TESSA TALKS BOOKS

Whispers at Dusk by Heather Graham is the first book in a fascinating procedural with a paranormal twist.

My Reading Experience:

• I enjoyed the helpful ghosts in this story and series. It’s an exciting twist. The ghostly help the detectives get is fun and fascinating.
• The vampire angle and a master – a serial killer acting as a vampire king – training killers while promising immortality was also unique and kept me guessing the whole novel.
• My main issue with this novel, which is a pretty big one, is that I never felt engaged with the story – like I was being kept at arm’s length and only allowed to see the surface of the story when all I wanted to do as a reader is take a deep dive into it. So this aspect was very frustrating.
• The romance felt too rushed and threw me a bit because I wondered how we got here.
• Della Hamilton and Mason Carter can both see and talk to ghosts. They were recruited for a particular division of the FBI called Blackbird, which is full of people like them – people with a special connection to the paranormal. Neither is developed extensively; it’s more about their ability than who they are.

• The narration is 3rd person, limited to the two detectives – main characters, Della and Mason – as a team. The pacing is a consistent medium pace, which is okay, but I would have loved for that extra piece in certain sections that bump it to a fast pace.
• I think a first-person POV might have been better as I felt a disconnect between me, the characters, and the story from beginning to end. I was never immersed or genuinely engaged in the story.
• The story starts and ends in New Orleans but goes to Europe in between. Considering the paranormal aspects, New Orleans is a great place to begin and end the story.

Read if you’re in the mood for:

• A mysterious, dark, and adventure paranormal thriller
• Benevolent ghosts that help detectives solve cases
• A story full of history and folklore.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

I haven’t finished this book yet because it’s long. I’ve been doing a partial listen and partial read of it to enjoy it in a timely fashion, as I still have my long, long list of ARCs demanding my attention. However, I am 75% of the way through, and I feel I have read enough to share my thoughts on the story with you. I love it so much I’ve already preordered the 2nd book, which comes out in November.

My Reading Experience:         

• When I first started reading the book, I immediately thought of “Hunger Games’,” and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go on that kind of emotional journey. I don’t know about you, but Hunger Games was challenging for me to read sometimes just because of the sheer intensity of the emotions I felt for the characters who could die at any moment. Fourth Wing definitely has that same component and emotional investment.
• Despite not being sure, I did continue, and it is just as much an emotional investment as I thought it would be when I began it. But I wouldn’t lessen the emotional blows for anything. I would argue that it’s what has made this book so incredibly popular.
• The way that dragons are portrayed and utilized in this story is remarkable. As someone who loves dragons, the story gives me all I need to be as fully invested in the dragons as I am in the characters. I also love how one particular dragon successfully offers comic relief with his wit and sarcasm.
• The thrill ride this book takes me on is a rare treat. I can’t even begin to describe the intensity in any words that can be adequate.

Characters:

• Violet is small and fragile, but after her father dies, her mother, the Commanding General, declares that all Sorrengails are dragon riders, including Violet. It doesn’t matter that she is in no way made for that kind of education and life – that’s how it is.  
• I loved watching Violet grow and thrive in every way. She is a great character who is exquisitely developed and full of determination, intelligence, and grit.

Narration & Pacing:

• The narration is in the third person, and I don’t think it could be any other way and fully allow the reader to experience it all.
• The pacing is primarily fast as the dangers are everywhere and in so many situations. I found myself literally holding my breath through so much of the book, unable to relax and breathe until I realized for the moment Violet was okay.

Setting/World-Building:

• The world-building is detailed and describes a dangerous fantasy world in a manner that feels authentic. I found myself fully immersed in this story to the point where I ran along with Violet and the others as they struggled to run along the wall, through the obstacle course, and into other situations they may not return from.  

Audio Book Narration:

• The story has one female narrator – Rebecca Soler – who does a great job acting out the dialogue. It also lists “with Teddy Hamilton,” but I only heard one narrator in the chapters I listened to, or else I didn’t realize I was listening to a man and a woman, which is worth noting.

Read if you’re in the mood for:

• A fantasy story that has dragons that can be ridden and that share their magic and their thoughts with their riders
• Did I mention this story features DRAGONS and a war school for potential dragon riders???
• A story that is adventurous, emotional, dark, tense, mysterious, and spicy

My Rating (as of the 75% point):⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s 2am and I just finished Fourth Wing. It stayed true to everything I said, but oh, what an ending. Talk about low lows and high highs. Now,, it’s time I get some sleep.