Scan barcode
A review by leithbookstagram
The Girl with the Whispering Shadow by D.E. Night
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.0
I really loved the first book in this series, so this sequel had a lot to live up to and it definitely didn’t disappoint!
The lovely illustrations at the beginning of each chapter continued in this book and the writing style was still brilliant and gripping. The writing style is more mature, which I believe reflects Ivy’s own personality at this moment – in the first book, the writing was, even though I really liked the writing style, reflected Ivy’s naivety in this world, but now Ivy has been in this world of magic and fantasy for a year now and she has had to experience many situations that even the adults don’t deal with.
This book continues immediately after the ending of the first book, which is great because the same story lines are continued. In other series I’ve read, storylines are forgotten between books, leaving plot holes which are extraordinarily frustrating! I also really liked that the structure of the first book, in which the reader learned about this magical and fantastical world along with Ivy throughout, continued in this book. This structure makes the descriptions more informal and conversational, instead of the normal long and boring descriptions in other books. However, I don’t particularly like the speech, although it isn’t awful and it does the job, I just think it’s a tad unrealistic and blunt and doesn’t mimic regular conversations in real life. It’s frustrating because I love the descriptions.
I’m really happy that this book followed Ivy, Fyn and Rebecca as a trio – if you have read my last review, you would have seen that I wanted more interaction between the trio because I really loved their friendship, and my wish was granted! New characters are also added to this friend group, mainly Glistle and Gretta, and I enjoyed meeting these new characters and reading about their friendship. The only issue I had was that for the other new friends introduced, but in a minor role, I forgot who each person was. It would have been nice to have a reminder throughout of who was who, and would have really added to their developing relationships with Ivy. Another issue I had with the book was that there were some magical bits that confused me and I don’t think were explained well, I’d really appreciate a dictionary like the students have to keep me on the right track when I get confused! And I’d love to see more illustrations throughout, so I have a picture of, for example, the magical beasts. However, this confusion was a very rare occurrence and overall I’d say the descriptions were just right.
Again throughout this sequel, Fyn is mysteriously always there when Ivy is about to do something or when she needs someone, even at the strangest times and oddest locations. It’s like Ivy and Fyn are constantly being pulled together by strange forces, why do they need to be together? I’m really looking forward to reading the next book, because Fyn will have graduated and won’t be able to be mysteriously always there when Ivy needs him or when Ivy is about to do something dangerous.
Overall, I really enjoyed this sequel and I’m so glad it didn’t disappoint after how much I enjoyed the first book. I even had the same childish excitement I had when reading the first book and I’m sad that this book has ended. This book is just as magical and fantastical as the first book. I’d love to see this series turned into a movie, it sounds like it’d be a great watch. Ivy is a really strong female heroine, she’s brave and determined and a great role model for the target audience of this book. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book and see what happens, because this one has cruelly ended on a cliff hanger! I’m really enjoying learning about this world and exploring it with Ivy and her friends, battling evil and ignoring teachers!
Thank you to @author.denight, @danielastoriesuntoldpress and @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.
The lovely illustrations at the beginning of each chapter continued in this book and the writing style was still brilliant and gripping. The writing style is more mature, which I believe reflects Ivy’s own personality at this moment – in the first book, the writing was, even though I really liked the writing style, reflected Ivy’s naivety in this world, but now Ivy has been in this world of magic and fantasy for a year now and she has had to experience many situations that even the adults don’t deal with.
This book continues immediately after the ending of the first book, which is great because the same story lines are continued. In other series I’ve read, storylines are forgotten between books, leaving plot holes which are extraordinarily frustrating! I also really liked that the structure of the first book, in which the reader learned about this magical and fantastical world along with Ivy throughout, continued in this book. This structure makes the descriptions more informal and conversational, instead of the normal long and boring descriptions in other books. However, I don’t particularly like the speech, although it isn’t awful and it does the job, I just think it’s a tad unrealistic and blunt and doesn’t mimic regular conversations in real life. It’s frustrating because I love the descriptions.
I’m really happy that this book followed Ivy, Fyn and Rebecca as a trio – if you have read my last review, you would have seen that I wanted more interaction between the trio because I really loved their friendship, and my wish was granted! New characters are also added to this friend group, mainly Glistle and Gretta, and I enjoyed meeting these new characters and reading about their friendship. The only issue I had was that for the other new friends introduced, but in a minor role, I forgot who each person was. It would have been nice to have a reminder throughout of who was who, and would have really added to their developing relationships with Ivy. Another issue I had with the book was that there were some magical bits that confused me and I don’t think were explained well, I’d really appreciate a dictionary like the students have to keep me on the right track when I get confused! And I’d love to see more illustrations throughout, so I have a picture of, for example, the magical beasts. However, this confusion was a very rare occurrence and overall I’d say the descriptions were just right.
Again throughout this sequel, Fyn is mysteriously always there when Ivy is about to do something or when she needs someone, even at the strangest times and oddest locations. It’s like Ivy and Fyn are constantly being pulled together by strange forces, why do they need to be together? I’m really looking forward to reading the next book, because Fyn will have graduated and won’t be able to be mysteriously always there when Ivy needs him or when Ivy is about to do something dangerous.
Overall, I really enjoyed this sequel and I’m so glad it didn’t disappoint after how much I enjoyed the first book. I even had the same childish excitement I had when reading the first book and I’m sad that this book has ended. This book is just as magical and fantastical as the first book. I’d love to see this series turned into a movie, it sounds like it’d be a great watch. Ivy is a really strong female heroine, she’s brave and determined and a great role model for the target audience of this book. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book and see what happens, because this one has cruelly ended on a cliff hanger! I’m really enjoying learning about this world and exploring it with Ivy and her friends, battling evil and ignoring teachers!
Thank you to @author.denight, @danielastoriesuntoldpress and @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.