Reviews

The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell

Only show reviews with written explanations

persione's review against another edition

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5.0

My heart is aching I'm feeling nauseous this was so good.

How can you expect me to pick up another book after this?

bethkenx's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I actually really enjoyed this read! I picked it up as part of a ‘blind date with a book’ thing, so didn’t get to read the blurb or anything but I’m glad I chose the one I did based off of the hints written on the wrapping!

It was atmospheric, chilling, haunting, and even gory at times - everything a horror should be! I haven’t ever read anything of this genre, but this book has encouraged me to read more. I loved the elements of greek mythology, and the curses and superstitions were a fun twist. I love that the characters all twisted and turned throughout the story as well, you started to really feel as though you could trust nobody. I have always loved theatre, and to read a book based on this side of it (behind the curtain, where superstitions run rampant and the true grit behind the dazzle of the stage is on show) was a refreshing perspective.

I feel for poor Rachel though, I wish somehow she had made it out in the end :( speaking of the end, it was quite predictable, but then I imagine that was the intention considering the author dropped some heavy-handed hints in the final act about how flammable everything was

.

My only cons are that it was slow to begin with - I actually didn’t really get into the story until close to 100 pages in - on the contrary, the final act felt kind of rushed in my opinion, I think maybe pacing it better might have helped. Also, I feel like the reader is left with some questions at the end as there is some ambiguity over

for example, how Silas and Anthony died? Was it suicide? Was it an accident? I know you are to believe it was Melpomene behind it all but then why did Jenny get away at the end with her life after destroying the watch? or did the watch survive and the fire was merely a distraction as well as giving Jenny what she truly desired? I don’t doubt the ambiguity was intentional, and thus maybe it shouldn’t count as a con on my part, but I think a teensy bit more clarity would have been good

But overall, a fun read that had enough mystery, excitement, and suspense to make it hard to put down!

peanutsk's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

alicereadsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

books_nooks_spooks's review against another edition

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There is nothing more magical AND terrifying than being backstage in a theatre - it makes the perfectly daunting setting for a grotesque, faustian tale. Not only does this book have an atmospheric backdrop, you get a decent dose of curses, relics, divas, scandal, a woman scorned, superstition, pacts, revenge, Victorian London, Greek mythology and of course tragedy. Now that’s a checklist! If you love a historical mystery, you are a fan of Laura Purcell or you simply love theatre and all it’s dramatics dahling, then you should probably grab yourself a copy of this book!

sarahp85's review against another edition

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4.0

Did I accidentally ended up buying a lot of Shakespeare/theatre related books when I was in Oxford?
Yes
Do I happen to love them all?
Also, yes.

Everyone who goes to theatres enough knows about stories where a theatre is hunted. Add some Shakespeare, some creepy stuff... what's not to like? Loved the ending