I’ve known Kay Ross for a decent time, but I was brutally honest with her the first time I read Whisper–back in its early draft stage. Basically, it needed an editor (like all books do). To my great pleasure, she found not only an editor, but a whole publisher who picked up her story, then reached out to me again to ask for a review after its publication.

So, here I go again, being completely honest.

Characters

The protagonist and narrator of this story is probably the most unique part that catches my attention; Whisper is a sentient curse.
You read that right. The story begins as the spell gains its sentience, feeling fear then pain as one of its hosts is killed. This quickly leads it to establish a rule: don’t die.

Unfortunately, this is set in a world where curses are created by mixing magics, and they’re not simple little hexes to put moles on faces. No, crossing magics creates inky monsters that inhabit people, can transfer by a mere touch, and violently kill their hosts when extracted. In this world, anyone who has been touched by a curse is killed (either by the curse itself or the sorcerers with the power to eradicate them).
With this in mind, Whisper establishes another rule: don’t let others die.

One of the first people Whisper inhabits is a young woman named Ethene (nicknamed E). As a servant to the queen, she manages to connect Whisper to Ront, the queen’s adopted son and bodyguard. With a goal to stop death, Whisper seeks out its creator, Zota, a low sorcerer.

I’m trying to keep this spoiler free, but all this takes more than the first few chapters. This is mostly because there’s a lot of exposition. That happens in a fantasy set in a kingdom that’s a blend between five other kingdoms with five separate magics. I wouldn’t call Whisper a “high” fantasy simply because there are only humans (and a sentient curse), but there’s a high learning curve for this story (not just in the beginning). Depending on how much you enjoy discussions of world building and flashbacks, some may call the story slow (though the whole story takes place in a single day).

Themes

With Whisper’s goal about stopping death, there’s a heavy theme on reasons why someone might end a life (their own or someone else’s). It pairs with a repeated question: do you risk one life to save the many?
There’s also a reoccurring idea of fear and how individuals react to it (fight it, use it, or run from it).

Unlike most books I typically read and review, Whisper has NO romance. There’s plenty of love, compassion, and willing-to-die-for-you sentiments, but it’s all familial. There’s a flashback that touches on the queen’s first love, an arrangement for a marriage in the future, then a joking hint of a possible romance in the next book (which I’d personally love to explore), but that’s the extent of any references to romance.

Cleanliness

I was actually a little conflicted about how “clean” to call this story.
There are maybe two instances of biblical swearing (d*mn*d and h*ll), but all other vulgar language is represented through fictional replacement words. Infrequently, at that. It’s actually a bit comical as non-magic people swear by shouting ineffective spells.
Since there’s no romance, there’s no worry about sexual content. To my gratitude, there are also no innuendos or harassment (save for one moment in the beginning when Ethene doesn’t like a guard touching her).

However, I wouldn’t freely give this to an 8-year-old because there’s a lot of violence. Despite Whisper’s main goals not to die and to end death, there’s a lot of it. There are also a few suicide attempts as Whisper’s hosts initially prefer to kill themselves quickly rather than spread the curse or be killed violently by the curse.
So, if book violence triggers you, you’ve been warned.

Final Thoughts

Though the plot and setting are fully-fleshed elements, Whisper felt more like a character story as we literally got into their heads. I enjoyed Whisper’s child-like innocence, Ethene’s thoughtfulness toward others, and Roth’s loyalty (not just to duty, but to those he deems family). There are a few other fun characters I’d mention in a spoiler review. Even though this story’s not my usual (I prefer some elements of romance), I enjoyed the story and characters enough to want book 2. Yes, this is the beginning of an on-going series, but this first book nicely resolves itself. I’m curious to see more of the world and what the characters do next.

****4.5 Stars***** for being cute, thought-provoking, and surprising.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.