I couldn't get into this book. The concept and topics were something that I love - magical realism and demons! It is a YA novel set in the Crusades. If you like that time period. mixed with the magic, I think you will enjoy it. The descriptions are vivid and as a history major I enjoyed some of the details. However, it felt lacking at times too. 

So this book was okay, and I think it really depends if the reader appreciates historical fiction .

Not usually my go-to genre but I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and gave this a try. I really enjoyed it and would recommend to those wanting to try the genre.

Unable to read this proof copy as book was archived before downloading and this was impossible. Neutral rating to show this.

Sort but I can't seem to like this book even though blurb is promising . I just can't seem to be into story.

I loved the premise of this book but unfortunately didn't work for me. I thought the demon and the crusades didn't mix well together - I felt they belong to two different books.
I also couldn't get used to the writing style, I found very hard to get into.
Thank you NetGalley for the copy!

Though the premise was really good I wasn't able to relate to this book. It's YA but felt more like a middle-grade read. I liked the idea of the magic and demons but this one just wasn't my book.

I have attempted to read this book on a fair few occasions times and its really not working for me I'm afraid.

I loved this book so much! I loved the characters and the world!  I would and have recommended this book to all my friends!

The Book of Whispers is an okay read. The premise is amazing but it falls pretty quickly into expected tropes and has issues with pacing.

The style of writing is okay. The demons are interesting. Everything else? Not so much. 

I had very high expectations when I first read the synopsis. It was about the crusades, something I have never read about in historical fiction. Once I was done with the book, I was at least glad it taught me one or two things about them. 

Other than that, the pacing didn't make much sense to me. It felt very off. Some parts lasted forever while others were brushed off. Also, it wasn't very captivating. At times, I really struggled to pick it up. + I really disliked the characters.

2.5 stars.

The basic premise (and setting) of this book is excellent. A medieval teen boy inherits a family heirloom right before he leaves on a crusade. Oh, and he can see demons, but no one else can. I don't know that I've ever read a fiction story set in the crusades (though I have read a handful set in the medieval era) and as I initially began, it was refreshing to read something in such a novel setting. It began as a fun novel and I was so excited to see how the two main characters handled the crusades.

And then all the tropes happened.

There was the we're--in-love-with-each-other-but-can't-tell-the-other-person-for-plot-reasons trope combined with the oh-no-they-must-be-in-love-with-someone-else trope, which really felt like the author was piling on reasons that our two main characters' love was forbidden and couldn't happen. Then there was a lot of we-just-conveniently-got-this-magic-item-that-makes-everything-better where the circumstances surrounding the characters getting the magic item don't make much sense Like when a villain walks up and says "I want a thing you have, so we should duel and if you win, I'll give you this magic item." And then the villain gets distracted and loses the duel within a paragraph and gives up the item without a fight and never mentions the magic item again. Situations like that just felt really contrived.

I think the weird thing that bothered me most was the weird things that happened with time in this story. It always feels too convenient in portal fantasies where the characters return to their world and time has stopped, but the time in this book bothered me much more. During the journey, characters are told that something will happen in 30ish months (per a rhyme/prophecy in a magic book). So they travel for several months. And then it felt like the author ran out of ideas to fill all that time before they get there, so the characters use magic items (on multiple occasions) that make them sleep for months or lose time transporting between places. It felt so contrived and weird- I'm honestly not sure why the author picked 30 months in the beginning when they didn't have ideas to fill that much time.

In the end, this book was still okay. There was a lot that bothered me about it, but it was still mostly entertaining. At some point, the crusades felt like they were happening in the background of the characters' drama and goals, and that made me a bit sad (since the crusades setting was the part of this book that I was excited about), but I still finished the book and it's still a fun read (if you don't mind tropes and timey-wimey plot holes).

This book sounded fantastic to me. I love the time -such a different setting than most other historical books are set in!- i loved the place -italy! Come on!- it all sounded perfect for me. 

sadly the writing as a bit lacking, the characters not what i want and expect so overall this wasn't the best read for me, through in no means the worst i ever read. 
And the author did manage to keep me interested through out the entire thing so there is that.

I am thinking 6th grade up, YA's might enjoy this book. Particularly boys. I didn't find the book all that interesting. It's  historical fiction, but the magic in it just seems to move the plot along and really had little to do with the history. Maybe I'm just picky. I am sure there are kids out there who will enjoy a story about the 1st Crusades with some magic tossed in for goods measure.

I was so looking forward to this book, the premise and theme are my typical books loves! However this was a massive let down- I struggled on and on with this book! But I eventually gave up- I hate not finishing a book but life’s too damn short! 

It seemed at least to me this book was trying too hard to please all, It was like two separate stories and was trying desperately to force the crusaders time together with the young adult favourites of magic and demons! 

Sadly not my cup of tea!

Our story takes part in the crusade period. We travel along with Luke, the heir of Conte de Falconi, to Jerusalem and its salvation.
On the voyage you add Suzan daughter of a nun who runs it violently from the monastery that lived all these years and away from the only person who understood her. Her mother.

On this journey we see a part of Italy at that time, we know the Byzantine city of Constantinople, and we understand it is to go from one end of the world to the other whether it is on foot or on board the boat or even on your horse.

And all this journey is done along with demonic shadows that swallow and scatter people so easily ... and having a shield of protection, a book that unlocks in the hands of a revenge. We know the magic, the superstition, the needs of the time. We also know a part of history that was stained with blood in the name of God.

The book was well written. Ιt tired me a little at first until Lucas meets Susan. After that, however, the  reading found its way and the story became more enjoyable.
The truth is, I liked the story of Susan more than Luca's. However, the author has been braving both on the story she thought she was writing and on the research she made.

3.5 shady stars on the pages of the book hidden.

Firstly thanks to Netgalley and Text Publishing for allowing to read this book in exchange for a review. I requested this book from Netgalley because of the cover, and the genre. I had no idea what it was about and I liked it!
It follows two characters, Luca, heir to his fathers title and fortune and Suzan- a girl who knows nothing else but the convent dungeon she lives in with her mother- who is mute.
They're very opposite and different but also extremely similar and I feel the story really got going once our characters meet- before that it felt like the narrative of their lives.
As it's set during the Crusades, the war scenes had some very bloody descriptions- it definitely had some very dark moments. Although a lot of them are historically accurate- such as the cannibalism- I was still put off by it.
I found the demon lore of the story really interesting- especially the fact that demons clutch to objects of sin. Demons play a big part of the story- even though only Luca and Suzan can see them.
This book ended up being better than I thought it was although it does seem a little older than YA due to some of the scenes.
It's a very good story, with an interesting take on historical events. Both character voices are strong, and brave. I found neither of them irritating.
Overall, there were some areas that were predictable such as the inevitable romance between Luca and Suzan- even if at one point it did seem that their hearts were taken by other people.
However, as a fantasy novel, this novel has a lot going for it. I'd never read anything by Kimberley Starr before so it was nice to read something by a new to me author.
I'd definitely recommend this book, it was a good book and I really enjoyed it!

4/5 Stars

Demons placed in history that don't feel out of place!

Unfortunately, this title was a DNF (did not finish) for me.  I tried multiple times to read it, but couldn't get past 20%.  Cannot leave full review due to difficulties getting into the novel.  I do not feel that this necessarily reflects the book, but rather me as a reader - this was simply not an appropriate book choice for me.  Thank you for considering me for the review copy.

As much as I love reading fantasy and historical fiction, but this one is not for me. I like the idea that there are magic and demons but I don’t think it goes well it the story. Most of the time I couldn’t catch the pacing. The writing style was simple. There are many small important details that didn’t mention in the book. I don’t hate this book but I don’t like it too. It’s an okay for me.

The Book of Whispers struck me as a gem of a story, but sorely lacking polish. A uniquely augmented history, The Book of Whispers is a depiction of the First Crusade as though it had been spurred by demon hoards. Some of the writing, the dialogue in particular, felt shaky and lacking in complexity, which kept me from loving this. Alternatively, the story itself is very mature, not shying from the carnage, bigotry, and horrors of the First Crusade and delving into the sexual curiosities of young Luca and Suzan. I was engaged in the action and the alluring setting, and yet the narrative alternated between dragging unnecessarily and rushing clumsily. I enjoyed the history and incorporation of a discussion of religious extremism, but the style and pacing left me wanting.

Hmmm. I'm not really sure why i chose this one, but i gave it a try and actually found it quite dull and messy.