The Wind Whisperer
At fifteen, Anaii is the most important
member of her tribe—and the most mysterious. Ever since Anaii can
remember, the spirits of the wind have whispered of fertile hunting
grounds and imminent enemy attacks. But when her people are ambushed by a
brother clan without any apparent cause, the spirits remain eerily
silent.
As the village prepares to retaliate, Anaii is pressured by her best friend, Elan, to marry him. It’s an old plea—Elan has spent a lifetime loving her, but Anaii only sees a childhood playmate out of an imposing warrior. Stifled by Elan’s insistence, Anaii escapes into the forest where she meets Jayttin, the beautiful son of the enemy chief. Enamored by Jayttin’s carefree spirit and hope for peace, she repeatedly sneaks away to be with him, but when her deception is discovered, Elan is devastated. Pledging his lifelong affection, Elan gives her a passionate kiss, and Anaii begins to see her friend in a new light.
While Anaii is tormented over which man she must choose, the wind whispers of a new threat that could destroy both tribes. Only a union will afford a chance at survival, but the reality of that union is based on one thing—which man Anaii chooses to die.
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GIVEAWAY!
Krista Holle
Krista Holle is an award winning author
who stepped up her writing after reading Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight
series. It occurred to Krista that there is an insatiable audience of
women and girls who want to read books filled with stories about true
love—not just vampires. When Krista is not writing, she loves to collect
seashells, watch movies, and eat obscene amounts of pizza. Krista
currently resides in Montpelier, Virginia with her husband, four
daughters and an eccentric cat with a weird attachment to the family’s
socks.Website/Blog – Twitter – Facebook – Goodreads – Amazon
REVIEW
I have mixed feelings about this story. I enjoyed the premise and the setting, both of which are refreshing in a genre saturated with vampires and werewolves. The prose is beautiful and whimsical, conveying a certain authenticity to the narrative voice of the main character, Anaii. It was upon realising these elements in the first few pages that my hopes were raised. They gave promise of originality, and complex conflict, and in some ways I wasn’t disappointed. The concept of wind whispering, and the faith and politics of the warring tribes, were intriguing to read about and well conveyed.
After eagerly racing about a quarter of the way through, I began spotting signifiers of Mary-Sue characterisation, which was a let-down regarding originality. Anaii starts off as endearing and unassuming, yet she soon displays petulant and selfish behaviour which continue through the remainder of the story. I found it difficult to sympathise with her choices, one of which left a gaping plot hole that got me so infuriated I shouted at my kindle. Also, the narrative is tad long-winded (pardon the pun), and the similes are a few too many for my taste. The love triangle takes over the plot, and I really couldn’t be bothered with it. The situation only seemed to bring out more unlikeable traits in Anaii. Another irritating aspect was that the characters are forever crying out to one another.Considering for the majority of the time they’re meant to be hiding, or talking in secret, I wondered how they didn’t alert everyone to their activities. Towards the end the pace picks up and the final few chapters were remarkably more enjoyable to read.
The Wind Whisperer is definitely one of the better quality small pub books I’ve encountered over the last few years. It offers the reader escape to a believable and well-depicted place and time. As much as I had my issues with certain aspects, the author’s skill as a writer and storyteller is undeniable. I recommend this for fans of historical fantasy and to older teens that enjoy a lengthy read.
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