WHISPER
by Krystal Jane Ruin
April 3rd 2018
Upper YA/NA Paranormal
Jade has been hearing voices since she was five. No, not voices. One voice.
After her twin brother is appointed vice president of their father’s company at the old age of twenty-two, the family starts falling apart. Her parents hate each other. Her brother is stressed. His girlfriend is a gold-digger if Jade’s ever seen one. And worse yet, it turns out she isn’t crazy-the voice in her head is real.
If she ignores it, it’ll drive her off a cliff, like it has done to every single woman on her father’s side for over 1000 years. If she listens, she’s told something terrible will happen.
The choice should be simple.
MY TIDBITS
Despite a more usual beginning, this book is a growing mountain of completely unexpected twists, harsh decisions and moments which simply leave one wanting more.
Jade is the only daughter of a very wealthy family, but despite financial security, her life isn't glamorous. Thanks to a 'voice' she heard in her head as a small child, she's spent her life with psychiatrists and still is under constant surveillance. Her two brothers, on the other hand, receive everything, including higher ranks in the company business. When the voice returns after years of silence, Jade uncovers a dark, family mystery. The females of her family tree have all died young and often under mysterious circumstances. Her father cages her, her mother fears her and her other relatives claim it's a family curse. But Jade is about to uncover something far worse than most of them suspected.
The opening scene lays the foundation for what, at first, appears to be an average, paranormal romance with a slightly dark twist. Jade, as a little girl, hears a voice and is shunned by her family because of it. In her older years, despite the disappearance of this voice, she's under constant scrutiny, which is driving her crazy. She enters the scene as a trapped heroine seeking freedom with no exceptional qualities of her own. Even the other characters start out as rather mundane and fitting into the usual paranormal romance drawer. But this soon shifts into a delightfully, completely unexpected direction.
The voice Jade is haunted by is anything but what Jade (or readers) might expect. The book takes a sudden dive into the legendary world of King Arthur, which not only caught me off guard but was a delightful treat! This idea is fresh, and I can't think of a book to compare it to.
And it's dark.
Jade embarks on a mystery behind her family which takes her in directions she never wanted to go. The author manages to create a tug-a-war in an area of gray, where the reader isn't sure (for awhile) which side is evil and which can be considered good. Jade's stuck in the middle and although she's basically kind, she's human and has her own moments of selfishness and self-preservation. It's exactly this more realistic battle which makes her such an interesting character.
There is a touch of romance, but this never controls the plot nor does it hold a huge influence on Jade's decisions, but rather jogs a little along the sidelines. But then Jade, despite her inner battles, sometimes misses a bit of self-reflection and emotional digging which would have made this a story that grips hard and doesn't let go—in the romance as well as her own mistakes. Still, her character is more than exciting to follow.
I'd highly recommend this read to paranormal fans who love a dance on the darker side and are looking for a story packed with surprises.
SNEAK PEEK
Logan jokes loudly at the other end of the lobby, entertaining a group of men with lewd jokes and wild stories from their recent trip abroad. My sweet, idiot brother leans against the wall grinning over at him, his stupid gray eyes full of trust.
My leg bounces under my desk, spreading irritation through my body. There are no words for how pissed I am. I wish I could bring the ceiling tiles down on Logan’s head. My water bottle teeters in time with my agitation, and I clamp a hand over it to still it.
Of course, I could. Probably. But if my father suspected me of being responsible, he’d have me carted off in a straitjacket.
“Don’t worry about Logan. He will suffer. Come back and open the door.”
“How?” I force my eyes away from Logan and try to keep my voice low. No one is paying attention to me that I know of, but it’s awkward, talking out loud in an open space. For a second I wish the stupid voice could read my thoughts, but then I think better of it.
Honestly though, how crazy am I that the voice in my own head can’t hear me think?
“Sacrifice.”
“Yeah, you said that, but—” I cut myself off. David walks towards me with a small rectangular box full of padded envelopes.
He drops it on my desk. “This is for Juliane.” He speaks slowly and stares at me hard like he’s trying to read my mind. He caught me talking to myself, I know it. And likely not for the first time.
And here she is. . .
Krystal is the author of supernatural and paranormal fiction, living in the Tennessee Valley with a collection of swords and daggers. When she's not hoarding stuffed pandas, hourglasses, and Hello Kitty replicas, she can be found in YouTube hole or blogging about books, writing, and random things at KrystalSquared.net.
