Wraithful Reads

I was fortunate enough to be selected for an ARC of this book, thanks to R. A. Sandpiper for the opportunity.

I was really anticipating the first book in R. A. Sandpiper’s newest fantasy duology (The Bride of Eavenfold), and it did not disappoint. To Touch A Silent Fury has fate, dragons, a complicated enemies-to-lovers-back-to-enemies-again slow-burn romance, and incredible plot twists and turns. But most of all, it has warmth, wit, and another sassy female main character (FMC).

This review will contain spoilers from this point onward.

I’ve long been a fan of R. A. Sandpiper’s writing, as my previous reviews would suggest, and everything I loved about her previous series – The Amefyre Trilogy – I found in this book too. Sandpiper builds incredibly rich worlds, full of lore, magic, and intrigue. From the first chapter, I couldn’t put the book down – again – determined to learn more about this new world divided into five Kingdoms ruled by the five senses – Taste, Touch, Sound, Sight, and Scent. It’s a really unique approach to creating a magic system and building the foundations of the cultures of each land, which I enjoyed immensely. Sandpiper is brilliant at pacing and showing rather than telling you the details of the world through the plot, and eyes of the main characters. The plot also wasn’t held up by any long stretches of travel, which I appreciated greatly; any important plot points were reflected upon by the main characters naturally.

In To Touch A Silent Fury, we follow Tani’s journey guided by her Fate, from her beginning at Eavenfold guided by the moon-touched Brothers of Eavenfold, to her near-death in the Scentlands, her escape to the Soundlands, and back to her meeting her Fate in the Sightlands.

We also follow the second perspective of Lang – Dragon Prince of the Sightlands, and follow along as his path and fate converge with Tani’s, for better or worse.

“What is loyalty really, but lack of choice?”

R. A. Sandpiper, To Touch A Silent Fury

Lang’s perspective is really interesting in this book. On the outside, he’s an incredibly intimidating man, known for quite violent and monstrous acts. But the chapters from his perspective reveal the softness he contains. It’s an interesting parallel that he has this dual nature of the politician and fighter, while his inner nature is more poetic, and Tani also has a dual nature herself, with her hidden identity, and her twinblood she discovers. Both of them are outsiders in a way, unable to find a stable home wherever they go. Especially with their fates being so intertwined, and always being impacted by the conniving manipulations of Lang’s family, and the tyranny of his father.

Onto more things I loved about this book:

• The dragons. They’re sassy, ancient, and intelligent. And there’s a strong established division stated between wyverns and dragons! That’s something that has bugged me about fantasy stories for ages, because they are not the same.
• The unexpected warmth. Tani has had a hard life that continues to be full of trials. However, there’s so much warmth and love in this book. From the deep friendship she has with Seth, to the grandfatherly love and mentorship of Thread Ersimmon, Yvon’s gratitude and protection, and then the affection from Lang. Tani also remembers her own parents with so much familial love it makes your heart ache for her. Fantasy books can tend towards dark, dreary, and cold themes, so it was incredibly refreshing and heartening to see the depth of these relationships and how they developed. Ersimmon in particular is a don, and I love him. I didn’t expect to love his character so much, and I really hope we see him again in the next book.
• The humour, as always. Sandpiper has a knack for dry, witty, and sometimes sarcastic humour and I love it. The sass is real.
• The plot twists. The book was exciting all the way through, some things I expected – like Tani being bound to a dreaded marriage fate – but other elements took me completely by surprise. Her heartfelt help and exchange with Vellintris I did not expect, as well as the surprise groom-switch at the end. The discovery that she was once a twin and how she came to be moon-touched was a great reveal too.

Tropes and themes in To Touch A Silent Fury:

• Enemies-to-lovers
• Slow-burn
• Fate
• Dragon bonding with rider
• Twists of fate
• Magic
• Hidden identity

Trigger Warnings:

• Forced marriage (sort of)
• Violence (the arena fight is the main part of this)
• Gore (heads on spikes mentioned)
• Death
• Betrayal
• Loss and loneliness

So, my only complaint is that I have to wait for the second book because I am dying to find out what happens next.

Rating:

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To Touch a Silent Fury by R. A. Sandpiper releases on 5th September 2025. You can pre-order a physical copy from her website. This is not an affiliate link, I’m just very passionate about this series.