Review: The Rest is Silence by Yves Donlon

‘When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions…’

Hamlet and Ophelia are back in this return to the world of SMILE AND BE A VILLAIN, a magical retelling of one of literature’s most heart-wrenching tragedies.

In Denmark’s capital, quiet streets hide the unrest of the people. War has impoverished them; magic is sickening them, though they may not know it. A new king reigns. But as battle drums are replaced by wedding bells, there are many in the city with reason to be displeased…

Prince Hamlet licks his wounds. Ophelia lies in wait. And all around them the city, rotten to its stately heart, is beginning to crumble.

While Hamlet grapples with what it will take to seek vengeance against his uncle for his crimes, Ophelia must fight to remain true to herself in the battle against corrupted magic.

The only way they will be powerful enough to heal the damage done to Denmark is if they work together. But as their hearts rot in time with the city itself, it seems it will take more than the providence in the fall of a sparrow to heal their love – and their city.

True love is sweet, but could revenge be sweeter?

• Title: The Rest is Silence
• Author:  Yves Donlon
• Publisher: Self Published
• Publication Date: July 19, 2025
• Genre: Fantasy, retelling 
• Targeted Age Range: Adult
• Content Warnings: period-typical queerphobia, on and off page anti-semitism, references to childhood emotional and physical abuse, grief, death of a parent, murder, insanity, substance abuse, animal death, references to war, trauma, suicidal ideaton, fire, injury, blood
• Rating: ★★★★★

There are some spoilers for Hamlet in my review, but no spoilers for the way that these situations are handled in The Rest is Silence. 

I truly think that it is so perfect that my first 5 star read of the year is a Hamlet retelling that I read during Shakespeare’s birth/death month. I honestly could not have planned it any better. I’ve read some good books this year, some that came very close to the 5 star mark, but I’ve been waiting for that book that just felt perfectly right to be my first 5 star of 2026, and The Rest is Silence gave me everything that I wanted.

Last year I read the first book in this duology, Smile and Be a Villain and became instantly hooked – you can check out my review, though I will mention that I have actually upped the rating from 4.5 stars to 5 stars since I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I read it. I purchased The Rest is Silence right after it was released, but didn’t get to read it until this month, and honestly, I’m glad I waited because I think I read it at the perfect time. 

While Smile and Be a Villain shows us what happens leading up to the events of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Rest is Silence takes place during the events of Hamlet and picks up right where the first book leaves off. The second I opened the book I was immediately transported back to Helsingør. This world is so vivid; it’s truly incredible. Yves Donlon truly has such a way with words, reading this series almost feels like watching a film because everything is so descriptive, but not overly so, and the use of language is so effective. The writing in general is absolutely fantastic. 

“What mattered was loving and having a heart to love with”

One of my notes simply said “I just love a book that makes you feel” and this book made me feel so many things. Do I already have an attachment to these characters because of Shakespeare? Yes, but I really do believe that even if this was not a story based on anything else I would feel just as strongly about these characters because they leap off the page. They are so real and human. The range of human emotions expressed through these characters is fantastically done; none of these characters are caricatures. I wanted to reach through the book and comfort them and help them, and knowing their fates but so badly wanting them to be able to change it just broke my heart in so many ways. I cried multiple times, but especially during Ophelia’s death and Hamlet discovering she died when he and Horatio were at the graveyard as her funeral procession begins — it was absolutely heartbreaking, I was a mess.

I really loved the way Donlon showed the madness that both Hamlet and Ophelia succumb to. Since in the play we’re on the outside looking in, we don’t really know the extent of the madness and how much of it is being played up for the sake of what Hamlet is trying to accomplish, and what it is that is fully going on in his mind, so being in Hamlet’s head was so interesting. We get to see the madness first hand; see what he’s seeing, explicitly feel what he is feeling, and see exactly how he is losing himself in grief and anguish. It was captivating and beautiful and tragic. 

I’ve always had an attachment to Ophelia, and as I mentioned with the first book, I loved seeing her have a bigger role in this version, which continued throughout The Rest is Silence. Ophelia’s descent into madness was gut wrenching for me. That girl was holding herself, Hamlet and all of Helsingør together by the tiniest of threads; it was like she was Atlas holding the weight of the sky. There was so much put on her shoulders and she was trying so hard to keep it all together, trying so hard to save everyone and even thinking about it right now is bringing tears to my eyes. Her characterization throughout this series was so beautifully done and such a stunning homage to her origins. 

This book and series really is one that I could just go on and on about, because I really feel such a deep connection to the characters and the story. I think that this is a story that was created with so much heart and reverence for Shakespeare and Hamlet, and anyone who loves both of those things will love this series as well.

Links for The Rest is Silence: Goodreads | TheStoryGraph | Bookshop