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mellular's review
4.0
This was a quick, wild read! Another fascinating concept- female sniper who can see ghosts? Sold! The execution was admittedly a bit inconsistent- there were some really exposition heavy sections where I longed for action rather than info dumps, but there were also some genuine scary/body horror moments that made up for this.
Notably, I really appreciate that Rose, a woman with a traumatic past, isn’t wholly defined by it. Hightower deftly navigates the after effects of childhood trauma, while also crafting Rose into a three dimensional protagonist. This is not a generic “unreliable female narrator” story, and the book is all the better for it.
I will definitely be following what Hightower does next! :)
Notably, I really appreciate that Rose, a woman with a traumatic past, isn’t wholly defined by it. Hightower deftly navigates the after effects of childhood trauma, while also crafting Rose into a three dimensional protagonist. This is not a generic “unreliable female narrator” story, and the book is all the better for it.
I will definitely be following what Hightower does next! :)
bloodinthesigil's review
4.0
Even though I kept putting it down and coming back this book was never far from my mind. So good in so many ways! A fantastic cinematic feeling in its creepy bones!
thomaswjoyce's review
4.0
Hightower does a great job of knitting all these different ideas together to give us an intriguing story. A tough female protagonist in a tough career usually dominated by men, she also has a great deal of baggage and has the scars, both physical and emotional, to prove it. A lot of action, from the explosive introduction to the SWAT team to the supernatural elements haunting our hero. A lot of relationship issues between the protagonist, her ex-husband and her current boyfriend (probably my least favourite aspect of the story, but it added layers to the character, especially as her family plays a great part of the story toward the end). It's a really good debut novel from the author, and I'm looking forward to the new book.
jessicamap's review
5.0
Thanks to the author for the free copy in exchange for my honest review
For those horror and thriller fans out there, this is the perfect mashup of those two genres! WHISPERS IN THE DARK isn’t what I was expecting and I absolutely loved all of the twists and turns that Hightower threw at us.
A bad ass female protagonist and plenty of action and thrills to go around. I almost don’t want to describe too much because I loved going into this knowing as little as possible. Paranormal elements, gore, and evil around every corner. Rose is a force to be reckoned with and the author does a great job developing all of the characters for us so we get a more rounded image of them. The Whispers – well I think those will haunt you for awhile after putting this one down.
Once I picked it up I flew through it. Only positive to being sick, I have zero interruptions and responsibilities besides getting rest – and the best way to do that is to binge a horror thriller novel. I feel that Hightower was able to weave everything together in the end and I was satisfied with how it all ended. Sometimes there are too many unanswered questions, but I feel like she got it all for us. Overall, if you love horror and the paranormal, then pick this one up. If you want a binge read and want to support a new author? Add this to the TBR now! I can’t wait to see what Hightower releases next for us.
For those horror and thriller fans out there, this is the perfect mashup of those two genres! WHISPERS IN THE DARK isn’t what I was expecting and I absolutely loved all of the twists and turns that Hightower threw at us.
A bad ass female protagonist and plenty of action and thrills to go around. I almost don’t want to describe too much because I loved going into this knowing as little as possible. Paranormal elements, gore, and evil around every corner. Rose is a force to be reckoned with and the author does a great job developing all of the characters for us so we get a more rounded image of them. The Whispers – well I think those will haunt you for awhile after putting this one down.
Once I picked it up I flew through it. Only positive to being sick, I have zero interruptions and responsibilities besides getting rest – and the best way to do that is to binge a horror thriller novel. I feel that Hightower was able to weave everything together in the end and I was satisfied with how it all ended. Sometimes there are too many unanswered questions, but I feel like she got it all for us. Overall, if you love horror and the paranormal, then pick this one up. If you want a binge read and want to support a new author? Add this to the TBR now! I can’t wait to see what Hightower releases next for us.
motherhorror's review
4.0
Thank you to the author, Laurel Hightower and JournalStone publishing for the FREE review copies to our Night Worms Book Party. You can follow our Book Party on Instagram with #nightwormswhispers or #nightwormsbookparty
This book gets a lot of traction in the "horror family" circle on social media. It has captured the hearts of so many readers of indie horror fiction.
It's hard to believe this is a debut book; an impressive way to make a first impression. The story centers on Rose McFarland, a sniper in a S.W.A.T. team. She's tough as nails, takes zero bullshit from her peers, and seems strong enough to handle even the most stressful situations.
But this is just in the first 20 pages or so. As the pages fly by, we see that Rose is complex. She has a traumatic past and complicated relationships. We're introduced to a softer side of her that she reserves for her children and the men in her life.
She appears to struggle with something paranormal she calls, the Whispers.
As the story moves on, I found myself marveling at the author's ability to foster a culture of authenticity. Rose leaped off the page. Her inner thoughts resonated with me and felt very realistic. The dialog was natural and serves the narrative well. Character-driven horror is the most successful for me and I would say that WHISPERS IN THE DARK checks all the boxes for me.
There are some legitimate scares in this book too!
In our group discussion, I will say that I felt like I had a different reading experience than almost all of my fellow Night Worms crew. Everyone reported they were investing upfront and binge-reading the hell out of this novel, finishing in a matter of a day or two. I didn't have this same compulsion.
I found myself reading about 20-30 pages at a time and then feeling ready to jump into something else or distracted from my reading. Nothing is wrong with the pacing and it's not dull, I just didn't engage or get sucked in the same way other readers did.
So, I can't say this is five stars for me but I will say, I enjoyed my time reading this story, I think Laurel Hightower is a natural-born storyteller, and I'm looking forward to anything she releases in the future.
Mother Horror Review Blurb: "The hype surrounding this book is real. This is one of the best debut novels on the indie horror scene right now. Protagonist Rose McFarland is easily one of my favorite fictional characters. Strong storytelling voice, original story ideas and full of surprises. Buy this book & keep tabs on this author."
This book gets a lot of traction in the "horror family" circle on social media. It has captured the hearts of so many readers of indie horror fiction.
It's hard to believe this is a debut book; an impressive way to make a first impression. The story centers on Rose McFarland, a sniper in a S.W.A.T. team. She's tough as nails, takes zero bullshit from her peers, and seems strong enough to handle even the most stressful situations.
But this is just in the first 20 pages or so. As the pages fly by, we see that Rose is complex. She has a traumatic past and complicated relationships. We're introduced to a softer side of her that she reserves for her children and the men in her life.
She appears to struggle with something paranormal she calls, the Whispers.
As the story moves on, I found myself marveling at the author's ability to foster a culture of authenticity. Rose leaped off the page. Her inner thoughts resonated with me and felt very realistic. The dialog was natural and serves the narrative well. Character-driven horror is the most successful for me and I would say that WHISPERS IN THE DARK checks all the boxes for me.
There are some legitimate scares in this book too!
In our group discussion, I will say that I felt like I had a different reading experience than almost all of my fellow Night Worms crew. Everyone reported they were investing upfront and binge-reading the hell out of this novel, finishing in a matter of a day or two. I didn't have this same compulsion.
I found myself reading about 20-30 pages at a time and then feeling ready to jump into something else or distracted from my reading. Nothing is wrong with the pacing and it's not dull, I just didn't engage or get sucked in the same way other readers did.
So, I can't say this is five stars for me but I will say, I enjoyed my time reading this story, I think Laurel Hightower is a natural-born storyteller, and I'm looking forward to anything she releases in the future.
Mother Horror Review Blurb: "The hype surrounding this book is real. This is one of the best debut novels on the indie horror scene right now. Protagonist Rose McFarland is easily one of my favorite fictional characters. Strong storytelling voice, original story ideas and full of surprises. Buy this book & keep tabs on this author."
ericarobyn's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Whispers in the Dark by Laurel Hightower is a powerful and fiery tale about motherhood and the lengths one woman will go to protect those that she loves.
Rose McFarland is a member of the Memphis S.W.A.T. team who works as a sniper when duty calls, taking out the targets when negotiations fail. When she puts down her gun and removes her work clothes, she’s a mother to two young children.
Rose also struggles with two things that always have her on edge. One, her body image; Rose is covered in burn scars from a fire that had killed her brother and father when she was a child and she still doesn’t let anyone touch her. And second, she hears whispers and sees things that no one else can…
The one person that believes her and, in turn, who she believes when he says things to her is her ex husband, Sam, who she still has a great relationship with as they continue to co-parent the children.
One day, after neutralizing a target at work, the whispers pick up again. Rose tries to move on, but when they start to go after her son, she starts off down a path that leads straight to hell itself. While terrified, Rose will do whatever it takes to make them leave her son alone.
My gosh. Right from page one I was hooked! The plot overall was incredibly eerie! Laurel has such a talent with organizing tales to scare the pants off of you in one scene, and then jump to a heartwarming scene that will have you melting. I absolutely love this because I never quite know what to expect next!
I loved the main character, Rose, immediately. She is such a powerful woman both with her line of work and how she handles her family life. I was in awe of how well she seemed to balance everything. I also really loved Sam and I was interested to see where things on his end were going to go. Out of a feeling of protection for Rose, I was wary about Sam’s intentions at first, but hoped for the best.
This is one of those stories that I could go on and on about, but I’ll leave the rest to you to discover when you pick it up!
My Favorite Passages:
I know you have a romantic notion of yourself as enigmatic, but I have to tell you that every thought you have marches straight across your face on its way through your mind.
L’Oreal or Cover Girl couldn’t paint on a soul.
It could almost have been beautiful, if you didn’t know what hell it had been to live there.
They were in me, they were all around me, and they were everywhere at once.
My Final Thoughts:
I cannot believe it took me this long to get to this book. This was Laurel’s debut novel and my goodness, it was incredible! I love the focus on family and how strong the love was there. I also loved the elements of the paranormal that, while very eerie and intense, were added into the story in such a believable way.
I will definitely be reading this one again from time to time.
If you haven’t yet picked this one up, I highly recommend doing so ASAP if you enjoy seriously creepy reads with a strong focus on family.
inkychaotics's review against another edition
4.0
A fantastic debut novel by Laurel Hightower, and a great first read of the year for me! This book reminded me of some of my favorite things -- Gillian Flynn's novels but with a more supernatural twist, and the show Supernatural itself. Rose was such a great main character, and if Dean Winchester was a female cop in another life, I'm pretty sure he'd be a bit like Rose McFarland. The dynamics between the characters are strongly crafted, and the author does a great job at getting the reader to be invested in each character and relationship. The blend of real-world issues and supernatural issues that the characters face is blended beautifully.
Hightower's writing maintains an excellent pace throughout the entire book; even though I could have done with less head-hopping since sometimes that ventured into more telling than showing, and the book was so well-written it didn't quite need all of that, I thought she did a great job characterizing each person's personality, voice, and main goals. The different threads and plot points wrap up so well at the end.
Hightower is an author whose career I will watch with great interest! I cannot wait to see what she writes next. Highly recommend!
Hightower's writing maintains an excellent pace throughout the entire book; even though I could have done with less head-hopping since sometimes that ventured into more telling than showing, and the book was so well-written it didn't quite need all of that, I thought she did a great job characterizing each person's personality, voice, and main goals. The different threads and plot points wrap up so well at the end.
Hightower is an author whose career I will watch with great interest! I cannot wait to see what she writes next. Highly recommend!
readswithdogs's review against another edition
5.0
Whispers in the Dark was interesting and creepy!
I loved reading about Rose (a S.W.A.T. sniper) and how she coped with the emotional trauma that came from surviving a rough religious childhood and surviving a mysterious fire that killed her father and brother. Rose thinks she's left the past behind, but it comes back in the form of a brother she never knew and whispers of the undead that grow louder and more menacing.
I loved reading about Rose (a S.W.A.T. sniper) and how she coped with the emotional trauma that came from surviving a rough religious childhood and surviving a mysterious fire that killed her father and brother. Rose thinks she's left the past behind, but it comes back in the form of a brother she never knew and whispers of the undead that grow louder and more menacing.
el_stevie's review
5.0
Almost read this in one sitting but had to put it down because it was a school night - and sleep! Really compelling story, great mix of crime and supernatural in a way that makes you keep turning the pages.
From the drawing of the characters, creating a family you care about, and the way it ended, I have a strong feeling this could be the first in a series with Rose McFarland as the main character.
From the drawing of the characters, creating a family you care about, and the way it ended, I have a strong feeling this could be the first in a series with Rose McFarland as the main character.
findingmontauk1's review
5.0
For starters: I cannot believe this is a debut novel from Laurel Hightower! The storyline, her knack for getting under your skin, her ability to write believable characters, etc make it seem like she has been doing this for quite some time.
Rose McFarland can be described as a gutsy woman who takes no crap. She is a sniper for S.W.A.T. and her fiery past is definitely one for the books. But as the story progresses, her past and present reunite in the best and worst ways. All of these things make this book perfect for fans of thrillers and horror - there's a bit of both in this one! There are some genuinely creepy scenes in this that had me wondering just how it would play out on the big screen - yes, I do that sometimes with certain books when I am completely pulled in. I want to experience it with all my senses. And this book demands all of my senses! A solid 5-star read and I cannot wait for Hightower's next endeavor!
Thank you to the author, Laurel Hightower and JournalStone publishing for the review copies to our Night Worms Book Party.
Rose McFarland can be described as a gutsy woman who takes no crap. She is a sniper for S.W.A.T. and her fiery past is definitely one for the books. But as the story progresses, her past and present reunite in the best and worst ways. All of these things make this book perfect for fans of thrillers and horror - there's a bit of both in this one! There are some genuinely creepy scenes in this that had me wondering just how it would play out on the big screen - yes, I do that sometimes with certain books when I am completely pulled in. I want to experience it with all my senses. And this book demands all of my senses! A solid 5-star read and I cannot wait for Hightower's next endeavor!
Thank you to the author, Laurel Hightower and JournalStone publishing for the review copies to our Night Worms Book Party.