I don't even know what to say about this book. The blurb sounded interesting until I realized it hyped it up too much. The story it self was eh but I did not really like the characters or writing.

It's an intriguing premise: Jade has been hearing a voice in her head since she was little, and the good old family history says that she will go crazy and kill herself if she ignores it, but something awful will happen if she listens.

The first few chapters of the story moved slowly, and all of the characters felt flat and one-note. But I'm not a quitter - I wanted to know more about this curse that all the females in her family has suffered form hundreds of years.

And once the box she discovered in a hidden room (that hides a lot of family secrets) starts talking to her, i was hooked. When the voice convinces her to free it, she unleashes something unexpected and this is where the story really takes off. As the pace quickens, the twists and turns build up and secrets are revealed.

As the story progresses, her character shows real growth and I found myself more invested in her. I also had no idea what direction the story would take. This was much darker of a tale that I expected, one of consequences, and I really enjoyed it in the end.

Jade has been hearing voices since she was five. No, not voices. One voice. After her twin brother is appointed vice president of their father’s company at the old age of twenty-two, the family starts falling apart. Her parents hate each other. Her brother is stressed. His girlfriend is a gold-digger if Jade’s ever seen one. And worse yet, it turns out she isn’t crazy-the voice in her head is real. If she ignores it, it’ll drive her off a cliff, like it has done to every single woman on her father’s side for over 1000 years. If she listens, she’s told something terrible will happen.
The choice should be simple.
This was a slow burn that slowly burned my patience! However, overall it was a pretty good book and worth the build.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

The cover did not scream ‘read me’. But do not judge this book by its cover. It has a lot to say and is worth the read to anyone who enjoys a retelling – this one has an interesting twist on Merlin’s story.
Jade is for sure a well-rounded character and I enjoyed reading from her perspective. She is flawed, something I always appreciate. No-one is ever perfect.
The main secondary characters had important roles to play. They were not there as fillers for the story.
The world was built really well, we had a complete run-down of the area in which the story takes place.
The ideas and theme in this one immediately attracted my attention. I could not stop reading. I had to see how it ended…
The writing did not bore me, even in the slower chapters something seems to happen that you need to take in and be aware of.
For sure a book I’d make the time for, especially if you enjoy when historical (even legends) stories are made modern and twisted into something new…

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley*
I'm so glad I took a chance on this ARC! Apart from the gorgeous cover I got a very intriguing story. So yay!
This story is about a supposedly crazy girl. This girl has been hearing a voice all her life, which seems an hereditary trait in all females in her family. But what if she was not crazy and the voice is real?
The author absolutely knew how to transmit all those feelings of powerlessness, so much so, that I was enraged along the character. Also, the plot was full of twists and turns so it was great in that aspect too.
The only thing I would change is the way the romance is portrayed. I don't think it quite fit the mood.

Overall it is a trepidant story with supernatural elements and a kinda medieval theme.

I enjoyed reading this. The plot and characters were interesting and the story was well paced. I enjoyed the writing style and the setting was fun to read about.

Not the best read, kinda all over the place and a little boring but I enjoyed it all the same.

Whisper was a fantastic story with some unexpected characters. I had no idea it would go that way and was very happy that it did.

Jade has always been the black sheep in her family. So when she starts hearing *his* voice she is evaluated, pumped full of drugs, and shipped off with the hope that she will come back normal.
Cut to present time-
She is a receptionist at her father's business and under close observation by her family. She has been weaning herself off her pill for some time and they are finally out of her system. On her 18th birthday *his* voice returns to haunt her once more.
She decides that if she gives in to this voice she and everyone could be in danger. If she ignores it she could parish like all the other women in her family.
Once the choice is made things get crazy!
I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I did!
Happy reading!

CuriousCompass Reviews: WHISPER

*Contains Spoilers*

Jessica Jones meets Cabin in the Woods, wrapped up neatly in Arthurian Legend!

Wow! For the first fifty pages or so, I expected this to be a 2-star read, but it hit its stride and only continued to get stronger as it went! I was very pleasantly surprised with this one.

Whisper is the story of Jade, the only daughter of a powerful, influential American corporate dynasty who can trace their family lines back overseas and right up to the days of Arthur and his famous sword. Yup, her ancestor wielded Excalibur! Jade's life isn't very glamorous, though; while her older brothers are given favorable positions in the family business, she's stuck working as a receptionist, and most of her relatives seem to hate her.

As Jade looks into the mystery of her past, the female side of the family lineage, and what could be lurking beneath the building her family owns, she finds herself wrapped in a conspiracy that includes magic, tormented magical beings, and even murder...

Sound enticing? Yeah, it is. The blurb on NetGalley and Amazon is vague, but it intrigued me enough to lure me in...

Unfortunately... the book had a very weak start, and I wasn't sure I'd end up enjoying it. It started out very formulaic and shallow; It felt like one of those endless dark romances you see on Wattpad. You know the ones I'm talking about: a boring girl meets a dominating bad boy, he solves all her loneliness and mental illness with his dick, the end.

I was in for a surprise, I just didn't know it yet.

Jade was a one-note protagonist, a plain loner girl whose only personality traits are that she's 'nice' and the black sheep of her family. Her older brothers (her twin Jerod & their older half-sibling Kaius) are carbon copies of one another, though Kaius is slightly more mature, they're overprotective and they work at the family company, and that's about it. Griffin, Jerod's best friend, is just a nice guy with no true identity. Her brother's girlfriend could be boiled down to two things: 1) a model, 2) a gold-digging whore. Seriously, that was it. And she was incessantly slut-shamed from every direction, including the protagonist.

Which leads me to what I actually liked: the longer the story went on, the more Jade grew and developed into an actual character. She was morally ambiguous. Determined. Selfish. Curious. And out for Numero Uno. At least at first.

Before we get in to that, we have to discus what kept me reading. Because I was tempted to quit after the weak first twenty or so pages.

What kept me going?

1) The mystery of who/what was locked in the trunk.

The minute Jade found the trunk and something started talking to her from inside of it... OH BOY, WAS I HOOKED. I wanted to know who the hell was in there. I figured it was a hot mystical guy she could make out with, which would be nice, and I was /kind of/ right, but what I got was even better...

2) The glimmers of moral ambiguity from Jade.

Jade was continuously pushing the boundaries of who I thought I was dealing with. She quickly showed that she wasn't the insipid, boring, cardboard cutout hero I'd thought. She acted very human at times; occasionally being selfish or looking out for herself at possible detriment to her family, and it was interesting to see how someone who had been thrown under the bus for years might lash out in a desperate situation. She was grim and felt like she could become a real power player in this world, without ever entirely losing her humanity.

3) Jade's determination to solve the mystery.

Jade's dark character development coupled with her determination to root out family mysteries and conspiracies and figure out what the hell was going on was giving me serious Jessica Jones vibes, and it had me hooked. Watching her balance being part of an influential, powerful family while still feeling like she existed on the fringes of it was fascinating.

4) The relationship between Jade & Merlin.

If Jade was a Jessica Jones figure, she needed a Kilgrave, and who better for the role than an evil Merlin? Yeah, THE Merlin. And he's a hot monster guy this time. He needs Jade to free him from his ancient prison, and boy, DOES THE WAY HE MANIPULATES HER MAKE FOR INTERESTING READING. The relationship between them was so fascinating. Jade is caught between a rock and a hard place, unsure whether to take her chances with Merlin or risk going up against her family on her own, and he presses his advantage whenever and however he can.

5) The peeks at Arthurian Legend.

I didn't catch on that we were really going full-on Tomb Raider Legend for quite some time, but when I did, I was super excited. King Arthur and Arthurian legend are so fascinating and I really haven't seen them done in new adult before. It was just the bit of originality the book needed to set it apart from the rest of the genre.

6) Jade's sensibility.

Instead of making excuses for Merlin because he has abs and he wants to make her his weird dark princess or whatever, Jade quickly decides she has to protect herself from him, and despite his constant gaslighting and victim-blaming, she holds him accountable for his actions every step of the way.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER?

1) The Romance

Jade & Griffin's Romance felt very rushed and convenient. He's been crushing on her for years, but she's not into him at all and basically just agrees to date him to get out of a conversation. Sure, she does really start to like him later, but it would have been nice to have a few more scenes where they bond, where he courts her and wins her trust, and exploring what she saw in him.

A few added romance scenes would have been easier to pepper in. And, I know plenty of folks like clean romance, but clean romance should still read LIKE A ROMANCE. There weren't really any sparks between the two of them, and they felt more like close friends than a potential couple.

2) The Final Showdown

Parts of the climax were truly thrilling. However, it all felt a little rushed. I'd have liked to see a longer fight and more of a payout between Jade and Merlin's relationship. It was built up as a fantastic, entertaining and fascinating cat-and-mouse game, but their final showdown felt flat, even if their final interaction did suit their characters well.

3) Jade's Guilt

Jade's guilt over Fallon's sacrifice and the other deaths is never truly examined. I'd have loved to see a scene where she and Jerod talk about how she essentially had a hand in his girlfriend's death (I understand why he didn't blame her, but it was a conversation that shouldn't have been glossed over with one line) and the repercussions of it. Fallon had a life and family, she had a modelling career. We never see that catch up with Jade.

I didn't blame her or want her to blame herself, but she seemed to absorb it and most past it all too quickly. Sure, she was caught up in the quest, but a few moments of conflicted self-reflection could only strengthen her plot and the arc as a whole.

4) The Setting

Most of the action takes place in a skyscraper the family owns and operated out of, with both commercial and residential floors. I'd have liked the building to be referred to by name, been given a bit more details about the layout and daily operations, as well as the neighbourhood surrounding it.

It seemed weird to me that Jade rarely ever left the building, even to go to a nearby park and see some green or something. We didn't even get a clear reference of which city they're in. Is this LA? It's not New York, which I originally assumed, since Jade bought Fallon a ticket to New York later in the book. Is it in Canada? Are we in Toronto? Who knows. Not me. A little more clarity and strengthening of the setting would've let this shine more.

5) The Opening Act

This one is probably the biggest problem. I stuck with it and discovered the book had more than I first suspected, but other, less patient readers might not. An expanded opening act would be nice. Jade's personality doesn't make itself clear for way too long. This would be a great place to explore her hobbies a little more, have her try to deny the voice a little longer, and give her some more interesting interactions with Griffin.

Whisper Is definitely worth a read! I do feel it could fare better with more editing, just to expand the material that's already there and polish some of the more tarnished edges, but for the most part, this is an interesting work from an author who shows a lot of promise! I'll definitely be looking out for more of her stories in the future.

*I received an ARC Via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I received a free copy of Whisper by Krystal Jane Ruin in exchange for an honest review. Do you feel trapped by your life? How desperate are you to escape your job, your family, your health problems? If someone offered you a ticket out in exchange for one little thing, would take the deal? How far would you go? Would you lie to others . . . to yourself? What if you took the deal, lied to yourself long enough to fulfill your part of the bargain, and found out the ticket out came with a destination where you really, really didn’t want to go?

This book was an interesting examination of desperation, bad choices, and consequences. It had plenty of drama and adventure.

#Whisper #NetGalley

This was a good story. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but it kept me reading until the last page.