Whisper

February 1, 2018

Gr 8 Up-More than two years have passed since a silent, dangerous girl wound up at Lengard, an underground governmental facility. Because of her refusal to speak, her guards and evaluators refer to her as "Jane Doe," and for two years, she has lived the life of a walking corpse. But when her newest evaluator, Ward, turns out to be young, charming, and compassionate, the walls Jane has built begin to crumble. When she finally speaks, she confirms what she already knows; her words have phenomenal power, and what she intends, she can create. But nothing at Lengard is as it seems, and when Jane encounters an external group of Speakers, everything she thinks she understands about her ability changes. Fans of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard will enjoy this fast-paced work of science fiction about a girl with unexpected abilities who finds herself caught in a web of lies. Noni spends a great deal of time creating relationships among her characters, with a particularly solid emphasis on female friendship. While the story is compelling, the romantic elements fall flat, with an ending that introduces a lopsided love triangle, a villain who is little more than a trope, and the obvious segue to a sequel. VERDICT A fast science fiction read that will appeal to avid fans and is filled with twists, betrayals, and an unexpectedly cheesy villain.-Jen McConnel, Queen's University, Ont.

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2018
For more than two years, Jane Doe, aka subject Six-Eight-Four, has been subjected to daily interrogation and painful medical experiments in a secret government laboratory.Lengard, the underground facility where she's incarcerated, has stripped Jane of all comforts except the invigorating pleasures of combat training with dark-skinned Enzo, one of her captors. She remains silent for the authorities' protection as well as her own, knowing that her voice possesses dangerous powers. Perpetual harsh treatment has made it easy to keep her guard up until she is assigned a new therapist: Attractive Landon Ward, blond, green-eyed, and close in age to 18-year-old Jane, is assigned to break through her defenses using kindness and patience. He arranges for Jane to move into his sister's comfortable apartment in the facility and even takes her on an excursion aboveground with his young cousins. Pale-skinned, blue-eyed Jane is shocked to learn she's been held captive in the heart of downtown Sydney, Australia. In a dramatic incident on a bustling street, she saves the life of Ward's niece, but this changes their relationship in unexpected ways. Ward has manipulated her once; is he doing so again?Readers willing to overlook rubber science are rewarded with appealing characters and an intriguing, twisty plot that builds to a suspenseful, cliffhanger ending. (Science fiction. 13-18)

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February 15, 2018
Grades 9-12 Alyssaaka Jane Doe, aka Subject 684has been locked up for two years, six months, and fourteen days. After a voluntary admission to a psych ward, she was snatched up by the security team at Lengard, who were intent on making her into an asset for their use. Two years later, they've gotten nowhere, and they're ready to make Alyssa disappear. When new evaluator Landon Ward takes on her case, Alyssa's given a reprieve from the days of mental and physical torture designed to break her down into nothing but a shell. Ward actually treats her like a human, a feeling she's completely unused to. It's enough to make her let her guard down, until an accident reveals why Lengard wants herand that they will stop at nothing to use her for their own ends. Australian author Noni has crafted an excellent entry novel that's stylistically quite different from other books in the genre. Readers, intrigued by Alyssa and her mystery, will surely beg for more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

April 13, 2018
Subject Six-Eight-Four (aka Jane Doe) has been locked up in an underground facility and experimented on for over two and a half years as part of a mysterious ‘program’. In all this time, she has not spoken a single word. That all changes under the guidance of her new evaluator, Ward, and it becomes clear just how powerful Jane’s words are—and what damage they can cause. Whisper is a blend of fantasy and thriller with a dystopian edge. While it alludes to other books in that genre, such as Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan and Deborah Biancotti’s Zeroes, it has enough original elements to keep it feeling totally fresh. Lynette Noni has created a cast of interesting and sympathetic characters; readers will grow attached to Jane Doe as she struggles to overcome her personal demons, and even the more nefarious characters will captivate. The conclusion will leave readers eager for book two in the series to find out where all these characters are heading. Highly recommended for readers aged 14 and up, Whisper is a riveting read. L J Lacey is the owner of Three Four Knock on the Door Bookshop