Till Human Voices Wake Us, by Rebecca Roque, chronicles the twisting journey of seventeen-year-old Silencia “Cia” Lucero as she attempts to uncover the secrets buried in her hometown, Summerset. Cia has her own dark history, her own secrets. Including a traumatic past as Silence Bennett, living in a house with three sisters and a father that ended up blowing it all up. And when her best friend Alice says that she has answers to secrets that lead back to the Bennett house, Cia isn’t ready to hear any of it. Less than twenty-four hours after their fateful conversation, the police find Alice’s body floating in a quarry. Desperate to uncover what her best friend had found; Cia begins to investigate a world of secrets. Of a dark conspiracy involving too many dead kids, of an underground society that will do anything to silence her, all of which ties together in ways that will shatter Cia’s understanding of her past and present.
This novel was brimming with so much potential. A debut author with lovely prose that draws readers in immediately. A synopsis that promises you a thrilling page turner brimming with plot twists and mysteries that will leave you guessing with every wild turn. Unfortunately, Till Human Voices Wake Us fails to land the impact that I had hoped for. I have read dozens of mystery novels, and very rarely have I ever been able to predict the murderer. The one pulling the strings, the big bad lingering in the back, with hints sprinkled throughout the pages. Yes, the prose was lovely. Yes, Cia Lucero is a fascinating and very likeable character that will likely have readers rooting for her. But the romance was ridiculous, even for someone who typically finds them sweet (Ravi Singh and Pip Fitz-Amobi, which this book was even compared to). And some storylines felt random and disconnected, as well as distracting and unnecessary to the rest of the storyline. Till Human Voices Wake Us fell tragically short to the potential that the synopsis was overflowing with. However, it was still a solid novel, albeit predictable, and Roque does show some potential that should not be ignored.