The Murmurings

Cover image and summary from Goodreads:

Everyone thinks Sophie’s sister, Nell, went crazy. After all, she heard strange voices that drove her to commit suicide. But Sophie doesn’t believe that Nell would take her own life, and she’s convinced that Nell’s doctor knows more than he’s letting on.

As Sophie starts to piece together Nell’s last days, every lead ends in a web of lies. And the deeper Sophie digs, the more danger she’s in—because now she’s hearing the same haunting whispers. Sophie’s starting to think she’s going crazy too. Or worse, that maybe she’s not….

I was really looking forward to reading this one because it sounded creepy! And it was, at least at first. Dead sister, monsters in the mirror, strange psychiatric institution…it was all very promising.

I thought Sophie was a likeable, sympathetic character. Learning about Nell’s death – and the creepy circumstances surrounding it – and her fairly absent mother, I could understand why Sophie was a bit troubled. And when Sophie revealed that she was hearing the murmurings that haunted Nell, I was very interested. The opening few chapters of the book were rife with creepy scenes and suspense.

Sophie feared that she was losing her mind, just like everyone thought Nell did. Then she encountered Evan, a cute athletic boy from school, and they slowly developed a relationship. It turned out that Evan had a cousin who had experiences that bore a lot of similarities to Nell’s. Together, they looked into the psychiatric institution where Nell spent the last few months of her life.

The book turned out not to be as spooky as it seemed it would be, which was somewhat of a disappointment. I also found that Sophie made choices that frustrated me at times, the way a character in a horror movie makes a decision that you know will lead to a bad end and you wonder why it isn’t as obvious to the character.

While initially this seemed like it was going to be a great creepy read, I found the plot twists and the story a bit convoluted in the end. Perhaps that’s not the right word, but the explanation and denouement felt rushed to me.

Overall, this was an entertaining read. It was good, but not great. If you’re looking for a new paranormal read, but one that isn’t too creepy, give this one a try.