Cátia

"The good news," said the cat, "is that you've done such a terrible job that this will likely need to be redone in a few weeks."

"How is that good news?" asked Tal.

"You'll get the chance to do better next time."

I picked this book up after discovering it through the r/fantasy sale and I am incredibly glad.

I was invested from the first to the last chaptr. The story starts with Talia going hunting with her older brother for a festival in honor of the Thirteen Whisperers who basically saved the world hundred of years (centuries?) ago. Things take a turn when she accidentally shots at Morel, a Whisperar's cat-shaped companion, and she is forced to live with this Whisperer for a year as punishment.

The Whisperer in White starts with a light and humorous tone but gets serious when it needs to be. Books with a humorous tone all throughout tend to not work for me. I think my main problem is that, usually, there isn't a tone shift. In this case, the writing device contributed to the story's atmosphere.

The old Whisperer shot her a look. " I don't pay you to talk out of turn."

"You don't pay me at all!" protested Tal.

As for our main characters, we have Talia who is impulsive and, at times, reckless, but always well intentioned (side comment: she is a good character to discuss intentions vs outcomes); Morel is ironic but cares; and Fourth, our Whisperer may seem standoffish but is kind-hearted.

Besides the characters arc and the dynamic between them (it gives off found family), another highlight is Y. R. Liu's ability to write emotional scenes. I confess, I may have cried reading this book. I don't know how she does it but with a few sentences she can pack a punch. I reckon some of the passages would be great as conversation starters or wanderings. That's another reason why I loved The Whisperer in White.

I loved watching them grow up, but then I had to watch them grow old.

(chapter 14 has my heart)

I don't know if this is weird, but this reads, to me, as a cozy fantasy. I say weird because, as you can read in her author bio:

(...) she has a particular fondness for bittersweet sacrifices, pyrrhic victories, and otherwise less-than-happy endings.

I can attest all the above is true (RIP). However, what makes it my kind of "cozy" is the 50/50 balance between character-driven and plot-driven elements, the interactions between the main characters, and the almost low fantasy. Actually, I would also recommend the book to readers that like the idea of cozy fantasy but cannot get into it.

Although there were no big surprises for me plot-wise, that did not deter from my enjoyment as my takeaways were beside it. I will say that I would have liked if the way the Whisperers fixed the tears and all that was explained in more detail as that is kind of fuzzy to me.

Last comment: Love the cover and the fact it is tied to a specific scene.

Overall, highly recommend.

Reasons why this book didn't work for me:

• The characters felt superficial with no distinct personality.
• Not only were the storylines predictable, but they took longer than it should have to be revealed. I was just waiting for the author to get there so we could move along.
• At times nothing was happening, boring me.

I decided to read this book after seeing it being recommended several times for the comfort it gives to its readers.

Overall, I liked the narrative style - the story is told through letters and telegrams. However, I always have a "problem" when stories are told this way: for me, it creates a certain distance between the reader and the characters. (I recognise that this is a me problem though).

I also was unaware of the romance. It was not exactly an unwelcome surprise, but it wasn't that well developed, I needed more scenes with them.

The end felt a little unfinished and abrupt which most likely the result of the primary author's declining health that led her niece, Annie Barrows, to do some rewriting and editing.

What I best liked about it: I hadn't even ever heard about the Channel Islands and the german occupation during World War II. I'm appreciative of the knowledge it brought me and the curiosity to know more. For this reason alone, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and its memorable characters was worth the read.

I put this book on my TBR immediately after reading the synopis and I got to say, it did not disappoint!

This book had me doing some mental calculations, wondering how the puzzle pieces fit together. Even when I got things right, it never diminished my enjoyement because, truth is, there were a lof things I wasn't completely sure about - I would go back and forth on my guessings. It definitely managed to keep me on my toes.

• The pacing was great
• The characters: standouts
• The writing: addicting
• and the plot... a rollercoaster

This is the first book I've read from the author but it has left me intrigued to see what else she has written and will publish in the future.

Algumas das coisas que me fazem dar 3 estrelas, e não mais, a este livro

• Ainda que ele seja narrado na terceira pessoa do singular, a voz das personagens deveria ser diferente para cada uma delas. A narrativa de uma criança ser a mesma que a de um adulto não faz sentido.
• O livro carateriza-se demasiado pela inserção das divagações e opiniões da escritora. Nunca parecem vir das personagens mas sim da Rita da Nova Termino o livro a sentir que não conheço nenhum das personagens.
• A Helena lida na perspetiva do Pedro, Glória ou Eduardo não é, de todo, a Helena do POV da própria. E não é uma questão de multi-facetas, é uma questão de incongruência. Se a intenção era mostrar que uma pessoa pode ser muitas coisas em simultâneo, a escrita não foi bem sucedida.
• A reiteração de sentimentos, ideias etc.
• Apesar de, no geral, gostar da escrita e achá-la com potencial, por vezes, ela alonga-se demasiado com as suas divagações constantes.
• O livro não traz nada de novo - nem na histórica, nem na forma como ela é contada, nem nas personagens.
• Por abordar o tema de abandono e família, esperava sentir, pelo menos, uma réstia de emoção mas a escrita - pelos motivos já mencionados acima - peca nesse sentido, na minha opinião.

Ainda que tenha oferecido somente críticas, acho mesmo que a escritora tem potencial para mais e por isso manterei os seus próximos lançamento debaixo de olho.