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missprint_'s review
4.0
Cousins Gretchen, Penelope and Emma are still learning to control their new-found powers and understand what it means to be members of one of the oldest witching families, the Lovegroves, in 1814 London.
Penelope struggles with a familiar that frightens her and unwieldy powers that allow her to read the past in objects. Emma, on the other hand, now has antlers to conceal while trying to find a way to rescue her father from the underworld and convince her mother to assume her human form instead of that of a deer.
Reluctant debutante Gretchen, meanwhile, is still not entirely sure of the full scope of her powers. Or what embroidery has to do with magic. Gretchen will have to harness her powers as a Whisperer who can hear the spells of dead witches if she wants to help stop the dark witches the Greymalkins from wreaking all manner of havoc in London and beyond.
She will also have to contend with the frustratingly proper Tobias Lawless and other Keepers tasked with keeping the cousins under surveillance. The only positive is that with so much danger and problems ranging from angry ghosts to werewolves, Gretchen will definitely be able to avoid any balls for the foreseeable future in Whisper the Dead (2014) by Alyxandra Harvey.
Whisper the Dead is the second book in the Lovegrove Legacy. It is preceded by A Breath of Frost.
Recaps and multiple viewpoints help summarize key events from the first book in this trilogy. The narrative focus also shifts from Emma to Gretchen in this volume. (Presumably the trilogy will conclude with a book focused on Penelope.) These facts make this volume approachable and only slightly confusing to new readers.
Rollicking action and mystery come together with humor and charm to make this a fast-paced and engrossing story. A well-developed romance and a cliffhanger ending help guarantee that Whisper the Dead will have high appeal and leave readers eager for the final installment.
Possible Pairings: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carringer, Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe, The Woman Who Loved Reindeer by Meredith Ann Pierce, Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood, The Amulet of Samarkand by Johnathan Stroud, Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevemer
*A more condensed version of this review appeared in the August 2014 issue of School Library Journal from which it can be seen in various sites online*
Penelope struggles with a familiar that frightens her and unwieldy powers that allow her to read the past in objects. Emma, on the other hand, now has antlers to conceal while trying to find a way to rescue her father from the underworld and convince her mother to assume her human form instead of that of a deer.
Reluctant debutante Gretchen, meanwhile, is still not entirely sure of the full scope of her powers. Or what embroidery has to do with magic. Gretchen will have to harness her powers as a Whisperer who can hear the spells of dead witches if she wants to help stop the dark witches the Greymalkins from wreaking all manner of havoc in London and beyond.
She will also have to contend with the frustratingly proper Tobias Lawless and other Keepers tasked with keeping the cousins under surveillance. The only positive is that with so much danger and problems ranging from angry ghosts to werewolves, Gretchen will definitely be able to avoid any balls for the foreseeable future in Whisper the Dead (2014) by Alyxandra Harvey.
Whisper the Dead is the second book in the Lovegrove Legacy. It is preceded by A Breath of Frost.
Recaps and multiple viewpoints help summarize key events from the first book in this trilogy. The narrative focus also shifts from Emma to Gretchen in this volume. (Presumably the trilogy will conclude with a book focused on Penelope.) These facts make this volume approachable and only slightly confusing to new readers.
Rollicking action and mystery come together with humor and charm to make this a fast-paced and engrossing story. A well-developed romance and a cliffhanger ending help guarantee that Whisper the Dead will have high appeal and leave readers eager for the final installment.
Possible Pairings: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray, Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carringer, Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe, The Woman Who Loved Reindeer by Meredith Ann Pierce, Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood, The Amulet of Samarkand by Johnathan Stroud, Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevemer
*A more condensed version of this review appeared in the August 2014 issue of School Library Journal from which it can be seen in various sites online*
melbsreads's review
4.0
5/2/2016
I stand by everything I said about this book last time. Gretchen is such a wonderful character - sassy and strong and not standing for any bullshit. She's all "why the hell should I use this stupid shield spell when I could just throw a dagger at someone?", and it's freaking great. Tobias is an equally complex character, and I love him. Add the two together and you get one hell of a ship.
There are also a plethora of delightful hints about Penelope and Cedric, and OH MY GOD WHY DO WE NOT HAVE BOOK THREE YET WHY IS IT STILL NOT EVEN A THING ON GOODREADS WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. Because seriously. I need it like air.
16/9/2014
4.5 stars. I read the first book in this series, A Breath of Frost, back in January and I LOVED IT OMG. So needless to say, I was pretty excited when I got approved for an ARC of the second book. I read a decent chunk of it on a bus from Mafra to Lisbon, and polished it off on the train from Lisbon to Sintra because I just couldn't put it down.
Basically, this is the middle book in a trilogy about three cousins in Regency London who discover that they're witches. Each has a different power, and together they have to try and stop a group of insanely evil sisters (who just happen to have died like 200 years ago) from destroying London. They're pretty clueless, but luckily there are some cute and knowledgeable boys to help them out. Score. (Yes, I'm aware that's a terrible synopsis, but it's kind of hard to recap the plot of a middle book without listing a bunch of spoilers, so...yeah.)
Anyway, I loved pretty much everything about this. It didn't seem to suffer any of the dreaded middle-book syndrome that so often plagues trilogies at the moment. And I think a big part of that is the fact that each of the books is dedicated largely to one of the three cousins. Book 1 focused primarily on Emma, and this focuses on Gretchen. So while we're still getting the overarching narrative slowly unfolding and building towards the big finale in Book 3, we also get Gretchen growing into her powers and learning what's really important to her.
I liked Emma in the first book, but I adore Gretchen. She's ridiculously sassy when she wants to be and isn't afraid to break the rules when they're endangering the people she cares about. And before you ask, YES. There's some serious swoon in this book. I loved the relationship between Gretchen and Tobias. He needs someone to bring him out of the cage he's got himself locked in, and she needs someone a little out of the ordinary but who still knows when the rules should apply, so Tobias fits the bill perfectly. And yes, there's still a healthy dose of swoon from Emma and Cormac, with a side of squee.
Honestly, I think my only issue would be the cliffhanger ending. Because I don't know how on earth I'll wait until I-have-no-idea-when-but-my-money-is-on-next-year for Book 3. And OMG book 3 better feature lots of Penelope and Cedric squeeing or I will have serious words with Alyxandra Harvey. Because of reasons...
In short, I loved this. It was a great middle book that upped the intensity and the action, and which overcame a lot of the minor niggles I had with the first book in the series.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I stand by everything I said about this book last time. Gretchen is such a wonderful character - sassy and strong and not standing for any bullshit. She's all "why the hell should I use this stupid shield spell when I could just throw a dagger at someone?", and it's freaking great. Tobias is an equally complex character, and I love him. Add the two together and you get one hell of a ship.
There are also a plethora of delightful hints about Penelope and Cedric, and OH MY GOD WHY DO WE NOT HAVE BOOK THREE YET WHY IS IT STILL NOT EVEN A THING ON GOODREADS WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. Because seriously. I need it like air.
16/9/2014
4.5 stars. I read the first book in this series, A Breath of Frost, back in January and I LOVED IT OMG. So needless to say, I was pretty excited when I got approved for an ARC of the second book. I read a decent chunk of it on a bus from Mafra to Lisbon, and polished it off on the train from Lisbon to Sintra because I just couldn't put it down.
Basically, this is the middle book in a trilogy about three cousins in Regency London who discover that they're witches. Each has a different power, and together they have to try and stop a group of insanely evil sisters (who just happen to have died like 200 years ago) from destroying London. They're pretty clueless, but luckily there are some cute and knowledgeable boys to help them out. Score. (Yes, I'm aware that's a terrible synopsis, but it's kind of hard to recap the plot of a middle book without listing a bunch of spoilers, so...yeah.)
Anyway, I loved pretty much everything about this. It didn't seem to suffer any of the dreaded middle-book syndrome that so often plagues trilogies at the moment. And I think a big part of that is the fact that each of the books is dedicated largely to one of the three cousins. Book 1 focused primarily on Emma, and this focuses on Gretchen. So while we're still getting the overarching narrative slowly unfolding and building towards the big finale in Book 3, we also get Gretchen growing into her powers and learning what's really important to her.
I liked Emma in the first book, but I adore Gretchen. She's ridiculously sassy when she wants to be and isn't afraid to break the rules when they're endangering the people she cares about. And before you ask, YES. There's some serious swoon in this book. I loved the relationship between Gretchen and Tobias. He needs someone to bring him out of the cage he's got himself locked in, and she needs someone a little out of the ordinary but who still knows when the rules should apply, so Tobias fits the bill perfectly. And yes, there's still a healthy dose of swoon from Emma and Cormac, with a side of squee.
Honestly, I think my only issue would be the cliffhanger ending. Because I don't know how on earth I'll wait until I-have-no-idea-when-but-my-money-is-on-next-year for Book 3. And OMG book 3 better feature lots of Penelope and Cedric squeeing or I will have serious words with Alyxandra Harvey. Because of reasons...
In short, I loved this. It was a great middle book that upped the intensity and the action, and which overcame a lot of the minor niggles I had with the first book in the series.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
lauraajayynebooks's review
3.0
It took me WAYYYYHAYYY too long to finish this bloody book! It's ridiculous.
I loved the first book, but this one I really didn't enjoy. It was a slow read that was kind of dragged out, super long.
If you have patience then definitely read it. I regret not being able to read it and enjoy it.
I loved the first book, but this one I really didn't enjoy. It was a slow read that was kind of dragged out, super long.
If you have patience then definitely read it. I regret not being able to read it and enjoy it.
jaclynder's review
3.0
Having read the first book in the Lovegrove Legacy series, I was really looking forward to book 2, Whisper the Dead. I loved the historical atmosphere, combine that with magic, I was hooked. The multiple perspectives with the cousins also kept me intrigued and I liked that the author seems to be focusing on a specific cousin for each book. Unfortunately, I felt let down with Whisper the Dead. It was fast-paced like book 1, but in this case I felt that the book was rushed, especially in the romance department.
Gretchen Thorn is the tomboy cousin. She’d rather wear trousers and actually learn how to defend herself rather than learn embroidery and rely on men to just happen to be around to protect her. She’s not shy about her views, and this doesn’t exactly make her popular. Luckily she has great friends in her cousins Emma and Penelope, as well as a twin brother, Gideon, whom Gretchen can usually convince to go along with her antics.
Following the events of A Breath of Frost all of the cousins are being watched by the Order. The Order is not convinced by the cousin’s account of events of book 1, and have placed each of them under guard. Gretchen, unfortunately, lands herself with a guard who is more than a little stuffy and put off by Gretchen’s independent ways. Tobias Lawless lives for order and control and is surprised by Gretchen’s determination to march to the beat of her own drum. When an evil witch starts targeting the debutantes of London, these two are going to have to make some sort of compromise to put a stop to it.
I thought Whisper the Dead started out strong. Readers are plunged back into the action and Gretchen was a fun character to read about. Gretchen is impulsive and determined and I loved seeing her ruffle people’s feathers. You can’t help but feel for Gretchen and her inability to move forward in life, she’s trapped by the fact that she’s a woman. And, I also loved the concept of Gretchen's magic:
As a whisperer, Gretchen has access to an untold number of spells, but only in controlling her ability can she access those spells and keep her sanity. For someone as impulsive as Gretchen, this kind of control and patience is a challenge. But, Gretchen's ability to learn about the spells of the past certainly come in handy on the fly, and that motivates Gretchen to gain control over her gifts.
My complaint is that I didn’t feel like anything was resolved by the end of Whisper the Dead; there were so many things left unanswered, I felt that I was missing a section of the book. In fact, Whisper the Dead was significantly shorter than A Breath of Frost.
In particular, what I felt was quite unfinished was the romance. I was expecting it and I thought it was adorable; Tobias and Gretchen made a miss-matched couple. But cuteness aside, it never really got past the infatuation stage and I was disappointed by that as I’m assuming that the author is going to focus on Penelope next in the series and Gretchen and Tobias will be left to the background. There really was only one great section where I felt that Gretchen and Tobias were moving past their initial distrust of one another, and that is when Gretchen learns of Tobias’ secret and meets his surprisingly unconventional family. I wanted more of these scenes and I think it would have made the romance stronger. As it stands, I think the author is going to have to spend some time with these two in subsequent books since their relationship status is not finished.
What I did like is the fact that the author left A LOT of great tidbits for the next book. There were some pretty dramatic events towards the end of the novel and I think those are really going to impact that next book. So, while I didn’t like this one as much as A Breath of Frost, you can guarantee that I’ll be tuning in for book 3.
*Originally published with similar reads at The Book Adventures.
Gretchen Thorn is the tomboy cousin. She’d rather wear trousers and actually learn how to defend herself rather than learn embroidery and rely on men to just happen to be around to protect her. She’s not shy about her views, and this doesn’t exactly make her popular. Luckily she has great friends in her cousins Emma and Penelope, as well as a twin brother, Gideon, whom Gretchen can usually convince to go along with her antics.
Following the events of A Breath of Frost all of the cousins are being watched by the Order. The Order is not convinced by the cousin’s account of events of book 1, and have placed each of them under guard. Gretchen, unfortunately, lands herself with a guard who is more than a little stuffy and put off by Gretchen’s independent ways. Tobias Lawless lives for order and control and is surprised by Gretchen’s determination to march to the beat of her own drum. When an evil witch starts targeting the debutantes of London, these two are going to have to make some sort of compromise to put a stop to it.
I thought Whisper the Dead started out strong. Readers are plunged back into the action and Gretchen was a fun character to read about. Gretchen is impulsive and determined and I loved seeing her ruffle people’s feathers. You can’t help but feel for Gretchen and her inability to move forward in life, she’s trapped by the fact that she’s a woman. And, I also loved the concept of Gretchen's magic:
"Whispering used to be just another word for spellcasting," she continued. "To the untrained eye, a witch reciting a spell looked like she was muttering to herself. After a few years of being hanged or burned at the stake for it, we learned subtlety," she said wryly. "But Whisperers such as yourself can still hear those spells being cast. That's what the terrible sound you hear is. Hundreds of witches over hundreds of years all casting their spells at the same time." (p. 58-59).
As a whisperer, Gretchen has access to an untold number of spells, but only in controlling her ability can she access those spells and keep her sanity. For someone as impulsive as Gretchen, this kind of control and patience is a challenge. But, Gretchen's ability to learn about the spells of the past certainly come in handy on the fly, and that motivates Gretchen to gain control over her gifts.
My complaint is that I didn’t feel like anything was resolved by the end of Whisper the Dead; there were so many things left unanswered, I felt that I was missing a section of the book. In fact, Whisper the Dead was significantly shorter than A Breath of Frost.
In particular, what I felt was quite unfinished was the romance. I was expecting it and I thought it was adorable; Tobias and Gretchen made a miss-matched couple. But cuteness aside, it never really got past the infatuation stage and I was disappointed by that as I’m assuming that the author is going to focus on Penelope next in the series and Gretchen and Tobias will be left to the background. There really was only one great section where I felt that Gretchen and Tobias were moving past their initial distrust of one another, and that is when Gretchen learns of Tobias’ secret and meets his surprisingly unconventional family. I wanted more of these scenes and I think it would have made the romance stronger. As it stands, I think the author is going to have to spend some time with these two in subsequent books since their relationship status is not finished.
What I did like is the fact that the author left A LOT of great tidbits for the next book. There were some pretty dramatic events towards the end of the novel and I think those are really going to impact that next book. So, while I didn’t like this one as much as A Breath of Frost, you can guarantee that I’ll be tuning in for book 3.
*Originally published with similar reads at The Book Adventures.
yurippe's review
5.0
This is also a 3.5 stars, like the first book in the series, but the unnecessary and abrupt cliffhanger made me round down this time.
Once again, the many characters and narrative voices made this kind of confusing, but I still enjoyed this book and was especially satisfied with the characterization of Daphne - I always hate when authors make only their heroines special and all the other girls/women brainless, so I was glad Daphne got a better treatment and got to make some good points about the roles of women in society.
Once again, the many characters and narrative voices made this kind of confusing, but I still enjoyed this book and was especially satisfied with the characterization of Daphne - I always hate when authors make only their heroines special and all the other girls/women brainless, so I was glad Daphne got a better treatment and got to make some good points about the roles of women in society.
novelgoddess's review
4.0
DAMN that was good...even better than the fist book...but, there is a hell of a cliffhanger
autumnfaeb's review
5.0
Huge major cliffhanger. Can't believe it ended like this.
Holy crap.
More in depth review after I've had time to wake up from this madness.
Oct. 27th, 2014
Ok, I've awakened. Still, holy crap. This book was amazing and I am SO glad it didn't fall into the sequel trap. Then again, because each book is about a different cousin, it seems like these could be read as stand alones (although you'd be missing a lot of info.) I quite like it.
Gretchen is amazing, she's sassy, head-strong, independent and seemingly careless for propriety and the standards that society has constructed for her. If I had a daughter I'd love for her to be somewhat like Gretchen.
Her relationship with Godric was also adorable. I love when twins complete each other. Enough on that topic.
Tobias is such a hard ass, and I quite like it. There's just SOMETHING about a strong FMC breaking down the walls that the MMC has built that is so satisfying, and I wasn't disappointed here either. Gretchen and Tobias were MEANT for each other and while we don't see a solid relationship at the end I have high hopes for the third book.
I'm quite interested as to how the third book is going to read. The first was mainly in Emma's POV, the second in Gretchen's. The third, it would be safe to assume, should be in Penelope's. YET, given the...circumstances it might also be safe to assume that it will be in Gretchen's with tidbits of Penelopes and Emma's. Hmmm.
Either way I was immensely thrilled with this book and I can't wait to get to the third...which is a long ways off.
Holy crap.
More in depth review after I've had time to wake up from this madness.
Oct. 27th, 2014
Ok, I've awakened. Still, holy crap. This book was amazing and I am SO glad it didn't fall into the sequel trap. Then again, because each book is about a different cousin, it seems like these could be read as stand alones (although you'd be missing a lot of info.) I quite like it.
Gretchen is amazing, she's sassy, head-strong, independent and seemingly careless for propriety and the standards that society has constructed for her. If I had a daughter I'd love for her to be somewhat like Gretchen.
Her relationship with Godric was also adorable. I love when twins complete each other. Enough on that topic.
Tobias is such a hard ass, and I quite like it. There's just SOMETHING about a strong FMC breaking down the walls that the MMC has built that is so satisfying, and I wasn't disappointed here either. Gretchen and Tobias were MEANT for each other and while we don't see a solid relationship at the end I have high hopes for the third book.
I'm quite interested as to how the third book is going to read. The first was mainly in Emma's POV, the second in Gretchen's. The third, it would be safe to assume, should be in Penelope's. YET, given the...circumstances it might also be safe to assume that it will be in Gretchen's with tidbits of Penelopes and Emma's. Hmmm.
Either way I was immensely thrilled with this book and I can't wait to get to the third...which is a long ways off.
liz1004's review
4.0
Whether it was because I was sick and couldn't concentrate or because I couldn't remember a lot from the first book, I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first. It took a little while for me to get into it, but once I did I really liked it.
That being said, I adored Gretchen. I related a lot more to her than to Emma, and I enjoyed reading a book set from her point of view.
Part of the ending made me cry because of reasons, but it also left me on the edge of my seat. I CAN'T WAIT to read the final installment to see what happens, but also because it will be focused on Penelope, who I relate to due to her love of books.
Highly recommended.
That being said, I adored Gretchen. I related a lot more to her than to Emma, and I enjoyed reading a book set from her point of view.
Part of the ending made me cry because of reasons, but it also left me on the edge of my seat. I CAN'T WAIT to read the final installment to see what happens, but also because it will be focused on Penelope, who I relate to due to her love of books.
Highly recommended.