Friday, September 25, 2015

Book Review: The Whispering Death by Sara Jayne Townsend



When a group of live action role-players perform a ritual as part of a game, they unwittingly unleash an ancient evil that tears their world apart. The reanimated corpse of a long-dead magic user, corrupted by powerful dark magic, offers a promise of unlimited power, but at a terrible price. Having helped open this Pandora’s box, Mark and Elizabeth must race against time to close it again – before it’s too late. 

Blogger's note: Minor Spoilers for the book

The cover doesn't grab me that much, but book covers that are mostly red against black tend to get a pass from me in general, even if they are attached to highly successful novels. It's one of those art styles that work for some people and not for others. I have reviewed Sara Jayne Townsend's work before in Suffer the Children, and that cover for me was far more eye-catching.

Having reviewed this author before, I know the quality of writing is generally very high and in this book that hasn't changed. The Whispering Death easily grabbed me from start to finish, particularly due to the relationship between Mark, Elizabeth, David, and Helen. Mark and Elizabeth have a blossoming relationship, and, in contrast, David and Helen's relationship is growing more unstable due to supernatural influence, resulting in violence and far worse.

Much to the author's credit, Mark and Elizabeth are smart enough to realize that something is wrong fairly quickly, yet I am going to argue that there are moments in the book where they seem...too laid back at time. This is a problem around Chapter thirty-the two main characters know something is wrong, people are dead, they suspect supernatural influences are involved, and they are almost attacked in one scene by supernatural creatures-and yet six weeks pass by and the main characters worry about a house party in the next scene. I am still trying to figure out if this is due to Mark's meek personality, or if normal people would react this way in real life (the scary answer is probably yes!)

FINAL GRADE: 4.5 out of 5. Overall this is a very enjoyable book and easy to read with little-to-no grammar errors. The characters in this are believable and the intrigue between them keeps the reader guessing as to what is going to happen.

The Whispering Death can be found here.

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