Vanessa Barger
300 Pages
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC
Release Date: August 26th, 2014
Rating: 4 STARS
When Claire Mallory's father leaves, her mom moves them to a new town and into a dilapidated Victorian house. The old house creaks and whistles, and smells...well, like it's been abandoned for years. But as the nights grow longer and the shadows take on substance, Claire wonders if the strange sounds and occurrences might be more than the house showing its age. Just as things start to pick up in Claire's love life, her mother becomes possessed. In an attempt to save her mother and their new home, Claire enlists the help of two boys, each of whom is interested in Claire for very different reasons. As she chooses one boy over the other, something dangerous is unleashed, and the spirits make their move. They aren't content to moan and scream inside Claire's house, or even control her mom. They want a taste of freedom, and they'll use Claire to get it. But is Claire strong enough to fight off the evil spirits, or will they claim her and her mom before it's all over?
All of the characters were crafted well to me, except for Bryan. He seemed like a slightly unnecessary character that was randomly thrown in at times to create more tension. Bryan ended up bogging the story down, and when he would appear, things just felt very awkward and forced. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy all of the other characters. Claire handled situations maturely, Haven was just wonderful, and Claire's younger brother Grant was absolutely perfect. The possession of Claire's mother was written so well. As time went on, there were subtle changes in her mother, from the way her hair was fixed to her handwriting, and it was interesting to see somebody slowly being taken over by a paranormal being.
Overall, the novel was paced very well. There was never a time when things felt like they were going too slow, and the only part that felt rushed was the ending. I was not very satisfied with the way things were resolved, but it was an ending I could live with. Though A WHISPERED DARKNESS is certainly not a comedy, Barger did include some comedic lines dispersed throughout the book to keep things from getting too dark and gloomy.
The wonderful author herself provided me with an e-book, but I enjoyed it so much that I plan on purchasing a print copy of it! I can see myself making it a tradition of reading this novel every time that Halloween comes around, or any time that I am simply in the mood for a creeptastic tale. If you are looking for a good, spooky read, then A WHISPERED DARKNESS by Vanessa Barger is one that you will definitely not want to miss.