Unfortunately, i really struggled with this one. The story was not seamless like The Binding, it was mysterious but I felt lost and could not connect to the characters.

Unfortunately this one is a DNF for now. I didn’t realize that I wouldn’’t be able to ‘send to kindle’ which is my bad (should have checked before i requested). I started the audiobook and just couldn’t get into it. I have purchased a beautiful special edition so hope to revisit the story that way at some point.

I heard mixed reviews about this one but the promise of a gothic historical romance really sucked me in. This was a great read!

he striking cover of this book really caught my attention before I knew anything about it. Bridget Collins’ previous books have been on my tbr but I’ve never quite managed to get to them, and I knew when I had the chance to get my hands on a review copy that would be the extra nudge I needed to actually read it.

The very beginning of the book really grabbed me, and I was intrigued by the story, but once Henry arrived at Sir Edward’s I just found the pacing was off for me. Some bits felt like they dragged, and I struggled to get through some of the journal entries we’re shown from the past timeline – especially where there were longer descriptions of the island and the spiders themselves. This meant I was a reluctant to pick it up or keep reading when I did, so then it felt like it took even longer.

There was a second turning point for me about halfway through the book where everything picked back up for me and I flew through the remainder of it in just days. I do love the creeping unease of a gothic novel, and when this book hit that spot for me it was great. I thought the characters were mostly fantastically unlikeable, and I really liked the look at the inequity, discrimination, and danger of industrial England (I feel like I would have appreciated what Collins was examining in these themes more if I hadn’t struggled a bit early on).

Overall I think this is one that could go either way for fans of historical fiction, gothic fiction, and even readers who have loved her previous work (I’ve seen mixed reviews). I do think it’s worth picking up if you’re looking for something to make you feel a bit unsettled and are happy to take prose over pace while the story takes root.

The Silence Factory was an interesting book with such a unique concept. The main character Henry, an audiologist, goes to Sir Edward's house to try and cure his daughters deafness. Once at Sir Edward's house Henry quickly becomes fascinated about the business that Edward owns where spiders spin silk which silence out noise; but he soon learns that there is more to the business than appears and about the history of finding the spiders.
I really enjoyed the intrigue and mystery of this book, and really liked the glimpse into the past through the diary entries. The main thing I struggled with was the pacing of the book, as I felt like it took me almost half the book to get hooked on it.

A mildly speculative novel set partly in the 1820s, through the diary entries of Sophia, and then the later 1800s, with Henry, a rather frustratingly gormless young man. Sophia is on a Greek island with her (truly awful) husband, who is searching for spider specimens, and she becomes caught up in the island's culture. Henry gets a job working with one of the awful husband's descendant's, Sir Edward - first, he is trying to restore Sir Edward's daughter's hearing, and is then employed to assist Sir Edward in improving sales of his silk from his spiders. The silk has almost magical properties of complete sound suppression, along with other, more horrifying affects on the people who work around the spiders and the silk. I really enjoyed this, it has a truly creepy gothic feeling throughout. I did wish there was more of Sophia's narrative, but probably mostly because I wanted her to have a happier ending, and Henry is a much less sympathetic character (he does pull it together in the end, which is a relief).

I have now attempted to get into this book twice and have decided to DNF at page 66.

The writing style is very lovely and fluid, but the flowery nature of it serves to make the story feel very slow moving. I was initially intrigued by the interesting and unique premise of the silk and the spiders, but by page 66 I felt somehow quite sure that this wasn't going anywhere unexpected or interesting. I absolutely couldn't not care less about what happened on the island, when I've already sent the outcome of it. The book opens with the historical character leaving the island so the flashbacks to that just seem pointless and boring.

I checked some Goodreads reviews before making my decision, and they all seem to indicate that my hunch about the book not really going anywhere interesting is true, so I'm not going to spend any more time on it. I don't find myself wanting to return to it or pick it up, so on to greener pastures.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was the cover that initially grabbed my attention but that was forgotten once I started reading.
Henry Latimer works in his father in laws audiology store and is grieving for his wife and child. When Sir Edward attends the store looking for a cure for his deaf daughter. Although initially Henry and his father in law did not seem to be able to help Sir Edward, Henry was given a square of material that Sir Edward developed in his factory. Sir Henry claims that this material will change peoples life. Sir Edward invites Henry's father in law to his home to further discuss helping his daughter but eventually it was Henry that went to work for Sir Edward.
The longer that Henry lived and worked with Sir Edward the more enthralled Henry was with him and he became defensive about him when others try to tell him about the strange things that happen at the factory. However, Henry starts to slowly discover just how twisted and horrific Sir Edward's obsession with the new material is and the lengths he will go to to get the backing from society he needs.
Although there were a few times where I felt that the storyline dragged a bit and I am terrified of spiders I was invested until the last page.

A gothic atmospheric tale of spider silk being woven into cloth that blocks noise when facing one way. It has other properties, darker and more disturbing. This was such a brilliant idea that it was hard to look away but something about the book, the pacing, the characters or something else didn’t quite work for me, I’m not sure what. I think the story dragged on in places that didn’t matter, overwrought relationship stuff especially. There’s two timelines and I definitely foudn the older timeline about Sophy on an island in Greece with her husband and the discovery of the spiders the more intersting. This section was told in the form of her diary and was quite compelling. The other section(some decades later) focuses on Henry, a widower who travels to the town of Telverton where a factory has been set up to produce the silk. He ends up working for Sir Edward, the owner. When I finished I was disappointed, I wanted more from the story.

I was so excited to receive the E-ARC of The Silence Factory from NetGalley! As a dedicated reader of Bridget Collins, I couldn't wait to read her latest work. True to form, she did not disappoint!

The Silence Factory is a masterfully crafted historical mystery that seamlessly intertwines two captivating timelines. While dual timelines can sometimes be challenging to follow, in this book, they're woven together so skillfully that each chapter is a new discovery, keeping the reader engrossed and captivated.

The first timeline unfolds through the deeply personal diary entries of Sophia Ashmore, a spirited and curious woman. She embarks on a journey with her ambitious naturalist husband, James, a man driven by his scientific pursuits. They travel to a Greek island in pursuit of the elusive siren spider. Sophia's emotional journey is mirrored in her deep friendship with a local woman, Hira, a wise and enigmatic figure who may hold the key to unlocking the secrets of this mysterious spider and its unusual silk.

Fast forward a few decades to the second timeline, we meet Henry, an audiologist drowning in grief after losing his wife in childbirth along with their infant daughter. Henry's life takes an unexpected turn when he's invited to the home of Sir Edward Ashmore-Percy to help treat his young daughter's deafness.

Sir Edward has risked everything by transforming his lace factory to produce silk fabric from the rare spiders brought to England by his great-uncle James. This extraordinary silk, while fascinating to Henry due to its unique sound-deadening properties, has unsettling side effects. It seems to have a strange effect on those who wear it, causing them to hear eerie whispers and see unsettling visions. Drawn into Sir Edward's schemes, Henry spirals into an obsession that leads to ruin as dark truths come to light.

The Silence Factory's gothic and atmospheric feel is not just a backdrop but a thought-provoking exploration of the corrupting influence of power and the exploitation of the vulnerable. It also touches on the themes of grief, love, and loss. Bridget Collins deftly tackles these themes, crafting a haunting and thought-provoking story, inviting readers to engage with the darker aspects of human nature and society.

I'm eagerly looking forward to Bridget Collins' future work. Thanks to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have some mixed feelings about this book. There’s definitely some elements which I really enjoyed and there are a few which I didn’t.

I loved the concept for this book! Historical fiction with a touch of magical realism really appealed to me and I loved the introduction of the spiders and the special silent silk.

Told in two timelines, we follow Sophia as she travels on an expedition to Greece with her husband to find the rumoured spiders with the magical silent silk. The other side of that is Henry who finds himself working for Sophia’s great nephew in building up the silk empire.

While I did enjoy the book overall, there were parts which felt very long and almost unnecessary to the story.

The characters are also a little thin and none of them felt well developed. It makes the story feel disjointed and none of the character decisions really made much sense by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Publishers Australia and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This story was so utterly absorbing and original. It’s about a breed of spiders from an island in Greece that are stolen and taken to England. A megalomaniac businessman tries to use their silk for nefarious purposes and exploits an entire town. The protagonist, Henry, becomes embroiled in this strange situation, falls in love with the businessman and is himself exploited. His ambition makes him blind to the ill intent of the businessman, Sir Edward and he finds himself in a dangerous situation. The writing is spellbinding and gripping, the characters convincing and fallible, building to more than one climax and a twist. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC copy.

I mostly enjoyed this book and the premise was interesting, but it dragged a little in places and lost my interest. While some areas were really well described and exciting, others felt under-done. It could have been a really special and intriguing book, but something wasn't quite there (perhaps the pacing?) 3.5 stars, in mu opinion.

The Silence Factory is a multilayered historical mystery that weaves together a variety of stories that span over two timelines. I’m not usually a fan of this technique, however the timelines in this book were linked in such a way that the author created a feeling of discovery in every chapter. The author explored many themes, but the one that stood out to me most was grief. Delving into different aspects of loss, and ultimately these were the scenes that made an impact. Relating to this, there was one particular scene that will stay with me and I’m actually still trying to process it. The novel was also reminiscent of a classic gothic novel, that at times was hauntingly captivating.
Whilst the author explored certain topics well, at times I felt there was a disconnect when it came to certain characters. Particularly the main character. Initially I was looking forward to exploring more about him, the opening scenes were so gripping, however as I progressed it felt like there was a lack of maturity or development when it came to the MC. I will be exploring the back catalogue of Bridget Collins, because ultimately I did enjoy this story.

I unfortunately decided to DNF this book after being made aware of certain very heavy and triggering events/themes. I would highly recommend that the author/ publisher states these trigger warnings for readers, as I wouldn’t have requested this book if I had been aware.

Thank you for the publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book. I am sure that the gothic and historical fantasy writing style will be engaging for a variety of readers.

CW: miscarriage, infant loss, mental health issues

I was so intrigued by the title of this book and the premise, namely a story revolving around the creation of a supernatural spider silk that produces silence. Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me.

I was looking forward to lyrical gothic writing with fantasy elements, but it's very much not a fantasy novel. For me, both the story and the writing was somewhat convoluted and the characters weren't likeable enough for me to be interested in them. I found the start of the book slow and difficult to get into and looked at some reviews to see if I should continue on. I'm so glad I did as I discovered there is a detailed on-page miscarriage. This was an immediate DNF for me and I highly recommend the publisher adds a list of content warnings at the start of the book as it seems the novel deals with a number of heavy themes that may be upsetting to some readers.

I'm sure this book would be a fantastic read for the right audience, but I was not it.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of the opening pages - and wasn't immediately convinced that I wanted to read a book featuring carnivorous spiders - but soon enough the narrative moves on to Henry - who is such a wet cat of a man. The level of delusions that this man went through, first because he thought the silk and the silence it bought with it was amazing (and a relief against all the things he was determined not to think about - namely the recent death of his wife in childbirth) and then because he was seduced by the fickle attention of Sir Edward and the opulent lifestyle that being in the employ of a successful silk merchant could bring. It took me much longer to warm to the chapters devoted to Sophia's diary - but as the events in both time periods started to mingle, I honestly could not look away.

One of the things I most admire most about Bridget Collin's writing is the way that I never have a firm grasp on where the story might go - the hold that the last 100 pages had on me - I just had to know what happened - and while I really liked the ending (even if one character did perhaps get off a bit easy) - I felt like i couldn't breathe until I knew the fate of Henry.

Bridget has created a beautiful gothic fantasy, told across two timelines - the past and the present through ancestors. The story itself is unique, being centered around finding a spider that creates silk to silence the world. That was enough to keep a beautiful story flowing that we didn't even need to care too much for the characters, which was fortunate, because I didn't like them much at all. I did feel though that it made it to a point where it felt too overexplained and too long. There were a few moments where pieces could have been cut and would have no effect on the story.

The Silence Factory will be a hit of a miss for most people. Fans of Bridget's other works will probably love this one just as much and fans of historical fiction will also adore it. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Australia and Bridget Collins for an advanced copy for review. The Silence Factory is available now.

Content warnings: spiders, mental health, death, death of a child, suicides, power imbalance, torture and mistreatment. It's a heavy book.

The Ashton family are determined to make their fortune, with patriarch James Ashton and his wife Sophia researching particular spiders renowned for their silk in the Mediterranean before ultimately importing them back to England. Decades later, Ashton's nephew, Sir Edward Ashton-Percy has inherited the spidersilk factory and engaged audiologist Henry Latimer to spruik the particular noise-deadening qualities of the silk. But the spiders are cursed, and the noise-reduction qualities also come with a price leading Henry questioning his own sanity as well as the ethics of his employer.

Told in alternating perspectives of Henry Latimer and Sophia Ashton's diary, this is a captivating tale of innovation, morals, and the prices of progress. There are allusions to same-sex romances (and the forbidden nature of them for the times in which they are set). Sophia casts a tragic figure in a loveless marriage to an insufferable tyrant, while Henry is both a grieving widower and a simpering moon-calf. The side characters were well fleshed out - although we were in no doubt about the villain of the piece.

This book had a slow start, and I did find parts to be quite dense to get through, but the overall story was fantastic, and the climax of events was a fast paced, action-filled rollercoaster.

Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Note: While I recieved this as an ARC from Netgalley, I also purchased this as an audiobook from Audible. The narration by Ned Porteous (reading Hendry's chapters) and Bridget Collins (reading Sophia's) was full of warmth and emotion, and added additional depth to the story.

The silence factory was one I had heard of a few times before the email came through to get an ARC. I really enjoyed how the story switched between two storyline’s that were connected in more ways than I had expected.

I loved the idea of how the silk had so many properties to it and how they tried to exploit this for ultimately bad things. Would recommend and will be once I post my review on my Instagram as well