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andrew_matteson's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Ugh ..... how did this end up on my to read list? đź‘Ž
The world of Whisper has some interesting elements, but falls apart at the tiniest scratch of the surface. There is not a single character in this book whose motivations cannot be summarized in a single sentence. "The Government" and "The Military" are off screen bogeymen. Who? Which ones? What are their motivations?
This book has every trope of the YA genre in the worst way. Teenage love triangle, check. Chosen one who is all-powerful, check. A simple to understand morally black and white bad guy, check.
We are to believe that two secretive organizations, at war with each other, are both in Sydney, know of each other's presence, don't exercise rudimentary tracking of their own individuals, and don't take precautions against each other's *known* seemingly unlimited powers?
For a book in which our main character is a Creator, limited only by her imagination, this book shows a shocking lack of imagination about the consequences of such powers existing in a world with a even a modicum of realism.
The world of Whisper has some interesting elements, but falls apart at the tiniest scratch of the surface. There is not a single character in this book whose motivations cannot be summarized in a single sentence. "The Government" and "The Military" are off screen bogeymen. Who? Which ones? What are their motivations?
This book has every trope of the YA genre in the worst way. Teenage love triangle, check. Chosen one who is all-powerful, check. A simple to understand morally black and white bad guy, check.
We are to believe that two secretive organizations, at war with each other, are both in Sydney, know of each other's presence, don't exercise rudimentary tracking of their own individuals, and don't take precautions against each other's *known* seemingly unlimited powers?
For a book in which our main character is a Creator, limited only by her imagination, this book shows a shocking lack of imagination about the consequences of such powers existing in a world with a even a modicum of realism.
juller's review against another edition
Interesting read, but definitely the first of a series.
ihateprozac's review against another edition
4.0
Whisper tells the story of Jane Doe. Jane has been imprisoned and tested on in a secret government facility for two years, and despite the pain she’s endured, has not uttered a single word since being admitted. One day Jane’s world changes and she discovers exactly what the facility was meant to do.
I set my expectations low for this one. Based on the cover and blurb I was expecting a generic government/science based dystopian, and given my recent experience with Akarnae I wasn’t expecting much from the writing style. I’m happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised on all counts!
The concept was far different from what I’d anticipated and it was really well executed! There’s a strong current of mystery pervading the novel, and even when the protagonist is clued in on a certain aspect of the world, it’s clear that there’s still so much more hiding behind the curtain. It’s not just a case of “oh plot twist the government is terrible and here’s this big secret the facility is hiding, we've been depending on you to overthrow our totalitarian overloads” - there’s a richer history and mythology to the world Noni has created.
The
Overall: I can’t say more without spoiling the story, but this was an all round enjoyable read! There’s a strong element of mystery that’s executed really well, and it’s wonderful to see that Noni’s writing has improved exponentialy since Akarnae. It's not one of those mindblowing books that will stay with me for decades, but I absolutely devoured Whisper and it was a super fun weekend read.
I set my expectations low for this one. Based on the cover and blurb I was expecting a generic government/science based dystopian, and given my recent experience with Akarnae I wasn’t expecting much from the writing style. I’m happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised on all counts!
The concept was far different from what I’d anticipated and it was really well executed! There’s a strong current of mystery pervading the novel, and even when the protagonist is clued in on a certain aspect of the world, it’s clear that there’s still so much more hiding behind the curtain. It’s not just a case of “oh plot twist the government is terrible and here’s this big secret the facility is hiding, we've been depending on you to overthrow our totalitarian overloads” - there’s a richer history and mythology to the world Noni has created.
The
Spoiler
system of superpowers described in the novel was really interesting, and I look forward to seeing how the different types of Speakers can wield their abilities. I also enjoyed the characters and how real they felt; the dialogue never feels forced or overly dramatic, each conversation is filled with mannerisms and nuances that reflect the way people actually talk in the real world. Cami, Enzo, Kael, and Landon actually feel like people I know, which is not something I can often say about fictional characters.Overall: I can’t say more without spoiling the story, but this was an all round enjoyable read! There’s a strong element of mystery that’s executed really well, and it’s wonderful to see that Noni’s writing has improved exponentialy since Akarnae. It's not one of those mindblowing books that will stay with me for decades, but I absolutely devoured Whisper and it was a super fun weekend read.
kristican's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
Ohhhh Lynette, Lynette, Lynette….. how the mighty have fallen for me. I absolutely love The Prison Healer series. So much that I thought this author must have other good books! And so I purchased this on kindle because it was like, $4. I deleted it off my kindle already it bothered me so much. Okay I should have realized by the cover that I was getting myself into a very YA/Uglies dystopian sort of world? If that makes sense? Probably has to do with something as plain as the reveal of her real name, I feel like that was in during dystopian books back in the day. Having really boring names. Honestly I preferred Jane. It has the same vibe as like all of those books I read when I was in middle school. But somehow worse because like it was going sooooo well! Really it was. And then the pacing was soooo bad! And the villains were so bad!!!! Like how was Ward able to reprimand Vanik , and Fallon LITERALLY just told him not to touch alyssa, and yet somehow at the end I’m meant to believe that Vanik got away with what he just did and that Ward is gonna be a prisoner? Soooo stupid. The last half of the book felt so cringey. I wanted to like Kael cause I needed that love triangle angle since Ward wanted to be a dick, but Kael was giving nothing ! Ew it reminded me of Finn from the 100 with “princess” foh I hated that also I really hate dystopian books that make references to real life, like really Ebola in 2014? That threw me off, made me think I was watching a bad DC super hero show. I don’t know how to explain it but that’s what this book was. And don’t get me started when authors
Use
This
Style
Of
Writing
More than once in their books. I was so over it. Again maybe if I was 12 years old I’d have like this? Maybe? Even my taste back then was better
Use
This
Style
Of
Writing
More than once in their books. I was so over it. Again maybe if I was 12 years old I’d have like this? Maybe? Even my taste back then was better
jaimee_featonby's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
lorienf26's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 - this was so enjoyable! also LOVE the Sydney rep, such a fun setting honestly, and I'm really keen to read the next book ✨
demilee1369's review against another edition
4.0
This book was rather slow starting and kept me wondering on what way it was headed but after awhile I was pulled so far into this story I couldn't put it down and it even took me this long to write a review on it cause it was just so hard to get my brain outta being stuck on this story. I so cant wait for the second book
bloomingbookworm's review against another edition
4.5
Really enjoyable YA read reminiscent of 2010s dystopian novels!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Death of parent
shannonreadstheworld's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
lauramndl's review against another edition
4.0
Project Jane hat mich sehr an die Shaker Me Reihe erinnert. Aber genau deswegen mochte ich das Buch echt gerne. Es ist ein tolles Jugendbuch - man erkennt ein bisschen die klassische Abfolge der Handlungen - und ich bin gespannt auf Band 2.
In der Mitte hat sich das Buch leider etwas gezogen, aber der Anfang und auch das Ende wahr sehr vielversprechend. Man wollte die ganze Zeit wissen, was passiert und auch wenn man eine gewisse Vorahnung hatte, konnte ich immer wieder ĂĽberrascht werden.
In der Mitte hat sich das Buch leider etwas gezogen, aber der Anfang und auch das Ende wahr sehr vielversprechend. Man wollte die ganze Zeit wissen, was passiert und auch wenn man eine gewisse Vorahnung hatte, konnte ich immer wieder ĂĽberrascht werden.