The Murmurings

   Taking a different direction in terms of YA, I decided to reread a book that I read in high school. I chose to read The Murmurings again because I've been binge watching Teen Wolf like there is no tomorrow. PSA - if you love Teen Wolf, you will love this book!! Some serious Eichen House vibes coming through, here.

   Carly Anne West has created a piece of literature that pulls you in, and has you constantly wondering what's going to come from the mirror next. In her debut novel, Carly Anne West introduces readers to a young woman whose heart has been shattered from the death of her best friend and sister. This loss has Sophie wandering around her world questioning everything. An eery atmosphere seems to follow Ms. David everywhere she goes. Especially when she goes to the institution that her older sister called home. Every time Sophie mentions Oakside, and the history that surrounds it, goosebumps coated my skin. Carly Anne West illustrates the pain that radiates from Oakside with an sinister beauty. Every heartache and loss is traced back to this hospital. Though I cannot really delve into how this is true, you should trust me, that it is. (I don't wanna give spoilers!)

  One thing I loved most about this book, was that West is able to make you really feel Sophie's fear. Though I have read this book previously and knew how it would end, I still found myself fearing peoples safety and begging Carly Anne West to allow everyone to make it out alive. My desire to follow these characters and their safety lead to me to finish this book in less than three days. That being said, this novel is a very easy read. I can understand why, this is Miss Wests first published novel - it's not going to be the best writing ever.

  Another flaw that I found to be disheartening was the lack of depth in characters relationships. Just like any other novel, there is a love interest aspect in The Murmurings. However, I felt that this relationship was quite underwhelming... the relationship felt very rushed and almost like an after thought. It was the very stereotypical boy meets girl, and suddenly they're in love!! Overnight!! Wow!! That being said, Sophie and Evan's relationship is not the biggest relationship flaw in this novel.

   The familial relationships are so underdeveloped, I almost didn't care about Sophie's aunt and mother. I know that they aren't the main character, but their relationship to Sophie was meant to play a big role in this novel and quite frankly, the relationships were barely there. Carly Anne West did a decent job mentioning details about these two women, but often times made their relationships to Sophie feel very... nonexistent. I think the underdevelopment of relationships is because Carly Anne West was attempting to put an emphasis on the supernatural - which she captured with ease! I think that the relationships in this novel needed some more consideration, but the underdevelopment did not ruin the book for me.

   A huge perk of this novel was how real Carly Anne West made the murmurings feel. At times, I could almost hear it in my ear... could feel the breath on my ear... West does a phenomenal job creating a world outside of our own, and instills a slight fear in her readers. This fear definitely helped to understand the fear Sophie felt throughout the novel and her time in Oakside. However, I did feel as though the time spent in Oakside could have been built up. The end came too quickly and was a bit anticlimactic. I do wish that West had put more emphasis on the hospital.

  Overall, this novel is definitely one I would read again in a few years, just to experience Oakside again. I would be very interested in reading more of West's work, more time will definitely make her a better writer. All in all, I would give this book a 7/10. I highly recommend this novel if you like to read about the supernatural!

    Make sure to pick up a copy at your local bookstore!

Thanks for reading,

Allie