The Thickety #2: The Whispering Trees audiobook

The beginning of this one just felt too long, like he was adding more random magic training scene in order to ensure that book 2 was the same length as book 1. But once the padding was done, the book took off. Lots of new intrigue, and some seriously icky stuff as well. These books are about as scary as any middle grade book I've ever read, just FYI. I don't mind, and I would give it to my almost-eleven-year-old, but not to anyone younger.

"When you use magic, you are simply changing what's real to what you want it to be." "Believe you have the power to change the world, and you will. Forget the Forest Demon. Doubt is your greatest enemy right now." I love this series! I love the creatures in the Thickety, the characters, the setting of the forest and the relationship between Kara and Taff is sweet and adorable. I like the character of Mary who is that evil witch who eats children... While helping Kara and Taff to get out of the Thickety she has many wise things to tell them and meanwhile makes friends with them. But there are things that are not what they may seem.. but for that you have to read it yourself.Here are some of the creatures that they meet on the way: darkeaters, notsuns, grettings, stitch-rats and a thrumbeetle!Not to mention the humour comes from unlikely places, which makes it even more funny reading about it:Mary to Taff and Kara: "Do you know what a clock is?" Kara answers: "It tells you what part of the day it is - if you can't read the sun and stars, I suppose. Some kind of meaningless entertainment for those with too many seeds to spend."

Oh, how I love these books. I just finished reading this book for the third time. This sequel is so amazing. And I love every moment of it. Eee. Like in the first book, the writing is gorgeous. I simply have no issues with it at all. Which is awesome. And I just love this story the most. Reading about Kara is the best. She's amazing. And I love reading about what she's doing. This second book wasn't as dark as book one, yet still pretty dark. I loved it. And oh gosh, that ending. I had forgotten how shocking and mean it is. Hmph.I'm not going to talk much about this stunning second book. Because I have already reviewed it twice before, hih, and because it is hard to find the words for a book that I love so much. Which I did with this one. The Whispering Trees is simply such an amazing book. It is full of adventure and heartbreak and evil things. The villain in these first two books have been amazing. So dark. So evil. And so interesting to read about. This second book was all kinds of exciting. Loved book one a bit more, but oh, I loved this one too.I loved reading about Kara again. She is still the best girl. I love how she protects her brother so much. I love how kind she is; when she needs to be. I just loved getting to know her more. In this book she learns more about her magic. About the things that she can do. There is a lot of practicing. And it was all kinds of fun to read about. Yet also really sad, because there was a sacrifice each time, and gah. It still breaks my heart to read about. Especially with the ending of this book. Gosh. I cannot wait to re-read book three.I'm just the most excited to read the final book in this stunning series. I just wish there were more than four books. Aw. I would never tire of reading about this world. About Kara. This book takes place right after the ending of book one. Which means that for the most part the book is only about Kara and Taff, as they left everyone else behind. I am still sad that there was no Lucas in this book, lol. But there didn't need to be. Aw. It was amazing even without him, haha. There is just so so much happening all the time.And a bunch of new characters to read about too. I think that I grow to love Mary more for each time I read this book. Sure, she had done some awful things, but she was so kind and awesome now. For the most part. She was just such an interesting person and I really liked reading about her. Then there was Safi. I'm still unsure about this girl. Hmph. I didn't fully like her. But she was sort of cute, even so. There were a few other characters too, but not mentioning them. There is a new awful villain as well. Shudders.There is just so much happening in this book. So many new creatures. And I loved reading about them all. The notsuns were horrifying. I loved it. Imogen was all kinds of awful. Yet so amazing to read about. I just loved reading this book for the third time. I shall never not love it. And it is still just as amazing as the first time I read it. Which makes me so happy. Sigh. As always, if you still haven't read these stunning middle grade books, then get moving. Because they are so worth reading. They are amazing. So good.---I first read this book from October 21st to October 22nd 2014. My review can be found here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2014/1...I read this book for the second time from August 4th to August 5th 2015. Book recommendation can be found here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2015/0...I read this book for the third time on October 3rd 2016. See my new post here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2016/1...

Review coming soon!

This boo was amazing! I loved the way it was written and I loved the plot. I love this whole series. I couldn't believe they didn't know Grace was a witch. She showed all the signs of one. Over all this was an amazing book and its one of my favorite book series.

This book is dark but beautiful, and it keeps drawing me in. I keep thinking that these are too dark and scary for me, but then I find myself ordering the next one anyways! I am excited but also a tiny bit nervous for this next one!

At the end of the series' first book, A Path Begins, Kara and her younger brother Taff were driven into the Thickety, a dangerous forest ruled by the evil Sordyr, by her fellow villagers who fear her magic. Now within the forest, Kara and Taff must find a way to survive and avoid the clutches of Sordyr, who wants to use Kara's abilities as a wexari, or a witch who can cast spells without a spell book. But Kara does not know to what purpose. Early in their journey, they meet the infamous Mary Kettle, a witch famous for cruelly killing children and using them to create her own magical trinkets and toys. Yet she seems to be seeking redemption by helping them and she has the knowledge to help them avoid Sordyr. Kara also is still learning about her abilities but has a special connection with the forest animals who trust and have confidence in her. As they journey, Kara and Taff must learn about the new world around them as they figure out who can be trusted and who cannot.This book had more closure at the end than the first book in the series in spite of the fact that Kara is clearly intending to continue into "the World" beyond the island of the Thickety to combat forces that are now moving there. I also enjoyed the author's clarifications on magic and its role and ability to be good or bad in his created world in addition to the development of Kara's (and Sordyr's) role as wexari. The best part was a plot twist near the end of the book regarding Sordyr's true role and identity. It felt like Kara was letting herself be manipulated at the beginning because she was not yet developed enough as an individual and as a wexari. Near the end, she begins to think more creatively, but her situation turns out to be more complicated than she (and others) originally thought.

I'm just really liking this series overall as an example of boundaries that can be crossed when it comes to children's literature. If I didn't know that I definitely liked this series after the first one, I most certainly know that I like it now. Admittedly compared to the first one I'm not sure I like it quite as much? But that is mostly tied to the absence of Kara's home village. The thing that drew me into the first book initially was the twisted morality of the village and the Puritanical parallels that I personally drew, and so without that I was left a little wanting, but not that much.I am just reveling in this intriguing obsession this series has with good and bad and it's really intricate and nuanced. Some of the monsters in this one are definitely just creepy especially (view spoiler)[Thickety's own village, which are the most skin-crawling zombie concepts I've ever read. I mean I suppose they aren't really zombies, but the mental image of the people and the shadows being flipped ohhhhh so creepy. And the life giving rocks - there's a lot of life-but-not-life in this book, come to think of it. (hide spoiler)] I wouldn't exactly be surprised if I saw this story under an adapted, "more adult" cover, but at the same time I'd say it's well placed in age. It challenges and begs to be challenged. There's so much in these books that are not clear cut, and I am really enjoying that. I can't recommend this series enough, it's just cool, man. Cool cool cool.

Kara and Taff are right where we left off--deep in the heart of the Thickety. They soon run into the infamous witch Mary Kettle, who claims she will help the pair by teaching Kara how to hone her skills as a wexari, a special kind of witch who can cast spells without a grimoire. The Forest Demon has many obstacles for Kara, though, and their lives are constantly in danger. Monsters abound, and the detail with which they are created makes them extra scary. The siblings never know who they can trust, and the emotional roller coaster is incredibly tense. The ending, once again, is a total shocker!I just really love this series. What an imagination this guy has! My only complaint is that the main cliffhanger that left me gasping at the end of A Path Begins is STILL a cliffhanger at the end of The Whispering Trees. I was really hoping to get some resolution there, but I guess I'll have to wait until the next book to satisfy that curiosity. These are just the type of books I would have loved as a kid, but they're simply too good for adults to miss. Great sequel, Mr. White. I hope you are furiously writing, because I can't wait to see what's next, and neither can my students!

** spoiler alert ** OMG SO GOOD!!Okay, so this book totally does not stand alone - make sure you have read the first Thickety book. And you'll want to have The Whispering Trees close by because the first one ends on a GIGANTIC CLIFFHANGER and then this second book plunges you right back into the middle of the action and pretty much does not let up. This is just such a richly imagined fantasy world, dripping with magic and an epic battle between good and evil. The plot twists and turns and you're never completely sure who you can trust (at least I wasn't!). This is a great one for fans of scary books because there truly are some horrific scenes. I really loved the characters, too. Also, this book is like eleven million pages long BUT because the trim size is pretty small, the pages actually go by really quickly. And did I mention the nonstop action? This book got me through a long wait at the doctor's office and then again at the post office. Huzzah! I highly recommend this series to tweens who enjoy fantasy adventure with a big dose of witchcraft. I'd hand it to fans of The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier for its atmospheric creepiness.

This was a stellar continuation of the Thickety series and an altogether enjoyable read. I loved the overall adventure, the twists and turns and the unexpected surprises that came up along the way. I am chomping at the bit for the third book and conclusion to the trilogy though I have grown to love the characters and will hate to see the final ending of such a charming and at times delightfully creepy read. I would have loved these books as a kid, and I am completely enthralled as an adult.

the theme of this one seemed to be you can't trust your surroundings, you can't trust the people around you - nothing is as it seems. when you do have one person you can trust, as kara and taff have each other, use that as bedrock. the evil may become good, or may only be evil due to the control of someone more evil who seems to be good...another surprising ending. one goal achieved, and a new, even bigger goal unlocked. you can't go home again and you don't even want to.