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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
I really loved the FMC and her badass vibes :
"I don't give a flying fuck. Right now, I am God. The demon and his master will bow before me"
The feelings between the 4 MCs are beautiful, but it's not really developped so when we start the book, we have to accept them rather than understanding them which is something I always struggle to do.
I highlighted a lot of different passages that were beautifully written and overall, I loved the writing of the book. Honestly, I knew from the first paragraph that I was going to love this book. The only thing that disturbed me was all these fucking ellipses! It jumps from one scene to the next and I feel like some details are always missing. I would have prefer to read 100 pages more if it linked everything better. The story is amazing though. It is powerful and sad, and it tackles themes of lost/found families and grief. I really enjoyed it.
"I don't give a flying fuck. Right now, I am God. The demon and his master will bow before me"
The feelings between the 4 MCs are beautiful, but it's not really developped so when we start the book, we have to accept them rather than understanding them which is something I always struggle to do.
I highlighted a lot of different passages that were beautifully written and overall, I loved the writing of the book. Honestly, I knew from the first paragraph that I was going to love this book. The only thing that disturbed me was all these fucking ellipses! It jumps from one scene to the next and I feel like some details are always missing. I would have prefer to read 100 pages more if it linked everything better. The story is amazing though. It is powerful and sad, and it tackles themes of lost/found families and grief. I really enjoyed it.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book that was previously published in an anthology by J.Rose, but has been re-released under her pen-name, Jessalyn Thorn.
Actual Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Level:
This is a book that was previously published in an anthology by J.Rose, but has been re-released under her pen-name, Jessalyn Thorn.
Actual Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Level:
2.5⭐️DNF 30%
I really wanted to like this.
There was so much to enjoy.
Was dark, gritty, engaging, good world building, interesting storyline…
But …
It jumps from one point to the next. Repeatedly.
The FMC will be in one place, complaining, then next chapter she’s in a new location, having moved onto a new discussion, without ever filling in the gaps..
She’s wounded, bleeding, being sown up (no magic healing here), next she’s moving, being held, carrying on as if all good.
She’s angry, determined to leave; next page, she’s talking about how to solve things, fix things so she ‘can’ leave..?
She’s calling them a-holes, complains, then is drooling over them, fantasying about having sex with them, then making out with them..
One moment saying it shouldn’t happen, then shrugging thinking why not. Until the next character, when the opinions and reasoning changes again once more.
Worse! She’ll be asking questions, leading into explanations, then something distracts, and all questions are dropped, with nothing further, or any reasoning given.
It was all disjointed, frustrating, and too incomplete to become fully absorbed within.
Each little section was really well written, until you started reading the next, and flicking back and forth, trying to figure out what you missed.
Just became too much an exercise in futility.
I may try a different book by the same author?
I really wanted to like this.
There was so much to enjoy.
Was dark, gritty, engaging, good world building, interesting storyline…
But …
It jumps from one point to the next. Repeatedly.
The FMC will be in one place, complaining, then next chapter she’s in a new location, having moved onto a new discussion, without ever filling in the gaps..
She’s wounded, bleeding, being sown up (no magic healing here), next she’s moving, being held, carrying on as if all good.
She’s angry, determined to leave; next page, she’s talking about how to solve things, fix things so she ‘can’ leave..?
She’s calling them a-holes, complains, then is drooling over them, fantasying about having sex with them, then making out with them..
One moment saying it shouldn’t happen, then shrugging thinking why not. Until the next character, when the opinions and reasoning changes again once more.
Worse! She’ll be asking questions, leading into explanations, then something distracts, and all questions are dropped, with nothing further, or any reasoning given.
It was all disjointed, frustrating, and too incomplete to become fully absorbed within.
Each little section was really well written, until you started reading the next, and flicking back and forth, trying to figure out what you missed.
Just became too much an exercise in futility.
I may try a different book by the same author?
ARC review!
Oh my... This book was fantastic!
This is J. Rose's new book and it is a part of the Twisted Legends collection. It can be read as a standalone! Thirteen years ago Emery Lockwood gave in to forbidden magick, leaving behind the ruins of her home as well as her best friends. She never expected to see her childhood sweethearts again, and the boys she once knew have become troubled men and they need her help. Reaper's Hollow is under attack, haunted by an evil force that loves to play sick games. Emery only has so much time to save the place she once left behind. For far too long dark witches have been hunted and killed. The bloodshed must end.
Damn, Departed Whispers is such a dark and thrilling tale that you will not be able to put down. Emery is such a bad*ss character and I loved how she handled everything that was going on. I really liked Luther, Atticus, and Kody too! They do have their flaws, but their love for Emery never faded even years after she left. So much went down that I never saw coming, and honestly this book was CRAZY... In a good way! Right when I started it I could tell I was going to love it! I love books that have witches in them, so if you like dark romance, with plenty of twists, steam, and great lead characters go and check this out!
I'm sad that this story is over, but at least they do get a happy ever after. It wasn't easy for them to get to that point though that is for sure. The plot was fantastic and had great world building. What I really loved is that Emery and her guys never gave up and that even though their reunion was a rocky one, they still held on to those feelings of love and safety. I could go on and on about this story, but how about you just go and read it!
5 stars!!!!
Oh my... This book was fantastic!
This is J. Rose's new book and it is a part of the Twisted Legends collection. It can be read as a standalone! Thirteen years ago Emery Lockwood gave in to forbidden magick, leaving behind the ruins of her home as well as her best friends. She never expected to see her childhood sweethearts again, and the boys she once knew have become troubled men and they need her help. Reaper's Hollow is under attack, haunted by an evil force that loves to play sick games. Emery only has so much time to save the place she once left behind. For far too long dark witches have been hunted and killed. The bloodshed must end.
Damn, Departed Whispers is such a dark and thrilling tale that you will not be able to put down. Emery is such a bad*ss character and I loved how she handled everything that was going on. I really liked Luther, Atticus, and Kody too! They do have their flaws, but their love for Emery never faded even years after she left. So much went down that I never saw coming, and honestly this book was CRAZY... In a good way! Right when I started it I could tell I was going to love it! I love books that have witches in them, so if you like dark romance, with plenty of twists, steam, and great lead characters go and check this out!
I'm sad that this story is over, but at least they do get a happy ever after. It wasn't easy for them to get to that point though that is for sure. The plot was fantastic and had great world building. What I really loved is that Emery and her guys never gave up and that even though their reunion was a rocky one, they still held on to those feelings of love and safety. I could go on and on about this story, but how about you just go and read it!
5 stars!!!!
medium-paced
Departed Whispers is a good book and has the potential to be an amazing book, but there were some issues I had with it that made it not as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be.
As I mentioned already, Departed Whispers has the potential to be an amazing book, and it really does. I quite enjoyed the premise and world that Jessalyn Thorn has created. It is so well written, in fact, that if you are like me, you are someone who can envision what they're reading, get complete immersed in the book, and lost in the world.
I would have loved to know more about the covens, they type of magic they do, how their rankings are sorted and given... Honestly, more in-depth info on all of them would have been really cool.
I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about Em. Did I like her a little? Did I like her a lot? Let's just settle with I liked her enough. There was a lack of character development for each of the 3 males, and out of the 3 males, I feel Kody had the most developed character, and I also like him the most... Point blank, I wasn't a fan of Luther or Atticus. I found Atticus to be very petulant, especially with his pity parties, self-deprication, and hypocrisy throughout the story.
The romance wasn't what I was hoping it would be. It occurs very suddenly and early in the story, which can be great, but the way it is put in doesn’t flow with what occurred before or after. This is also intended to be a why choose/Reverse harem, which would entail the latter would have equal love smattered amongst the males, but this was not the case as Luther was very possessive and kept referring to Em his.
The timeline in this is honestly a bit choppy and frankly all over. One chapter it's go time. Then it's I'm leaving, but not actually (on a few occasions). Then, "we need to do something now!" Then a month goes by. Months went by through the whole book, which confused me because Em was brought in to help urgently, so why doesn’t it seem like it's an urgent matter? I digress on that matter.
I'll finish with this, I liked the book enough and think that if a duo was written to fill in gaps of this story or give a backstory, that would be awesome.
Story Rating: 🌕🌕🌕/5
Spice: 🌶🌶🫑/5
As I mentioned already, Departed Whispers has the potential to be an amazing book, and it really does. I quite enjoyed the premise and world that Jessalyn Thorn has created. It is so well written, in fact, that if you are like me, you are someone who can envision what they're reading, get complete immersed in the book, and lost in the world.
I would have loved to know more about the covens, they type of magic they do, how their rankings are sorted and given... Honestly, more in-depth info on all of them would have been really cool.
I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about Em. Did I like her a little? Did I like her a lot? Let's just settle with I liked her enough. There was a lack of character development for each of the 3 males, and out of the 3 males, I feel Kody had the most developed character, and I also like him the most... Point blank, I wasn't a fan of Luther or Atticus. I found Atticus to be very petulant, especially with his pity parties, self-deprication, and hypocrisy throughout the story.
The romance wasn't what I was hoping it would be. It occurs very suddenly and early in the story, which can be great, but the way it is put in doesn’t flow with what occurred before or after. This is also intended to be a why choose/Reverse harem, which would entail the latter would have equal love smattered amongst the males, but this was not the case as Luther was very possessive and kept referring to Em his.
The timeline in this is honestly a bit choppy and frankly all over. One chapter it's go time. Then it's I'm leaving, but not actually (on a few occasions). Then, "we need to do something now!" Then a month goes by. Months went by through the whole book, which confused me because Em was brought in to help urgently, so why doesn’t it seem like it's an urgent matter? I digress on that matter.
I'll finish with this, I liked the book enough and think that if a duo was written to fill in gaps of this story or give a backstory, that would be awesome.
Story Rating: 🌕🌕🌕/5
Spice: 🌶🌶🫑/5
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️½
“I’m gonna brand my name on your tight ass so everyone around here knows who you belong to. My brothers and I own you, Emery Lockwood.”
Departed Whispers is a perfect read for the witchy season - dark paranormal romance with second chance and friends to enemies(?) to lovers vibes, a dark witch, demons, blood, death, and chaos.
Great world-building. I loved the witchy world Jessalyn designed. The differences between the dark and light witches and the true cause of witch trials that killed so many centuries before. Specifically, I loved how she highlighted the hypocrisy of the witches who claimed to be good.
The FMC might have been labeled dark, but she was the most morally sound witch present. I was grinning wickedly, reading her bloodlust for the truly evil people who suffered her attention.
FMC was a strong character, but I felt like she granted forgiveness too readily. I like a bit more groveling to go with my lies and betrayal. I wanted to see genuine remorse from the MMCs for the multiple lies that hurt her.
The romance is a bit insta-lust/love with minimal on-page relationship building. But it makes for a fast-burn and very spicy romance with a bit of punishment, hate fucking, degradation and praise, knife and blood play, bondage, and sensory deprivation. There are MF and group scenes.
I have a big issue with one of the smutty scenes:
Proper anal prep? 👍
Spit as lube? 🤔 Maybe…
P to A? 👍
A to P? 🚫🚫🚫 Fuck no! Please, god, no!
A very dark PNR; everyone is morally grey by the end yet gets the HEA they deserve.
Genre: Dark Paranormal Romance
Tropes/Features: friends to enemies (maybe?) to lovers, second chance, dark witch FMC, brothers, ghost BFF, violence, demons, daddy kink & darker kinks: punishment, breath play, knife and blood play, degradation
Narrator: Multipl1 1st Person POV
Relationship Type: Why Choose MFMM, fast burn, very spicy (numerous kinks)
Book Type/Ending: Standalone with HEA
TW/CW: Available in Author’s Note
I’d rather die as the most authentic version of myself than shrink to fit their idea of who they want me to be.
Emery is an absolute delight. She’s dark, stabby, and doesn’t give a fuck what the world (and light witches) have to say about her. We love a slight unhinged FMC, am I right?
Her harem consists of three brothers- her besties from childhood. After 13 years apart, they waste no time “reacquainting”. And let me tell you, the spice was the highlight of this series for me. Sure, I enjoyed the story. But *phew* Luther, Kody, and Atticus sure know what to say to get Emery (and me) going.
The story was pretty short for a RH, which only allows for so much character building. Maybe that’s why it didn’t really hit the spot for me, other than the spice.
Emery is an absolute delight. She’s dark, stabby, and doesn’t give a fuck what the world (and light witches) have to say about her. We love a slight unhinged FMC, am I right?
Her harem consists of three brothers- her besties from childhood. After 13 years apart, they waste no time “reacquainting”. And let me tell you, the spice was the highlight of this series for me. Sure, I enjoyed the story. But *phew* Luther, Kody, and Atticus sure know what to say to get Emery (and me) going.
The story was pretty short for a RH, which only allows for so much character building. Maybe that’s why it didn’t really hit the spot for me, other than the spice.
Wow! Departed Whispers by J. Rose has been a head trip from the get go. It was a deliciously dark, twisted, utterly surprising paranormal romance with the benefit of reverse harem consisting of three hot, muscular brothers. They each have their own distinctive personalities but the one thing that is common between them is their devotion for the love of their lives, Emery. They also happen to be childhood best friends before so their connection is implicitly unbreakable. Of course, the sensual and intimate parts of the story could be described as all-consuming/igniting/mesmerizing… You can take your pick. In my humble opinion, J. Rose has done a splendid job in creating a magical world and pulling the readers in to that alternate universe. I am looking forward to reading more from her.
Seeing a new book from j rose? No question I want to read it! Seeing it as part of a series on twisted legends? Sign me up like NOW!
And no disappointments!
Our FMC, Emery has discovered at the young age of 15 that she's very much a dark witch. But this is frowned on to the extent of being killed for it. Her mother and sisters were talking about doing just that, when she turns the table on them but then spends the next 13yrs on the run from the coven they belonged to.
But that meant leaving behind the only friends she ever had - brothers Atticus, Luther and Kody.
With just a ghost as company, Emery moves every year to escape notice but somehow Luther finds her and tells her Reaper Hollow has an evil spirit they need help getting rid of.
But when Emery gets there it's not just a spirit, it's a demon....born of the night she killed her family.
Azazel is a powerful demon that has been terrorising the town and gaining strength since the day she left. Causing deaths, suicides and murders thru sadistic games it's dug its claws into the town deeply.
This tests Emerys limits as a witch, while the brothers test her as a person - emotionally and mentally. Realising she's in love with all three and could never choose, the brothers don't ask her to. But Atticus is angry. And hiding something.....
I love the fact its the dark witch that saves the day in this book! The villain in the eyes of the world is the one to change the way dark witches are viewed, and are accepted rather than persecuted.
It's because of the stupidity of the coven leader that the situation got worse. Barrelling into a room and assuming the worst about a dark witch condemned humanity.
It's the dark witch that helps with charms and sage sticks in the middle of the night for no charge to help families while covens hide underground.
I hope the rest of the twisted legend are as good to read! J Rose has fast become one of my favourite authors so it was natural I'd pick up hers as one of the first! But now to find the rest....!!
I received a copy of the ebook in return for an honest review
And no disappointments!
Our FMC, Emery has discovered at the young age of 15 that she's very much a dark witch. But this is frowned on to the extent of being killed for it. Her mother and sisters were talking about doing just that, when she turns the table on them but then spends the next 13yrs on the run from the coven they belonged to.
But that meant leaving behind the only friends she ever had - brothers Atticus, Luther and Kody.
With just a ghost as company, Emery moves every year to escape notice but somehow Luther finds her and tells her Reaper Hollow has an evil spirit they need help getting rid of.
But when Emery gets there it's not just a spirit, it's a demon....born of the night she killed her family.
Azazel is a powerful demon that has been terrorising the town and gaining strength since the day she left. Causing deaths, suicides and murders thru sadistic games it's dug its claws into the town deeply.
This tests Emerys limits as a witch, while the brothers test her as a person - emotionally and mentally. Realising she's in love with all three and could never choose, the brothers don't ask her to. But Atticus is angry. And hiding something.....
I love the fact its the dark witch that saves the day in this book! The villain in the eyes of the world is the one to change the way dark witches are viewed, and are accepted rather than persecuted.
It's because of the stupidity of the coven leader that the situation got worse. Barrelling into a room and assuming the worst about a dark witch condemned humanity.
It's the dark witch that helps with charms and sage sticks in the middle of the night for no charge to help families while covens hide underground.
I hope the rest of the twisted legend are as good to read! J Rose has fast become one of my favourite authors so it was natural I'd pick up hers as one of the first! But now to find the rest....!!
I received a copy of the ebook in return for an honest review
medium-paced