The Silent Strength of Stones (1995)

by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Chapel Hollow (2)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
406	8	62,720	(3.99)	23
Finalist for the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards: A lonely teenager hides in the forest concealing his own magic--until a battle for survival makes hiding impossible. Summer has come to Sauterelle Lake, a vacation community in the Oregon Cascades, and seventeen-year-old Nick Verrou would rather roam the woods than work in his father's general store. His curiosity and connection with nature have him dodging his job at every opportunity. When he meets mysterious vacationer Willow and her family--and their unnerving pet wolf--Nick discovers that others share the powers he has tried to suppress. But Nick soon learns that nature's magic can be more dangerous than he ever imagined. Now the real trick will be surviving until autumn . . . The Silent Strength of Stones is the second novel by the author of A Red Heart of Memories and other acclaimed works. "A startling new voice in contemporary fantasy" (Locus), Nina Kiriki Hoffman "writes about magic creatively and with great feeling" (Kirkus Reviews). The Silent Strength of Stones is the 2nd book in the Chapel Hollow Novels, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. This ebook includes the bonus story "Words of Farewell." … (more)

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Showing 1-5 of 8 (next | show all)

I really loved it. It's less hectic than the first book and more balanced in personalities. The story is told quietly, slowly revealing the events, forming the friendships. It was charming, even if those friendships had some abusive elements. It was clear that everyone was damaged in some way by previous events, but trying to do their best to improve. And most of them did evolve and become better people.
I do feel the information in the extra story should have been part of the main book. But still, I enjoyed this a great deal, even if the connection with book 1 didn't become fully clear without that extra story. (

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zjakkelien | Jan 2, 2024 |

If I have a criticism it would be that I wish it was longer. A riveting read with compelling characters that was over far too quickly. (

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karimagon | Jun 23, 2022 |

A very good story in the Chapel Hollow series - but it doesn't grab me the way The Thread That Binds the Bones does. Nick is interesting, especially coming to terms with his various powers - and then having them all upended. Willow and Evan are interesting - they're from Chapel Hollow, before Tom got there (as Hoffman says in the afterword, this is actually a prequel to Thread). The family they're with are amazingly stupid and blind to reality - the workings they cast could have killed people (mostly Nick) several times, and it doesn't seem to bother them. Nice ending, though. The usual rich, complex characters that this author writes; it's almost entirely from Nick's POV, but we get a good idea of what others are thinking at times. And other times it's completely opaque... I did enjoy reading it, both times, but it's already more faded in my memory than Thread. Good but not great, for me. (

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jjmcgaffey | Feb 22, 2020 |

I'd read this one about ten years ago, but couldn't remember it. It touches upon the same scary magic people as in the Thread that Binds the Bones combining it with the coming of age story of a young boy living in a small lakeside town with his father. He watches people in his spare time with an idea of someday becoming a detective, when the biggest mysteries in his life are his missing mother and the family that arrives to stay in a summer cabin and look for something powerful. (

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cindywho | May 27, 2019 |

The first book I'd read by her. The book reminded me of Zenna Henderson's "People" stories, but with a much more sinister edge. (

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AltheaAnn | Feb 9, 2016 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Nina Kiriki Hoffman	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Stawicki, Matt	Illustrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Chapel Hollow (2)

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Nebula Award (Nominee – Novel – 1996)

World Fantasy Award (Nominee – Novel – 1996)

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The Silent Strength of Stones

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Epigraph

Dedication

This one is for Nancy Etchemendy, blood sister.

First words

The first time I saw Willow disappear was a couple of days after I met her, and she didn't know I was watching her - not unless she was a lot more devious than I thought she was, and as a master of deviousness, I was pretty sure I would know.

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▾Book descriptions

Finalist for the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards: A lonely teenager hides in the forest concealing his own magic--until a battle for survival makes hiding impossible. Summer has come to Sauterelle Lake, a vacation community in the Oregon Cascades, and seventeen-year-old Nick Verrou would rather roam the woods than work in his father's general store. His curiosity and connection with nature have him dodging his job at every opportunity. When he meets mysterious vacationer Willow and her family--and their unnerving pet wolf--Nick discovers that others share the powers he has tried to suppress. But Nick soon learns that nature's magic can be more dangerous than he ever imagined. Now the real trick will be surviving until autumn . . . The Silent Strength of Stones is the second novel by the author of A Red Heart of Memories and other acclaimed works. "A startling new voice in contemporary fantasy" (Locus), Nina Kiriki Hoffman "writes about magic creatively and with great feeling" (Kirkus Reviews). The Silent Strength of Stones is the 2nd book in the Chapel Hollow Novels, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. This ebook includes the bonus story "Words of Farewell."

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