Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my free preview copy in return for an honest review.

Luca lives in Tuscany during the middle ages at the time of the Crusades. Before his father goes of on a Crusade he gives him a secret enchanted book he keep hidden in a cellar. After reading the book Luca discovers he can see demons. Everywhere.

He also dreams about the future. After dreaming of his father’s death Luca joins the crusade, and against his father’s wishes, takes the Book of Whispers with him.

What follows is a bloody journey from Italy to Jerusalem on the crusades. This is marketed as a Young Adult book, but some of it concerned me about its appropriateness for very Young Adults. It’s no worse than vampire slaughters but some of the accounts make hard reading.

That saying it’s a remarkable tale. Luca falls in love with Suzan who through her language skills can read the Book of Whispers.. Suzan can already see demons although she doesn’t realise it. Suzan's back story is more interesting than Luca's and she is a feisty female lead.

As a historical fantasy Kimberlay has done her research. This book could equally have been a stand-alone historical novel without the inclusion of the Demons. The storyline is strong and the characters likeable. The description of life on the crusade is gritty realistic, and informative. It really threads together for a truly enjoyable read.

Though in my view it’s not for children or very Young Adults as it does get gruesome.

I found this to be a great young adult fantasy novel that was very well written. This book is about love, history and adventure which is very much needed for a book that will grab hold of you and pull you into their world. A must read.

As someone who likes to study religion, but is not religious themselves, I often find myself drawn to historical fiction that seeks to explore saints, gods, angels and religious wars. This book, The Book of Whispers by Kimberley Starr, seems to be a well researched historical fiction centered around the Crusades but with additional fantastical elements. Or at least, I consider them to be fantastical, because Luca, our main character, can see demons and he and his father carry a secret book with an indecipherable language. And predictably, the demons connect to the seven deadly sins of Christianity.

Luca de Falconi joins a crusade with her father, the Conte, and their journey takes from Tuscany to Anatolia to Jerusalem. Along the way, Luca takes pity on a girl named Suzan, who as luck would have it can read the secret book that he carries. The mixture of the real-to-them demon war and the blood-soaked fighting around them leads to quite an interesting and tangled tale. The morality lessons were a little heavy handed, but overall the book was enjoyable and fast-paced. The setting was strong and the descriptions well crafted. I think overall this was not a perfect fit for me, but it was worth the read.

Note: Thank you to NetGalley and Text Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read a great many augmented literary classics, but this was my first adventure in augmented history. And I must say, the adventure was truly enjoyable! The Book of Whispers is a delicious blend of history, mythology, adventure and imagination.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, fantasy, or the blending of both. The writing is captivating, the characters engaging and believable, and the imagination that The Book of Whispers inspires in wonderful. And, at a time where dominant ideologies are being aggressively pushed in public forum, this book is as timely as it is entertaining.

This book sounded promising to me because I love things that are set in Tuscany and that grabbed my interest. But for some reason I wasn't getting into it when I was starting it out and it was a did not finish book for me. Maybe it was just a right book, but wrong time kind of thing. That happens every once in awhile and I think that might've been what it was for me. Thank you for letting me download it and read for free though.

I haven't quite finished this yet, but quite honestly it's fantastic. Really enjoying the mythology and lore behind the Book of Whispers and the demons. It's really interesting to see a book focussed on the history of the Christian crusades including fantasy, and it's really kept me hooked.

My only real complaint with this is that I felt like the characters were rushed and not fleshed out enough. I found it very hard to like Luca, and still am not sure about him. Suzan has been interesting but I would have liked to see more backstory from her. Similarly, it felt like her 'attraction' to him was forced, and actually it would have been more interesting to not see that.