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stardustandrockets's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Child death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Murder, and Stalking
Minor: Pregnancy and Vomit
skylar_cr_wolf's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
“Death is part of life. Nothing is permanent. Nothing stays. Everything comes to an end, that’s just the way it goes.”
This is something you would believe. Even Delaney believed it for a while. A long while. But does life really stop with death?
While you follow her on her journey to unravel not just the truth by finding an answer to this particular question maybe, you’re also meeting Colton, someone who will keep secrets till his last breath. Or in this case simply even to the end.
And honestly, I like this. They both evolve throughout the story but Colton still remains with secrets of his own.He is also not your average dark, mysterious guy with a sweet spot for the female main protagonist. No. He is literally a dead person with questionable morals, maybe even only a shadow of himself at the end. Colton isn’t becoming morally grey. His morals have always been a little off because the laws of life do not necessarily apply to him anymore. I must say, I think I like this about him. Or about this story in general. You will get answers to questions and yet you won’t be able to solve all of the secrets.
I am surprised how quickly I read this, to be honest. Usually I need more than a week to read ~400 pages but this one really had me in a grip there. I can’t pinpoint why it did not turn out to be 5 stars or more than solid 4. But maybe this is just another question which I cannot answer and won’t possibly. Which is fine. I liked the book a lot nonetheless.
This is something you would believe. Even Delaney believed it for a while. A long while. But does life really stop with death?
While you follow her on her journey to unravel not just the truth by finding an answer to this particular question maybe, you’re also meeting Colton, someone who will keep secrets till his last breath. Or in this case simply even to the end.
And honestly, I like this. They both evolve throughout the story but Colton still remains with secrets of his own.
I am surprised how quickly I read this, to be honest. Usually I need more than a week to read ~400 pages but this one really had me in a grip there. I can’t pinpoint why it did not turn out to be 5 stars or more than solid 4. But maybe this is just another question which I cannot answer and won’t possibly. Which is fine. I liked the book a lot nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Murder, and Death
Minor: Dementia, Car accident, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
shereadytoread's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 rounded up. Overall this was an excellent read! I enjoyed the background of the fantasy elements that were built into the general world.
Pros:
- great representation of deaf character including the limitations of accommodations and aids, as well as general difficulty in accessing individualized accommodations
- plot was engaging with both a mystery and urban fantasy adventure
- good supporting characters that were actively involved throughout the story
- plot twists (?) or reveals that worked well in pushing the story forward
Cons:
- slightly repetitive language in how the main character is described
- some unnecessary repetitive filler in the formation of the friendship between the two main characters (honestly how many times do I need to hear “you’re suppose to stay away from her” before you tell me why! And repeated “every morning in class blah blah lol)
Potentially relevant information: One of the primary characters is a Muslim woman who wears a hijab. I have seen concerns that this character engaging in the ability/magic she does is problematic. I have read the full review of one of the sensitivity readers who read for and approved of this representation due to it being an innate ability/power as all the other characters have, not engaging in a magic practice.
Pros:
- great representation of deaf character including the limitations of accommodations and aids, as well as general difficulty in accessing individualized accommodations
- plot was engaging with both a mystery and urban fantasy adventure
- good supporting characters that were actively involved throughout the story
- plot twists (?) or reveals that worked well in pushing the story forward
Cons:
- slightly repetitive language in how the main character is described
- some unnecessary repetitive filler in the formation of the friendship between the two main characters (honestly how many times do I need to hear “you’re suppose to stay away from her” before you tell me why! And repeated “every morning in class blah blah lol)
Potentially relevant information: One of the primary characters is a Muslim woman who wears a hijab. I have seen concerns that this character engaging in the ability/magic she does is problematic. I have read the full review of one of the sensitivity readers who read for and approved of this representation due to it being an innate ability/power as all the other characters have, not engaging in a magic practice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Child death
Minor: Confinement and Fire/Fire injury
hafable's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
What I liked:
Delaney as a deaf character was incredibly fresh and not only that but her deafness was integral to the story which was great! The premise of the story where there is the college that people who've had brushes with death go to and learn how to tear through the sky to enter parallel worlds is interesting too. The idea of a group of mean at the college who are trying to obtain immortality at a cost is intriguing and the ride it takes you on is compelling enough that despite some of this books faults, I just had a fun time reading it.... for most of it There were so many moments and interactions that were either fun enough or intriguing enough, even thrilling at some points, where I just wanted to keep on reading and do nothing else so despite how intense I'll be about what I didn't like, I would probably still read it again like if you turn your critical thinking off for a bit, it can be a very fun read.
What I didn't like: ( vague spoilers but nothing that specific)
This books biggest pitfall was its own marketing. The synopsis advertised itself as this paranormal, dark academia thriller featuring our 2 main characters who are meant to keep away from each other; delaney by choice since he annoys her and colton because he was ordered to by the campus group called "The Priory". It says that Colton and Delaney team up in order to fight against something ageless and dangerous at the university, implying that they do not in fact become easily close within the first third of the book. What's the scope of the priory you ask? Why is colton ordered to stay away from her? why does the leader of this group of men care so much about her and yet does absolutely nothing with her until the end? Do most of these side characters matter? WHATS THE MAGIC SYSTEM? IF THERES UNIVERSE HOPPING WHY DOES THE BOOK ONLY SHOW THEM GO TO OTHER UNIVERSES TO BREIFLY GO PLACES LIKE MUSEUMS OR MARKETS AND BARELY LOOK OR INTERACT WITH DEAD PEOPLE WHO ARE ALIVE THERE?????? IF THE BOOK IS MARKETED AS A PARANORMAL DARK ACADEMIA THRILLER, WHY DOES THE MOST IMPORTANT THING SEEM TO BE THE ROMANCE?? A ROMANCE THAT COULDVE WORKED BUT INSTEAD DRAGGED THE PLOT AND SO FUMBLED THE ACTUALLY INTENSE AND COOL ENDING OF THE NOVEL TO BE INFINITELY MORE BORING THAN IT SHOULDVE BEEN YOU ASK???? Don't ask my friend bc you'll never know. Still a fun read lol, 3 stars but extra points off for making me read the phrase "knees kissing" more than once
Delaney as a deaf character was incredibly fresh and not only that but her deafness was integral to the story which was great! The premise of the story where there is the college that people who've had brushes with death go to and learn how to tear through the sky to enter parallel worlds is interesting too. The idea of a group of mean at the college who are trying to obtain immortality at a cost is intriguing and the ride it takes you on is compelling enough that despite some of this books faults, I just had a fun time reading it.... for most of it There were so many moments and interactions that were either fun enough or intriguing enough, even thrilling at some points, where I just wanted to keep on reading and do nothing else so despite how intense I'll be about what I didn't like, I would probably still read it again like if you turn your critical thinking off for a bit, it can be a very fun read.
What I didn't like: ( vague spoilers but nothing that specific)
This books biggest pitfall was its own marketing. The synopsis advertised itself as this paranormal, dark academia thriller featuring our 2 main characters who are meant to keep away from each other; delaney by choice since he annoys her and colton because he was ordered to by the campus group called "The Priory". It says that Colton and Delaney team up in order to fight against something ageless and dangerous at the university, implying that they do not in fact become easily close within the first third of the book. What's the scope of the priory you ask? Why is colton ordered to stay away from her? why does the leader of this group of men care so much about her and yet does absolutely nothing with her until the end? Do most of these side characters matter? WHATS THE MAGIC SYSTEM? IF THERES UNIVERSE HOPPING WHY DOES THE BOOK ONLY SHOW THEM GO TO OTHER UNIVERSES TO BREIFLY GO PLACES LIKE MUSEUMS OR MARKETS AND BARELY LOOK OR INTERACT WITH DEAD PEOPLE WHO ARE ALIVE THERE?????? IF THE BOOK IS MARKETED AS A PARANORMAL DARK ACADEMIA THRILLER, WHY DOES THE MOST IMPORTANT THING SEEM TO BE THE ROMANCE?? A ROMANCE THAT COULDVE WORKED BUT INSTEAD DRAGGED THE PLOT AND SO FUMBLED THE ACTUALLY INTENSE AND COOL ENDING OF THE NOVEL TO BE INFINITELY MORE BORING THAN IT SHOULDVE BEEN YOU ASK???? Don't ask my friend bc you'll never know. Still a fun read lol, 3 stars but extra points off for making me read the phrase "knees kissing" more than once
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Grief
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: Murder, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Ableism, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Vomit, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Cursing, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Confinement, Toxic friendship, and Car accident
Minor: Dementia, Drug use, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Animal death, and Pregnancy
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: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Grief, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment, Gore, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Dementia
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: Death, Violence, Murder, Blood, Ableism, and Child death
Moderate: Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Classism and Car accident
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