Whisper

Whisper Trilogy #1

by Dana Faletti

When Callie Evans starts suffering monster headaches and hearing mysterious voices, she wonders if her fragile teenage psyche has finally cracked. After all, being the only girl without a cell phone in a world where you only show up on the social GPS if you’re in the network is a total stressor. Throw in a fretful yet loving mother who is always up her arsenal - well, there’s only so much junk a typical teenager can handle, right?

Newsflash. Callie Evans is anything but typical. When she discovers just how unique she is, Callie’s life morphs into an endless series of surprises at every turn.

Silas and Jules feed Callie a tale she can only laugh at. Until- gasp - she discovers it’s all true. She not only has to hide her secret identity from everyone in her universe (including Joshua Pride, the super-hot new guy at school who harbors a secret of his own,) but she must learn to navigate her new reality and fulfill her revealed purpose.

In a world where whispers are the deadliest of weapons, Callie’s biggest challenge of all will be to simply survive the evil that seeks to destroy her.



Whisper is book one of the Whisper Trilogy.

Genres: Young Adult

220 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Pittsburgh native Dana Faletti loves Broadway musicals and knows all the words to Les Miserables. Her favorite TV show is The Chosen, and her favorite movie is the Sound of Music. Dana loves to cook and owned a successful catering business for a few years, before giving it up to focus on her family and write full-time. Before that, she spent ten years teaching in Deaf education and special education. Dana shares her life with an amazing husband who also knows every word to Les Mis and can fix just about anything. Dana has three awesome daughters - a sixteen-year-old worship leader who sings like an angel, a fifteen-year-old who writes music and has produced 2 original EPs, and a curly-haired eleven-year-old who is the true CEO of the household and Dana's greatest source of laughter. Dana is most grateful to God, her creator, for blessing her with every good gift in her life and for giving His son to set her free.
Dana's young adult trilogy, The Whisper Series, is a teen romance that's rife with angels, demons and spiritual warfare, as well as a message of love and acceptance that has touched readers nationwide. Her women's fiction novel, Beautiful Secret, was released by Pandamoon Publishing in 2016. Beautiful Secret is set in the scorched hills of Southern Italy, where Dana has spent much time traveling and visiting family. Zo, released May 24, 2021, is a middle-grade fantasy fiction based on a bedtime story she used to tell her girls. It's packed with magical adventure and fun. Her newest novel, Hear Me, a young adult romance, will be released July 2021.

Reviews

[Chasty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could of gave this book five stars but the words they chose to use to replace the cuss words was infuriating. I mean instead of what the hello why not use what the heck???? After spending some time getting use to this I was able to glide through the book easily. Dana is an exceptional writer and I had yet to read a story like this one. It is new, interesting and refreshing. I was not expecting Callie to be what she is and I wasn't expecting a love interest to show up either. I think it speaks volumes when you can't predict the ending the author has written. Now that the story is set up I can't wait to see what happens in Wake :D

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

****I won this book in a giveaway****
Thank you soooo much Dana Faletti for giving me the opportunity to read and win this book! I was so thrilled and ecstatic to get it in the mail! And you signed it!!! That was just the cherry on top!<3 thanks so much!

WOW! Ok this was so much fun to read!!!!! First, this whole angels and demons, Holy War thing? AWE-SOME! As a believer, myself, this felt like a cool twist to the Holy War going on all around us(which is kinda the gist of the book). And in some ways I felt this book was actually kinda realistic! People are always saying that angels are all around us, protecting us, and so are demons, tempting us to do wrong. So this book was like a story told from that!
If I have had an Arc angel at any point I hope if was Callie! Or Joshua Pride lol
I want to say this book is great for every type of person! Whether you believe or don't believe, no matter your religion, because this book is meant for everyone!^_^ It can be as simple as an awesome, original, kick "arsenal", angel and demons story!:D

I only had one itsy bitsy downer with the book, I wish it was longer!!! The author did fantastic with the amount of pages she had written but if if it had 100 extra pages it would've been even better! I feel like the beginning of the story was a little rushed to get to the point. She did a great job and creating the world she wanted to create but I felt like it happened all of a sudden in like a chapter and a half!0.0 but this has no effect on how much I enjoyed the story!:)

One thing I noticed that I was SO SO SO happy about was the character change! Most of the story is in Callie's point of view, so the male character, Joshua Pride, is of course masculine, dark and mysterious, and handsome as described. But there were a few chapters from Joshua's point of view, and let me say, Dana Faletti, you did an AMAZING job at keeping the masculinity of Joshua's voice! I've noticed some authors have trouble making the male sound different from the female, or sound manly, unlike the feminine characters.
I was so glad that Joshua still sounded like Joshua, and sounded manly like he is described from Callie when I read from his POV. It made the book even more enjoyable!

The ending had me sad! And then happy!! I can't give away too much but wow! Just wow! The ending is unpredictable! And the epilogue was awesome! You got to be in God's head! Which was so sweet and adorable and fun!
I can't wait to read the next books!

All in all, I loved Whisper! It was a superb, sweet, feel-good read and I'd read it over again!

Thank you so much Dana!!!


P.S. Everyone... Read this book! Put it on your to-read list right now hahaha :P

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I won it on goodreads and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to read this imaginative and really interesting story. I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in the trilogy. I just want to say to Dana Faletti ... please keep on writing, you are really gifted!
Thank you for such a great book. I also want to thank Dana Faletti for writing something in my book which just makes it that much more special to me

I really hope that Dana continues to write.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was soooooo good!!!! In general, I love books that have angels and demons in them, but this one was really special. I'm so excited for the rest of the series to come out!
Would have given it 5 stars, but replacing the curse words were annoying to read....
:)

[Lori Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic! Faletti does an amazing job capturing these characters' voices, entertaining the reader on every page. This truly is a book that can be enjoyed at any age. I'm looking forward to the next one in this series!

[OpenBookSociety.com · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://openbooksociety.com/article/wh...

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Valerie

I’m kind of at an impasse when it comes to this book. On one hand, I think that it’s a fabulous novel with great potential. On the other hand, I think that it was very cheesy and predictable and staged.

Cheesy first.

There’s only so much cheese I can deal with before my brain just stops comprehending. I almost reached the overload moment, but I fortunately did not. Yes, Callie Evans may be a freshman. Yes, she may want a boyfriend. She may feel awkward at times, but she does not fall into insta-love and think that Joshua Pride is her future husband.

She shouldn’t, anyways.

And the plot overall was a tad cheesy.

Fabulous now.

I love the idea of the novel. It’s just so nice and cute and marvelous. Whisper is one of the novels that you can count on to make you smile. When you read even a sentence, you kind of want to smile. It’s just that smile- inducing. I love the niceness of it all.

I’m really glad the author Dana Faletti made Callie a freshman. So many novels are about juniors or seniors, and I really feel freshmen get left out. I’m so upset whenever that happens. Life is just uncool like that until this book came into my life.

So here we have WHISPER. And it comes into your life with a YELL. (Sorry, I absolutely suck at good puns…)

[Nadette Rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book!

I’d definitely recommend Whisper to any teen (or anyone) who’s going through or has ever gone through a rough time. This book really puts things in perspective and shows that no matter what we may think, there’s always something bigger than us that is out there and loves us. We have someone fighting for us.

Faletti did a great job of combining the teenage romance part of the story, the supernatural aspect we all love, and a deeper meaning into a thrilling story that you won’t want to put down. The book had a really good pace and kept me intrigued from the first chapter on! I loved the relationship Callie and Joshua have; they are so perfect for each other.

This book has so much meaning to it, and the concept is really neat and intriguing. I can't wait to see what happens to the characters in the rest of the trilogy!

[Aimee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good thought went into the storyline, and I enjoyed the character development and the characters themselves, but the writing was not very good. Descriptions in much of the book seem very forced, as if the author hasn't quite developed her writing style and flow yet, but the story and ideas were unique and interesting.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book for preteens, full of adventure and a little romance. A young girl realizes her true purpose and during her new life she finds the love of her life. The adventure and romance begins.
I still intend on reading the next issue to find out what happens to the couple in love.

[Melissa Benton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very well written. I really enjoyed this book. I recommend this highly

[J.C. Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the story had some issues for me, this author has a fantastic voice and the book was really fun to rea.

[Jennifer-Eve Workman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this through Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

[Maelyn Isenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book. Hm… I did not love the writing style. Honestly, I feel it was trying too hard to be the voice of a 16 year old girl. I also discovered, once I got another point of view, that I just don’t really love Callie as a character. I also didn’t think the plot had enough stakes. It felt very much like an easy kind of new life rather than actually life threatening in the sense that other supernatural series I’ve read had. I didn’t love it but I think I’ll read the other two just so I can give the whole series a chance. It was almost a DNF but I pushed through. It’s interesting enough for me to keep going but I don’t know if I would recommend anyone to start it.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book I bought at a whim from Barns & Nobel. I could not put it down, I found it different from anything I read before. I did get a kick out of the use of common words instead of swearing. I bought book 2 and 3 at the same time and am very excited to read them now that I finished book 1.

[Betwixt the Pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Callie Evans starts suffering monster headaches and hearing mysterious voices, she wonders if her fragile teenage psyche has finally cracked. After all, being the only girl without a cell phone in a world where you only show up on the social GPS if you’re in the network is a total stressor. Throw in a fretful yet loving mother who is always up her arsenal - well, there’s only so much junk a typical teenager can handle, right?

Newsflash. Callie Evans is anything but typical. When she discovers just how unique she is, Callie’s life morphs into an endless series of surprises at every turn.

Silas and Jules feed Callie a tale she can only laugh at. Until- gasp - she discovers it’s all true. She not only has to hide her secret identity from everyone in her universe (including Joshua Pride, the super-hot new guy at school who harbors a secret of his own,) but she must learn to navigate her new reality and fulfill her revealed purpose.

In a world where whispers are the deadliest of weapons, Callie’s biggest challenge of all will be to simply survive the evil that seeks to destroy her.

Rating: 3/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: I just...had some issues overall; unique voice, charismatic and entertaining characters; sometimes the MC seemed a bit younger than her actual age; special snowflakes; insta-love; quite predictable; some stereotypes

Huge thanks to Dana Faletti for sending me a copy of this book free in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this title.

“The thing is this – you really are special, Jen. And all the things that have happened in your life – the bad stuff – those things are trying to break the special in you."

Now, don't get me wrong--this year has been ALL ABOUT stepping out of my comfort zone in terms of reading. So when I saw this was about angels and demons, I thought... "well, why not give it a try!" And for the most part, that was okay--I took the focus on religion (or, at least, Christian ideals) in stride and convinced myself to approach it as it was--literature. Overall, though, I'm not sure this book (or this series, honestly) will be the right fit for me personally.

For one--our MC, and the boy she decides immediately she's into (hello, insta-love! great to see you! I mean... yeah, that was a lie)--are both "special snowflakes" in their own rights. Him, because he can defeat pretty much any demon thrown his way without even trying! Heck, he doesn't even NEED guidance anymore, and has actually become sort of a rebel, but who cares?! He's a legacy! And her because... Well, she pretty much flies into this fighting demon things like a pro. I mean, that's realistic, right? One five minute session of arguing and disbelief is more than enough to tide her over and make it A-okay!

Now, that's not to say there aren't some interesting ideas happening in this book. I was pretty entertained throughout--the narrator's voices are so distinctive and unique! I adored the way Callie uses her own personal dictionary when "cursing"--while at times it was a bit strange or overdone, I was reminded of myself at that age. (Let's be honest, I'm STILL the girl who uses "oh my penguins" over cursing, because that's just who I am) So this was realistic for me, and came off rather endearing!

The plot was also interesting. Action-packed and fast-paced, it was pretty easy to fall into the story and get swept away. However...there were some stereotypes I wasn't fond of. And Calliope, while a snarky and entertaining character, was VERY prone to making harsh snap judgments, which I also didn't like. Yes, she's only "human." Yes, we ALL make judgmental statements sometimes. But these were a bit too over-the-top for me--and very much followed the stereotypes, on top of that. It just didn't work, is what I'm saying. I DID, however, love a lot of the "moral" implications happening throughout. There were some very wise moments spawned from the battles Calliope finds herself in the midst of--and lessons I think ALL of us need to be reminded of, no matter our age.

“Humans have a certain image of angels, and,” he gestured toward his tiny form, “as you can see it’s not exactly accurate.” I raised my eyebrows at him. He had a point there. He was not the muscle bound Greek god I would have expected an angel to look like. No, Silas was definitely no Hercules. He was more of a Jeeves… in a white suit with pink handkerchief.

Overall, this was a decent read, though I'm not sure the right fit for me. I will still be picking up the other books in this series, as I'd like to know what happens next and see where the story goes from here. I would recommend this to those who enjoy unique takes on the war between good and evil, lovers of angel/demon stories, and those looking for fast-paced plots. It just wasn't quite what I expected, going in--fingers crossed I like the next one more!

[Katherine Kollat · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Whisper Trilogy the main character, Callie Evans was shown as a very timid character but as the story continued she became a strong minded heroine. Dana Faletti is the author of these books and continues to amaze me. Dana added some religion to the story such as Angels, Heaven, God, and Son (Jesus Christ). Each and every one of the characters had their own way to show their humor which I really thought was a great way to move the story along. I loved how she added some teenage romance into the books between the two main characters. As I have said the trilogy is a page turner with humor, religion, battles between good and evil, and romance.
If you liked City of Bones and Clockwork Angels you might like to read this trilogy.

[C.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather than young adult, I think this book is more suited for middle grade readers. It's very cute and at times cheesy, but cheesy in a way that makes you smile. It focuses more on telling the story rather than fleshing out any of the characters, but the premise has good potential. Also, I just couldn't get past the cutesy phrases the characters used in place of cuss words: "what the hello" and "up my arsenal" are a couple of examples. Once or twice is fine but the entire book is filled with them.

If what you're looking for is a fun, short read full of zany prose then this book may be for you.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Started off good, got a little confused with the whole explanation on the story, but then it became clear and picked up again. It was a good plot, great story and I enjoyed the book. I loved the humor the author showed throughout the book and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I won this in a giveaway and I am happy I did. It was a fun book and leaves you in a good place when you finish it.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

First read winner.

3-3.5

For young readers. Interesting story idea. The anti-cuss words were quite annoying, "hello", "arsenal".
It was unique and different. Had a few errors. I think the story could have been stretched out , expanded , worked on some more. Otherwise, it was good, entertaining and interesting.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book was awesome. Callie is an exceptional girl. She took to her calling without to much whining. She saved these teens and showed them that they are loved by God. That they are worth something. The author dealt with all the challenges teen deal with today and gave a loving outcome for them. I can't wait to read the second book.

[TreLyn Cecile · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read like this. It was really a super good book. I loved the characters and the story line. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Jesenia Sanabia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Good vs Evil story! The characters are awesomely crafted. The style of conversation had me laughing a lot! I can't wait to read book 2!