Review: The Murmurings

The Murmurings
By Carly Anne West
Published 2013 by Simon Pulse

Sophie's life hasn't been the same since her sister went to the institute. Now, Nell is dead, and Sophie thinks there is more to the story than anyone has told her. Desperate to get to the bottom of the mystery, Sophie begins to wonder if maybe she is crazy - or if the sisters share a secret that is almost too strange to be true.

I requested the e-galley of this thinking I'd get a creepy, psychological thriller sort of story. I was disappointed. In fact, I'm not sure I have anything nice to say about this book. Everything about this book struck me as mediocre or worse - I had to force myself to keep reading through the tedium. Sophie is not a particularly interesting character, and I find something about her off-putting. It makes me completely unsympathetic to her struggles to uncover the truth about her sister's death. It's also interesting to note that the action is fairly well-paced throughout this book - something seems to happen in every chapter - and yet, the plot still felt like it was dragging. The romance is completely ridiculous. There is no sense that these two characters even know each other and suddenly they are in love? I get that they are allegedly bonding over their similarly tragic pasts, but it just doesn't read as a believable romance to me. Additionally, this is not a psychological thriller - this is a paranormal read. The secret that Sophie and her sister share is supernatural and, to be honest, just plain strange. You know, perhaps this book is best compared to a B-movie horror film - it's surprisingly in the vein of The Ring and those other creepy Asian horror films about ghosts and malevolent spirits. Unfortunately, this one is not all that creepy. I don't expect this to make a big splash with its intended audience, but there may be some appeal for readers who have exhausted all other paranormal romance-y type books.

Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via Edelweiss.