A Review for Whispering Hills (Whispering Hills #1) by Taryn Browning

Posted by Melanie 
Release Date: March 19th, 2012

Finished Date: January 17th 2013

Publishers: Self-Published 
Source: For Review

Format: Kindle 

Pages: 306 
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

 Life and death, love and hate, friends and enemies...

For as long as she can remember, seventeen-year-old Alexis Forbes can hear the thoughts of others. Most recently, she is disturbed by the dark, unfamiliar voice of a frightening killer: callous, cunning, charismatic…and dead.

She hears his every sinister thought. But she can’t tell anyone. No one would believe her. Alexis is suddenly being haunted by a terrifying past she doesn’t remember, and a ghost with a serious score to settle. Even Chance, the gorgeous new guy she’s falling for, has his own ghostly secret. He’s definitely not like any guy she’s ever met. Alexis soon discovers she has a connection to the dead and it runs much deeper than she could ever imagine. And if the sociopathic entity has his way, she’ll finally be sentenced to the fate she escaped thirteen years ago.

The Review: Yet another awesome book from Taryn Browning!

The synopsis tells it like it is, Alexis can hear peoples thoughts, not at will but for as long as she can remember, which left her feeling like an outcast even though she still has friends, the only person she ever trusted with her secret was her sister. That all changes the day Chance starts at her school, for she can’t hear him, which draws her to him like a moth to a flame. But with his arrival comes another, an unknown source and by his thoughts – a dangerous killer! She has never seen the owner of these thoughts but she feels his presence which disturbs her. Then a girl goes missing and she knows, she knows this girl is dead and her whereabouts all thanks to the thoughts of an unknown man…. And by the sounds of it…she’s next! Alexis is forced to open up about her gift to the towns resident witches daughter who may just know a thing or two about who & what Alexis is dealing with… but is Alexis ready for the truth to be revealed and the twisting of fate that brings together an unlikely set of events.

I really enjoyed this, everything about it. The storyline was great and not something I read a lot of so it makes a nice change. If you had asked me what I thought I was going to get at the onset of this book, it would definitely be wrong because this was one plot I didn’t see coming. Alexis was a sweet character, I liked her vulnerability, her need to keep up appearances and the way she went on with her life in the beginning but her character really starts to emerge as the story goes on and she makes the discoveries and finds love with Chance. They were just lovely together, I loved their connection to begin with but when we got the answers to everything – I LOVED their connection all the more.

I liked the whole set up, it was mysterious and suspenseful, a real page turner. I really liked the supernatural element and would have been perfectly happy if the book took on a ‘mind reader solves murder’ scenario but it wasn’t, for there are a couple of twists and turns along the way which kept my curiosity piqued throughout and kept it going because things only really start to make sense towards the end when the pieces start slotting into place leading to a big reveal that I didn’t see coming. I like where it went, and also where it could go, so I look forward to the sequel. I also have to say that I have read all of Taryn’s books now and I’m equally impressed with each, the writing, the stories, the characters, the pacing……just great, enjoyable reads and I will definitely be watching for more of her works.