The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
erinarkin20's review against another edition
3.0
Forest of Whispers by Jennifer Murgia was a quick read that had me turning the pages trying to figure out what was going to happen next. If you are looking for witch story that ties brings in a bit of the history of the era, you might want to check this one out.
Rune was raised in the forest just outside the village and has always been different. She never knew her mother but she can’t hide the fact from Mathilde, the person who raised her, that she is hearing her mother’s voice whispering things to her. I found Rune to be an interesting character. She is thrown into a situation she wasn’t fully prepared for and ends up having to face some horrible situations. Despite that, she comes out stronger in the end.
Laurentz was a solid character and I liked him. Clearly he had some demons to face and the way his story was tied to Rune’s was done well and I liked how Murgia showed his relationship with his father. There was obviously some anger and blame floating between the two due to the death of Laurentz’s brother and while that was true, I thought that it was interesting how their relationship changed at the end of the story due to their circumstances.
The secondary characters in the book helped move the story along and I liked how Murgia slowly revealed their roles in the overall story. Not only what was happening to Rune in the current time but also the things they did in the past, including their roles/impact in what happened with the girls who died in the forest before. This is the part of the story that links back to Rune’s mother and I can’t say much about it as I don’t want to give anything away but to understand what really is happening, you definitely have to give the story time to be revealed. With that said, I thought the way that Murgia revealed the full story was well done.
Alongside the story, Murgia blends in German history and locations to make the story that much more interesting. By linking the witch hunts of the time and the lore of the Black Forest, I found myself linking this to the historical genre. It also helped in building out the feeling and sense of the time. People were obviously afraid of disease and famine and witches were just one way that people felt they could find someone to blame.
I also thought Murgia also did a good job of switching points of view. It was necessary due to the constraints that Rune had on her and the information she would have been able to find out on her own. The way it was done helped the story flow together for me and was necessary. Overall I found this story to be a quick and enjoyable read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Spencer Hill Press for the review copy!
Rune was raised in the forest just outside the village and has always been different. She never knew her mother but she can’t hide the fact from Mathilde, the person who raised her, that she is hearing her mother’s voice whispering things to her. I found Rune to be an interesting character. She is thrown into a situation she wasn’t fully prepared for and ends up having to face some horrible situations. Despite that, she comes out stronger in the end.
Laurentz was a solid character and I liked him. Clearly he had some demons to face and the way his story was tied to Rune’s was done well and I liked how Murgia showed his relationship with his father. There was obviously some anger and blame floating between the two due to the death of Laurentz’s brother and while that was true, I thought that it was interesting how their relationship changed at the end of the story due to their circumstances.
The secondary characters in the book helped move the story along and I liked how Murgia slowly revealed their roles in the overall story. Not only what was happening to Rune in the current time but also the things they did in the past, including their roles/impact in what happened with the girls who died in the forest before. This is the part of the story that links back to Rune’s mother and I can’t say much about it as I don’t want to give anything away but to understand what really is happening, you definitely have to give the story time to be revealed. With that said, I thought the way that Murgia revealed the full story was well done.
Alongside the story, Murgia blends in German history and locations to make the story that much more interesting. By linking the witch hunts of the time and the lore of the Black Forest, I found myself linking this to the historical genre. It also helped in building out the feeling and sense of the time. People were obviously afraid of disease and famine and witches were just one way that people felt they could find someone to blame.
I also thought Murgia also did a good job of switching points of view. It was necessary due to the constraints that Rune had on her and the information she would have been able to find out on her own. The way it was done helped the story flow together for me and was necessary. Overall I found this story to be a quick and enjoyable read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Spencer Hill Press for the review copy!
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
Forest of Whispers intrigued me with beautiful cover and hedge witch main character.
Likes:
✸ Wonderful writing and description. So lyrical, unusual metaphors... Some descriptions are almost like poems.
✸ Hedge witches. I imagine them as quirky grannies, living in the cottages in the forest. I love it that Forest of Whispers features them as main characters.
✸ Real historical setting. OK, I was not sure about this until I read the note at the end. But I love it when books push real knowledge on me. I knew about witch trials in Salem and Spanish inquisition. (Who doesn't?) But I did not know the same thing happened in Germany.
✸ Mystery behind past and present events. What is happening, who is plotting, who is lying? Revelations created just more questions. I wa intrigued until the end.
Dislikes:
✸ I didn't know it's a series. This is a BIG personal pet peeve of mine.
✸ I could not connect to the story. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not. I honestly don't know why we didn't click.
✸ Uneven pace. Sometimes I was bored, sometimes I could not put it down.
✸ Romance was as bland as unsweetened rice pudding.
Forest of Whispers was a cute historical paranormal novel sprinkled with real historical events and lyrical descriptions. I enjoyed it even there were some flaws in the story.
Likes:
✸ Wonderful writing and description. So lyrical, unusual metaphors... Some descriptions are almost like poems.
✸ Hedge witches. I imagine them as quirky grannies, living in the cottages in the forest. I love it that Forest of Whispers features them as main characters.
✸ Real historical setting. OK, I was not sure about this until I read the note at the end. But I love it when books push real knowledge on me. I knew about witch trials in Salem and Spanish inquisition. (Who doesn't?) But I did not know the same thing happened in Germany.
✸ Mystery behind past and present events. What is happening, who is plotting, who is lying? Revelations created just more questions. I wa intrigued until the end.
Dislikes:
✸ I didn't know it's a series. This is a BIG personal pet peeve of mine.
✸ I could not connect to the story. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not. I honestly don't know why we didn't click.
✸ Uneven pace. Sometimes I was bored, sometimes I could not put it down.
✸ Romance was as bland as unsweetened rice pudding.
Forest of Whispers was a cute historical paranormal novel sprinkled with real historical events and lyrical descriptions. I enjoyed it even there were some flaws in the story.
emsee33's review against another edition
4.0
FOREST OF WHISPERS by Jennifer Murgia is a young adult romance, but, more importantly, a story about confronting the past, accepting where you come from, and embracing your strength.
Read the rest of this review on All Things Urban Fantasy.
Read the rest of this review on All Things Urban Fantasy.
mlboyd20's review against another edition
4.0
I would like to thank both the author and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Doing so does not sway my review in any way.
When I first read the synopsis of this book, a favorite comic book from my childhood came to mind. It was back in the 1970's and there was a little girl whose mother was being accused of witchcraft and she was taken away by villagers. While home along, the little girl discovered her powers and created all kinds of havoc. I can't remember the name of this comic book, but I must have read it and looked through it a bazillion times. Now, this is a part of my childhood that I hold close and to have a synopsis spark that memory, made me decide right away that I had to read this book.
Rune, an orphan, is being raised by an older lady who is like a gypsy. She reads peoples fortunes, creates potions for their ailments, reads stones and things like that. This woman has kept a secret from Rune, since the child's birth, but realizes the time has come to tell Rune the truth. The stories within the stories kept my nose in this book and I didn't want to put it down. The delight I felt in the magick, trickery and people's ignorance kept me engrossed.
I've always loved a good witch story, and this book is right up there near the top of my list as a favorite. The author brings together stories of girls who were falsely accused and killed because the villagers paranoia with witchcraft. The very science of nature was turned on more than a fair share of innocent girls and women. And than there are the stories of those who were actual witches and could control the forces of nature itself and bring devastation to anyone and anything that witch wanted to. The stories from long ago are centered around the dark magick.
The author shows the reader how natural occurrences were treated by those ignorant of science. Through a time period, when nature struck back, it was because they thought someone made it do it. Innocent mistakes were labeled criminal at the drop of the hat while imaginations ran wild. The author did a fine job of bringing the stories of old to the reader while still keeping it interesting. The descriptions from the author were very well detailed, I could feel myself in the forest. I could hear the whispers, see the looks on faces and feel the textures of the world around the characters.
The author kept true to the time period, using words that gave it the real feel. Thankfully, she is quite the thinker and provides the pronunciation and meaning of those words in the very beginning of the book. I quickly became accustomed to the wording and it didn't break the flow of the story. There are dual POV's in this story. One of Rune, another of Laurentz and one special one from Liese. Rune was interesting but Laurentz felt a bit flat. I found myself skimming over his chapters quite a few times.
The chapter of Liese. That one pulled at my heartstrings. So much is said in those couple of pages that puts everything in a new perspective. The truth come out and you see the story in a whole new light. You realize that ignorance is also a cover up in many ways.
I recommend this for anyone who likes books on magick, witches and that whole scenario. Trying to describe the essence of this book is hard. It wraps up the mystery of witches with a feel of the old style movies that would creep you out but not have you running from the room. This story will keep you on the edge though.
When I first read the synopsis of this book, a favorite comic book from my childhood came to mind. It was back in the 1970's and there was a little girl whose mother was being accused of witchcraft and she was taken away by villagers. While home along, the little girl discovered her powers and created all kinds of havoc. I can't remember the name of this comic book, but I must have read it and looked through it a bazillion times. Now, this is a part of my childhood that I hold close and to have a synopsis spark that memory, made me decide right away that I had to read this book.
Rune, an orphan, is being raised by an older lady who is like a gypsy. She reads peoples fortunes, creates potions for their ailments, reads stones and things like that. This woman has kept a secret from Rune, since the child's birth, but realizes the time has come to tell Rune the truth. The stories within the stories kept my nose in this book and I didn't want to put it down. The delight I felt in the magick, trickery and people's ignorance kept me engrossed.
I've always loved a good witch story, and this book is right up there near the top of my list as a favorite. The author brings together stories of girls who were falsely accused and killed because the villagers paranoia with witchcraft. The very science of nature was turned on more than a fair share of innocent girls and women. And than there are the stories of those who were actual witches and could control the forces of nature itself and bring devastation to anyone and anything that witch wanted to. The stories from long ago are centered around the dark magick.
The author shows the reader how natural occurrences were treated by those ignorant of science. Through a time period, when nature struck back, it was because they thought someone made it do it. Innocent mistakes were labeled criminal at the drop of the hat while imaginations ran wild. The author did a fine job of bringing the stories of old to the reader while still keeping it interesting. The descriptions from the author were very well detailed, I could feel myself in the forest. I could hear the whispers, see the looks on faces and feel the textures of the world around the characters.
The author kept true to the time period, using words that gave it the real feel. Thankfully, she is quite the thinker and provides the pronunciation and meaning of those words in the very beginning of the book. I quickly became accustomed to the wording and it didn't break the flow of the story. There are dual POV's in this story. One of Rune, another of Laurentz and one special one from Liese. Rune was interesting but Laurentz felt a bit flat. I found myself skimming over his chapters quite a few times.
The chapter of Liese. That one pulled at my heartstrings. So much is said in those couple of pages that puts everything in a new perspective. The truth come out and you see the story in a whole new light. You realize that ignorance is also a cover up in many ways.
I recommend this for anyone who likes books on magick, witches and that whole scenario. Trying to describe the essence of this book is hard. It wraps up the mystery of witches with a feel of the old style movies that would creep you out but not have you running from the room. This story will keep you on the edge though.
marinda91's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
bookflutter's review against another edition
4.0
Well, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. First off, it's paranormal, which I love but I honestly was a little hesitant because it's historical fiction, which I'm not a huge fan of. But, I decided to take a chance and figured, why not give it a shot.
The plot was well conceived and it was a little slow for me to get into at first. But, after busting through the first few chapters, I quickly got sucked into the story. The writing was on point and the dimension of the characters were well portrayed. I really felt for them and found myself rooting for them in the end.
Overall it was a good book and I will look forward to reading the rest of the series.
The plot was well conceived and it was a little slow for me to get into at first. But, after busting through the first few chapters, I quickly got sucked into the story. The writing was on point and the dimension of the characters were well portrayed. I really felt for them and found myself rooting for them in the end.
Overall it was a good book and I will look forward to reading the rest of the series.
thepaperreels's review against another edition
4.0
You can also read my review here!
I have this thing where I just stare at the monitor for hours while thinking 'How can I do this? How can my review justify how good this book is?!' I don't think I can so just bear with me, I'll try to form coherent words and clear sentences to let you know how much I loved this one.
Here's the tale. The year is 1627, people are scared of things they don't know, the Black Forest is beautiful and dangerous, a Plague is contaminating the villages, and a girl is feared by many and yet, one boy is enchanted by her. A girl who doesn't know yet what she's capable of. But she's about to find out.
Â
Praise for Murgia's vivid and stunning writing. Eveytime I bury myself in this book, it never fails to transport me to wherever Rune is. Everything just vanishes and I'm left with Murgia's word and the dramatic atmosphere. It's one of the many reason to love this book. You will not only read it, you will experience it. The world building is impressive and you can really notice the immaculate research that the author has done. After reading this, I was entranced and immediately googled the story behind the witches of Bavaria because according to the author *(this is from the Author's Note)* even though this book is a work of Fiction, the places, even the castles were real. Yeah, to say that my curiosity was piqued is an understatement.
The characters are well done, Rune is a main protagonist to adore and remember. I understand that she is kind of hard to connect to at first pages, but as soon as I hit the 3rd chapter, I already felt like I'm with her through out the book. It's not that different with the love interest. I like being inside their head and them describing their surrounding. So vibrant and alive. The journey of Rune finding out about her heritage is magical and enchanting and I'm amazed that I get to read it. I'm not kidding when I said that I am in desperately in need of the sequel.
Another thing that needs to be praised is the way the story was woven. I did not see a lot of things of coming. When I was closer to the end I was full of 'WAIT. WHAT?!' and 'WHAAAAAT. HOW DID I MISS THAT????!' moment. It was awesome. I love books that surprises me. The revelations just keeps on coming and coming until the last page..
Forest Of Whispers is a spectacular book. It's alive and it's gonna consume you once you read the first page and you know what? You're gonna like it! Just like me, you'll love how it's gonna captivate you and hate that it needs to end.
...but the author said that there'll be a book two coming out, so, I'm going to wait.
"This is who I am. I am no longer the simple girl hidden behind the safety of a make believe forest. I am the story. I am the tall tale. I am the witch."
I have this thing where I just stare at the monitor for hours while thinking 'How can I do this? How can my review justify how good this book is?!' I don't think I can so just bear with me, I'll try to form coherent words and clear sentences to let you know how much I loved this one.
Here's the tale. The year is 1627, people are scared of things they don't know, the Black Forest is beautiful and dangerous, a Plague is contaminating the villages, and a girl is feared by many and yet, one boy is enchanted by her. A girl who doesn't know yet what she's capable of. But she's about to find out.
Â
Praise for Murgia's vivid and stunning writing. Eveytime I bury myself in this book, it never fails to transport me to wherever Rune is. Everything just vanishes and I'm left with Murgia's word and the dramatic atmosphere. It's one of the many reason to love this book. You will not only read it, you will experience it. The world building is impressive and you can really notice the immaculate research that the author has done. After reading this, I was entranced and immediately googled the story behind the witches of Bavaria because according to the author *(this is from the Author's Note)* even though this book is a work of Fiction, the places, even the castles were real. Yeah, to say that my curiosity was piqued is an understatement.
The characters are well done, Rune is a main protagonist to adore and remember. I understand that she is kind of hard to connect to at first pages, but as soon as I hit the 3rd chapter, I already felt like I'm with her through out the book. It's not that different with the love interest. I like being inside their head and them describing their surrounding. So vibrant and alive. The journey of Rune finding out about her heritage is magical and enchanting and I'm amazed that I get to read it. I'm not kidding when I said that I am in desperately in need of the sequel.
Another thing that needs to be praised is the way the story was woven. I did not see a lot of things of coming. When I was closer to the end I was full of 'WAIT. WHAT?!' and 'WHAAAAAT. HOW DID I MISS THAT????!' moment. It was awesome. I love books that surprises me. The revelations just keeps on coming and coming until the last page..
Forest Of Whispers is a spectacular book. It's alive and it's gonna consume you once you read the first page and you know what? You're gonna like it! Just like me, you'll love how it's gonna captivate you and hate that it needs to end.
...but the author said that there'll be a book two coming out, so, I'm going to wait.
plumeriade's review against another edition
2.0
i feel BAD giving this a 2 and honestly it's more like a 2.5. it's not bad, it's just unremarkable. the first 25-30% pretty much NOTHING happens. when the plot finally does start moving forward, a lot of it is either really unbelievable, TOO convenient, or doesn't live up to its full potential.
(a) unbelievable -- who goes into a village that just killed a witch when you are known to be a witch's apprentice. HOW STUPID DO YOU HAVE TO BE. she doesn't even have a REASON.
(b) too convenient -- oh of course this noble gentleman is kind and immediately taken by her and believes her etc etc.
(c) doesn't live up to its full potential -- uh, EVERYTHING with the bishop!!!! and also Rune's mother/"legacy."
but I do like that this is a story about witch hunts that took place in some place other than Salem/America (or England). i wish it had been better!
(a) unbelievable -- who goes into a village that just killed a witch when you are known to be a witch's apprentice. HOW STUPID DO YOU HAVE TO BE. she doesn't even have a REASON.
(b) too convenient -- oh of course this noble gentleman is kind and immediately taken by her and believes her etc etc.
(c) doesn't live up to its full potential -- uh, EVERYTHING with the bishop!!!!
Spoiler
can you IMAGINE how terrifying his little "pure Germany" could have been!!but I do like that this is a story about witch hunts that took place in some place other than Salem/America (or England). i wish it had been better!
dtaylorbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Not that I’ve never not been into historical fiction but I’ve been getting more into it lately and the Inquisition is one of my interest points. So it’s really not a wonder that when I found FOREST OF WHISPER on NetGalley that I requested it and subsequently got approved by the publisher for it. I really didn’t know what to expect going in, how political the author was going to get with the story, what angle she was going to really take. so aside from the basic premise I knew nothing of the spin I was going to read.
I liked the setting Murgia painted in the forest. I’ve always been rather fearful of nature so the Black Forest was rather scary to me but because the story’s told through Rune’s eyes it also has a loving, comforting edge to it. Whenever Rune’s talking about it, it seems more like a safety blanket than anything scary. I liked how Murgia was able to toggle between Rune’s perception and everyone else’s and make the same scenery shift so drastically in feeling. That’s pretty good writing to me.
As far as the plot, eh . . . It was okay. It had its moments where I truly felt bad for Rune and Matilde for what was happening to them and the gross injustice of the Bishop’s slack-jawed system of justice but there’s a very big deus ex machina moment for Rune that, the more I think on it, the more incensed I get about it. Laurentz is this knight in shining armor that literally saves Rune from death but he’s working under the guise of being horrified of the injustice being committed against these women. Yet he only bothers with one in the rescue, leaving a boatload more to die. Maybe it’s narrow-sighted of me. What could he really DO for the rest of them without risking his true purpose? On the other hand he’s someone with a lot of power that could rightly make things right with just a word. Who knows?
It also bugged me how often Laurentz mentioned how Rune had him bewitched and how he was under her spell. That just rubbed me the wrong way. Irrespective of Rune’s supposed witch status for how much he kept saying he liked her and through all of the things he did for her he seemed to keep chalking it up to some power she held over him. I don’t believe it was with the same intent that someone like the Bishop would use to manipulate people but for how outwardly he kept insisting that she was human and worthy of life he kept falling back on his feelings being the source of a spell. It didn’t sit right with me.
It ended typically and I didn’t know until I started working on this review that it’s a first in a series (rather, I just didn’t notice). There’s plenty more to work with after the story ends but it was a rather neatly tied up ending. It was all intriguing enough but I wasn’t floored by any of it. There wasn’t too much different being done with the history or the circumstances and while I did like Rune as a character I was less than impressed with Laurentz and ultimately didn’t connect too well with either of them by the end of it. This is one of those books where I struggled to write the review because I didn’t really have a lot of feelings one way or another about it. It’s okay. The book isn’t bad but it’s not stand-out either. I don’t think it’s a waste of time to read but it’s not something that really leaves a lasting impression.
3
I liked the setting Murgia painted in the forest. I’ve always been rather fearful of nature so the Black Forest was rather scary to me but because the story’s told through Rune’s eyes it also has a loving, comforting edge to it. Whenever Rune’s talking about it, it seems more like a safety blanket than anything scary. I liked how Murgia was able to toggle between Rune’s perception and everyone else’s and make the same scenery shift so drastically in feeling. That’s pretty good writing to me.
As far as the plot, eh . . . It was okay. It had its moments where I truly felt bad for Rune and Matilde for what was happening to them and the gross injustice of the Bishop’s slack-jawed system of justice but there’s a very big deus ex machina moment for Rune that, the more I think on it, the more incensed I get about it. Laurentz is this knight in shining armor that literally saves Rune from death but he’s working under the guise of being horrified of the injustice being committed against these women. Yet he only bothers with one in the rescue, leaving a boatload more to die. Maybe it’s narrow-sighted of me. What could he really DO for the rest of them without risking his true purpose? On the other hand he’s someone with a lot of power that could rightly make things right with just a word. Who knows?
It also bugged me how often Laurentz mentioned how Rune had him bewitched and how he was under her spell. That just rubbed me the wrong way. Irrespective of Rune’s supposed witch status for how much he kept saying he liked her and through all of the things he did for her he seemed to keep chalking it up to some power she held over him. I don’t believe it was with the same intent that someone like the Bishop would use to manipulate people but for how outwardly he kept insisting that she was human and worthy of life he kept falling back on his feelings being the source of a spell. It didn’t sit right with me.
It ended typically and I didn’t know until I started working on this review that it’s a first in a series (rather, I just didn’t notice). There’s plenty more to work with after the story ends but it was a rather neatly tied up ending. It was all intriguing enough but I wasn’t floored by any of it. There wasn’t too much different being done with the history or the circumstances and while I did like Rune as a character I was less than impressed with Laurentz and ultimately didn’t connect too well with either of them by the end of it. This is one of those books where I struggled to write the review because I didn’t really have a lot of feelings one way or another about it. It’s okay. The book isn’t bad but it’s not stand-out either. I don’t think it’s a waste of time to read but it’s not something that really leaves a lasting impression.
3
spencerhillpress's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0