Whisper

I started out Whisper a little bit unsure. The premise of Whisper gave me a chill while reading the blurb. Not the paranormal part, but the Joy and Jessica part. Something about those few lines detailing their relationship gave me chills.

Strictly speaking my only major complaint was with the unevenness to the narrative. More of the book was spent on watching Joy's perfect world crumble then it was on Joy and Jessica's relationship. Though the effect of Jessica's seemingly unending malice clearly effected Joy's life, and I could easily feel Joy's feelings on this matter, there was only snatches of their former close bond. Memories that flitted around to express just how polar opposite their relationship had become, but weren't fleshed show more out.

The rest of the book worked really well for me. Having my own polar opposite sister I identified with Joy's unease and awkwardness regarding her relationship with Jessica. Its hard to let go of those years when you felt so close and wanted to share similar ideas and hobbies. Not truly understanding how you went from being everything to each other and then suddenly being strangers seemingly over night. What did I say wrong? What did I do wrong? All those feelings of hurt and unhappiness that both girls felt, I've struggled with them myself. This had the unfortunate effect of making me tear up more often then not, but it made the book seem so much more real.

Despite the slow start, it felt like much of the central plot--helping Jessica--came in excited, rapid bursts between all of Joy's other worries. Hearing her friends' true thoughts, catching on that she was missing something (but not sure what exactly), frustration over the lack of real communication in her household--these things all swirled around as Joy attempted to puzzle out the strange thoughts and images she was getting from Jessica.

Jamie, who has his own family problems, was a good foil to Joy. His and his older brother Ben's relationship was similar to Joy and Jessica's--except whereas Ben (the older brother) could fit in easily, it was Joy (the younger sister) who fitted in well. The bond between the brothers was also kind of different, which I have a feeling has to do a lot with their own family issues, and I wish we could have seen more about them. Fleshed out that whole dynamic some. I also felt that together Joy and Jamie made a good team--quite frankly they were almost perfect for each other.

Joy's family was...I'm not sure dysfunctional really covers it properly. A lot comes out and will need to be talked about, discussed and put right. Not just regarding Jessica, but also regarding the complete oblivious cloud the family seemed to operate under. I think I felt the worse for Joy's father, who used willful ignorance to make it through most days. I don't think either parent was a 'bad' parent per say, or abusive, or neglectful, but Joy's mother tried to impose her views, her choices and expectations on everyone in the house. To varying degrees of failure and success.

This book both terrified and enthralled me. Some of the problems between Joy and Jessica so eerily mirrored issues I have with my sister that my gut clenched in anxiety. But then, that makes a wonderful book. Style can be polished as a writer publishes more novels, emotional connection however--you can't teach that I don't think. Its something you write into your stories without conscious thought and its something Kitanidis does extremely well. show less

Let me tell you why I am smitten with this book! Beneath the surface, below all the Whispers, is the story of a young girl who is turning into an adult. More than anything I connected with Joy on the level of being a normal teenage girl. Joy reminded me of myself at her age. She has friend issues, a sister who drives her nuts, and is looking for her niche in a crazy school environment. Check, check and check! At its broadest level, Whisper is simply a book about coming of age and the trials that come along with that.

That being said, I loved every little thing about this story! Although "mind reading" has been dealt with before, I sincerely enjoyed the spin that Phoebe Kitanidis put on it in Whisper. Joy's inability to select what it was show more she hears was refreshing. That's the way I imagine it would be in a real world situation.

I fell in love with the relationship between Joy and her sister Icka (Jessica) too. Their relationship was perfectly true to life. Sisters who grew up, and grew apart. Sisters who love one another deeply, but don't always get along. Sisters who argue and scream, but feel bad about it later. Perfect.

Joy is a wonderful protagonist to follow! She is sweet and funny, albeit a little awkward socially sometimes. Following her through her day to day actions was never boring, and I liked that as she grows in the story she never looses sight of who she really is. I also thought it was delightfully perfect that she uses her ability to make people feel better about themselves! Joy is definitely a character to fall in love with.

Overall Whisper is an exciting and extremely well written read! I'd highly recommend it if you haven't gotten to it yet. It seems that Phoebe is hinting at a sequel and if that is the case then I cannot wait! show less

Whisper is a new idea in the paranormal world. I am really excited to see where this series is headed! In the beginning of Whisper you meet two sisters, Joy and Jessica (Icka). Both are living normal lives but with a deep secret, the women in their family each have the ability to hear whispers, well, mental whispers. They hear everyone’s deepest wishes. In the beginning we find out that Joy and Icka are really different, Joy tries to grant peoples wishes and overall thinks people can be kind. While Icka on the other hand doesn’t enjoy her power at all, her hearing is well developed and she is able to hear far beyond the normal, innocent whispers. Having the two characters be in such a different place but also be so close was one of show more the things that kept my interest. All Joy wanted was to be happy with her sister; she wanted to feel close to her but also knew her sister was pushing people away. It was a very understandable struggle, one that I have with my own sister, and I was able to fully connect with this book (even if it was a paranormal).

I liked that Whisper had a small sense of romance. When Joy and Jamie finally connected, I was really happy. The two bonded and even if it didn’t develop into anything right away I was really excited at the way everything built up between them. Things seemed normal, slow, and steady; it wasn’t some crazy, passionate love right away. Even though it was a paranormal a lot of the story was relatable and believable.

I think the last few chapters in the book were some of the best. Joy matures and realizes how life really is. She does things for herself and for her sister that she wouldn’t have done before. Also, the ending, when they realize what is actually going on kind of frightened me but in a good way. It was a shocking ending that surprised me and kept me on my toes till the last few seconds.

The way Whisper ended was perfect. It had a bit of closure but also left you wanting more. I think it was a great road to take as an author. If a series should develop, I will definitely be reading it. I look forward to reading more from Phoebe.

I give Whisper 4 Lanterns, I think it had an interesting beginning, a suspenseful story line, and a well thought out ending. I hope to see more from Phoebe soon. show less

Joy, her older sister Jessica and their mother are of a long line of femaile relatives who can Hear other people's Whispers. In other words, they can hear people's thoughts. Joy uses her power for good, pleasing her friends and classmates by delivering what they want. Cynical Icka (Jessica's nickname) uses her power to deliver hard, cruel truths. The two sisters couldn't be more different except for the power they share. What Joy doesn't realize is that Icka's power has become a burden she no longer wants, and soon Joy finds her power shifting in the same frightening way. When Joy senses that Icka is in trouble, it becomes an opportunity to corral her changing power and reconnect with her sister. This book started out slow and and wordy show more but becomes suspenseful and compelling once you get past it. It's more than a novel about girls with cool superpowers, though. There's a theme of with-power-comes-responsibility; both girls must learn how to cope with the changes in their abilities and the growth involved comes with pain and emotional angst. Teens who are fans of the paranormal will enjoy this getaway book. show less

All of the females in Joy’s family can hear Whispers – the deepest desires of the people around them. Joy and her mother see this as a gift, allowing them to grant people’s wishes, but Joy’s sister Icka sees it as a terrible curse. All Icka can hear are the bad wishes that people have, and it is too much for her to handle.

After a fight between the two sisters, Icka runs away from home in search of some sort of drugs that will stop the Whispers – and when Icka sends Joy some desperate thoughts on how Icka needs help, Joy know she needs to save her sister. Enlisting the help of a loner emo-boy with special powers of his own, Joy starts her quest to find her sister – but can she find Icka before it’s too late?

The Review
Sounds show more like an exciting premise, doesn’t it? As a people pleaser myself, it would certainly be extremely helpful in order to hear what people were wishing at any particular moment. That’s what drew me to this book.

The way this book was written had me hooked from the beginning. It’s an easy read, and it’s an enjoyable premise. The concept isn’t something completely different and new (who’s the first character that comes to your mind when thinking about characters who can read your thoughts – because that’s pretty much what hearing Whispers seemed to come across as), but it was done in a different way. And it dealt with a girl discovering that what she was Hearing wasn’t always everything a person was Whispering – just one facet of it. That exploration was very cool – sometimes heartbreaking, but definitely very cool.

As hooked as this book had me, though, there were a few things that took away from the utter and total enjoyment of this book. In all honesty, I didn’t really care for Joy for the most part. She felt very one-dimensional. Her sister Icka, however, seemed to be the much more developed and relatable character in the book. And this book was as much about Icka and Joy’s relationship as it was about Joy dealing with changes in how she hears Whispers, and about Joy’s self-discovery.

As well, for some characters there seemed to be a total lack of character development… As seeing this through Joy’s eyes, it seemed like other characters went from being one thing to being the total opposite, and it was hard to believe these were the same people. Could Joy’s total perspective on people change so suddenly? What exactly changed with her Hearing that it happened so quicklyk? Or was it more of oa personal outlook on the world that changed her ability from hearing happy wishes to hearing evil wishes? This could have been explored or explained more thoroughly, as it just seemed to happen to sudden to be realistic. That said, though, Joy’s reaction to the sudden change was what I would expect – it making her so utterly sick. I just wish I could understand what happened a little bit better.

Other than those points, though, I thought this was a fun book. And I am definitely looking forward to what Kitanidis writes in the future.

The Bottom Line
All in all, it wasn’t a perfect book. But it was a good debut book for the author, and it kept me reading all night long. So even though it had its flaws, the fact that I didn’t put it down until I finished the last page means that there was definitely something going for it. I would definitely recommend Whisper. show less

Whisper is another one of those breath-of-fresh-air kind of paranormals. Although it features no monsters or sinister villains, it still managed to capture me and take me on a suspenseful, fast-paced ride.

I really love the plot and how it’s set up. Hearing people’s desires is something that most would wish they could do. Kitanidis plays on both the positive and negative side of this power by creating the happy-go-lucky protagonist, Joy and her complete opposite older sister, Jessica. The book shines light on both of their struggles with this ability as it enhances and begins to take a turn for the worst, and I was really pleased with the creativity of it all.

I think the characters could’ve been a bit more smoothed out. Joy seemed show more to stay in the same place, figuratively, throughout the length of the book. Jessica’s hatred of their ability and the extreme danger she leads herself into because of it came as quickly as it ended. I would’ve preferred to see a bit more development in those areas.

And more Jamie, the misunderstood loner whom takes an interest in Joy both romantically and ability-wise. I really loved his character, but I would’ve loved to see a lot more of him. Perhaps in book two? If there is a book two. I certainly hope there is!

Overall, Whisper is a fantastic debut from Phoebe Kitanidis. Packed with action, suspense, paranormal elements and even a bit of romance, I definitely recommend it to anybody in the mood for something dark and fast-paced. show less

The females in 15-year-old Joy Stefani’s family are all able to Hear Whispers: people’s unspoken desires. Joy Hears to please everyone around her, but her older sister Jessica (better known as Icka) hates her Hearing and lashes out at everyone around her. Joy and Icka used to be close, but their different attitudes toward the Whispers opens up a seemingly unfixable chasm between them.

Then, Joy’s Hearing starts changing for the worse, and Icka disappears. With unlikely help from an unlikely boy in her class, who has his own secrets, Joy sets off to find her sister and unravel the truth about their ability.

WHISPER is a story that covers lots of ground, ranging from siblings to family to self-esteem. While it has its most serious show more flaws concerning pacing, it is in the end an intriguing read that will resonate if you like this type of paranormal story.

WHISPER’s more serious themes of sisters and self-esteem are fairly well done. While most of the characters, particularly Joy, are annoying at the beginning with their shallow thoughts and dialogue, they manage to develop into sympathetic characters of the course of the novel as they face their challenges. In particular, I found the course of Joy and Icka’s sisterly relationship well-written and believable—even if the story did resort to borderline cheesy high-stakes paranormal melodrama to bring about the ending.

Unfortunately, the snail’s pace of the first two-thirds of this book made it so that I had a lot of trouble getting into the story. So much of the book seems to be spent laying down the situation, introducing Joy’s relationships with her friends and family, and showing examples of the sisters’ Hearing, that not enough in terms of plot occurred until the very end. If you can get past the first 150 or so pages, then you’re in for a treat: there’s plenty of action, reconciliation, and growth at the end of the novel to almost redeem itself for its utterly uneventful first half.

Almost. Its numerous flaws in characterization, pacing, and romantic development make it clear to me that this is not a book I would have finished had it not been for review. Nevertheless, WHISPER will delight lovers of unique paranormal ideas who will be willing to excuse its problems. show less