Since he was a small faery, Hirik has dreamed to be Lord Azazel’s champion as his ancestors used to be thousands of years ago. But that was before the battle, now lost in time but not forgotten, in which Azazel was defeated by an army of devils. Since then, Azazel has withdrawn from the world and Hirik’s people, the Mothmages, falsely accused of betraying their Djinn lord, have lived in hiding.

But times are changing. The Djinn king has awakened and sent Magpie, his champion, to search for the five Djinn whose help he needs to stop the fabric of the world from unraveling.

And while Magpie with her troupe of crows and Talon, the Rathersting warrior prince, start their quest, Hirik joins a trade caravan and travels towards Naznee, where the Djinn temple stands, determined to become Azazel’s champion and clear his people’s name.

Hirik carries with him the magical sword of his ancestors and hides his antennae that mark him as a Mothmage because the hate still runs deep among the faeries, and were he to be discovered, his life would be forfeited.

He hides his clan’s name even from Whisper, the dark haired faery he meets one night begging for a ride with the caravan. Confused by his attraction to her, Hirik pays for her passage and swears to protect her.

Whisper has a secret too. Devils are on her trail intent on killing her, because she is the last of the Silksingers, the guardians of the Lord Azazel who now sleeps, merely an ember, in the old, battered kettle she holds in her hands.

It is not only the devils Hirik and Whisper are against, but also the prejudice and indifference of the faeries themselves, who had forgotten their lord while keeping their old hate towards the Mothmages very much alive.

Silksinger, the second book in the Dreamdark series, picks up just where Darkbringer (also reviewed on Myshelf) ended. Once again, Laini Taylor succeeds in creating a fast-paced adventure where hope grows out of despair and love out of hate by the simplest of actions and in the heart of the most unlikely heroes.

Sympathetic protagonists, narcissistic, ruthless villains and a magical quest worth dying for make for an unforgettable journey. Laini Taylor’s prose, rich and poetic, will make you wish the journey would never end.