From: A Book Vacation
January 13, 2012
I love this series. I really do. It has everything I could ever want in a YA book: drama, paranormal activity, strong male and female leads, suspense, romance, quirky characters, real life dialogue, parent/children bonds, difficult choices, resolutions, action… and the list goes on. Blodgett is an amazing writer and I’m so grateful that she produces her novels one right after the other… the wait alone would kill me if these came out in yearly installments. Instead, Blodgett has written and published five full novels since March 2011, and the fact that they all average a 4+ star rating on review sites is extremely impressive.
This third installment in the Death Series is just as phenomenal as the first two, delving deeper into the lives of Caleb, Jade, and the rest of their friends as they take on their second year of high school. A much darker novel then the first two, Death Screams finds Caleb struggling to control his anger as he continues to grow and wield his ability as a corpse raiser, a Cadaver-Manipulator. Faced with many challenges, including his overwhelming need to keep Jade safe from all harm, Caleb must make extremely difficult decisions, including whether or not to murder. I really enjoyed watching Caleb as he begins going through the rites of passage, coming of age in a time when the government attempts to control all teens manifesting. His love for Jade is deepening, but his constant battle against his rage foreshadows difficult times in the future, and though I don’t want bad things to happen to these wonderful characters, it seem inevitable, especially if Caleb cannot learn to control himself.
I enjoyed the different perspective within this novel as well. While in the third-person point of view, the novel divides so that each chapter follows the situations and inner thoughts of one of the characters. While it mostly shadows Caleb, our protagonist, it is extremely interesting to obtain glimpses into Jade’s thought process, as well as that the other characters too. I have always loved when this happens with the dog’s point of view, and now Blodgett has added the other characters to the mix, making it much more personal and alluring as we embark on this journey with the characters.
I really think that these books are great for any YA lover, but especially for the male population as it follows the life of Caleb. It’s rare that we see teenage males take the lead in YA books, and I highly recommend this novel, as well as ALL Blodgett’s work! She is absolutely amazing. Five stars.
The Pearl Savage
From: Evie's Bookish
December 22, 2011
“...because of the foulness of her mother's emotional river, a current which ran swift, changing its path without warning...”
Bracus looked at the female behind the sphere that the Evil Ones had constructed in his grandfather's grandfather's time, her image obscure. He had watched the female for months and had seen her in strange clothing while supervising workers in the fields of sea creatures that yielded shimmering jewels.
He also knew she was beautiful and.. he wanted her.
Clara stood on feet grown shaky from stress and said, "Thank you all most kindly for your presence at my Day of Birth Celebration; I am most grateful for your allegiance and loyalty."
Ada waved her hand dismissively, "Yes, yes Princess Clara, they understand that," her eyes narrowed upon Clara.
Clara thought that may be the case but felt the words were most important to say. The queen cared not, but loyalty was an uncertain thing, cultivated through decent treatment, not fear. A lesson her mother did not ascribe to. A lesson taught by her father, King Raymond, long-since passed... someone she never forgot.
OH. My. God.
I loved this book. SO MUCH. I've read this book 3 times already and still can't seem to get enough of it! I'm a huge fan of Tamara Rose Blodgett's brilliant works. She's made of win and her stories speak right to my heart. Every time I pick up one of her novels (whether it's the Savage series or her wicked awesome corpse-raiser series, Death) I just want to lock myself away from the rest of the world and read. Just read. Devour the whole thing in one sitting and then re-read, slowly savoring every word. Not caring about anything but the story, the characters and the fabulous atmosphere of the world she created. It's my happy moment. My pink bubble of happiness. My guilty pleasure. SPA for the soul and mind.
The Pearl Savage is the first novel in the fantastically imagined Savage series. It's a beautiful and touching tale of love, friendship, sacrifice, destiny, promises and difficult choices. It's a fight for freedom and equality, struggle against abuse, depiction of greed and howling injustice in the world driven to the brink of extinction. Above all, it's a marvelous, wonderfully narrated, multi-layered and complex creation, written with passion and something I like to call the wow-factor.
I loved this book. SO MUCH. I've read this book 3 times already and still can't seem to get enough of it! I'm a huge fan of Tamara Rose Blodgett's brilliant works. She's made of win and her stories speak right to my heart. Every time I pick up one of her novels (whether it's the Savage series or her wicked awesome corpse-raiser series, Death) I just want to lock myself away from the rest of the world and read. Just read. Devour the whole thing in one sitting and then re-read, slowly savoring every word. Not caring about anything but the story, the characters and the fabulous atmosphere of the world she created. It's my happy moment. My pink bubble of happiness. My guilty pleasure. SPA for the soul and mind.
The Pearl Savage is the first novel in the fantastically imagined Savage series. It's a beautiful and touching tale of love, friendship, sacrifice, destiny, promises and difficult choices. It's a fight for freedom and equality, struggle against abuse, depiction of greed and howling injustice in the world driven to the brink of extinction. Above all, it's a marvelous, wonderfully narrated, multi-layered and complex creation, written with passion and something I like to call the wow-factor.
"Their history clear in that regard, they needed to be ever-vigilant with the savages. The Time Keeper had made it known that they were a people apart, possibly not even the same species."
In 1890 something horrible happened. Some sort of natural disaster (most likely an asteroid hitting the planet) almost drove humanity to extinction. The ash-covered earth was no longer inhabitable, and so "The Guardians" created the spheres - steam-engineered, impenetrable bio-zones, where people could live normally, breathing purified air. Not everyone could be saved, though, as there were only 19 spheres created. Sick or old people were left behind. Miraculously, some of them managed to survive and adapt to the hostile environment. People gathered together, creating clans. A new race of men was born - the Band - bigger, stronger, and with gills to help them breath. The Band protected the clan, taking special care of the precious females, so fragile and sparse in number.Unfortunately, not every clan out there is governed fairly, some of them are nothing more than criminals, aggressive, despicable and violent.
Clara, a seventeen-year old red-head girl, is a princess in the Kingdom of Ohio. Her life is the opposite of a fairytale, though. Her father, King Raymond, had passed away, giving in to the untreatable sickness, and ever since then her mother (Queen Ada) had taken to the cup. She's a horrible person, who doesn't care about anything other than alcohol and will stop at nothing - even if it means selling her own daughter - to get her precious grapes for wine production. Abusive, violent, cruel and nasty, she often takes her rage out on the poor Clara, who dares not stand up to her, afraid that her People will suffer punishment. When Queen Ada promises Clara's hand to a bilious prince of a neighboring Kingdom, Clara, together with her trusted friends, plots an escape plan. She saw the savage outside the sphere, she knows people live there, and if living outside the protective walls of bio-zones can grant her freedom from the never-ending abuse and humiliation, then she is willing to give it a try. What she doesn't realize, though, is that the Clan people have their own plans for her, and it's not necessarily something she will be happy about, either...
Clara, a seventeen-year old red-head girl, is a princess in the Kingdom of Ohio. Her life is the opposite of a fairytale, though. Her father, King Raymond, had passed away, giving in to the untreatable sickness, and ever since then her mother (Queen Ada) had taken to the cup. She's a horrible person, who doesn't care about anything other than alcohol and will stop at nothing - even if it means selling her own daughter - to get her precious grapes for wine production. Abusive, violent, cruel and nasty, she often takes her rage out on the poor Clara, who dares not stand up to her, afraid that her People will suffer punishment. When Queen Ada promises Clara's hand to a bilious prince of a neighboring Kingdom, Clara, together with her trusted friends, plots an escape plan. She saw the savage outside the sphere, she knows people live there, and if living outside the protective walls of bio-zones can grant her freedom from the never-ending abuse and humiliation, then she is willing to give it a try. What she doesn't realize, though, is that the Clan people have their own plans for her, and it's not necessarily something she will be happy about, either...
The guard watched the shy female with Joseph of the Band. He kept his smirking to himself. His time would come. A female would not be his weakness. He would bend her to his will.
Um, awesome much?!
The Pearl Savage is such a vibrant and deliciously imaginative tale! A one-of-a-kind, breathtaking, touching and charming, but also often thrilling and disturbing story. It's beautiful. Simply beautiful. I've never come across anything like that! It's so freaking unique! Tamara Rose Blodgett did a fabulous job creating a phenomenal steampunk world with a fancy, lyrical XIX-century-ish language straight from the Victorian era. The setting and the costumes, the characters and the way they express themselves, the sparkling atmosphere and evocative descriptions - all that makes for an exquisite and thoroughly compelling read.
The Pearl Savage is such a vibrant and deliciously imaginative tale! A one-of-a-kind, breathtaking, touching and charming, but also often thrilling and disturbing story. It's beautiful. Simply beautiful. I've never come across anything like that! It's so freaking unique! Tamara Rose Blodgett did a fabulous job creating a phenomenal steampunk world with a fancy, lyrical XIX-century-ish language straight from the Victorian era. The setting and the costumes, the characters and the way they express themselves, the sparkling atmosphere and evocative descriptions - all that makes for an exquisite and thoroughly compelling read.
It's the kind of book that requires 100% of your attention 100% of the time. You need to focus on what you're reading and skimming through is strictly forbidden, otherwise you'll miss all the essential details that are hidden throughout the whole story. Seriously, every word accounts for something. There are bits and pieces of information that may seem unimportant, but trust me, they are. Blodgettdoesn't waste time and paper blabbing away, she creates a complex and well thought-out plot line. If you skim through, you'll just end up frustrated that you wasted your time.
Some promises a person could not keep, even if their lives depended on it.
She was unlike any of the females he had seen, which were rare in his clan. A female was highly prized and safeguarded. His eyes caressed her face, the skin like cream from the cow, her eyes like the sea near his cousin's clan... hair the color of fire burnt down to embers.
I loved the narration style! I'm not a big fan of different POVs, but in The Pearl Savage it worked so well! You get to learn what the main characters think - and not only just Clara, Charles and Bracus, but even the evil little traitor who is plotting something totally evil (like all the evil traitors usually do). And I know that you must be thinking "gee, that sounds like a lot of POVs and the whole thing must be quite confusing", but really, it isn't. At all! Tamara cleverly changes the font style each time the POV switches to the next character, everything is pretty clear and straight-forward. The complexity is there, but it's not in the least overwhelming or annoying. What can I say? It works perfectly! I enjoyed the flashbacks, too! For once you actually knew those were flashbacks, instead of wondering "where in the world this passage/chapter just came from?!"
Clara was such a wonderful heroine! Brave, strong, thoughtful and caring. So lovely, sweet and, um, very hot! :) A redhead in a corset dress, with pearls in her hair? OMG, how insanely awesome is that?! I can totally imagine this book being adapted into a fantastic movie! I found the characters to be realistic and believable. Sophisticated. Well-drawn and vivid. I genuinely cared for them, especiallyClara and Charles. The bad guys, though? Aw man, you will love to HATE them! And I'll bet you, you will swear under your breath at least once while reading about their evil schemes!
The bottom line is: This book totally blew me away. It's the coolest thing ever. I mean, come on!Victorian era + steampunk + freedom quest + love?! WIN! An absolute must-read!
Clara was such a wonderful heroine! Brave, strong, thoughtful and caring. So lovely, sweet and, um, very hot! :) A redhead in a corset dress, with pearls in her hair? OMG, how insanely awesome is that?! I can totally imagine this book being adapted into a fantastic movie! I found the characters to be realistic and believable. Sophisticated. Well-drawn and vivid. I genuinely cared for them, especiallyClara and Charles. The bad guys, though? Aw man, you will love to HATE them! And I'll bet you, you will swear under your breath at least once while reading about their evil schemes!
The bottom line is: This book totally blew me away. It's the coolest thing ever. I mean, come on!Victorian era + steampunk + freedom quest + love?! WIN! An absolute must-read!
The Pearl Savage and The Savage Blood
From: Alaskan Book Cafe
December 20, 2011
* I purchased this book. All opinions in this review are mine alone. No compensation has been received for the review.*
My Turn:
I was completely drawn into this book. So much so that I read it all the way through. Even in the dark when our electric went out. I read by candlelight. I was truly blown away by the story. It is so much more than what is in the synopsis. Queen Ada is actually Clara's step mother. When it becomes a question of her life, Clara runs away from the sphere to cross into the Outside. As she is escaping the evil prince catches up to her. Before he can do harm the Outsiders, (whom are referred to as Savages by those in the sphere), enter the sphere intent on kidnapping Clara for their own purposes. The Outsiders "rescue" Clara by kidnapping her. The Outsider's are large, strong men with gills. They need the princess in an attempt to unite with those of the sphere so they can get women to breed with. They are also seeking the rumored "select", women they are told who are special to their race and who will bond with them. Clara, it seems, <spoiler>. This makes her more valuable to them. It also means that their plans will be changed as they can no longer negotiate her release. <spoiler>the evil prince is hot on her trail. He has no plans of giving up marrying Clara. As if this is not enough on the Outside there is also the "fragment". They are kind of a rebel band of savages. They also need females to breed with. Clara is being chased by all. She feels the pull to certain members of the Outsiders and has agreed to choose one as a husband. But which one will it be when several want her enough to fight for her?
During all the conflicts Queen Ada herself decides to seek Clara. When she is killed she whispers to Clara the secret <spoiler>!
So as you can tell there is plenty of action in this book. When I got to the end of it where Clara decides she must find <spoiler> and she had still not chosen her husband I nearly cried. Fortunately Book two was already out. So even though it was around 3 am I bought book two.
The Savage Blood by Tamara Rose Blodgett
Good Reads Synopsis:
Matthew and Bracus of the Band travel alongside eighteen-year old queen, Clara Williamson, as she journeys to the sea to unlock the puzzle of her lineage.
Trouble strikes when the fragment absorbs Prince Frederic and undertake plans that involve Clara and her home sphere in a dangerous scheme of coercion.
It isn't long before Clara discovers the Guardians terrible secret through horrible circumstances she must escape from.
Can Clara protect herself from her own destiny?
Back to me:
In the Savage Blood we return to the Sphere and find clues to locate Clara's mother and then we are off to find her. I do not want to give away the story so I will just say there is a lot of action going on in this book too. The characters are becoming more fleshed out and we are learning more of Clara and why she is so special. This novel takes place in a future world but maintains its roots in the past. You will understand that when you read the book. Tamara did an amazing job writing the differences in language, (using archaic dialogue with occasional modern slang - which is explained). I can't imagine the difficulty she had doing that. Kudos to her for managing it so successfully. Tamara writes in a way that you feel a part of the world she paints. You are drawn into it and you forget the world you live in. It is fantasy at it's best. If you like a fast paced, action packed, fantasy you can believe story you will love The Savage Series. You will soon be as hooked on this amazing series as I am. The most awesome thing? You can get THE SAVAGE PEARL right now for FREE on Amazon for the Kindle. You can't beat that. So hurry over and get the free book and watch yourself be sucked into Tamara's Savage Series. The Pearl Savage Kindle Link
The Savage Blood
From: A Book Vacation
November 18, 2012
If you ask me, I’d have to say that Blodgett’s writing keeps getting better with time. Although I really enjoyed the first novel in this series, The Pearl Savage, I absolutely adored The Savage Blood. Blodgett has fleshed out her amazing characters even more in this sequel, giving the reader new insights and explanations regarding Clara’s background, as well as the world in which the characters all thrive. This really is a riveting read, and I can’t explain enough how mind-blowing this novel really is.
I love that this novel is set in the future, but feels much more like the past, and there’s a reason for this, but I can’t give away any secrets. One of the ways Blodgett is able to make this novel feel like it’s in the past is through maintaining a more archaic dialogue throughout the novel. This, to me, is amazing and shows just how much time and thought Blodgett put into writing this series. The dialogue never slips into more modern lingo in terms of the main characters, and while more modern colloquialisms do end up playing a part in the novel, Blodgett explains their appearance within the story very well. I thought this usage of proper archaic language versus modern slang was fascinating and really love the way Blodgett brings them together both inside, and outside, the sphere.
Though this story isn’t real, and neither are the circumstances, Blodgett is able to create such a riveting world that it becomes real for the reader. I felt as if I was a part of the story throughout the entire novel, which is an absolutely awesome feeling, but also a little disconcerting as some of the characters, such as Prince Frederic, have a bit of a violent streak. Blodgett has made her characters and setting so real that I felt the same terror, pain, anger, and anxiety that Clara felt through much of the novel, yet I also felt the love, joy, peace, and happiness that permeates throughout the novel as well. Blodgett does a phenomenal job with this story so that it is fast paced and exciting, but doesn’t overwhelm the reader either. I love novels that make me feel a part of the action, and if you do too, then this is definitely a series for you! Five stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Pearl Savage:
From: The Blogger Girlz
August 28, 2011
I almost left the back cover summary out because it doesn’t do The Pearl Savage justice. Form the pitch The Pearl Savage comes off as a love square with some other stuff possibly going on in the background, and at first I was dubious about reading it. Thankfully, the story was captivating and so much more than the cover lead me to believe.
The backdrop was classic sci fi without being stale. A world in cataclysm saved just in the nick of time but forced to self contained spheres to survive. The only problem: not everyone can fit in the spheres, so some people get left out to die while the rest of the population scuttles off into their hiddy holes. Fast forward a hundred plus years, and it turns out that not all the people who were left for dead actually died, so now there are two societies the one inside the spheres and the one outside the sphere. In a story full of plot twists and secret agendas the two worlds collide.
As someone who likes a little violence in what I read (and what I write) the nitty gritty nature of the relationships was a great. There was a lot of substantial tension between all of the characters, and by the end of the third chapter I'm proud to say I truly hated some of them (always a good sign). An added bonus was that the various types of abuse the characters had to go through were realistically portrayed adding a tragic bite to the story.
The third person narrative was also a refreshing change of pace. Instead of limiting the narrator to focusing on one individual’s experiences the narrator was free to roam. It gave the story a fuller feeling, and allowed the reader to have a better picture of what was really going on. Thankfully, that didn’t mean that The Pearl Savage was transparent, but rather that the plot twists had to be hidden in such a way that they came as a genuine surprise not only to the reader but to the characters as well.
Once it’s all said and done, I’m excited to see where Clara’s story goes and what type of woman she evolves into.
-Aaron From: Book Bite Reviews
July 26, 2011
Seeing as how i already read a novel by Tamara i was expecting to like this novel, but i was a little worried, because all the reviews i've seen for it say "its SOOO much different from her other novel Death Whispers" and i really liked death whispers so i didn't know if it being different was a good or bad thing. Well all i have to say is WOW. WOW, what an amazing book. I don't think i've ever even read anything like this before. There are so many genre's mixed into this one amazing book. There are themes of ya, steam punk, dystopian, adventure, dynasty, and romance. I just loved it.
At first it was a tad confusing, because i didn't really understand the sphere's just yet, but by the end of the novel i was totally smitten by the story and completely understood everything. And personally I'm Team Matthew. I really don't know how to explain this novel but i found myself laughing, crying, and falling in love through out the story. Really REALLY good job Tamara =D
Overall:
I was totally smitten by this novel. There aren't enough good things to say about it. It is very different and unlike anything i have ever read before. I will definitely be reading the sequel and bugging Tamara about it till it comes out =D
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 5/5
From: Words I Write Crazy
June 25, 2011
I loved this book, and I got it the author, so thanks, Tamara!
Clara was a great character, she endured pain and suffering that she shouldn't have had to endure, but she did because she was her people's princess, and she was going to keep the kingdom the way her Dad, the King of their sphere, had left it, and wanted it to be, with morals, principals, like being with the people, saying thanks to the people. Things that showed that she cared about the people-because she did.
I loved all the conflict, and all the relationships, it was complicated, messy, and emotional, and it was pure greatness! At first I wanted her to be with 1 of the Band, then as the story progressed, I wanted her to be with another of the Band, and the original Band to be with a girl when she grew up. Not going to say names so I don't spoil anything.
This was a very great book, and I hated The Queen, as she refers to Ada, and the evil little abuser, Prince Frederic. Clara was between a rock and a hard place, and somehow, she got out between the 2, and into the soft pillow that was the Outside.
All in all, a book you guys should really check out! It's just something that you need to read!
*
June 9, 2011 (Publishing June 16, 2011)
*
This is a very well written novel. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting; I’ve read Blodgett’s other book, Death Whispers, and I knew she was a great writer, but she still blew me away with this novel. It’s completely different from Death Whispers and, if I didn’t already know that Blodgett wrote them, I’d never think that the same writer was responsible for both novels. They are so completely different, yet both beautifully written.
What I really love about this novel is that Blodgett keeps the story fresh and original—I’ve never read anything like it—and she maintains an almost archaic tone throughout the prose and dialogue, never straying into modernization or slang, which I’ve noted a lot of authors do accidentally when trying to write a novel from another time period. It is obvious that Blodgett has put a lot of time and love into this novel, perfecting the language and causing the reader to transport to another world entirely, becoming lost within the pages of this epic novel.
Although the story takes place in the future and is superior in terms of technological advances (a sort of steampunk novel), the society seems to have backtracked as well, at least in terms of language, giving it a historical feel while at the same time lending itself to both the paranormal and fantasy genre. I thought it was ingenious that 19 states in the USA are kingdoms within themselves, set inside a sphere, as the outside air is tainted and savages roam the land. Although the background concerning the Guardians/Evil Ones is not fully disclosed, including how the divide between the sphere and the outside world truly came to be, the story will maintain reader interest through the constant action and fascinating love triangle of sorts—and the sequel is set up to answer any ensuing questions one might have.
While more of a romance story than that of suspense, Blodgett still captures the reader and creates suspense in terms of character actions, withholding key information until the perfect time to drop it upon the reader. On more than one occasion I found myself fretting for Clara, the kindhearted princess subjected to abuse from Queen Ada and her betrothed, Prince Frederic. These two characters set my teeth on edge and their interactions within the novel made me cringe. Yet, juxtaposed with these two evil characters is a cast of dashing young men forever at the aide of Clara, and I honestly cannot pick a favorite. I think I switched loyalties at least five times within the novel, constantly going back and forth between the characters as new information was provided. And as of yet, I still haven’t decided where my loyalties lie!
Blodgett does not end her novel hanging by a thread, but she does leave it open for a sequel, for which I am very excited, as there are new mysteries waiting to be solved. I cannot wait to find out who Clara chooses and how the Guardians/Evil Ones come into play, forever changing the earth. This novel, set to release June 16th, is completely different and a truly wonderful read that you won’t want to miss! Four stars!
*
Death Whispers:
August 29, 2011
by: Yara at {Once upon a Twilight}
June 16
by: Evie at Bookish
June 13
This book was awesome! Loved it! Thank you Tamara for sending me a PDF of Death Whispers!
Anyway, I loved Caleb and Jade, their relationship was just so cute, and I just wanted to be sucked into it, and I was, because Caleb was!
The plot was excellent, sweeping me into the world of being able to create paranormal gifts, pulse tech, and so much more! Unique and uplifting, Caleb's ablitly, AFTD, stands for Affinity for the Dead, is quite rare, and to add to that, he has the same power as the first one to get AFTD, Jeffery Parker, whom I didn't like when I met him, but that's a good thing!
Also loved Onyx, he was so cute! I hope we find out about his previous owner, since the way that it was said, it made me think that something bad had happened to him, and well, I want to know everything :)
The tech was awesome, what we have, but more advanced, since we all know that technolgy just doesn't sit still for anyone or anybody! I just loved the pulse conversations that we some much easier then what we have!
Caleb's friends and family, they were just great! I loved how easily Caleb got along with is parents (his dad was one who first mapped the genome, making Caleb the son of a famous person) and the J's were just very funny, and very distinctive, Jonesy with his insane, 'let's get into trouble' plans, and John with his cool logic, they were really funny, and just worked well with each other, the group were good friends!
Just loved this book, can't wait to read the next book! (goes to library to petition them to buy it since I have no money!!!)
Death Whispers:
August 29, 2011
by: Yara at {Once upon a Twilight}
Its great as a reviewer when you have that chance and you find a diamond in the ruff. I believe strongly in reading Indie Authors and Self - published authors books, you can't imagine how many times I have read Amazing books from both ends. If we don't give the book a chance or author a chance these great books won't ever be discovered. So it pleases me to write my review for Death Whispers.
Death Whispers doesn't seems like its written by a unknown author, It has the quality of a big known author book. The characters are so well written, What makes then even better is how real they are when you read about them. Death Whispers is written from a 14 year old's POV, Tamara did a fantastic job capturing this boy's voice. The writing is simple with a very easy flow of words that you ends up devouring as you read. Even the humor in Death Whispers is contagious. This is a great book for any age and if your a dystopian fan too.
Death Whispers follow Caleb, he is a boy that possess a rare form of paranormal power. In the year 2025 all teenagers get tested to see what powers they possess. It turns out Caleb has one of the most rarest of them all. He is a Cadaver Manipulator. Basically he can raise and control dead people. Now you might think Caleb must feel super happy about this, well no not really. Seems that having this special power attracts all the wrong attention. Caleb sees himself working harder at keeping his power a secret from certain people. Throw in all this paranormal activity plus the year 2025 and all its advanced technologies, you have a Great dystopian novel.
June 16
by: Evie at Bookish
"It was gonna be a hurricane of crap, and I was in the eye of it."
"Mom knew about The Hunger. In fact, I would use the phrase, “I Hunger.” Which loosely translated meant something like, what is there to eat in this house in the next five seconds. My friends also had The Hunger and we'd fall upon the kitchen table as locusts, and The Hunger would be abated, temporarily."
Yes! Finally a story told from a male protagonist’s point of view! Ever since I read Patrick Ness’ Chaos Walking Trilogy, I was on the hunt for another book like that. I thought Ness did a great job in his book, but Tamara Rose Blodgett did an even better one! I was literally blown away by her writing style and flawless storytelling. Tamara, are you really an Indie writer? It’s really hard to believe that!
Random rambling aside, let’s get down to the plot!
The protagonist of this book, a fourteen-year-old boy named Caleb Hart, discovers that he possesses a very rare paranormal power. He can raise and control the dead. This special power, called Cadaver Manipulation, might seem like a pretty cool and useful thing, but in reality it’s nothing but trouble. It’s a very unique quality, only one person before Caleb has been (un)lucky enough to have it and this person, well, let’s just say he didn’t end up well.
Caleb happens to be the son of the first scientist to map the human genome. When we meet him it’s year 2025, and the world sure has changed a lot. For one thing, the technology is super advanced now. People don’t use normal phones to communicate anymore, they “pulse” each other, which basically means that their phone devices were modified to pick up their thoughts and send them to whoever and wherever – instantly! (I personally think it was a totally brilliant idea!)
In eighth grade, all the kids must take the nationwide aptitude test to determine what kind of paranormal power they possess and how strong on the scale from 1 to 5 is it. Apparently puberty is the exact time when everyone has to get tested, because scientists have proven that that’s the time when the abilities come online. And what kind of abilities are we exactly talking about? There’s a wide range of paranormal powers you could have, from something as benign as Empath, Telepathy, Pyrokenesis, Astral-Projection to a more troublesome ones like AFTD. AFTD stands for Affinity for the Dead. This ability usually means that someone can communicate with the dead. However, in Caleb’s case, the ability manifests itself very strongly, not only can he hear the dead, but he can also animate them and control their actions. And like that wasn’t enough already, Caleb discovers that when someone/something is about to die, he can resurrect them. Although it sounds like a very useful ability, it might also be a very problematic one. Let’s not forget that we’re talking about a young teenager here. Caleb wants to go to school and hang out with his friends. Above all, he wants to be able to decide his own future. That, for sure, won’t be possible, if the government officials learn about his powers. No doubt he would be taken away from his family and forced to work for the government. It seems like the safest thing to do, is staying off the government's radar and ensuring that he won’t be discovered. But how to do that when the aptitude test is only a few days away?
I loved it! I genuinely loved it! Death Whispers is one of those “can’t-flip-the-pages-fast-enough” novels. The story flow is so natural and easy-breezy that your mind won’t even register the pages turning,. It’s as if you’re watching an episode of your favorite TV show or your best friend is telling you the most intriguing story ever! It gave me goose-bumps!
I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful the narrative voice is. The dialogs are so full of life and natural! Some authors seem to have a big problem with dialogs, they’re either too flat or way too overdone. For TR Blodgett writing from a 14-year-old-boy’s perspective seems to be as easy as breathing. Her writing is simplistic, easy to read and entertaining. I had so much fun devouring this book.
The characters are fantastic, too! They’re realistic, intriguing and vibrant, and it’s easy to get emotionally involved in their story. I especially liked Caleb’s parents, they reminded me of my parents in so many ways! My favorite characters, though, were the JJ’s – they were hilarious and I really liked how they supported Caleb.
Bottom line… I am a FAN!!!
Looking forward to seeing where TR Blodgett takes us in the next installment.
June 13
My Review: From Louisa of: Words I Write Like Crazy
This book was awesome! Loved it! Thank you Tamara for sending me a PDF of Death Whispers!
Anyway, I loved Caleb and Jade, their relationship was just so cute, and I just wanted to be sucked into it, and I was, because Caleb was!
The plot was excellent, sweeping me into the world of being able to create paranormal gifts, pulse tech, and so much more! Unique and uplifting, Caleb's ablitly, AFTD, stands for Affinity for the Dead, is quite rare, and to add to that, he has the same power as the first one to get AFTD, Jeffery Parker, whom I didn't like when I met him, but that's a good thing!
Also loved Onyx, he was so cute! I hope we find out about his previous owner, since the way that it was said, it made me think that something bad had happened to him, and well, I want to know everything :)
The tech was awesome, what we have, but more advanced, since we all know that technolgy just doesn't sit still for anyone or anybody! I just loved the pulse conversations that we some much easier then what we have!
Caleb's friends and family, they were just great! I loved how easily Caleb got along with is parents (his dad was one who first mapped the genome, making Caleb the son of a famous person) and the J's were just very funny, and very distinctive, Jonesy with his insane, 'let's get into trouble' plans, and John with his cool logic, they were really funny, and just worked well with each other, the group were good friends!
Just loved this book, can't wait to read the next book! (goes to library to petition them to buy it since I have no money!!!)
The Blogger Girlz
Stories with male leads aren’t normally my thing, and I wasn’t sure how far I’d get when I first started reading. But I was hooked by the end of the first page, and starting with a past event and then transitioning back to the present was what did it. It made me feel like the world inside Death Whispers had existed long before I’d opened the book. However, at the same time I didn’t feel like I was struggling to catch up. Caleb’s memory of a disastrous day in Biology was the perfect place to start. It both gave valuable background information and set the stage for future events at the same time.
Since the story is set in the future there’s some new pretty cool new technology involved that made the techie in me sit up and take notice. It took me a little while to catch on to some of the new technology, but it was gradually introduced and explained in the story. Also, most of the new technology were very logical next steps for existing technologies, which made it easier to follow along with.
The whole relationship between Caleb and Jade seemed very genuine. Tamara didn’t over dramatize the nerves or the fist steps of their relationship. She just set let it progress naturally which resulted in a connection between the two that seemed as real as that between any couple in any hallway of any high school in the U.S.
For me the best part by far was trying to connect the dots and figure out what was going on with all the other teen aged characters. Caleb was focused on the development of his own paranormal powers, but at the same time there were little bread crumbs being dropped about the other characters paranormal powers. Trying to figure out what the powers were before Caleb found out was a lot of fun for me.
-Aaron
I really like this novel. I especially love that the main character is male, as more often than not, lead roles in YA literature are female (why is that?). I’ve been looking for something along these lines to promote reading among my male student for a while, and thankfully, I’ve now found it. With a main character that can raise corpses, how can you go wrong?
It is obvious that Blodgett spent a lot of time writing Death Whispers, perfecting the scientific and technological aspects of this futuristic dystopian novel. I was reminded of one of my favorite TV shows, Heroes, as I read. While many young adults will come into their special power during puberty, not all will choose to use their powers for good. And, with many new powers coming to light each year, the government, of course, is going to be on the lookout for any powers that may be politically important. One main difference, though, is that all young adults know that they may manifest these powers, and they are, therefore, subjected to a mandatory AP test to determine their placements in high school—which I think is a really ingenious idea that Blodgett incorporated into the novel, as it creates suspense in the terms that “big brother is watching you.”
As the synopsis states, Caleb has a very rare talent, as do a few of his friends, and it was really fun to follow the characters as they discover their different abilities and learn to control and hide them, especially as the ever looming government could easily swoop in at any moment. What I really love about these powers, especially Caleb’s, is that Blodgett doesn’t sugarcoat them. For instance, the corpses don’t come back as they were in life, but rather in their various stages of decompose, including the smell. It was really interesting to read about this, and Blodgett writes in such a way that the reader can easily visualize it (though thankfully not smell it!).
This novel takes place over a few months, and another aspect I really enjoyed was that I was able to keep pace with the time frame. Keeping the reader on point with elapsed time can be very difficult for writers, and I’ve read many books in which the events all seem to happen within a day, and no timeline is ever provided for the reader, causing confusion. Blodgett, however, easily guides the reader through the story without having to state the time and, because of this, the love story portion of the novel becomes feasible, as it obviously doesn’t happen “overnight.”
The dialogue in the story, as well as the action, was also very well done. Caleb and his friends banter back and forth much as my students do every day in the classroom, and I catch them doing very strange things in class as well, such as sticking things in their nose and ears… Blodgett captures the true essence of adolescents in her story, making her novel that much more enjoyable. As the story unfolds, events seamlessly build off each other, capturing the reader’s attention until the very end.
I know that my favorite character should be one of the main ones, but actually, my favorite characters is Ali, Caleb’s mother. Why? As I’m an English teacher and older adult, I find we connect. She has a strong love for her son and also a strong love for English. She is constantly correcting Caleb’s language and, as exasperating as that can be to others, I love it! I do it all the time too; I see myself in her, and I see my students in the young adult characters, solidifying Blodgett’s capability of creating very real characters that we can all connect with in some manner.
Something else I absolutely adore about this novel is the Caleb’s relationship with his parents. Caleb goes to his parents, first and foremost, when he realizes he’s in trouble. Most YA novels deal with characters that feel they need to hide everything from the adults in their life, and I loved that this was different. I’ve read many YA novels in which adults are excluded or deemed untrustworthy, and it was refreshing to finally read a YA novel in which an adolescent trusts his parents. Caleb goes to his parents on many occasions, and though they can’t always help him, the moral support that is there is awesome, and it portrays parents in a positive light, whereas, more often than not, YA literature portrays adults negatively.
I like this positive reinforcement because that’s an aspect that teens need in their lives—adults who listen and care—yet Blodgett doesn’t paint all the adults in her novel as such, in order to keep with the reality of the world. Not all the adults (or other teenagers, for that matter) in the novel can be trusted, and Caleb and his friends aren’t obtuse. They see the warning signs and give their trust sparingly—they have a great sense of “street smarts,” as my parents would put it, and I enjoyed that very much.
Of course, the technological aspect of this novel was amazing. As it takes place in the future, technology must be vastly different, and Blodgett does not disappoint! She has taken our current technology and morphed it, creating “pulse” technology in which cell phones read our thoughts and send them virally. Hence, texting and calling are obsolete. I loved reading about this, and how the characters used it, and I would live to see “pulse” technology actually come to fruition someday—though that could be a nightmare to us teachers in the classroom…
Overall, this novel was great, and I highly suggest adolescents and adults read it alike. You will not be disappointed! Four stars!
AwesomeSauce Book Club
My Thoughts
First of all, it was awesome to read a book from a guy's perspective. Caleb is a great character. He's an awesome kid. His parents and friends are a riot.
There is some darkness in the mix with the domestic violence situations that surround some of the characters.
The issues surrounding the paranormal gifts these kids have is so fresh. I don't think I've ever heard of an idea like this before.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants a great read.
Amber~
Book Bite Reviews
Tamara Rose Blodgett's first novel in the Death Whispers series is pretty amazing. It is very different then what most readers are used to in a YA paranormal. The first thing that you will notice that is out of the norm is that the narrator and main character is not a girl. It is a 14 year old boy named Caleb. I don't think i have read a book that is completely narrated by a male, main character. It was definitely different, but i liked it. I also liked that he was only 14. It does make some of the "normal" life situations seem not so bad if you are older, and you may not be used to the ways the boys talk with profanity and immaturity, but i liked it. I thought it was just right for someone his age. I also liked that when he talked about Jade, his girlfriend, or his hot teacher that there wasn't any disrespectful language like you would expect from boys. Yes there was talk about the teacher and her cleavage, but nothing to make a girl gag or get upset about it. There was a good balance. I also liked that Blodgett didn't make Caleb act older than he was. He acted like a normal 14 year old. There wasn't any situations that he couldn't handle at that age. The only thing that i felt was a little too mature for him was his love for Jade. I think it would have been more believable if he was a high-schooler, but i don't know if middle schoolers have enough love to want to protect their girlfriend's life.
Another thing you will notice is that the book doesn't revolve around love or finding out if paranormals exist. It revolves around a boy finding out which kind of paranormal he is and how to hide his abilities from the government. Paranormal abilities is something that is normal. Everybody is waiting to find out what they are, either a type of paranormal or a mundane (a normal human). Most YA Paranormals are about finding the paranormal guy and learning to understand what he is and falling in love with him. This book had all that but then had an actual story along with it. It was definitely something i could learn to love. The third thing that is very different, at least to me is that this is set in 2025, i haven't read a book that is specifically set into the future, and Blodgett does an amazing job with writing a futuristic paranormal. She is very consistent in her technology and never slips up. In this future there is something called pulse technology where you control everything with your thumb and brain. I thought it was amazing. I loved reading about it and only wished that this type of technology existed now. This series is definitely something new and different.
Overall:
I thought this was a great book. The beginning was slow at first and it takes a couple chapters, at least for me, to get into it, but once it got good it never stopped being good. There are few grammar errors, and phrases that may have been misspelled or put in the wrong order, but it was comical. The characters were really well thought through, and each one had their own personality. You could tell why they would get along, or not, but they were each individuals. The characters banter back and forth alone made up for the few misspelled phrase. I cannot wait for the second installment to come out, this is going to be a great series. It keeps your heart pumping and keeps you turning the pages. If you were one of my friends and i told you to read this and you were unsure about it, i would beg you to give it a chance, that's how good it is.
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 4/5
I really like this novel. I especially love that the main character is male, as more often than not, lead roles in YA literature are female (why is that?). I’ve been looking for something along these lines to promote reading among my male student for a while, and thankfully, I’ve now found it. With a main character that can raise corpses, how can you go wrong?
It is obvious that Blodgett spent a lot of time writing Death Whispers, perfecting the scientific and technological aspects of this futuristic dystopian novel. I was reminded of one of my favorite TV shows, Heroes, as I read. While many young adults will come into their special power during puberty, not all will choose to use their powers for good. And, with many new powers coming to light each year, the government, of course, is going to be on the lookout for any powers that may be politically important. One main difference, though, is that all young adults know that they may manifest these powers, and they are, therefore, subjected to a mandatory AP test to determine their placements in high school—which I think is a really ingenious idea that Blodgett incorporated into the novel, as it creates suspense in the terms that “big brother is watching you.”
As the synopsis states, Caleb has a very rare talent, as do a few of his friends, and it was really fun to follow the characters as they discover their different abilities and learn to control and hide them, especially as the ever looming government could easily swoop in at any moment. What I really love about these powers, especially Caleb’s, is that Blodgett doesn’t sugarcoat them. For instance, the corpses don’t come back as they were in life, but rather in their various stages of decompose, including the smell. It was really interesting to read about this, and Blodgett writes in such a way that the reader can easily visualize it (though thankfully not smell it!).
This novel takes place over a few months, and another aspect I really enjoyed was that I was able to keep pace with the time frame. Keeping the reader on point with elapsed time can be very difficult for writers, and I’ve read many books in which the events all seem to happen within a day, and no timeline is ever provided for the reader, causing confusion. Blodgett, however, easily guides the reader through the story without having to state the time and, because of this, the love story portion of the novel becomes feasible, as it obviously doesn’t happen “overnight.”
The dialogue in the story, as well as the action, was also very well done. Caleb and his friends banter back and forth much as my students do every day in the classroom, and I catch them doing very strange things in class as well, such as sticking things in their nose and ears… Blodgett captures the true essence of adolescents in her story, making her novel that much more enjoyable. As the story unfolds, events seamlessly build off each other, capturing the reader’s attention until the very end.
I know that my favorite character should be one of the main ones, but actually, my favorite characters is Ali, Caleb’s mother. Why? As I’m an English teacher and older adult, I find we connect. She has a strong love for her son and also a strong love for English. She is constantly correcting Caleb’s language and, as exasperating as that can be to others, I love it! I do it all the time too; I see myself in her, and I see my students in the young adult characters, solidifying Blodgett’s capability of creating very real characters that we can all connect with in some manner.
Something else I absolutely adore about this novel is the Caleb’s relationship with his parents. Caleb goes to his parents, first and foremost, when he realizes he’s in trouble. Most YA novels deal with characters that feel they need to hide everything from the adults in their life, and I loved that this was different. I’ve read many YA novels in which adults are excluded or deemed untrustworthy, and it was refreshing to finally read a YA novel in which an adolescent trusts his parents. Caleb goes to his parents on many occasions, and though they can’t always help him, the moral support that is there is awesome, and it portrays parents in a positive light, whereas, more often than not, YA literature portrays adults negatively.
I like this positive reinforcement because that’s an aspect that teens need in their lives—adults who listen and care—yet Blodgett doesn’t paint all the adults in her novel as such, in order to keep with the reality of the world. Not all the adults (or other teenagers, for that matter) in the novel can be trusted, and Caleb and his friends aren’t obtuse. They see the warning signs and give their trust sparingly—they have a great sense of “street smarts,” as my parents would put it, and I enjoyed that very much.
Of course, the technological aspect of this novel was amazing. As it takes place in the future, technology must be vastly different, and Blodgett does not disappoint! She has taken our current technology and morphed it, creating “pulse” technology in which cell phones read our thoughts and send them virally. Hence, texting and calling are obsolete. I loved reading about this, and how the characters used it, and I would live to see “pulse” technology actually come to fruition someday—though that could be a nightmare to us teachers in the classroom…
Overall, this novel was great, and I highly suggest adolescents and adults read it alike. You will not be disappointed! Four stars!
AwesomeSauce Book Club
My Thoughts
First of all, it was awesome to read a book from a guy's perspective. Caleb is a great character. He's an awesome kid. His parents and friends are a riot.
There is some darkness in the mix with the domestic violence situations that surround some of the characters.
The issues surrounding the paranormal gifts these kids have is so fresh. I don't think I've ever heard of an idea like this before.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants a great read.
Amber~
Book Bite Reviews
Tamara Rose Blodgett's first novel in the Death Whispers series is pretty amazing. It is very different then what most readers are used to in a YA paranormal. The first thing that you will notice that is out of the norm is that the narrator and main character is not a girl. It is a 14 year old boy named Caleb. I don't think i have read a book that is completely narrated by a male, main character. It was definitely different, but i liked it. I also liked that he was only 14. It does make some of the "normal" life situations seem not so bad if you are older, and you may not be used to the ways the boys talk with profanity and immaturity, but i liked it. I thought it was just right for someone his age. I also liked that when he talked about Jade, his girlfriend, or his hot teacher that there wasn't any disrespectful language like you would expect from boys. Yes there was talk about the teacher and her cleavage, but nothing to make a girl gag or get upset about it. There was a good balance. I also liked that Blodgett didn't make Caleb act older than he was. He acted like a normal 14 year old. There wasn't any situations that he couldn't handle at that age. The only thing that i felt was a little too mature for him was his love for Jade. I think it would have been more believable if he was a high-schooler, but i don't know if middle schoolers have enough love to want to protect their girlfriend's life.
Another thing you will notice is that the book doesn't revolve around love or finding out if paranormals exist. It revolves around a boy finding out which kind of paranormal he is and how to hide his abilities from the government. Paranormal abilities is something that is normal. Everybody is waiting to find out what they are, either a type of paranormal or a mundane (a normal human). Most YA Paranormals are about finding the paranormal guy and learning to understand what he is and falling in love with him. This book had all that but then had an actual story along with it. It was definitely something i could learn to love. The third thing that is very different, at least to me is that this is set in 2025, i haven't read a book that is specifically set into the future, and Blodgett does an amazing job with writing a futuristic paranormal. She is very consistent in her technology and never slips up. In this future there is something called pulse technology where you control everything with your thumb and brain. I thought it was amazing. I loved reading about it and only wished that this type of technology existed now. This series is definitely something new and different.
Overall:
I thought this was a great book. The beginning was slow at first and it takes a couple chapters, at least for me, to get into it, but once it got good it never stopped being good. There are few grammar errors, and phrases that may have been misspelled or put in the wrong order, but it was comical. The characters were really well thought through, and each one had their own personality. You could tell why they would get along, or not, but they were each individuals. The characters banter back and forth alone made up for the few misspelled phrase. I cannot wait for the second installment to come out, this is going to be a great series. It keeps your heart pumping and keeps you turning the pages. If you were one of my friends and i told you to read this and you were unsure about it, i would beg you to give it a chance, that's how good it is.
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 4/5
