what he was up to, but in the end, all his decisions made a certain amount of sense. And the relationship between Kuro and Jaden? GOLD.

FLAWS?
There really wasn't much to improve here. At times some small style things bothered me (I felt like there was a bit too much ellips used, etc.) Also, I fell IN LOVE with the way the author described the settings. (There was this one scene where she described a vegetable garden... I felt immersed). Adored to read, and I definitely would have liked more setting descriptions, because I felt like there weren't quite enough.

BEST?
I really adored the descriptions in this book. Whether it was emotions or settings or events, it was wonderful. (And of course, the cover is one of the prettiest I've seen in a while.)

All together I would say that this was a great novel, especially for a debut. I predict a very bright future for the Color by Numbers series.

This was pretty interesting. I enjoyed reading the book, but there was something that wasn't hitting right for me. I liked the kitsune mythology. I'm definitely into mythological creatures and foxes, so kitsunes are extremely fascinating.

I'm curious to see how Kuro and Jaden's relationship evolves. Kuro is fairly simple enjoying the beauty and the comfort of the forest, spending hours watching a spider weave its web. On the other hand, Jaden is restless and yearns for a busier lifestyle. Their relationship up until the events of this book is one where Kuro naively does his own thing and ignores the violent/sociopathic behavior of Jaden. I wish Jaden's character had been fleshed out a little more. Right now he just seems like a flat psychopath, so I hope he gets more nuanced.

I thought Kuro and Caroline's relationship was interesting enough to where I want to know how they end up, but the romance in Book 1 is pretty light.

There were several POVs, but I think they could have been utilized better. Other than Kuro and Caroline, it felt like everyone else was just underdeveloped. Knowing this series is complete, I have a feeling that they become more developed in later books.

Overall: I'm interested enough to continue the series and find out what happens to our friends Kuro and Jaden.

I honestly did a double take about 5% into this book thinking, "what the heck have I picked up?!?!?!?" The story jumps right in with action, there is no time to prepare, adjust, get ready. Immediately the reader is sucked into a strange world, that is our world but not our world.

This story is about the Kitsunu, and one in particular. And for anyone unsure exactly what the kitsunu is - apart from understanding they are shapeshifters - this is from Japanese legend, and they are spirits; specifically evil. However, even not knowing the specifics of kitsunu you pick it up very early in the book, in fact by 15% you understand that this being is certainly NOT in any fashion human, is in fact innately not good (a bend towards evilness) in that they can "touch" the human soul and feed off fear, guilt, shame. Yet emotions like faith, love, mercy, ect will burn them. This I found slightly creepy and honestly unnerving as it lines up very much with Christian beliefs of demon activity.

I honestly have never read a book like this at all.....am I disappointed to have picked it up? Absolutely not. To be honest this is one of those books that you pick up, get shocked by, think maybe you don't want to read it while knowing you have to read it because you just have to know more, you just have to know the ending. The writing is beautiful. It is complex and simple at the same time; exploring complex themes of human emotions, what makes humans human and even the complexities of right and wrong and the fluid nature of the moral compass. Can a demon turn good? Can the goodness in a human soul reach out and touch and change the soul of a kitsunu?

Great read -

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and freely given review

The writing was pretty good, and the story flowed nicely. So, over all, this was a solid read. The story constantly leaves you with this curious feeling of wanting to know more about these characters. Hence, the story is easy to read and get through.

However, there were a few aspects in which the book was lacking, in my opinion. First of all, I didn't really feel connected to the characters. I felt like I didn't quite know enough about the characters to form an opinion on whether or not I liked them. So while the absence of information about the characters definitely leaves you wondering, it was also a hindrance at times. Second of all, the storyline in itself wasn't exciting enough for me. It didn't really build up to a climax, and I wasn't invested in the events that were going on.

I have been provided with a review copy of this title from NetGalley for an impartial review. This book was just so easy to get lost in. I completely got lost in the story and I just loved getting to see these new characters come together. I just absolutely love this story and I just didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

4.5 Stars

This was such a rich, darkly seductive story and I’m excited for the follow up - especially after that cliffhanger!

I loved the use of folklore and the really interesting relationship dynamics at play.

No spoilers, but A Dark and Solemn Silence follows Kuro and Jaden, two Kitsune who live in the forests not too far from the city. With a string of grisly murders and police investigations, Kuro is injured and has to rely on help from an unlikely place.

**Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for proving me with an ARC in exchange for my review**

final rating: 3.25/5☆

thank you to netgalley and the author Danielle Thompson for the e-arc!

i'm not very sure how i felt about this. maybe because it's just the first book in a series and more will be discovered later on, but i felt it was a little out of place to see two kitsune of japanese mythology in such a western environment. and it could have been a little less odd if there was a community of them, but having just two (so far) made me a little out of sorts. however, i applaud Danielle Thompson for her wonderful use of povs to show very different sides of the story — we have our slightly sheltered protagonist Kuro, his 'bestie' Jaden and that of our human side from Kenneth, Jacqueline and Eric.

(spoilers ahead)

i have absolutely no problem with most of our characters. however, it felt like our main cast of Kuro, Jaden and Caroline should have been a little older than just in their early twenties (that's basically a baby kitsune!). the way they're written is very mature, they make big decisions and have a lot of big feelings that i can't relate to at this age. yet, with Kenneth and co in the same age bracket, i can see where they're coming from most of the time, a little dumb but they act just a little self important enough and actually know what they're doing sometimes. but the others? adulting kitsune problems, big issues.

and Jaden just didn't really work as a character for me. i understand trying to paint him as a morally grey character who, while has violent tendencies, truly cares for his pseudo brother Kuro (ie the hot chocolate incident). but throughout the book, all i see is a very hotblooded murderer with lots of bloodlust who thrives with that, and doesn't care how low he stoops to satisfy himself, ESPECIALLY with how he's stalking Jacqueline for her soul. brave girl for dealing with that gracefully. and the ending of book 1??? a villain works. i can like a villain. but Jaden is such a (excuse me) colour by numbers villain that i didn't like him.

still, very intrigued to see how the story unfolds in the sequel.

3.5⭐ rounded up! Overall pretty enjoyable and definitely well-written from a paragraph-by-paragraph standpoint, but I had some issues with the higher level character development and pacing/plot.

I'll start by saying, I know that this author's writing style will not be for everyone. While I always appreciate when the style feels unique and I personally am a fan of it in this book, I'm sure some would find it a bit dense or overly detailed. I do feel the prose, while beautiful in places, got a little TOO repetitive and lingered on things too long in some areas – but overall I think it's mostly a stylistic choice and will come down to reader preference.

What I enjoyed: I absolutely loved that this was a paranormal romance that focused in on kitsune ("demon" foxes from Japanese folklore). I can't say I've read a book yet that incorporated kitsune so this felt new and intriguing. I also generally enjoyed Kuro and Caroline's characters and relationship because they each went through some growth and had much deeper development and connection, unlike the other characters. They were really the best part of this book to me. Like I mentioned above, I also appreciated the unique writing style and felt the book was well-written from page-to-page.

What didn't work for me: I feel like the Kuro-Jaden relationship could've been executed better, like a Stefan-Damon Salvatore type thing (Vampire Diaries) but less cheesy. Unfortunately, Jaden was flat and didn't have any vulnerable moments. My main issue overall, though, was that not enough happened and the reader/characters leave the book knowing almost as little as they started it with. Now, I'm all for books having smaller scopes if it means the author really gives depth to everything in a way that moves you, but that didn't happen here for me other than with Kuro and Caroline. Instead, it felt like the pace and plot were drawn out with not enough reward. One thing that I think made this worse was the hopping around of POVs – In a book that's relatively short, trying to address so many POVs is bound to leave characters underdeveloped and make the plot a little convoluted and spotty.

Overall, I'm excited to see what this author does next, although I'm torn on whether I'll continue this particular series. While it did end on a cliffhanger, I feel like not enough happened to be invested in what comes next. I do think this book is worth reading and deciding for yourself, though, if you enjoy slow burn romance, Japanese folklore, and a more detailed writing style.