“Dark School: Mark of the Adept” by Matti Silver

Dark School: Mark of the Adept

Matti Silver
eVw Press (2022)
ISBN: 978-1989159101
Reviewed by Sheri Hoyte for Reader Views (01/2023)

Dark School: Mark of the Adept is the second book I’ve read in the Dark School interactive adventure series by author Matti Silver. After finishing Dark School: Path of The Neophyte a few weeks earlier, I knew I was in for a bizarre exploration expertly crafted to keep readers entertained for hours on end. I was not disappointed.

A gate has opened. We can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened or even why. What we do know is that the world is permanently altered by some obscure alterations to the norm. Mankind exists in a new reality where, due to a pandemic, even the basic laws of nature are compromised and people are quite literally losing their minds. As an Adept, readers are charged to combat this invasion that threatens humanity at its very core. Will you rise to the challenge as a powerful leader in a new world order or succumb to the forces of your enemies?

Once again, author Matti Silver enchants and entertains with a cleverly constructed tale of intrigue presented in a choose your own adventure format. With guidance from the author through puzzles to solve, a good deal of unearthly influences, and a seemingly unending number of avenues to follow, your path is entirely what you make of it.

 I have to say I enjoyed this story on a level above the first tale, connecting with the more contemporary issues and storyline more easily. The detail involved in the intricate world Silver has created is phenomenal, and his creativity has deepened with this volume.

As a reader taking the role as the lead character once more, I found my interactions with the other characters relatable and entertaining and it was easy to get caught up in my leadership position and relevance to the story. Silver engages readers with a dynamic cast of different characters such as fae, sorcerers, a speaking eye, scientists and more. There are definitely characters whose motives are in question. Some you will enjoy interacting with and others you will love to dislike. The settings span from corporate offices, urban streets of downtown, dense forests, mansions, and otherworldly dimensions, to name a few, keeping readers on an action-packed magical journey.

The exceptional illustrations are critical to the story, and I thoroughly delighted in their contributions. Not only bewitching to gaze upon, the artwork holds consequential clues and instruction to aid/guide Adepts on their expedition to rise to the top of the new world.

Overall, I recommend Dark School: Mark of the Adept to all fans of fantasy, horror and choose your own interactive adventures.