The Girl with the Whispering Shadow by D.E. Night
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Stories Untold, LLC
Number of Pages: 384
Published: January 23rd, 2019
Source: Purchased
Goodreads blurb for The Crowns of Croswald Book#1: "For sixteen years Ivy Lovely has been hidden behind an enchanted boundary that separates the mundane from the magical. When Ivy crosses the border, her powers awaken. Curiosity leads her crashing through a series of adventures at the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their magical blood and the power of Croswald’s mysterious gems. When Ivy’s magic––and her life––is threatened by the Dark Queen, she scrambles to unearth her history and save Croswald before the truth is swept away forever."
Opening Lines: "The air in Belzebuthe was so thick with magic that she felt as if she had to force her limbs through the atmosphere, especially when she had been gone a while."
The second book in the series opens with a prologue shortly after the events of the first book. Ivy acquired the first of three pieces of the Kindred Stone but was no closer to the location of the two other pieces. Ultimately, Ivy would like to reunite the pieces of the stones to bring about the destruction of the Dark Queen and her Cloaked Brood. At the conclusion of the first book, the Dark Queen attacked the students from the Halls of Ivy making it unsafe for Ivy to stay at the school. Derwin made plans for Ivy to go the town without a name (Belzebuthe), a secret place where she will be safe, away from the eyes of the Dark Queen, and where she might find answers to the possible whereabouts of the final two stones. Fyn and Rebecca, two of Ivy's closest friends from school try to help her, while a shadow seems to be following her every move.
The Girl with the Whispering Shadow has that same magical feeling as the first book and I loved how some of the storylines seemed to correlate with things from the Harry Potter series, well at least it brought things like the Room of Requirements, the Pensieve and the Marauders Map in the Harry Potter series to mind as I was reading. I'm not sure if that was the authors intent or not, but I so enjoyed reminiscing. Even with the connections that I felt between the two, each new book in D. E. Night's story and the world as a whole seems to grow and change. She brings her own twists and I really do love the atmosphere she created in this book. The characters feel familiar and I loved reading all the details about the town of Belzebuthe. Everything from the shops, like the Lie Buries bookstore, which is adorable, to the food carts that Ivy and her friends frequent eating Cracker Hats and drinking Moonsday Milkshakes. To the cold wintery feel of the town with its stars glistening above. She includes so many of elements that I so enjoy reading in my fantasy stories, Ivy's magic classes at the Halls of Ivy, an interesting world with creatures like shades, magic that can be unpredictable, and a budding romance. But, my favorite new addition was Quogo, the magical game played with two people who each conjure a specter and use a quill and the magic from the specter to duel each other until one person is forced out of the ring. I also really enjoyed how the Inklink was used to investigate a crime scene, such fun. I'm really hoping that D.E. Night will write more books in this series and am eager to learn what will happen next. I'd suggest that you start with the first book in the series as you will be missing out on getting to know the characters, the explanation of the magical system and certain important plot points. Overall a very entertaining story that I know I will read again.
Opening Lines: "The air in Belzebuthe was so thick with magic that she felt as if she had to force her limbs through the atmosphere, especially when she had been gone a while."
The second book in the series opens with a prologue shortly after the events of the first book. Ivy acquired the first of three pieces of the Kindred Stone but was no closer to the location of the two other pieces. Ultimately, Ivy would like to reunite the pieces of the stones to bring about the destruction of the Dark Queen and her Cloaked Brood. At the conclusion of the first book, the Dark Queen attacked the students from the Halls of Ivy making it unsafe for Ivy to stay at the school. Derwin made plans for Ivy to go the town without a name (Belzebuthe), a secret place where she will be safe, away from the eyes of the Dark Queen, and where she might find answers to the possible whereabouts of the final two stones. Fyn and Rebecca, two of Ivy's closest friends from school try to help her, while a shadow seems to be following her every move.
The Girl with the Whispering Shadow has that same magical feeling as the first book and I loved how some of the storylines seemed to correlate with things from the Harry Potter series, well at least it brought things like the Room of Requirements, the Pensieve and the Marauders Map in the Harry Potter series to mind as I was reading. I'm not sure if that was the authors intent or not, but I so enjoyed reminiscing. Even with the connections that I felt between the two, each new book in D. E. Night's story and the world as a whole seems to grow and change. She brings her own twists and I really do love the atmosphere she created in this book. The characters feel familiar and I loved reading all the details about the town of Belzebuthe. Everything from the shops, like the Lie Buries bookstore, which is adorable, to the food carts that Ivy and her friends frequent eating Cracker Hats and drinking Moonsday Milkshakes. To the cold wintery feel of the town with its stars glistening above. She includes so many of elements that I so enjoy reading in my fantasy stories, Ivy's magic classes at the Halls of Ivy, an interesting world with creatures like shades, magic that can be unpredictable, and a budding romance. But, my favorite new addition was Quogo, the magical game played with two people who each conjure a specter and use a quill and the magic from the specter to duel each other until one person is forced out of the ring. I also really enjoyed how the Inklink was used to investigate a crime scene, such fun. I'm really hoping that D.E. Night will write more books in this series and am eager to learn what will happen next. I'd suggest that you start with the first book in the series as you will be missing out on getting to know the characters, the explanation of the magical system and certain important plot points. Overall a very entertaining story that I know I will read again.
Sounds like a book I will love. I will have to check it out! I don't remember hearing of the first book- but I will have to read it first. :) Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete~Jess
If you enjoyed Harry Potter, I think you'd love the first book.
DeleteLove HP- so that seals it. :)
Delete~Jess