Dark Whisperings - Maria Dembouski

★★★☆☆

Creepy monsters? Sign me up.

Narrative Voice: 3rd person omniscient

Cussing/profanity: 3/5*

Drug/alcohol use: 2/5**
Kissing: 1/5
Sex/nudity: 0/5
Violence/gore: 3/5

I read this book because I wanted a dark fantasy that wasn’t a romance, and I saw the premise and was hooked. I wanted the spooky, grisly monsters and the heroes who fought them. A story that wasn’t afraid to get gritty.

Overall, pretty good book, especially a debut! Great monsters that were gross and creepy. Just what I wanted! The concept was engaging with well-crafted mechanics. I loved the backstories; the characters were well rounded with both flaws and strengths. I wasn’t a fan of Fiske at first, but he got better as time went on. I really liked Grey. The villains also were proper baddies. The banter and humor were fun, bordering on sarcastic. And YAY for a no-spice subplot romance! Very interested to see where the characters will go, and I do plan on reading the sequel.

A disclaimer: I listened to the audiobook. The narrator, Dallin Bradford, was phenomenal, so I think that elevated my enjoyment more than reading the book would been. I was not aware there would be profanity, and I’m not a fan of it in fantasy. The plot felt aimless at times. The goals weren’t clear and I remember thinking, “When is it going to pick up? When is the real plot gonna come in?” (perhaps I’m just used to Save the Cat! structured stories haha) I wished more focus was on the otherworlders/dreamers as the main plot rather than it being a thing they have to deal with as they travel around. There were some hints of deeper details and lore that I would have LOVED to explore more, especially towards the end, but they were kind of throwaway lines. Maybe in the sequel? Overall, the plot could have been tighter, and if it wasn’t for the entertaining narrator, I might have dnf’d somewhere.

3/5 stars would recommend to less picky readers

*30 hell, 23 shit, 17 damn, 14 bloody, 4 ass, 3 piss, 3 bullshit, 3 horseshit, 2 crap, 2 asshole
**a main character is an alcoholic