This book was promising however I found that it was difficult to get past the world building info dump. I liked the characters. It was just hard to stay immersed.

I'm honestly a bit disappointed.
I tried soooo hard to love it, but it just wasn't it.
There was so much going on and the lack of a glossary definitely didn't help.
The chapters didn't flow so cleanly or smoothly.
There was a lot of weird information that made no sense.
I liked the idea and there was so much hope, but it just didn't make it, unfortunately.

Thank you, NetGally, the author, & BooksGoSocial for providing me with this ARC for my honest review.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

The title is captivating - the actual read is lacking. I am assuming this is a debut novel by an Indie author who did not have the best First readers and Beta Readers and certainly lacked a talented editor. The book uses Australian words - which is not a big deal for me, but it's the other words used to describe things that detract from the book. The world building is complicated and difficult to follow, instead of falling into a new world and being able to enjoy the journey the characters are on I found myself struggling to truly understand what was going on at all. Eventually I set this aside, because I try not to DNF a book until I've rested from reading it and given it another chance. Unfortunately for this one - every time I came back and slogged through more I would put it aside for a time.

I wanted to like this book - maybe because I loved the title and the cover.

The premise of this book was promising however the execution did not live up to my expectations. I found it extremely difficult to connect to the characters and for me the world building was an 'information dump' so it made it hard for me the reader to immerse into the story.

I've tried a couple of times to start this book, and have had a hard time getting drawn in. There's almost too much information in the first few chapters and I felt like I kept getting lost. It has an interesting premise, and I do intend to try again, but for now it's not holding my attention.

DNFed. I was so confused, even though I read the first fifty pages, i couldn’t connect with the character. This is a teen fantasy about an expelled student

This is the first book in The Whisperers series. The author herself describes this series as a 'romantic gaslight fantasy mystery with a teeny bit of sci-fi'.

Well, it's all of those things and more. It starts with the sci fi element as Ursa (a V magician) pilots herself through the sky- although she's not as she's coming home to Acrusi as a disgraced magician who has lost her powers, and when she returns home, has lost her fiance and one of her three parents.

Del Fevre is a magical artist, who can inmmbue paintings with magical feelings, which the Guikd hacpve outlawed. His latest painting has been stolen and he is trying to find it before the magic in it is her loose.

So how do there two disparate people meet? It took me a while to get to that point and into the book, but once I had, I couldn't put it down! I really wanted to find out about the mysterious Lightlords and how they were trying to control the people and get rid of magic, and how Ursa, Del and his friends Santo could help each other.

There are twists and turns in the book, some I saw coming, others I didn't. The magic is excellent and there are many types, the world building and description of the places is good and believable.

The book ended setting up the next in the series well. Fortunately this is in the pipeline, so there shouldn't be (fingers crossed) too much of a wait.

Kel E Fox's writing doesn't seem reminiscent of anyone else I've read. She brings a new and fresh look into fantasy and I for one can't wait to read more.

I received an ARC from the author via NetGalley, all thoughts are my own.

The Secrets We Save is a queer MF romantic gaslamp fantasy and is the first book in the Whisperers Series. It follows two main protagonists. Uraa, an expelled university student who, very quickly after losing her magic, discovers that her father has also gone missing, and Del,a disavowed spy, who’s hiding from his former agency who, in his free time, creates illegal paintings and it just so happens that his most recent commission has gone missing as well.

Im not quite sure how to say this other than, this was difficult to get through. You’d think I could recite the world building in my sleep with the way this book info dumps!!! It was confusing and a bit boring and the writing style was just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!

Rating-
1.5/5 stars
(Rounded One)

Genre-
Fantasy

Age Rating For It-
15+ because there is a good amount of violence, some mental health themes and also some language and stuff in it. Romance wise thought there's nothing explicit and barely any kissing or anything either. (sadly)

Thoughts/Would I Recommend This?-
I was honestly so confused throughout this whole book about the world and the people and powers and everything. I thought that the world building and stuff in it definitely needed some work because I didn’t understand much about the world or what was even going on. I didn’t feel it explained the world or the magic system well and was left wondering what a lot of what they said even meant and what the whole power system was and how a lot of things worked. This made it, so I didn’t love reading it much at all and was left with more questions and wondering what the frick is going on than answers about the entire book and plot. So, If you want to be confused and left wondering about everything that is going on in a book than I would recommend this, but otherwise I would not recommend this book.

Unfortunately I DNFd this story. I was confused in the first 20 pages and it lost my interest because of it. I could not bring myself to go any further.

The Secrets We Save is the first in the Whisperers series and the first novel I have read by Kel E Fox. The bones of the novel were there, unfortunately I had a hard time to connect and understand some points of the narrative and worldbuilding magic system. As mentioned from another reviewer a glossary would have been beneficial as there are so many points of interest that if they had more of a expanded explanation off page the tempo of the narrative would have kept me intrigued instead of trying to figure aspects out. I am rating 3.5/5 as I am intrigued to see where the story continues in the next novel. I hope for growth within the series as I continue reading.

While the book has a compelling premise, I found the writing style a bit difficult to connect with. I couldn’t fully immerse myself in the story. The world-building and various elements were introduced quite rapidly in the first few chapters, which at times felt overwhelming and made it challenging to keep up. A slightly more gradual introduction might have helped ease readers into the setting and concepts more smoothly.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing an advanced reader’s copy 🤎

The world-building in this book was absolutely stunning! From the first page, I was transported into a universe with a magic system that felt completely fresh and unique—unlike anything I’ve read before. The story weaves together elements of mystery and romance, keeping you engaged as it unfolds through the perspectives of two distinct, well-developed main characters, each with their own histories and personalities.

One of my favorite aspects was the dynamic parent trios, which added an unexpected but brilliant layer to the world. I also really appreciated the effortless inclusion of bisexuality, presented naturally and without any of the usual struggles or prejudices often depicted in fiction. It was just there, as it should be, and that representation made the story even more special.

If you're a fantasy lover looking for something immersive, character-driven, and refreshingly different, this is definitely one to pick up!

Thank you netgallery for the arc i did enjoyed it all the characters and the world building i was getting right into and realised it only half of the book im looking forward when it comes out and read the rest overall 3.5 stars may go up when I finish reading all of it

This book was pretty good, I would definitely recommend

~This was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I did enjoy this! It had a comfortable writing style and I read it very quickly, but it didn't leave me with that sense of 'omg i am very drawn into this world and the characters' feeling I'd have liked to experience more of.

The political aspects and world-building with the magic were SO cool, though. And I did find it engaging enough to keep reading, it just didn't wow me in the way a 4 or 5-star would, but again, personal preference.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up for me.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this ARC.

I really enjoyed getting into this story. I thought the world building was quite beautiful and while I’ve seen others say the writing felt too complicated or too clunky but I thought quite the opposite.

I read a lot of high fantasy so I’m pretty used to feeling a bit confused at first when starting a new series that involves a lot of world building. I absolutely loved how new this book felt compared to so many others I’ve read. I really enjoyed learning a bit more about the characters as the book moved on and the different magics of the world.

Once I hit a certain part in the book I honestly couldn’t put it down. I was dying to know what was going on.

I really look forward to reading the rest of the series when it is finished.

This book might not be for everyone but I do believe those that read high fantasy and that are looking for something that doesn’t feel overly done they’re going to really enjoy this.

My one big point of feedback is that I think this book would benefit from a glossary to explain some of the types of magic, the world, the religions and things like that. I think with one of those it would be more enjoyable to more people than just people who are used to this style of writing. I think it would help people understand the world faster by having a reference to remind themselves with.

2.75 stars

I loved the premise of this book: enemies to lovers, banter, tension? Sign me up! Unfortunately, I was left disappointed; I found the writing overly complicated and the plot either over-explained or missing plot points altogether. If this went through another round of editing, I think it would be an excellent book.

I loved the world-building in this book! It was amazing to be whisked away to a world with very specific kinds of magic that I haven't seen anywhere else. There are hints of mystery and romance throughout as you switch between two main characters with personalities and backstories of their own. I love the parent trios and the subtle inclusion of bisexuality without the associated discrimination. Would definitely recommend for all fans of fantasy!