Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis was provided by Around the World Tours and is set to be released April 27, 2010 by Balzer + Bray.

Joy has grown up listening to other people's desires and not in the conventional manner. Joy can Hear what others desire. It's a kind of telepathy that has been passed down through the female generations of her family. Both Joy and her older sister Jessica ("Icka") have this ability but neither of them use it the same way. Joy likes to do just what her name suggests, she Hears people's desires and finds joy in giving them what they want. Icka can't seem to Hear anything but the worst from people, which is why she is an outcast in society. She can't seem to make or keep friends because of her Hearing issue.

Icka received her nickname due to her foul attitude. And this foul attitude has gotten on Joy's last nerve. After years of ruined birthdays, the family has decided that this year is going to be different and disaster-free. Of course Icka manages to get some jabs in that morning, causing ruffled feathers among Joy's friends. This is the straw that breaks Joy's back. She tracks her sister down and blows up at her, making sure that Icka understands that she never wants to see, hear, or Hear her sister again.

So when Icka doesn't come home that evening, Joy is content to be placated by her mother's explanation that Icka has gone to visit a local college. But by the next morning, following random clues, Joy realizes that Icka's not okay. And that she might just get her wish never to see Icka again. Now, with her newly-discovered, juvenile deliquent confidant, Joy must rush to find Icka before her sister does something to permanently silence the Whispers.

I must say that this was a spectacular book! I really enjoyed this form of telepathic communication as it was different than many of the others that I've read about in these types of books. It's not exactly reading the mind because it specifically focuses in on just desires. I'm also a really big fan of genealogical gifts, especially when it's one that the character has had to grow in to and deal with. I find giving characters phenomenal power that they've never even heard of tends to be hard to pull off convincingly.

I really liked these characters, even the mean ones, because they just seemed so familiar. I have actually met people like them and could believe their interactions. Most of the time, for me, I can at least identify most of the characters, but I have trouble believing their interactions. Some writers only get some of the interactions right (mostly the familial ones) but have trouble with different personalities. I found that most of the main personality types that exist were represented in this book and interacted accordingly. Such a joy not to go, "A shy person would never do that!"

The story was quite well done, although for someone who just wants to make other's happy, Joy is awfully trusting. I mean she runs off with a guy she barely knows (and by barely I mean she noticed him like 3 days before) to save her sister. Although the explanation behind why they trust each other so intensely so quickly is very interesting, but to get that scoop you'll have to read the book. A delightful pleasure, filled with things that actually make you think about relationships and personal dynamics, Whisper is a winner!

Waiting on Wednesday: Whisper

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's selection is Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis and is set to be released April 27th 2010 by Balzer + Bray.

Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable.

Still, when Joy hears a frightening whisper from Jessica's own mind, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.

From Goodreads

So, yeah. This sounds very mysterious. I get the whispers and that both the sisters have the gift, but I really want to know what would cause Joy to "desert[ing] her friends, steal[ing] a car and run[ning] away with a boy she barely knows." That just sounds far out there. I can't imagine something (other than murdering someone or committing a MAJOR crime) that would cause me to do all that. That being said, this synopsis has peaked my interest in "hearing voices." Hope it's going to be a good one.

So what are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday: Dirty Little Secrets

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's selection is Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu which just came out yesterday.

Everyone has secrets. Some are just bigger and dirtier than others.

For sixteen years, Lucy has kept her mother's hoarding a secret. She's had to -- nobody would understand the stacks of newspapers and mounds of garbage so high they touch the ceiling and the rotting smell that she's always worried would follow her out the house. After years of keeping people at a distance, she finally has a best friend and maybe even a boyfriend if she can play it right. As long as she can make them think she's normal.

When Lucy arrives home from a sleepover to find her mother dead under a stack of National Geographics, she starts to dial 911 in a panic, but pauses before she can connect. She barely notices the filth and trash anymore, but she knows the paramedics will. First the fire trucks, and then news cameras that will surely follow. No longer will they be remembered as the nice oncology nurse with the lovely children -- they'll turn into that garbage-hoarding freak family on Collier Avenue.

With a normal life finally within reach, Lucy has only minutes to make a critical decision. How far will she go to keep the family secrets safe?
From Goodreads

How amazing does this sound? Hoarding is a real tendency that can very quickly take over a life. It's a compulsion and need that can consume not just one life, but a whole family's life. Lucy has a lot of promise wrapped up in the situation she is in based on the fact that what she does in response to her mother's demise might make or break her character. Here's hoping that she makes the right decision (whatever that may be) and comes out of it in one piece.

Also make sure to check out ReaderGirlz Cover Story about this cover!