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The Whispering Pass
Magic is returning to Daaria, but at what cost?
In the world of Daaria, a bloody war is tearing its people apart. The Proma and Elviri have allied together, not for the first time, to push back the latest campaign of the Provira half-breeds. This time, though, the stakes are higher, as the Provira leaders have discovered something dark and ancient in the rainforests of Moonyswyn. Elsewhere, the Proma face inner turmoil as their king must make a decision regarding his line of succession, unaware of the dangers that lurk in the shadows within his own city.
"Are any of you lot brave enough to travel east to the lost ruins of Kherizhan to claim treasures and riches beyond your wildest imagination?"
Nightmares of underground passages and strangers pleading for help have plagued Munne Vere’cha, Warlord of the Elviri, for countless nights. During the day she grows restless as the dangerous war encroaches on her lands. She is torn between serving her people and protecting herself from what is to come.
"Come now, I see some able-bodied men out there! Don't you want your chance at eternal wealth?"
Tensions are rising between rival gangs on the city-island of Auora, catching Ray Finnegan in the crossfire. She must stay one step ahead of the city guards, as well as members of her own gang, if she is to unravel the secrets of the royal family and the mysterious leader of her gang, the Syrael Walkers.
"Surely one of you wants to embark on a quest that the bards will sing of for ages to come."
A tragic experiment several years ago left Seth confined to the highest floor of Yiradia, an ancient pyramid in Moonyswyn. He has felt like a prisoner to his father’s devices ever since, unable to descend the stairs to the world below. With a cure within sight, Seth may finally get to leave his home and step out of his father’s shadow.
“Come, join me at my table and we'll discuss this adventure of a lifetime.”
In the world of Daaria, a bloody war is tearing its people apart. The Proma and Elviri have allied together, not for the first time, to push back the latest campaign of the Provira half-breeds. This time, though, the stakes are higher, as the Provira leaders have discovered something dark and ancient in the rainforests of Moonyswyn. Elsewhere, the Proma face inner turmoil as their king must make a decision regarding his line of succession, unaware of the dangers that lurk in the shadows within his own city.
"Are any of you lot brave enough to travel east to the lost ruins of Kherizhan to claim treasures and riches beyond your wildest imagination?"
Nightmares of underground passages and strangers pleading for help have plagued Munne Vere’cha, Warlord of the Elviri, for countless nights. During the day she grows restless as the dangerous war encroaches on her lands. She is torn between serving her people and protecting herself from what is to come.
"Come now, I see some able-bodied men out there! Don't you want your chance at eternal wealth?"
Tensions are rising between rival gangs on the city-island of Auora, catching Ray Finnegan in the crossfire. She must stay one step ahead of the city guards, as well as members of her own gang, if she is to unravel the secrets of the royal family and the mysterious leader of her gang, the Syrael Walkers.
"Surely one of you wants to embark on a quest that the bards will sing of for ages to come."
A tragic experiment several years ago left Seth confined to the highest floor of Yiradia, an ancient pyramid in Moonyswyn. He has felt like a prisoner to his father’s devices ever since, unable to descend the stairs to the world below. With a cure within sight, Seth may finally get to leave his home and step out of his father’s shadow.
“Come, join me at my table and we'll discuss this adventure of a lifetime.”
388 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2025
5 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Jay Olsen-Thrift
3 books9 followersJay Olsen-Thrift holds many titles: Project Manager, Raid Leader, Business Wizard, and Content Creator.
I have been building worlds and telling stories since I was a child. I write across many mediums: novels, short stories, screenplays, and stage plays. I have a bachelor's degree in software engineering with a minor in professional writing. I earned my master's degree in business administration in May 2024. When I'm not working or writing, I can be found online leading raids in Lord of the Rings Online or tending to my farm in Stardew Valley.
I have been building worlds and telling stories since I was a child. I write across many mediums: novels, short stories, screenplays, and stage plays. I have a bachelor's degree in software engineering with a minor in professional writing. I earned my master's degree in business administration in May 2024. When I'm not working or writing, I can be found online leading raids in Lord of the Rings Online or tending to my farm in Stardew Valley.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 25, 2024
I had the pleasure of getting to copyedit this book. It's a multipov fantasy story following 3 characters. A continuing war looms and small shifts cause big impacts in the characters' lives. There's a lot of cool world building and distinct characters. Ray was my favorite because I'm a sucker for a thief street urchin kind of character.
February 8, 2026
Very entertaining read. I was excited to dive into this one, I have a soft spot for d&d style fantasy. It is by far my favorite genre. In The Whispering Pass, we follow the story’s of three different individuals; Ray, the rising thief, Munne, the Elviri warlord and Seth the crippled son of a father who’s ambitions, he does not agree with. Great world building, rich lore that is set up well. Be warned, it will end on a cliffhanger that will have you ready to jump into the sequel that is already on my tbr list.
April 30, 2025
ARC REVIEW
⭐3.5/5⭐
Overall I enjoyed this book. I am definitely ready to read the next one because this ended in a cliffhanger! This is a fantasy book set in 3 different pov. There was a lot of world/character building for the first 40% of the book. It did take a while for me to get into the book because every chapter changed to a different pov in a different place. The names got confusing after a while because there were so many different characters in the book. I think Ray's story is currently my favorite! I also really enjoyed Seth's story! I like how towards the end of the book you could see how all the stories were going to intersect. It took me probably 60% of the book to really get into the story, which is a little longer than I would normally like. But I had to remind myself that it is a fantasy book and it isn't a stand alone book either, so I am excited to see where the story is going to go!
⭐3.5/5⭐
Overall I enjoyed this book. I am definitely ready to read the next one because this ended in a cliffhanger! This is a fantasy book set in 3 different pov. There was a lot of world/character building for the first 40% of the book. It did take a while for me to get into the book because every chapter changed to a different pov in a different place. The names got confusing after a while because there were so many different characters in the book. I think Ray's story is currently my favorite! I also really enjoyed Seth's story! I like how towards the end of the book you could see how all the stories were going to intersect. It took me probably 60% of the book to really get into the story, which is a little longer than I would normally like. But I had to remind myself that it is a fantasy book and it isn't a stand alone book either, so I am excited to see where the story is going to go!
April 16, 2025
Thank you to the author and publisher for sending me a free eARC of the book.
I definitely enjoyed this book and was interested in the characters and where it is heading. I will say it ends with pretty huge cliffhangers for each of our 3 MCs.
As I was reading I was expecting the MCs to have their stories start to come together. Around the 60% mark we begin to see how two of the stories are going to connect and then the ending finally gives us two MCs in relatively the same place but otherwise I felt a little like I was reading 3 different stories that were just spliced together. Each of the 3 MCs were interesting in their own right and explored different tones. i felt as though Ray could have been fleshed out a little more, if only because orphan who becomes involved in a street gang is more tread upon territory so I felt she needed a little more to stand out.
The locals were interesting. I wish more had been done to describe some of the different races. Our humans, elf like beings, and mixed bloods were pretty obvious, but some of the other races only receive passing comments about them. Despite the Barauders being mentioned at the beginning of the book, I did not realize they had gills until 3/4's of the way through the book while I had been imaging them more as a goblin or orc type creature.
Overall I did enjoy The Whispering Pass and am interested in where Olsen-Thrift will be taking these characters next!!
I definitely enjoyed this book and was interested in the characters and where it is heading. I will say it ends with pretty huge cliffhangers for each of our 3 MCs.
As I was reading I was expecting the MCs to have their stories start to come together. Around the 60% mark we begin to see how two of the stories are going to connect and then the ending finally gives us two MCs in relatively the same place but otherwise I felt a little like I was reading 3 different stories that were just spliced together. Each of the 3 MCs were interesting in their own right and explored different tones. i felt as though Ray could have been fleshed out a little more, if only because orphan who becomes involved in a street gang is more tread upon territory so I felt she needed a little more to stand out.
The locals were interesting. I wish more had been done to describe some of the different races. Our humans, elf like beings, and mixed bloods were pretty obvious, but some of the other races only receive passing comments about them. Despite the Barauders being mentioned at the beginning of the book, I did not realize they had gills until 3/4's of the way through the book while I had been imaging them more as a goblin or orc type creature.
Overall I did enjoy The Whispering Pass and am interested in where Olsen-Thrift will be taking these characters next!!
April 25, 2025
3.5 🌟
Thanks to the author for an eARC it is greatly appreciated. This book took me a little time to get into and the overall was a good read, the part I had trouble with was kind of feeling like the stories were separate stories in one book, the do come together but not as much as I expected. I’m also a short to mid length chapter kind of reader because I hate leaving off in the middle of a chapter and these felt very long to me. It’s still definitely worth checking out!
Thanks to the author for an eARC it is greatly appreciated. This book took me a little time to get into and the overall was a good read, the part I had trouble with was kind of feeling like the stories were separate stories in one book, the do come together but not as much as I expected. I’m also a short to mid length chapter kind of reader because I hate leaving off in the middle of a chapter and these felt very long to me. It’s still definitely worth checking out!
May 29, 2025
3.75 🌟 / 5 🌟
This fantasy story has elaborate world building, three Main Characters, and an intricate storyline. The MCs have their own POVs. Each MC’s storyline is told and furthered in their respective chapters. The chapters are titled with MC’s name and date.
The writing is detailed and well developed. But, I do think there is a bit much of repetition in regards to word choice.
I appreciate the attention to character building and dialogue. One of my favorite races are the reptilians. I enjoyed the author placing extra sssss sounds in their dialogue. I would have enjoyed more distinctive dialects from other characters.
My favorite character was Ray because I found her believable. My favorite chapter was when Seth discovered his crush. It was at this point that I felt the storylines were emerging in a logical climax.
I felt slighted by the ending; it was too much of a cliffhanger and there wasn’t a prologue. Plus, I felt the storylines were slow paced unlike Seth’s crush chapter, Munne’s astral walking chapter, and the final chapter.
It is the slow pacing that made me drop my rating from 4.5 to 3.75.
Thank you to Jay Olson Thrift for my eARC. This review is my honest opinion.
This fantasy story has elaborate world building, three Main Characters, and an intricate storyline. The MCs have their own POVs. Each MC’s storyline is told and furthered in their respective chapters. The chapters are titled with MC’s name and date.
The writing is detailed and well developed. But, I do think there is a bit much of repetition in regards to word choice.
I appreciate the attention to character building and dialogue. One of my favorite races are the reptilians. I enjoyed the author placing extra sssss sounds in their dialogue. I would have enjoyed more distinctive dialects from other characters.
My favorite character was Ray because I found her believable. My favorite chapter was when Seth discovered his crush. It was at this point that I felt the storylines were emerging in a logical climax.
I felt slighted by the ending; it was too much of a cliffhanger and there wasn’t a prologue. Plus, I felt the storylines were slow paced unlike Seth’s crush chapter, Munne’s astral walking chapter, and the final chapter.
It is the slow pacing that made me drop my rating from 4.5 to 3.75.
Thank you to Jay Olson Thrift for my eARC. This review is my honest opinion.
April 17, 2025
I received an ARC of this novel. I DNF at 65%.
Solid 2.5 stars.
Frankly, it just wasn't for me. I kept thinking something significant would eventually happen "soon" (I kept telling myself, soon, I just know something big... but it just never came).
So the hook of interest for continuing wasn't there. It felt like there were three independent stories for too long. I don't think there was a link between the two until about 50%. I couldn't even envision a big intersection of characters or plotlines to even push me to be vested in any of the characters. I think Munne was my favorite if I had to choose.
I struggled greatly with the pronunciation of the names and lands. I fought that SO badly as many were so similar. It happens a LOT with fantasy novels--I get it --but I could never be happy with how I was saying something in my head and would then get hung up repeatedly trying to solidify my decision only to second guess it in the next chapter. That got old for me.
There was SOO much detail with the world building that on my first pass through at 30%, I restarted the book for the sole purpose of taking notes to create association/lineage charts as well and locations and who inhabited what and who was at war with whom. With so many similar names and clans of people and locations --I was getting them all confused repeatedly. So if I really couldn't follow the story or the history without the use of notes, I obviously was making this work rather than something immersive and enjoyable. But, I equally understand that you can't build a truly immersive world without all of the detail.
Just wasn't for me.
Solid 2.5 stars.
Frankly, it just wasn't for me. I kept thinking something significant would eventually happen "soon" (I kept telling myself, soon, I just know something big... but it just never came).
So the hook of interest for continuing wasn't there. It felt like there were three independent stories for too long. I don't think there was a link between the two until about 50%. I couldn't even envision a big intersection of characters or plotlines to even push me to be vested in any of the characters. I think Munne was my favorite if I had to choose.
I struggled greatly with the pronunciation of the names and lands. I fought that SO badly as many were so similar. It happens a LOT with fantasy novels--I get it --but I could never be happy with how I was saying something in my head and would then get hung up repeatedly trying to solidify my decision only to second guess it in the next chapter. That got old for me.
There was SOO much detail with the world building that on my first pass through at 30%, I restarted the book for the sole purpose of taking notes to create association/lineage charts as well and locations and who inhabited what and who was at war with whom. With so many similar names and clans of people and locations --I was getting them all confused repeatedly. So if I really couldn't follow the story or the history without the use of notes, I obviously was making this work rather than something immersive and enjoyable. But, I equally understand that you can't build a truly immersive world without all of the detail.
Just wasn't for me.
May 4, 2025
ARC READ
Thank you to the author for this ARC access and the ability to provide feedback.
3.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Jay does a fantastic job of building a world, their writing really does a great job of capturing characters and their world in a way that is captivating to a reader.
Opportunities from my pov:
*The multi pov writing was a little difficult for me, because the characters didn't come together in this first book it was hard to get a picture of where the story was going.
*I also struggled with the length of chapters, they were a bit too long for my preference. I think I'd either prefer them broken up to shorter lengths but keeping the pov or to have the stories as separate novels to see the multi pov that got them to this point.
*that eads in to the ending, I felt like I didn't get enough of a story (start and end) that typically supports breaking a series like this in to multiple books. I'm not a fan of big cliffhangers, I'd like something to be resolved and thay ending had nothing resolved. I'm OK with some open endings but this was completely left open.
All in all not a bad book, the prose is enjoyable and again the world building is enjoyable. I'd personally probably do better with this as an audiobook to catch on faster and make an easier transition to multiple books in the series. I was slow reading it because I was slow to grasp.
Thank you to the author for this ARC access and the ability to provide feedback.
3.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Jay does a fantastic job of building a world, their writing really does a great job of capturing characters and their world in a way that is captivating to a reader.
Opportunities from my pov:
*The multi pov writing was a little difficult for me, because the characters didn't come together in this first book it was hard to get a picture of where the story was going.
*I also struggled with the length of chapters, they were a bit too long for my preference. I think I'd either prefer them broken up to shorter lengths but keeping the pov or to have the stories as separate novels to see the multi pov that got them to this point.
*that eads in to the ending, I felt like I didn't get enough of a story (start and end) that typically supports breaking a series like this in to multiple books. I'm not a fan of big cliffhangers, I'd like something to be resolved and thay ending had nothing resolved. I'm OK with some open endings but this was completely left open.
All in all not a bad book, the prose is enjoyable and again the world building is enjoyable. I'd personally probably do better with this as an audiobook to catch on faster and make an easier transition to multiple books in the series. I was slow reading it because I was slow to grasp.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2025
The story in this book is great. The world is imaginative and the author excels at world-building. I loved exploring the unique races and warring factions. However, I struggled to fully engage with some parts of the story, as certain sections felt overly wordy—almost like I was waiting for the exciting moments to arrive. Most of the action is concentrated in the last quarter of the book, which does end on major cliffhangers across all three storylines. Ultimately, I loved the story and grew to appreciate the characters, but at times, the writing felt like it dragged.
March 21, 2025
3.5 stars I like the book
I got the privilege to read this book before it was released -free for review.
The beginning I had trouble getting into the book I 1st liked Ray. Then after awhile Seth. Munne I had a harder time with. I think one of her 1st chapters had some repetition or just a lot of smells and so many mentions of autumn 🍁.
I finally did get hooked into the story but nothing was resolved and the next book must be read to find out what happens.
I had some trouble keeping the races separate since 2 started with p.
I got the privilege to read this book before it was released -free for review.
The beginning I had trouble getting into the book I 1st liked Ray. Then after awhile Seth. Munne I had a harder time with. I think one of her 1st chapters had some repetition or just a lot of smells and so many mentions of autumn 🍁.
I finally did get hooked into the story but nothing was resolved and the next book must be read to find out what happens.
I had some trouble keeping the races separate since 2 started with p.
May 10, 2025
High fantasy adventure meets intrigue and mystery in The Whispering Pass. It has three individual POVs, and I kept waiting for the three plotlines to intersect, but while they affected each other at the end, they remained distinctly separated. It sometimes made things confusing, however it was still kept me invested until the end.
May 23, 2025
you have 3POVs, that run parallel together until it merges. A war continues to loom. High fantasy meets mystery.At times I was wanting to get a better picture of other characters/the world around them. Yet, this is the first installment in the series, and im sure there will be more building as we go. Still an enjoyable read. be warned, this book ends on a huge cliffhanger 👀
December 24, 2024
Olsen-Thrift creates a futuristic world as effectively as Rawlings created the world of Harry Potter. We can see, hear, and emphasize with many of Olsen-Thrift’s characters who face many challenges and problems as we do today. Very well written novel.
March 30, 2025
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an ARC ebook copy. This book created an interesting and immersive world that kept me entertained throughout each POV. I enjoyed each POV although I kept waiting for them to intermingle or have a common goal which made it a bit of a let down when none of the characters interacted with one another until the very end.
I do agree with other reviewers that nothing was resolved in this book which makes it almost a requirement to read the next book.
I loved all of the world building and different races throughout the book and it was overall a good read.
I do agree with other reviewers that nothing was resolved in this book which makes it almost a requirement to read the next book.
I loved all of the world building and different races throughout the book and it was overall a good read.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews