I was so excited about this title - it's not that often you find a YA historical fiction about the Crusades that blends in demons, a world-within-the-world, magic and wonder... Unfortunately, despite a great premise and that excitement, I just cannot get into this one. Luca's plight - how to deal with the demons he sees in an age in which superstition was almost as important a guiding principle (and almost as dangerous) as law - should by all rights be engaging enough to pull me in, yet somehow I find him a flat and uninteresting character. Suzan, the one who supposedly holds the ability to unlock the mysteries behind his demons, feels just as two-dimensional to me. And the supporting cast is not presenting any compelling reasons to keep reading either.

I have tried setting it down and picking it back up when I'm in a different frame of mind, but it doesn't seem to matter. I'm afraid, despite the great reviews it is getting from other quarters, that this one just isn't for me...

A detailed, thoroughly researched and original imagining of the first Crusade. For Young Adult readers who enjoy historical fiction.

I was really intrigued by the medieval subject matter of this book. Unfortunately, I had a tough time latching onto any of the characters and was unable to finish this. This is a great book for the right reader.

A very thrilling and tense story. A young man sees demons wherever he goes but must keep it a secret; his cousin, who lives with the family, is envious and mean and up to no good; his father is off to fight in the Christian wars which will take years. He sees his father's death in a vision and decides to go with to try and prevent it. The family has a secret book only they can open. He knows it has something to do with the demons but can't read it. Along the way he encounters a young woman with issues of her own who can read the contents of the book and they realize they're running out of time to save everyone. Descriptions of demons gave me goosebumps, the evil characters made me mad and I hoped for their comeuppance. This was a nonstop adventure! You can definitely tell the author did the research for,this story.

I feel like if I were to have a catchphrase, it would be “X novel wasn’t what I was expecting”. Although I enjoyed nonfiction Medieval Christian Literature (particularly Hildegard of Bingen or Teresa of Avila), I’ve never enjoyed the fiction aspect of it. Perhaps it’s just too raw and comes too close to being preachy or maybe it’s because aspects of the Christianity that existed then still exist today. Especially when it comes to the Crusades.

The closest I’ve come to being fascinated the Crusades was when I was watching Kingdom of Heaven and that may just have been because it starred Orlando Bloom.

I’m honestly not sure, but despite any misgivings that I may have had about the genre, The Book of Whispers by Kimberley Starr took me by surprise.

First off, it was surprisingly gory for a young adult novel and filled with excruciating details about the crusades. I expected a more sanitized version of events. Even with the demons that are frolicking about (whoops, forgot to mention the demons), I trusted that young adult would spare me any of the gory details. I was incredibly wrong and if you can’t hand a novel that talks about rape (although not as directly as it could), gruesomely kills children off-page, mutilates men, and isn’t above killing/maiming pregnant women, then this isn’t the novel for you.

We start by following Luca de Falconi, a boy who’s desperate to save the life of his father, the Conte de Falconi. He can see demons and has always been able to, but they become even more clear after his father shows him a secret book that has been in the family for generations. Men are being called to the crusades and asked to fight a holy war, but Luca can’t feel anything but dread. He knows that if his father leaves alone, if Luca isn’t there to protect him, then the Conte de Falconi is as good as doomed.

The biggest selling point of the book, beyond the evocative way that it describes the demons in it, is that it doesn’t shy away from the terrible religious fervor that people feel. Yes, it places the blame for some of the worst offenses on demonkind, but The Book of Whispers makes it quite clear that men are more than capable of horrendous violence on their own.

Through the eyes of Luca and later, Susan (a young girl who was raised in a convent by her mute mother), the history of the Crusades is made digestible. Not palatable, no, the history is far from palatable, but we are shown the events of the Crusades through two sympathetic main characters. Luca and Susan are thankfully more socially advanced than any of the other characters in the book and we empathize with them because we can share their frustration in having the right answers, but never being believed. They are the few characters in the book who question the death and destruction of the Christian Crusaders.

Beyond that, Luca and Susan were alright. Not good, not bad, but serviceable as vehicles to the more interesting demons and setting that we were craving. Aside from being frustrated by how often they seemed to miss important events, I enjoyed the setting and the mystery of The Book of Whispers. The first and second time they were taken out of the action, I thought it was fine, but by the time we reached the third time, I found that my annoyance retroactively tainted the first two times.

If you’re looking for a unique and well-written historical fiction novel, then young adult or no, The Book of Whispers is well worth your time.

8.5/10
Surprising AF and a shock to the system.

This is the first YA novel that I have encountered which takes place during the Crusades. I think high school students who have some background knowledge of the Crusades would thoroughly enjoy this book. The vivid descriptions of young Luca's encounters on his way to Jerusalem transport the reader back in time. The conflict with the demons who prey upon the pilgrims creates an original twist to the story line, which I think a majority of teens would find alluring. I will suggest this book to my World History students.

I found this book to be a little slow. It was hard, personally, for me to get into it. However, I would recommend it to students interested in history.

If you love medieval stories intertwined with magic than this is the book for you. A story about the crusades that involves demons is a clever and unique storyline that I have not come across before. The author’s expertise in this era comes across through the rich descriptions of the people, places, and things. I felt it was a little slow paced, but it definitely makes you feel as if you are joining the main characters on their long journey to Jerusalem. Of course with any book about the crusades there is going to be ecclesiastical over-tones, but even if you are not familiar with this time period, a crash course in medieval times is not necessary as the main story-line involves evil entities. A great read for those looking for a unique fantasy novel!

Luca told people he could see demons. His family has him exorcised. He can still see them, but he can't tell anybody as he doesn't want to go through another exorcism. He has responsibilities to learn to become the landowner after his father, whilst his cousin is allowed to go on crusades to prove his honour, which is Lucas biggest wish.
A thoughtful story of demons, magic and responsibilities.

In <i>The Book of Whispers</i> Luca, son of an Italian conte, with the ability - or rather curse - to see demons, and Suzan, a Cappadocian girl raised in a convent, meet on the journey to Jerusalem, the destination of the First Crusade. After realizing that their meeting was fated and having deciphered his family's mystical heirloom, they join forces to prevent evil from overtaking the pilgrimage, against the gloomy background of real events and religious fanaticism.

Sounds like a wonderful setting for historical fantasy (the author actually calls it "augmented history", a great term which I find deserves at least a mention), had there not been a big question for me during the entire read: Which age group is this book targeting?

The narrative is unfortunately lacking complexity. Even if I weren't a fan of purple prose, I'd have a problem with the simplicity of <i>The Book of Whispers</i>. For a great part of the novel, the reader might think that they picked up a children's book instead of a YA novel, were there not descriptions of violence, even cannibalism, and surprisingly, sexual themes. Up until the epilogue, I personally couldn't decide what kind of audience Starr was aiming for, but I soon realized that she just has a minimalistic writing style, prefering simple sentences and avoiding synonyms, which clashes with the harsh content of her work.

Despite that, she does a great job introducing the time period without over-explaining, going for a fast-paced and mostly unpredictable plot. Unfortunately, the simplicity overshadows these positive points as well; some decisions didn't make sense, characters often jumped to (obviously wrong) conclusions, and the transitions during action scenes were clumsy at times.

Somehow, I liked <i>The Book of Whispers</i> a lot anyway. The romance was off-the-charts instalove, but I felt it. The main characters were easy to see through, but I loved them. The antagonists were cookie-cutter villains, but I thought they were fun. The narration, as mentioned, was more than off, but I enjoyed it. The writing style was far too plain for my taste, and I <i>still</i> couldn't put it down.

Probably not a masterpiece, and, if you ask me, in need of at least 200 more pages of description and character-development, but surely a sweet and easy read for the beach and a great introduction to the early Middle Ages for those who are interested.

This book was really fast paced, it had good descriptions. I liked the connection between the supernatural and the characters. I was not a fan of the insta love . It was an OK book.

Such a great book! I didn't know too much about the crusades but I'm a little more informed now. And that Luca and Suzan romance was so adorable!!!

It is an easy read, good for hot days and to relax while reading it. It has some historical background, but it is happening in a, I guess, parallel world where the demons walk among men and are tethered to items. I wish the characters were more fleshed out and identifiable, but all in all it is a relatively good book.

This is a well written book. I liked it--think of a medieval "Da Vinci Code" for YA. Luca is a first born son who stands to inherit his father's estate. Luca has been busy learning all a knight needs to do to defend himself. He also has a secret--he can see demons. Because of this, his parents asked the local priest to perform an exorcism on him. So Luca keeps this a secret. His father is called away to fight in the Crusades and Luca feels abandoned.

It's read quick and the setting is the strongest point of the book. The Middle Ages is not my favorite setting but the descriptions were so good I overlooked it and finished the book.

An amazing, memorable read! The Book of Whispers was the winner of the Text Prize 2015.

In the 11th century, in the time of the Crusades, the young Luca de Falconi is anything but ordinary. Born with the ability to see demons, Luca hides who he is and what he can do. When his father joins the Prince on the Crusade, Luca finds his way to the holy pilgrimage, not satisfied on staying behind to take care of their estate. Taking only a secret book written in a cryptic language that his father gave him, Luca embarks on a journey that will reveal secrets, corruption and evil lurking in the shadows. When a mysterious girl named Suzan joins him, he realises that he isn’t alone; Suzan has powers of her own. Together, they have to discover the secrets of the book and stop the unknown plan of demons as the crusaders make their way to Jerusalem to free it from the Saracens.

This novel brings everything together perfectly: romance, adventure, loss, magic, change and history. The descriptions are incredibly written. From the vicious, violent confrontations to the harsh conditions of the crusades through hot sand, burning sun and lack of water, they served as a reminder that even though we don’t talk about them any more, it was still one of the biggest bloody periods in history. The descriptions of the sights and ancient places are mesmerising and the way Jerusalem is portrayed is breathtaking. It’s definitely a place that I would like to visit for its rich history and architecture.

The plot is complex, fast-paced and clues to understand the book of whispers are revealed in a good pace; not a single moment of boredom from this historical journey. The romance between the two main characters is beautiful and it complements the story-line perfectly. The way I interpreted it was, even in the darkest moments, there is always something good that should be kept and fought for.

An amazing novel that I highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and the Crusades are a time period that isn't often covered, especially in YA novels. The promise of some supernatural elements, had me interested to begin. Unfortunately, I struggled a lot with this book, and when I reached about the 2/3 point, started skimming. To me the main characters seemed very juvenile. Luca is supposed to be in his late teens to early twenties throughout the course of the book, but his voice reads more like a 14 year old. Suzan, the other main character, is around the same age as Luca, but I honestly thought she was about 12 until the book made it clear that she was Luca's age. Had it not been for the levels of violence (and there is a lot of violence, this is the Crusades after all) I would have thought this book was aimed at younger teens rather than older.

The pacing of this book also seemed off. At some points it dragged on, and at other times huge events would happen and wrap up in the span of a few sentences.

The story of the book is what is promised--Crusades+demons, however, I felt that the demons played a much larger part to the story than I was expecting, and it was more of a supernatural book set during the Crusades than a historical fiction with supernatural elements. If you're really interested in the Crusades, you may want to give this book a try, but know that much of the story is focused on a fight between the main characters and the demons, and not the human battles of the Crusades.

I like history and fantasy, and this was a nice combination of both! This was a very interesting fantasy story set in the time of the Crusades. I was not knowledgeable about the Crusades, so this was educational as well as enjoyable. Great characters set in an interesting time. All in all, a great read!

When I first signed up for it, I missed that it’s a YA. I don’t usually read YA because it’s just not enough for me—language, motivation, emotions are usually fairly superficial and obviously immature. It’s not criticism about the genre but the reason I don’t read it. That being said, I would have loved to have read this as a young adult but this book was a DNF for me.

Young Luca goes on pilgrimage/crusade with his father and annoying cousin…and a bunch of demons. He’s always seen them, has been through an excruciating exorcism that did nothing but make him hate the priest and learn to keep his mouth shut. Since this is for young readers, we don’t get a lot of details, but this would likely have involved brutal beatings and starvation in order to force the young man’s demons to leave. His father, who maybe sees demons and maybe not, shows him a hidden book, the Book of Whispers, and they take it with them on crusade. Unfortunately, now that he’s seen the book, Luca sees even more demons, sees them attached to everyday objects like wine cups, swords, and baskets, cavorting everywhere. I loved the description of the demons and the magical worldbuilding built into this aspect of the story.

The historical aspects are well researched, though downplayed, as the magical/fantasy aspect of the story begins to dominate and the mysteries pile up.

Again, this is not a bad story and is well written. It’s just not for me.

Did not finish the book. Found most of the characters boring and the dialogue stifling. Though I did know that the book is set in the crusade area, and there would be elements of religion in it, I found it to be too much.

The action scenes were good. I'll give the book that.