Tears of Min Brock

Tears of Min Brock (War of Whispers, #1)
by J.E. Lowder

Published September 21, 2012
388 pages

This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Areall crept toward the parchment as if an evil spirit possessed it. “Its beauty is its deception,” she whispered. “Burn it, child. Destroy it or you will curse us. The Cauldron will know. The Cauldron will see. They will come.”

Elabea calmly lifted the parchment from the coals, where it had refused to burn. “How can something so beautiful be evil?”


The Dark War is over. Betrayal, defeat and death forever accompany any mention of the battlefield known as Min Brock. The shining kingdom of Claire is no more. Any hint of rebellion is supressed by the constant drone that echoes throughout the land. The Oracles of the Council of Ebon, the dark lords who feed the perpetual flames of the Cauldron, forbid even mentioning the name of the Only, the King of Claire, on pain of death.

Yet in the night... a whisper comes to Elabea, a girl of 14 summers, who hears and dares to believe there might be more to life than the drone. Accompanied by her lifelong friend, Galadin, Elabea embarks on a dangerous journey to become one of the most powerful creatures in the land - a storyteller. Along the way she must learn to discern the true whisper of Claire from the counterfeit whisper of Ebon. One might lead her to restore light and life to a world ruled by darkness. The other leads to certain death.

The War of Whispers has begun.

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I'm not quite sure where to start with this one. When I first read the blurb, I thought "Great, that could be really good." Then I started reading it. And I struggled. I really wanted to like it, but neither the characters nor the plot were able to hold my attention. However, this could be because I didn't have a lot of reading time and could only read the first part in small snatches.

The idea for this story was very well-thought-out, and had all the aspects necessary for a good fantasy. I can't put my finger on why it didn't work for me.

If you're a fan of fantasy, you should give it a try.