by Carly Anne West

I have been venturing into Young Adult supernatural literature recently just to expand my horizons. I decided to read The Murmurings for a few reasons. First of all, I know the author. Secondly, the story is realistic in a supernatural way – making it much more of a thriller. Lastly, the typeface and layout of the book is easy on the eyes (I’m an “older” reader) and it came with a bookmark that matched the book. The last reason enhanced my reading experience beyond the words and story line.

The main character in The Murmurings is Sophie. Her world is in turmoil. Her sister, Nell, had been committed to a mental hospital because she was hearing voices, A few months ago, Nell died while under a doctor’s care at the hospital. They said she committed suicide, but Sophie doesn’t believe it and she is determined to find out the truth. Her mother dealt with Nell’s death by drinking. Recently, Sophie also started hearing voices and seeing frightening images in the mirror. Was she going crazy, too? Was she going to be committed? What happened to Nell and what really went on in that hospital?

It can be more frightening to be out of touch with reality than being chased by vampires or mythical creatures. All the scary parts of the story came from the imagination of some of the characters. The Murmurings succeeded in keeping my heart thumping as I stayed up half the night reading the book.