Friday, October 17, 2014

Whisper the Dead by Alyxandra Harvey

Series: The Lovegrove Legacy #2
408 p.
Published: 10/7/14
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Source: NetGalley and publisher for review
Cousins Gretchen, Emma, and Penelope are all dealing with what it means to be a Lovegrove. For Gretchen, it means she often feels like her head is going to explode. As a Whisperer, Gretchen constantly hears the whispers of other witches' spells. And while this does help her to know when one of her own spells is going wrong, the incessant buzzing and pain the whispers cause makes it difficult to use her gift. 
But when something evil begins to menace Mayfair, Gretchen must find a way to master her power. Along with her cousins, a madcap named Moira, and the icy yet irresistible Tobias Lawless, Gretchen faces deadly threats and unimaginable loss in the hopes of preventing the terrible Greymalkin Sisters from rising again.

The second book in The Lovegrove Legacy trilogy, Whisper the Dead will leave readers spellbound.
My thoughts:
I had a bit of a problem getting into this one because it is told with multi-POVs which kept confusing me. Now had I read it right after the first I probably wouldn't have kept confusing the characters. Now when the girls, Gretchen, Emma and Penelope, separate I had no problems what so ever with getting everyone straight. Those parts of the book really took off for me and I was quite enthralled. I believe that if I had reread the first book none of it would have confused me. So, I recommend a reread of the first for those that might feel a bit lost with multi-POVs. I didn't feel that way with the first book and I sincerely think I am to blame for the confusion.

What I did love about this book is that the author went deeper with the characters. I felt like I got to know many of the secondary characters much better in this installment. I also liked how the magic really adds to the plot within this story. I felt it was stronger here than in the first book.

I give this book 3 stars. It is a book with multi-POVs and a complex plot. I do suggest a reread of the first book or even reading it close to reading this one. Don't let that put you off of the book. I think you will find a rich world with great characters within the pages. I do warn that there is a cliffie but it didn't bother me too much knowing that this is a trilogy and the conclusion to the adventure is in sight.

27 comments:

  1. I am not feeling this book today :/

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  2. Multiple POV's and a cliffie are giving me pause, but I do like the sound of this series. I guess I should start with book one or I'd be super confused by the sounds of it. Lovely review!

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    1. I think reading them closer together will solve any feelings of being lost.

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  3. Multiple POVs or a detailed plot work well, but those two elements together usually result in confusion more than anything else. Authors can't expect that all readers are going to be able to devour their installments back-to-back, and should keep that in mind when writing a sequel.

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    1. I don't know... they should publish them that way! LOL Okay, I feel that way if I like a book no matter how they write it. :)

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  4. Hm. This is an author I've been wanting to try for a while, but I'm mildly worried about the multiple POVs, I tend to struggle with those. I like just one or two, any more than that and I get all out of sorts. I'm glad once the girls separated though, you were able to settle into the story more:)

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    1. I think that if you read the first book closer to the second, it'll all be good. :)

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  5. Going deeper with the characters sounds good even if the multiple POVs are confusing at times

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  6. Given the multiple povs issue and the cliffie, I think I'll wait for book 3 comes out before I read this series.

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  7. I really love this author but I haven't started this series yet. I think I'll definitely want to read the books close together though.

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    1. I do think that is smart. I do think you'd enjoy this series.

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  8. I haven't heard of this series so I'm not entirely sure it's exactly for me but I'm glad you found aspects to love, Melissa. Wonderful review! :)

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  9. I have been reading outstanding reviews for this one, but I think I am going to hold off because book amensia has been killing lately, and I can't handle more cliffhangers.

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  10. Multiple POVs can be so dang tricky. I've read some where it really worked and others like this where I could have really done with a re-read of previous books to help out with it.

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  11. I'm glad that the multi POVs wasn't a problem here. I usually tend to stay away books like that because I'm easily lost but it's nice to see it's well done. Great review!

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  12. You have me curious and when done right I love multiple povs.

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  13. Multiple POVs rarely work for me either, but I read these two back to back, and I'm actually quite used to it from Harvey. I agree that it tended to be a bit confusing, but Harvey's sense of humor more than made up for it in my eyes.
    Wonderful review!

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  14. Multiple pov's in a series confuse me too. I don't mind it but I need to read them closer together to be able to remember everything that's going on and who everyone is.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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  15. Multiple POVs can really be challenging. Sometimes, they're great. Most of the time, they're too overwhelming to me and wind up muddying up the plot.

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  16. I don't mind multiple POVs, but when the characters are all together, it does get confusing sometimes. This sounds like an interesting series though.

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  17. humm I really need to read this series back to back. I don't know about the multiple POVs thought. I can handle two, but if anymore , it gets kind of confusing.

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  18. Multiple POVs can confuse me. But I do like complex and it does sound interesting. I'll have to give a try and see.

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  19. I have yet to start this series. Great review.

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  20. Oh I like the idea of the multi POVs and the complex plot. Cool. I'm curious about the first book now. :) Thank you.

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