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Silksinger is the second of the Fairies of Dreamdark books, a planned multi-book series that has unfortunately been put on hold by the publisher, according to the author's website. I read it after reading the first Fairies of Dreamdark book, Blackbringer, and the two books are complete stories in and of themselves, but you can tell that they are intended to be part of a larger story.

So, the story. In Silksinger, a young fairy with an unusual gift (thought to be gone from the world) is given a big task. Whisper Silksinger is the last of her clan, and she must take a sleeping Djinn to his far-off throne. She must find a way to make this difficult journey with no money or friends. And she can't tell anyone what kind of precious cargo she's carrying. Meanwhile, Magpie Windwitch (from the first book) is on a quest of her own--looking for Djinn. She needs to find and wake the Djinn so that they will be able to keep the world from falling apart at the seams. So when Magpie hears about Whisper and her task, she and her friend Talon go off looking for Whisper and the Djinn.

Whisper soon finds a friend, who like herself, is harboring a secret. Hirik is a young fairy who wants to become the Djinn's champion, thereby clearing a stain on his family name that has lasted for thousands of years. But Hirik has to be careful to hide his secret insect-related powers, because if anyone finds out who he really is, he'll be in big trouble. As he and Whisper travel on caravans towards the city where the Djinn is to be installed on his throne, Hirik finds that he has to defend himself and his strange companion from all kinds of threats, from fairies and devils alike. And there are more fairies and creatures with crucial roles to play, some quite surprising.

This book had a couple of great plot twists, which is always fun. Most of the characters were well-drawn and I was glad to see more of Magpie and the crows. However, I had a harder time getting into this book than I did with Blackbringer, maybe because I didn't think Whisper was as vivid or compelling a character. But I pulled for her, and I liked Hirik too. I really enjoyed the interactions between Magpie and Talon in this book--funny and cute. And of course, there are so many cool touches in these books about the various talents of these fairies and the world they live in. I was sad to discover that at this time, the rest of the larger story isn't yet written--I would really look forward to reading more about the Fairies of Dreamdark.