The Silent Strength of Stones

The Silent Strength of Stones (1995) Nina Kiriki Hoffman

To get it out of the way, the cover shown here? Awesome. The cover on the used copy I received? Awful. So bad that I kept putting off reading The Silent Strength of Stones even though I love Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s writing. I mean really, a naked woman (who is supposed to be a teenager) standing in a lake making a swoop of sparkly stars representing magic, while a guy and a dog spy on her?

Ew.

Luckily, the quality of the cover was no reflection of the quality of the content.

This was, I believe, her second book, following The Thread that Binds the Bones. Although the magic is the same, the characters are not. Nick works for his father in the convenience store, and spends his free time wandering around the lake, often watching the summer visitors who stay at the summer cabins and hotels. A strange family moves in, and Nick receives multiple surprises when walks around the river to check out the family in Cabin 5.

First, it’s a good thing Nick is a teenager, and is considering being a private investigator when he grows up, otherwise his spying upon the residents would be a bit creepy. Luckily, she does a good job explaining why he started doing this, so it makes sense. If he were older it would definitely cross the line from quirk to creepy.

Second, I really liked the complex relationship between Nick and Evan. Nick does have issues, and things aren’t always resolved in the best way, the characters are teenagers, and so you expect mistakes as they try and figure things out.

Although Fistful of Sky still remains my favorite Nina Kiriki Hoffman book so far, The Silent Strength of Stones is very good and well worth reading–assuming you can find a copy.
Rating: 7/10

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