I was slightly worried there’d be a supernatural theme to this book as it’s not a genre I enjoy, but – though there’s reference to ‘whispering’– Queensland author Lando sets the events of this book (past and present) firmly in this earthly realm. The Whispering The rainforest holds this town in its thrall, the legend of The Whispering being passed down from parents to children. They believe it. A local man has gone missing and memories of the past begin to resurface of another 2 girls lost. Callum is determined to find answers about what happened to the missing local Lachie and about what happened in the past, all the while battling the whispers of the rainforest. This was just the most hard to read Coates I’ve come across. You have to suspend your disbelief with all of her books…. But for this one I just kind of couldn’t.

I know it's early days yet, but it's just possible that The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell has gone straight from being one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2023, to being one of my favourite reads of the entire year. I absolutely adored this! Dynamic and highly-detailed environments are for you to explore. We created a full-scale village that holds many mysteries. Each door can be opened, each building can be entered. Using the 360° panoramic viewing and the zoom in functionality, you can even examine every little detail that catches your eye. Is it too dark to see? Hold up your lantern to light your surroundings and uncover the horrors that darkness beholds. Unable to refuse and eternally grateful for the position of dresser to Lilith Erikson, Jennifer soon learns there's more to the situation. Mrs Dyer explains that her husband has been bewitched by the woman, and Jennifer is to keep a close eye on her. The reader is thrust straight into the social politics of the theatre, and additional meaning and nuance is communicated in the different plays the characters stage throughout this historical fiction masterpiece.The movie starts with the small town engulfed in a series of brutal murders. In-chul, a seasoned detective, is assigned to solve the case. He soon discovers that the murders are connected to a young girl named Soon-ae. Soon-ae has the ability to communicate with the dead and has been speaking to a ghost that seems to be involved in the murders. The cinematography is beautiful, with haunting shots of the dark and eerie town adding to the overall atmosphere of the movie. The music too is well-chosen and complements the storyline perfectly.

When it comes to accommodation in Scotland, there's a fantastic choice of amazing stays from luxury hotels to glamping getaways. Once inside the theatre, Jenny discovers that this is going to be more than just a simple job of dressing and reporting activities to Mrs Dyer. Whilst Lilith is not the kindest of people Jenny soon finds herself ‘bewitched’ by her and wonders if she has fallen in too deep. As more and more tragedy befalls the theatre Jenny begins to question who the enemy really is and is the curse of Melpomene true? Cool again Keira is off to town to find Polly. Not like anyone is looking for her or anything. She has gone to town so much for a person trying to lie low she is failing. I am just so confused on why she cares so much to figure it out. Plus why she thinks she is the one in trouble and has to not go to the police. She is so worried she was the one who did something bad from before she is willing to lie low and move 6 hours away. Some experts say this was intentional, while others argue that it was a mistake in the original sketches that was never corrected.

So we meet Keira and she doesn't know where she is or even if those are her hands. We do learn that Keira can tell where a gunshot is coming from and that in the woods it's fifty meters away 👀. This book starts out with our main character, Keira, waking up in pouring rain somewhere in the woods with no memory of how or why she is there. She is injured and running from men with guns who are chasing her. She stumbles upon the home of a pastor who takes her in. He lets her stay in the groundskeeeper's cottage, located in the nearby cemetery. During her stay in the cottage, she realizes that she can see the ghosts of some of the people who are buried in the cemetery. She sees the ghost of a young woman who was murdered decades before and Keira is determined to find out why this ghost is unable to move on.

I also had the privilege of reading this book together with a group of bookstagrammers for a readalong. It was really fun to listen to other readers’ perspectives, including the symbolisms scattered throughout the book via the birds and plants that made appearances. Not an outdoorsy person myself, this kind of details would’ve easily been lost on me. It reminded me at times of Jane Harper’s The Dry so if you’re a fan of that, I doubt you’ll be disappointed. Don’t you just love it when a book just sneaks up and surprises you? The Whispering by @veronicalandoauthor did just that!!Jenny has a hard life, like many families during Victorian London. Jobs are low paying and living conditions are harsh, but she makes do. After her brother leaves them in disgrace, Jenny is made to step up, to become head of the household. Her brother, Bertie needs an operation to correct club foot. They’d almost saved up enough but then her brother took that too. Jenny is invited to The Mercury theatre by its owner’s wife, Mrs Dyer, she fears its to recompense them for all her brother stole. It appears she wants to offer her a position at the theatre of dresser to their leading lady, Lilith. She is paid handsomely, however, there is a catch, of course there is. But there is so much more going on within the town of Granite Creek. And it’s been going on for more than 30 years. I’d like to thank NetGalley and Bloomsbury for approving me for an ARC of this book. I first came across Laura Purcell when I listened to the audio, The Shape of Darkness, since then I have been collecting her books and couldn’t resist reading this one. I read this with my lovely friend Bex via Storygraph. Swear words, sexual references, hate speech, discriminatory remarks, threats, or references to violence This was a beautifully written story with some likeable and not so likeable characters, and a few moral dilemmas thrown in for good measure.