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theartsybookwitch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Murder
paracosim's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’m HoH myself, so when I received this book in a subscription box and saw that both the protag and the author are Deaf, I was pretty excited. That excitement quickly turned…pretty bland. This isn’t a bad book by any means and there were parts that I enjoyed immensely, but overall it felt shallow. There wasn’t much substance to the characters or even the magic elements; everything just felt surface-level and honestly I don’t think much of anything about this book will stick with me for any real amount of time. The writing and pacing were decent and I liked what little characterization there was, so I have hopes that this debut is just the start of the author’s career and that she continues improving—because I really do think she will. I’ll be giving my copy to the local bookstore in town so someone younger and better suited (that isn’t a man in his late 20’s, I mean LOL) can find and enjoy it. So while I don’t regret reading it, I don’t think I would ever pick it up again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gore
sinkitten's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Honestly this book exceeded my expectations. It was dark, thrilling, mysterious, and slightly confusing at times, but in the right ways.
I wasn't really sure what to expect going in and I'm glad I didn't have anything spoilt.
The mood and the way the story was revealed reminded me somewhat of "House of Hollow" which I also really loved.
I wasn't really sure what to expect going in and I'm glad I didn't have anything spoilt.
The mood and the way the story was revealed reminded me somewhat of "House of Hollow" which I also really loved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident and Fire/Fire injury
chronicacademia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism
booksthatburn's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Delaney is a post-lingual Deaf girl who sometimes hears the shadows whispering. She gets into a university whose stated purpose is to teach its students to traverse between realities. Colton is a student who briefly died when he was a child, meeting Delaney briefly at the time. When they meet again on campus, she doesn’t recognize him but is drawn to him anyway, while he instantly knows her and can’t keep his distance. They begin spending time together, then the lines are blurred further when another student dies.
There’s a consistent theme of ableism, mainly but not only from professors who don’t know Delaney is deaf (because they didn’t read the emails alerting them). She’s navigating this new space and deciding how much she’d rather deal with not being able to usefully hear in the moment or with overt ableism once people know she’s deaf. Whether she’s using her implant and what she does or does not hear is important throughout, and is used to great effect once things start getting spooky.
The worldbuilding is sparse, most of the details are atmospheric and unexplained until late in the book. The specific answers and explanations (when they finally arrived) wrapped up pretty much everything I wanted to know. I enjoy vibe-heavy books that leave me interested but confused for long stretches, so this was a deeply satisfying read for me. Colton’s secrets (and those he keeps for others) are hinted at but not revealed early, keeping the reader and Delaney equally in the dark for much of the story.
For a book with parallel worlds there aren’t many descriptions of traversals, though there are more towards the end. I like how much the focus is on Delaney piecing things together and trying to make it through her classes, and on her dynamic with Colton. I often enjoy books with mysterious and brooding guys, and this delivered.
Heavy on vibes, supported by a delicate but satisfying plot, don’t miss THE WHISPERING DARK.
There’s a consistent theme of ableism, mainly but not only from professors who don’t know Delaney is deaf (because they didn’t read the emails alerting them). She’s navigating this new space and deciding how much she’d rather deal with not being able to usefully hear in the moment or with overt ableism once people know she’s deaf. Whether she’s using her implant and what she does or does not hear is important throughout, and is used to great effect once things start getting spooky.
The worldbuilding is sparse, most of the details are atmospheric and unexplained until late in the book. The specific answers and explanations (when they finally arrived) wrapped up pretty much everything I wanted to know. I enjoy vibe-heavy books that leave me interested but confused for long stretches, so this was a deeply satisfying read for me. Colton’s secrets (and those he keeps for others) are hinted at but not revealed early, keeping the reader and Delaney equally in the dark for much of the story.
For a book with parallel worlds there aren’t many descriptions of traversals, though there are more towards the end. I like how much the focus is on Delaney piecing things together and trying to make it through her classes, and on her dynamic with Colton. I often enjoy books with mysterious and brooding guys, and this delivered.
Heavy on vibes, supported by a delicate but satisfying plot, don’t miss THE WHISPERING DARK.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Dementia, and Pregnancy
jassieex's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Abandonment
ttumbletree's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i really really enjoyed this book!
i loved the representation in it, as well as the world it was set in and the characters different voices and especially their interactions (the amount of times i chuckled to myself and wrote the word “same” in this book is just…. a lot, okay? 😂)
the one thing i would’ve enjoyed a bit more is if more of the book had focused on lane’s relationship with her friends. i think it would’ve given her more agency and would’ve made their developing friendships feel a bit more natural ☺️ oh and there were just a lot of descriptions of colors where the author used flowers/plants as descriptors and it got a bit confusing at times… (there were a solid 50 pages throughout which i was struggling to understand what the mc’s eye color was… i enjoy flowery descriptions a lot, but i also enjoy understanding certain bits… like the eye color of the mc if it’s being pointed out this much.) but this feels more like a side note to me personally. (also in case your wondering, lane’s eyes are green… at least i think so 😂)
long story short, i really enjoyed the book and will definitely recommend it to friends and maybe even reread it one day.
a solid 4⭐️ read!
i loved the representation in it, as well as the world it was set in and the characters different voices and especially their interactions (the amount of times i chuckled to myself and wrote the word “same” in this book is just…. a lot, okay? 😂)
the one thing i would’ve enjoyed a bit more is if more of the book had focused on lane’s relationship with her friends. i think it would’ve given her more agency and would’ve made their developing friendships feel a bit more natural ☺️ oh and there were just a lot of descriptions of colors where the author used flowers/plants as descriptors and it got a bit confusing at times… (there were a solid 50 pages throughout which i was struggling to understand what the mc’s eye color was… i enjoy flowery descriptions a lot, but i also enjoy understanding certain bits… like the eye color of the mc if it’s being pointed out this much.) but this feels more like a side note to me personally. (also in case your wondering, lane’s eyes are green… at least i think so 😂)
long story short, i really enjoyed the book and will definitely recommend it to friends and maybe even reread it one day.
a solid 4⭐️ read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Dementia, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
soniajoy98's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Medical content, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Car accident and Classism
leahjanespeare's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
The shadows often whisper to Delaney. An invitation to a special academic program for those who have the ability to travel to parallel worlds validates her gut feeling that there's more out there, but the whispers aren't necessarily friendly. This debut was a total surprise to me; I was sucked in by the pitch of The Raven Boys meets Ninth House but I stayed for the excellent writing and atmospheric reading experience. Having read it I think I'd adjust the comp to Raven Boys meets Supernatural. A group of college kids grappling with ley line magic, the occasional possession, and Mysterious Benefactors with their own motives. Let's not forget a slowburn, almost antagonistic, maybe even forbidden romance.
This world is also magic-normative. There's a school for crossing dimensions? Okay that's nothing to blink twice about. Occult studies, prophecies, futuristic visions--what are those but extracurriculars. There was no "AHA" moment so while this would technically be considered paranormal, it doesn't really match the werewolf or vampire or witchy vibes of most other paranormal books. And due to this subtlety and academic setting, I think that's why I loved it so much, like the Raven Boys. But don't get me wrong, if you liked the sweep of paranormal books from the 2010s or earlier, you'll like the angsty, haunting, quietly-goosebump-inducing world in here as well.
I liked the way the author fit in accessibility issues for Lane's school experience, but not making that the focus of the story, just a facet of the situation. Her professors are assholes - but I mean we are also worrying about ghosts slipping through from Hell so let's focus on that. Her deafness sometimes made situations more difficult, other times easier.
**In the arc 'deaf' was not capitalized, which would mean Lane doesn't identify with the Deaf community - she talks about how her signing isn't fluent and that she has a cochlear implant. The author identifies as Deaf so I feel confident in this sort of representation for the story.**
I'm really excited to read more from this author. Spooky stuff is not usually one of the genres I gravitate toward but if she writes another similar one, I'm definitely going to check it out.
This world is also magic-normative. There's a school for crossing dimensions? Okay that's nothing to blink twice about. Occult studies, prophecies, futuristic visions--what are those but extracurriculars. There was no "AHA" moment so while this would technically be considered paranormal, it doesn't really match the werewolf or vampire or witchy vibes of most other paranormal books. And due to this subtlety and academic setting, I think that's why I loved it so much, like the Raven Boys. But don't get me wrong, if you liked the sweep of paranormal books from the 2010s or earlier, you'll like the angsty, haunting, quietly-goosebump-inducing world in here as well.
I liked the way the author fit in accessibility issues for Lane's school experience, but not making that the focus of the story, just a facet of the situation. Her professors are assholes - but I mean we are also worrying about ghosts slipping through from Hell so let's focus on that. Her deafness sometimes made situations more difficult, other times easier.
**In the arc 'deaf' was not capitalized, which would mean Lane doesn't identify with the Deaf community - she talks about how her signing isn't fluent and that she has a cochlear implant. The author identifies as Deaf so I feel confident in this sort of representation for the story.**
I'm really excited to read more from this author. Spooky stuff is not usually one of the genres I gravitate toward but if she writes another similar one, I'm definitely going to check it out.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Death, and Murder
xalrynne's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The Whispering Dark is a debut standalone dark academia YA fantasy about a deaf college girl and the mysterious boy she’s inexplicably connected to.
I really enjoyed this book. Delaney is a delightful protagonist, and Colton is a dark and brooding good guy. I’m happy the love interest is actually a good person and not some manipulative jerk, which I feel we see far too often in YA books.
I also love that Delaney is deaf and has to navigate the difficulties of college with a disability. It was so refreshing to see this honest portrayal, and the author is also deaf so the representation is authentic. There is also an authentically and positively portrayed Muslim side character.
The characters are adults—Delaney is eighteen and a freshman in college, and Colton is a college senior—but this book is marketed as young adult. For the record, I think this book is being correctly marketed as it is written more like a young adult novel than an adult novel. I’m always wary when young adult novels have adult characters, but the story here is about Delaney coming to terms with how her disability impacts her life and the main focus is on uncovering the mystery of why some students have gone missing. It has a writing style aimed more at a younger audience, so I think the young adult market will enjoy this book, but I am an adult reader who also enjoyed it.
There is some romance in the story, and even though Delaney and Colton spend most of the book together and you know they long to be with each other, the focus here is not on their romance, it’s on the mystery. I got so involved in trying to piece together the clues of the mystery that I had a hard time putting the book down.
There were lots of mysterious components that kept me drawn in and guessing: a wall of names of the dead that seems to predict the future, a quiet boy who Lane is told to stay away from, a mysterious boy who’s told to stay away from Lane, those who were once dead and now aren’t, a boy who shows up in Adya’s peripheral vision who may or may not be dead, visions of the afterlife that may or may not be accurate, a secret and dark history of the school Lane’s attending, a mysterious man known only as the Apostle, and the curious ability to walk through the sky like a doorway.
There are a lot of different elements to this story, and overall I did really enjoy it. The last fifty pages or so kind of lost me as I felt like the story got a little confusing and I didn’t completely love the ending, but I still liked the book as a whole and would recommend it. I’m looking forward to seeing what the author will write next.
I really enjoyed this book. Delaney is a delightful protagonist, and Colton is a dark and brooding good guy. I’m happy the love interest is actually a good person and not some manipulative jerk, which I feel we see far too often in YA books.
I also love that Delaney is deaf and has to navigate the difficulties of college with a disability. It was so refreshing to see this honest portrayal, and the author is also deaf so the representation is authentic. There is also an authentically and positively portrayed Muslim side character.
The characters are adults—Delaney is eighteen and a freshman in college, and Colton is a college senior—but this book is marketed as young adult. For the record, I think this book is being correctly marketed as it is written more like a young adult novel than an adult novel. I’m always wary when young adult novels have adult characters, but the story here is about Delaney coming to terms with how her disability impacts her life and the main focus is on uncovering the mystery of why some students have gone missing. It has a writing style aimed more at a younger audience, so I think the young adult market will enjoy this book, but I am an adult reader who also enjoyed it.
There is some romance in the story, and even though Delaney and Colton spend most of the book together and you know they long to be with each other, the focus here is not on their romance, it’s on the mystery. I got so involved in trying to piece together the clues of the mystery that I had a hard time putting the book down.
There were lots of mysterious components that kept me drawn in and guessing: a wall of names of the dead that seems to predict the future, a quiet boy who Lane is told to stay away from, a mysterious boy who’s told to stay away from Lane, those who were once dead and now aren’t, a boy who shows up in Adya’s peripheral vision who may or may not be dead, visions of the afterlife that may or may not be accurate, a secret and dark history of the school Lane’s attending, a mysterious man known only as the Apostle, and the curious ability to walk through the sky like a doorway.
There are a lot of different elements to this story, and overall I did really enjoy it. The last fifty pages or so kind of lost me as I felt like the story got a little confusing and I didn’t completely love the ending, but I still liked the book as a whole and would recommend it. I’m looking forward to seeing what the author will write next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Murder