Book Blitz: A Season of Whispers – Jackson Kuhl

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be participating in the Book Blitz for ‘A Season of Whispers’ by Jackson Kuhl organised by Storytellers on Tour, with a review of this supernatural, gothic horror novella and I hope you will check out the book, author and the other blogs participating in the blitz. There is also a giveaway running where you can win a copy of this fantastic book for yourself, so please check out the details at the bottom of this post.

*Disclaimer: I received a e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own*

Book Summary:

In the summer of 1844, Tom Lyman flees to Bonaventure, a transcendentalist farming cooperative tucked away in eastern Connecticut, to hide from his past. There Lyman must adjust to a new life among idealists, under the fatherly eye of the group’s founder, David Grosvenor. When he isn’t ducking work or the questions of the eccentric residents, Lyman occupies himself by courting Grosvenor’s daughter Minerva.

But Bonaventure isn’t as utopian as it seems. One by one, Lyman’s secrets begin to catch up with him, and Bonaventure has a few secrets of its own. Why did the farm have an ominous reputation long before Grosvenor bought it? What caused the previous tenants to vanish? And who is playing the violin in the basement? Time is running out, and Lyman must discover the truth before he’s driven mad by the whispering through the walls.

The Review:

A Season of Whispers is a fantastic supernatural, gothic horror novella that encapsulates everything you could want from that genre and more, wrapped up in excellent writing that drew you into the very depths of the narrative.

I was hooked from the first paragraph with this one and read it all in one go on Halloween just to add to the atmosphere, not that it was needed. Kuhl’s descriptions not only build up a very vivid setting and a cast of characters that bring the world to life, but the atmosphere in this book was one of those that seeps in under the door and wraps itself around you before you even realise what was happening. For a short book, A Season of Whispers does an excellent job of building up the mystery and tension, creating a lingering, feeling of impending horror that has you holding your breath and waiting to see what will happen next.

This was a smart book and one that demands your attention, because as everything builds up and the atmosphere sweeps you away, the story is woven across time and characters, and full of twists and turns, and you need to pay attention to what is happening. Which isn’t really a problem as this is the kind of book that you don’t want to look away from. The characters were wonderfully written too, with individual voices, which added to the depth of the world and the tension. My one and only complaint is that I would have loved to have spent more time in the setting that Kuhl has set up.

This was a fantastic read, especially for this time of year with these darker nights and the wind rattling the window frames, and I would highly recommend it, especially to anyone who loves atmospheric books, and gothic horror.

About the Author:

Jackson Kuhl is the author of the Revolutionary War biography SAMUEL SMEDLEY, CONNECTICUT PRIVATEER, and the fiction collection THE DEAD RIDE FAST. Kuhl has written for Atlas Obscura, Connecticut Magazine, the Hartford Courant, National Geographic News, Reason, and other publications. He paddles the waters of coastal Connecticut. For more information, visit www.jacksonkuhl.com.

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About the Publisher:

Established in 2016, AURELIA LEO is an independent publisher and bookseller. Located in Louisville, Kentucky, we specialize in diverse speculative fiction, namely: horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Our flagship titles are Helios Quarterly Magazine, Selene Quarterly Magazine, and Invictus: Quarterly Comics and Illustrations.

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Purchase Links:

Aurelia Leo | Amazon UK | Amazon US

The Rating:

A Season of Whispers – Jackson Kuhl – **** (4/5 Stars)

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