Rating-
1.5/5 stars
(Rounded One)

Genre-
Fantasy

Age Rating For It-
15+ because there is a good amount of violence, some mental health themes and also some language and stuff in it. Romance wise thought there's nothing explicit and barely any kissing or anything either. (sadly)

Thoughts/Would I Recommend This?-
I was honestly so confused throughout this whole book about the world and the people and powers and everything. I thought that the world building and stuff in it definitely needed some work because I didn’t understand much about the world or what was even going on. I didn’t feel it explained the world or the magic system well and was left wondering what a lot of what they said even meant and what the whole power system was and how a lot of things worked. This made it, so I didn’t love reading it much at all and was left with more questions and wondering what the frick is going on than answers about the entire book and plot. So, If you want to be confused and left wondering about everything that is going on in a book than I would recommend this, but otherwise I would not recommend this book.

Unfortunately I DNFd this story. I was confused in the first 20 pages and it lost my interest because of it. I could not bring myself to go any further.

The Secrets We Save is the first in the Whisperers series and the first novel I have read by Kel E Fox. The bones of the novel were there, unfortunately I had a hard time to connect and understand some points of the narrative and worldbuilding magic system. As mentioned from another reviewer a glossary would have been beneficial as there are so many points of interest that if they had more of a expanded explanation off page the tempo of the narrative would have kept me intrigued instead of trying to figure aspects out. I am rating 3.5/5 as I am intrigued to see where the story continues in the next novel. I hope for growth within the series as I continue reading.

While the book has a compelling premise, I found the writing style a bit difficult to connect with. I couldn’t fully immerse myself in the story. The world-building and various elements were introduced quite rapidly in the first few chapters, which at times felt overwhelming and made it challenging to keep up. A slightly more gradual introduction might have helped ease readers into the setting and concepts more smoothly.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing an advanced reader’s copy 🤎

The world-building in this book was absolutely stunning! From the first page, I was transported into a universe with a magic system that felt completely fresh and unique—unlike anything I’ve read before. The story weaves together elements of mystery and romance, keeping you engaged as it unfolds through the perspectives of two distinct, well-developed main characters, each with their own histories and personalities.

One of my favorite aspects was the dynamic parent trios, which added an unexpected but brilliant layer to the world. I also really appreciated the effortless inclusion of bisexuality, presented naturally and without any of the usual struggles or prejudices often depicted in fiction. It was just there, as it should be, and that representation made the story even more special.

If you're a fantasy lover looking for something immersive, character-driven, and refreshingly different, this is definitely one to pick up!

Thank you netgallery for the arc i did enjoyed it all the characters and the world building i was getting right into and realised it only half of the book im looking forward when it comes out and read the rest overall 3.5 stars may go up when I finish reading all of it

This book was pretty good, I would definitely recommend

~This was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I did enjoy this! It had a comfortable writing style and I read it very quickly, but it didn't leave me with that sense of 'omg i am very drawn into this world and the characters' feeling I'd have liked to experience more of.

The political aspects and world-building with the magic were SO cool, though. And I did find it engaging enough to keep reading, it just didn't wow me in the way a 4 or 5-star would, but again, personal preference.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up for me.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC.

I really enjoyed getting into this story. I thought the world building was quite beautiful and while I’ve seen others say the writing felt too complicated or too clunky but I thought quite the opposite.

I read a lot of high fantasy so I’m pretty used to feeling a bit confused at first when starting a new series that involves a lot of world building. I absolutely loved how new this book felt compared to so many others I’ve read. I really enjoyed learning a bit more about the characters as the book moved on and the different magics of the world.

Once I hit a certain part in the book I honestly couldn’t put it down. I was dying to know what was going on.

I really look forward to reading the rest of the series when it is finished.

This book might not be for everyone but I do believe those that read high fantasy and that are looking for something that doesn’t feel overly done they’re going to really enjoy this.

My one big point of feedback is that I think this book would benefit from a glossary to explain some of the types of magic, the world, the religions and things like that. I think with one of those it would be more enjoyable to more people than just people who are used to this style of writing. I think it would help people understand the world faster by having a reference to remind themselves with.

2.75 stars

I loved the premise of this book: enemies to lovers, banter, tension? Sign me up! Unfortunately, I was left disappointed; I found the writing overly complicated and the plot either over-explained or missing plot points altogether. If this went through another round of editing, I think it would be an excellent book.

I loved the world-building in this book! It was amazing to be whisked away to a world with very specific kinds of magic that I haven't seen anywhere else. There are hints of mystery and romance throughout as you switch between two main characters with personalities and backstories of their own. I love the parent trios and the subtle inclusion of bisexuality without the associated discrimination. Would definitely recommend for all fans of fantasy!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc. I honestly felt disconnected from this story. Maybe because of the writing style. I wasn’t a fan of it. I really tried to get into it but this was not for me. I will say I liked the overall concept and the characters but the story as a whole was not for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC. The premise of the story sounded so interesting, but the writing style was too clunky for me to read and the characters were rather boring.

I checked a few times to make sure there wasn’t a book before this one. As far as I could tell this is the first in the series. It really felt like I was missing some information though which caused a huge disconnect for me. At the same time, the world building happens so quickly. It’s a lot of info in a short amount of time. It was hard to digest all of it. Especially with the unique world the story takes place in. I also didn’t feel a connection to the characters or the mysteries they were trying to solve. The ending seemed better and it holds out some promise for the next book but I probably won’t be continuing the series unfortunately.

There were parts of this book I loved: the mysteries the two main characters needed to solve were well conceived enough and in places the world the characters inhabited was beautifully constructed so that I needed to get to the end of the story. The ending did feel a touch incomplete, but I suppose is to be expected when the book is part of a sequence.

Around the great parts of the book however, there was a lot of noise. Some of the descriptions, particularly of characters didn't necessarily add anything to the story. I'm not sure for example, we needed to see the breakup at the beginning, as I can count on one hand the number of times that relationship was referred back to.

I tried to get into this book, but there's too many new words, phrases, and devices being introduced in just the first chapter to make sense of anything. It's confusing and there's no time given to the reader to understand anything.
This could have been a good story, but I was left wondering in confusion rather than wondering in awe to continue.

I loved how descriptive was the book with the words and the world even if a at time was a little bit to much. Also i loved the characters and they adventures, so i found it a funny and quick read!

I found this book so descriptive, but also kinda confusing in some parts, i enjoyed it overall tho and would definitely read more by the author.

I did my best to invest in this book, but the speed at which new words, devices, complex names. and other things in the world were created made it impossible to know what was happening entirely too early. While I love stories with immense worldbuilding, it needs to be done at a pace a reader can keep up with. Introducing too many new elements, words, descriptions, etc. at once and giving entirely too much detail makes it very difficult to read. The story had promise, but for me it was not worth finishing.

The secrets we save by Kel E fox, delves into the world of two people, Del and Ursa, with one's painting being stolen and Ursa's father missing, they both need to team up together to help each other at any cost to find the people and things they require. The writing style of the book did put me off at times, and it quite grew me out of the story too, I particularly enjoyed the system and the world, even characters.