Curses, a touch which kills, deceit, hidden magic, and a girl, who needs to figure everything out...this one promises everything to make an amazing adventure.

Lena is on the run with her father again, thanks to the curse a witch cast on her when she was born. Everyone she touches dies a horrifying death. Their new hiding spot sits on the edge of a forsaken land, the Silence. The mysterious forest calls to those who draw too close and makes them go insane if they don't give in and enter the deadly realm. Lena feels drawn, too, but not in the way others seem to be. When an injured girl crawls out of the forest, Lena learns that her father has been keeping the truth from her, and that her history isn't what it seems. In hope of finding a way to break her curse, she follows the girl into the forest. But deceit lies thick with those who seek power.

The writing in this book is very well done and drew me into the world from the very first page. In some ways, the atmosphere reminded me of Shadow & Bone by Bardugo with it's dark tones, a girl who is more than she appears, a dangerous barrier, and those who lie and want to use her for their own power, but in a way mixed between true feelings and selfish interests. There is tons of potential in these pages and the tale does lure in. Combine that with the well-done world building of shadows and unexpected secrets, and it is a lovely read.

While this has so many aspects to make it a wonderful read, there were simply things which distract...and I think that much of this is due to the problem of trying to pack so much into one book. This could have made an awesome series. While we get to know Lena during the first chapters and gain sympathy for her situation, other characters are introduced a bit too superficially. Character depth and even the necessary depth to ground and explain many of the Lena's decisions is lacking. Several scenes come in and disappear again too quickly, leaving the sense that something more is missed and me wondering why they even happened in the first place.

Lena's scars, thanks to the lack of physical contact, are well done and especially came across in one aspect of the romance. This also explained some of her over-willingness to find a friend in the beginning, but the deceit and betrayal should have impacted her more as the tale went on, and made her much more wary. This also caused issues with Lena's decisions concerning her final choice on the romance end.

I definitely enjoyed this author's writing style and did find many wonderful moments in these pages, which made it, despite the problems, more than an enjoyable read.
I received an ARC and am giving this one 3.5 stars, while rounding up. ( )