Whisper (Whisper, #1) in Aussie Readers

Jul 22, 2019 Brenda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: aussie-authors, sent-by-publisher, science-fiction, young-adult, 2018-release, own-read, fantasy

Subject Six-Eight-Four had been locked in a cell during the night and experimented on during the day for over two and a half years. The place was called Lengard; it was filled with guards and evaluators – she knew there were others, but she didn’t see them. Until the day she was taken to the head of Lengard and things changed. She was still a monster and she still refused to speak. They called her Jane Doe as she wouldn’t tell them her name…

Gradually the kindness of the new evaluator caused Jane ...more

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May 02, 2018 Bree T rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, series, mystery, young-adult, fantasy-sci-fi, supernatural, saving-the-world

I love Lynette Noni’s Akernae series and it’s not finished yet so I was quite surprised when I found out she had another book coming out from a brand new series just a few months after the fourth in the Akernae series. I immediately added it to my wishlist, curious to see what else she’d been cooking up.

Subject 6-8-4 in a secret facility known as Lengard is only referred to as Jane Doe, because she won’t tell them her name. In fact she hasn’t uttered a sound since she arrived, over two and a hal I love Lynette Noni’s Akernae series and it’s not finished yet so I was quite surprised when I found out she had another book coming out from a brand new series just a few months after the fourth in the Akernae series. I immediately added it to my wishlist, curious to see what else she’d been cooking up.

Subject 6-8-4 in a secret facility known as Lengard is only referred to as Jane Doe, because she won’t tell them her name. In fact she hasn’t uttered a sound since she arrived, over two and a half years ago. Every day she is put through a rigorous training regime, sits through psychological evaluation and is brutally experimented on. And every day she remains silent, no matter what tortures are inflicted upon her. But unexpectedly she’s given a new ‘evaluator’ – and a definitive window of time. If she doesn’t show them what they want to see, then they’ll cut her from the program. And she knows what that means.

‘Jane’ is hiding a terrible secret which is the reason she doesn’t speak. After so much deprivation (Jane is severely isolated, spending the time she isn’t training or being experimented on in a cell, fed a gruel that covers the nutritional needs she requires but is tasteless, etc), Jane is suddenly passed over to a new evaluator, a young man perhaps only a year or two older than she is. He’s kind to her, perhaps the first person to be truly so and it takes her by surprise. She’s also given some privileges, allowed to lead a more normal life away from her cell, wear regular clothes. When Jane finally does show her gift it’s not on purpose but it’s enough for them to see what they need to. And it’s enough for Jane to be set on a path that leads her to question again everything about the program she’s supposed to be involved in.

Okay, so. There’s no denying that there are a few ‘vibes’ in this book that feel a little familiar, that remind me of other bits and pieces of books. But there’s also some quite new and unique stuff as well. Firstly, the setting is amazing – utilising Sydney’s CBD in the most unusual and creative of ways and I really enjoyed that. Likewise the trip to Taronga Zoo really helps anchor the reader in the setting. If you’ve been to Sydney then you’re aware of where the zoo is, how you get there and the experience that involves. It’s a quintessential part of exploring the city. Also I found the idea of Lengard quite fascinating, even when there are some obviously sinister components to it. What they are doing to Jane is horrific and I was curious why it took them so long to try and different method. Jane has lasted over two and a half years being regularly tortured, it’s clear that she wasn’t going to crack under that particular pressure. But to deprive her of everything for so long – regular food, nice clothes, friendship and companionship may have been the long game in order to shower her with kindness all at once and break through her resolve.

Despite the strength she’s shown resisting breaking under torture, Jane is scarred on the inside. She has what she believes is the most terrible of secrets and she’s petrified of it coming out. She has no idea that her special ‘gift’ for want of a better word, can be harnessed and controlled and she has very little self confidence. It seems that a lot of trying to get Jane to reveal herself and then help her understand it in the aftermath, involved playing games with her head. A lot of it seemed counter productive to be honest and gives you the feeling that there are a lot of underlying motives and sinister scenarios, especially when Jane gets an introduction to a rebel group that she’s been led to believe are terrorists.

I liked this more than I liked the first Akernae book and I’ve come to love that series so much so that actually gives me a really good feeling about this because I think Lynette Noni’s books get stronger the further she gets into the series and the world. There’s a lot of really interesting stuff that has been set up here and the ending to this book felt really intense and definitely made me want to know what is going to happen next. Jane undergoes a lot of growth in this book and hopefully she will be stronger and with a lot more self belief, having potentially had a weight lifted from her. There’s the possibility for a love triangle in this, I’m not sure how far it’s going to go, at the moment it seems more the thought or suggestion, as everyone also has their minds on other things. I’m team Option #2, but I’m quite good at picking the ‘wrong’ one! I’m not a big fan of love triangles and it wasn’t too prevalent in this first book but it’ll probably bother me if it becomes something that dominates the story more in future books.

Overall I enjoyed this – it has a few wrinkles to iron out and there were times when it felt too much like something I’d read before but it definitely got better as it went on and I am keen to see where it goes from here.

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review*** ...more

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May 12, 2018 Jo-Anne rated it liked it · review of another edition

Whisper starts out strong with our protagonist Jane locked away in a secret facility suffering through what is akin to torture and not uttering a word for over two years. Jane's inner monologue gives you an insight into her bleak existence. It hooked me in straight away and I couldn't wait to keep reading, although at about the halfway point I sort of lost most of that enthusiasm. I just wasn't surprised with any of the revelations and the relationships between the characters were lukewarm.

Jane ...more

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Jun 10, 2018 Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own, bought-by-me, read-in-2018

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Find this review and more on my blog The Rest Is Still Unwritten!

Whisper is Lynette Noni’s latest release and is an enchanting story of mystery, government secrets and teens special abilities with the power to change the world.

Jane Doe has been locked up in Lengard, a secret government facility for extraordinary people for more than two years. Known as subject Six-Eight-Four, Jane has remained silent throughout the number of invasive and often painful experiments they have performed on her, refu Find this review and more on my blog The Rest Is Still Unwritten!

Whisper is Lynette Noni’s latest release and is an enchanting story of mystery, government secrets and teens special abilities with the power to change the world.

Jane Doe has been locked up in Lengard, a secret government facility for extraordinary people for more than two years. Known as subject Six-Eight-Four, Jane has remained silent throughout the number of invasive and often painful experiments they have performed on her, refusing to utter a word. Yet her resolve is threatened when her latest evaluator turns out to be a young man only a few years older than Jane whose unexpected kindness and care begins to break through the carefully placed shields Jane has built around herself. Trusting a Lengard employee is the last thing Jane wants to do, but as she begins to discover startling secrets about the facility, Jane is about to discover more about the power of words, and herself, than she ever could have expected.

Lynette Noni first captured my attention with her debut novel Akarnae and has held my heart ever since with her intelligent writing style, bold characters and grand sense of adventure. While Whisper is a different kind of Noni novel than what I have read in the past, I can still find echoes of these characteristics I love and am really hopeful and looking forward to seeing more of this series.

Introducing readers to an intriguing character shrouded in mystery in the form of Jane Doe, Whisper begins with our protagonist a prisoner—for the lack of a better word—of an underground organisation that has been experimenting on her and treating her as less that human. Lynette Noni keeps the mystery surrounding Jane a secret for as long as possible; only allowing small snippets of her past and her abilities to be touched on so to build the suspense.

I found the idea of Speakers and the concept as a whole to be very creative. I have to be honest though; as much as I love Lynette Noni and enjoyed this novel, there were times when I found myself somewhat disconnected from the story. I’m not sure what it was exactly as Whisper was fast paced and enjoyable. I think Jane, along with Ward and many of the other characters, have a lot of promise, although I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that Noni avoids the dreaded love triangle.

I loved that the novel set in Sydney. I actually wasn’t anticipating the story to be based on home soil, so I was both surprised and appreciative when the revelation was made as Jane was discovering more about her location. Considering the way in which Whisper ends, I’m looking forward to an Australian based setting and seeing things progress.

An enjoyable read with hints of romance, danger and excitement, Whisper easily left me ready for more and keen to see what will happen to the characters next! ...more

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Jun 07, 2018 Jenny (Bookbookowl) rated it it was amazing

“Jane Doe” has been imprisoned in a facility for over 2 years, enduring terrible experiments and torture. She doesn’t know what they’re looking for, she only knows she must never speak. Because her words have power, and that power has destroyed her life before.

The director of the facility has told her it’s her last chance to prove her commitment to their program, a program she knows nothing about, and sends her to a new evaluator (Landon Ward), in a last ditch attempt to get her to speak. Ward a ...more

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