Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Whisper Man

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

ivirtue's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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ravenpuff's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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lcm_xo's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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grettypop's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The story follows Tom, who is a recently widowed single father, and Jake, his son. After the recent loss of Tom's wife, he decided to move him and his son to a small town, not knowing the town's dark history. About 20 years ago, there was a series of murders, done by the Whisper Man. The Whisper Man targeted little boys, whispering to them in the night before stealing them away.
Pete, an elderly detective, has caught the Whisper Man all those decades ago, and Carter, the killer behind those murders is still in prison. But now, the disappearances are starting anew...

The story was told from multiple point of views. It had an element of supernatural, where Jake sees people who aren't there. Or are these characters just the imaginations of a lonely child?

The book was fairly fast paced. There were a LOT of twists I didn't see coming. This also raises the question of evil - is evil made or born? And what is worse? A scary story kids whisper about between ourselves, or a flesh and blood murdered on the loose?

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ruthypoo2's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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thee_eclectic_eccentric's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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megelizabeth's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

"The shock had subsided a little now, but only in the way I imagined there might be a few beats of silence after an earthquake hit before the screaming started."

For the first half, or even two thirds, of this book, I was absolutely obsessed with it and thought it might end up being a five-star read. The atmosphere created is incredible - so so creepy and unsettling - and the premise is super intriguing. I loved getting to know the characters, even though for the most part they weren't particularly likeable, and I found myself feeling equal parts terrified and heartbroken, which is a sure sign of a great thriller. There are some great twists and turns, and there's one plot twist in particular which absolutely floored me and which is just so, so brilliantly done.

However, for me, this book unfortunately started to go downhill a bit in the last third or so. There's such great build-up, and I liked the concept of what ends up being revealed, but it's just revealed far too early and too simply and it just meant that so much of the great tension that had been developing was gone. There are also a few unanswered questions left by the end. There's one thing that happens towards the end of the book which did shock me, but when it came to the main 'Whisper Man' plotline, I did feel ultimately a bit let down.

I was therefore a bit conflicted when deciding on my rating, but ultimately I still feel it deserves a high rating just because of how much the earlier part of the book got under my skin and how brilliant one of the earlier twists was, and also because of the way it deals with some of its themes. There are really great conversations about generational trauma, grief, addiction, and memory, and about some of the psychology behind crime and policing, and I also loved the way it explores and looks at fatherhood and father-son relationships. And overall, while I did feel disappointed by the conclusion of the central mystery, I was still left feeling haunted and uneasy and, above all, sad. It's definitely a book that hits you in the gut and makes you think; I just wish the actual main thriller plotline had been better-executed.

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