Night Whispers

The Complex, Book 0

By: Calinda B

Narrated by: Lynn Norris

Length: 7 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

From New York Times best-selling author Calinda B, comes a dystopian tale of ruthless struggle and triumph.

For two long terrifying years, Sakhi Borren, and her beloved brother Reve, are headed to live at The Complex. An enclosed metal and concrete manufactured world on the barren planet Lorn, the Complex is some government's version of a good idea. Its sole purpose is to "heal the rifts between warring races" - a joke if ever Sakhi heard one. If she and her brother can survive to the end, they'll leave, far richer. In the meantime, all they can look forward to is co-existing with criminals and the scumbags known as Metas. She's scared of Metas. Her brother loathes them.

Strict rules and "guidelines" govern their every waking hour. Harsh punishment awaits all who violate the rules. It's a bleak, bleary, mind-numbing existence.

A telepathic dreamer, Sakhi does her best to get along and not make waves, working alongside her charming yet terrifying boss, Thrasyllus Blüthe, a decorated war hero. She dreads each night, where she'll wade through the hopes and fears of others, caught in their dream-state. It seems she can only escape one world to be entrenched in another. But soon its evident someone is stalking her in her dreams. It could be any number of Metas she works with. It could be her boss. But she suspects it's someone far more deadly - her worst nightmare and her greatest enemy - the Meta assigned as her parole officer. He wants her eradicated - only after he seduces her.

Surviving until it's over is no longer her only option. She needs to deal with what's right in front of her face - her present. With no one to turn to, she leans on her brother for strength and comfort. But he might have a few secret plans of his own that leave her with no recourse but to rely on her own faltering strength.

©2016 Calinda B (P)2017 Calinda B

A wonderful story with hidden meanings

I'm not big on futuristic scifi books and movies but I can say this book was really, really entertaining. I love the hidden meanings that have a lot to do with things that are going on in our world today. Acceptance and getting along with everyone regardless of who they are or where they come from. The Narrator is perfect for this book giving the characters their voice and bringing it to life.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Such an Intriguing Story to Listen to!

This is one of those that you must listen to! I absolutely loved loved loved Norris' voice acting! Each character had different variations from her voice letting me know who was speaking at what time. I appreciated her even tone and when things got rough she was also great with her intonations. A narrator I will definitely have to seek future work out on!

Then there's the plot. I found it both fun and alluring. There is enough secretiveness to the story to keep me guessing throughout. I found the overall concept to be a fun one. Character development and the way the plot progressed is on point! Give it a listen or a read to for sure!

Unexpected Heroine

Night Whispers starts with Sakhi Borren and her brother Reve arriving at the planet Lorn. They were given a choice of either going to prison or participate in a social experiment known as "The Complex", living with Meta and humans to co-exist with each other. Sakhi has suffered the fear of war between the two races. She watched a Meta killed her mother and a brother returning from the Meta war, physically and emotionally scarred with hatred of Metas.

In return of participating in "The Complex", they will be well paid if they could get through two years on Lorn. Sakhi has also evolved with a special skills of dream walking into everyone's dreams of hopes and fears. Soon she discovered that someone is stalking her. It could be any Metas. With her fear of and her reliance of her brother against the Meta and the unrest between humans and Metas, Sakhi quickly learned she will have to depend upon herself if she is to survived.

Night Whispers is a different type of story that the author Calinda B. usually writes. What I like about the story is that the description and images of "The Complex" are vividly describe that the readers and listeners won't have any problem of seeing what this sci-fi world looks and feels like.

The characters are unique and earthly familiar with Earth's folklore of vampires, faes, werewolves, and creatures that go bumped in the night.

Sakhi is very weak characters but for her love of her brother, she tried to take some of his burden off him. The problem is that she has never really learned any trade living off the street except to hide. When she met her dream lover, readers/listeners can see her character developed from being weak and scared to being a heroine who must stepped up to prevent a war starting on Lorn.

The narrator, Lynn Norris' performance was very good. Her voice fits Sakhi very well. The listeners can distinguish each characters' by the variation of the voices that the narrator provided. I wouldn't mind listening to her again.

I was given this audiobook by the author. I volunteered to write an unbiased review for the book. I was not compensated or influenced in any way for writing this review.

Excellent Addition to the Complex World!

Would you consider the audio edition of Night Whispers to be better than the print version?

For me, I enjoy reading equally as much as listening. I wouldn't say one was "better" than another. In fact, I read the eBook as the narrator told the story. It makes it that much better (and definitely helps me spell the odd names in a book like this!).

Any additional comments?

Sakhi and her brother will be living on Lorn, a name that means lonely and abandoned, for two long years. Her home and parents were destroyed by vicious warriors, and there was nothing left. They tried to steal to survive and got caught. So now, instead of prison, they were part of a social experiment to live among paranormal creatures at The Complex. But as they disembark on the hot planet, Sakhi can hear thoughts and feelings of everyone around her.

Near them as they walk, a skirmish breaks out. An AS law enforcer approaches Sakhi’s brother, Reve, and asks if he was involved. Sakhi feels his dark and menacing energy and backs away. She is dismayed to learn that this man is to be their parole officer . . . maybe prison would have been a better choice?

Starting her work shift, Sakhi meets a Meta female – an elf named Naazira Lighthawk. She is told how Metas and humans used to co-exist on Earth until the humans blew it up in a nuclear disaster. Sakhi had never heard that before. Then their mesmerizing boss, Thrasyllus Blüthe, “Thras”, walks in. Sakhi cannot figure why he has no energy signature, no emotions of any kind. And as he stares at her, the others show hostility toward her. Then she feels dark energy again and Paki, her parole officer, enters. She feels Paki’s rage as he chastises Thras, for not having started work. He demands Sakhi come with him so he can install a tracking device! But Thras won’t allow it.

With her abilities, Sakhi’s dreams open her up to the secret desires of all those around her. Unfortunately, it’s usually the worst of their desires she has to witness. And there is someone invading those dreams. Is she safe? Who is this stalker? Is she in danger – and why?

The narrator did a great job with the story. She portrayed the voices well and made it easy for the listening to follow the dialog. The author’s writing was wonderful, keeping things moving quickly along. The character development was handled well, allowing the reader to know each one better. Witnessing Sakhi’s maturing and gaining confidence was especially striking. With the reader aware of the danger facing her from her dream stalker, there was an underlying suspense surrounding a really good storyline. I definitely recommend this book.

Great Sci Fi Romance

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The story really picked up steam and kept me interested and connected to the characters. The detail of the world of the Complex made it more believable and helped to understand the challenges the characters went through.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Reve, he was funny and stubborn and protective - just like an older brother should be.

What does Lynn Norris bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She did a fantastic job with the voices of the male characters so that I instantly knew who was speaking and started to forget it was just one narrator. Fantastic narration, great emotion and connection with the characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

absolutely.

Good Story

I enjoyed listening to this book, Calinda B and Lynn Norris did a great job keeping my focus throughout the entire story.

Wow...Really enjoyed this book

Any additional comments?

4.5 stars

Wow! Really enjoyed this book. This is the first book I have read of this series. Where can I find more of this series/ stories? If you like paranormal/Sci-Fi stories this is a really good one and worth your time and credit.

Very entertaining, engaging and enjoyable. The story pulled me in immediately and never let go. This is one of those books I couldn't wait to get back to. It's an interesting, creative and original world that has paranormal creatures of all kinds including vampires, fae and werewolves just to name a few. The characters both good and bad are interesting, unique and unusual. There are some definite twists to many of these characters. There's enough action, suspense, romance and mystery to keep the story constantly moving, exciting and intense at times.

After doing a bit of research I found that The Complex is a collection of stories that are written by different authors and can be listened to in any order. Hopefully Audible will have more of these books available soon.

This is the first book by Calinda B. that I have listened to but it definitely won't be my last.

Lynn Norris did a great job with the narration. Nice voice, easy to listen to for long periods of time. Clearly spoken with a nice even pace. Really good character voices. Great tone and delivery. She was able to bring the characters and story to life. I'm looking forward to listening to more stories she narrates in the future.

This book was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I voluntarily left this review.

can Sakhi help humans and meta-humans coexist?

Where does Night Whispers rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I find it hard to compare books to one another. This book has rousing adventure, romance, mystery, sci-fi and fantasy elements galore, and a message of forgiveness and inclusiveness — that good and evil exist in all forms, and not exclusively in any group — with which I wholeheartedly concur. Fantastic work by the reader, Lynn Norris. What an exciting, beautifully paced job she did! The characters were many and varied, the action often breathless, and she remained crystal clear and true to plot and character from start to finish. A riproaring yet highly intelligent, nuanced performance. In short, I'd rank this very high indeed among my audiobook experiences. I had a blast!

What other book might you compare Night Whispers to and why?

No specific book comes to mind, but this is certainly cinematic, and the formula's classic: our beautiful young heroine goes through a series of harrowing trials by fire to discover her own strength and resilience. Love teaches her at last to open her heart; only by this means can she ultimately save herself and countless others from immolation in the fires of hatred and prejudice.

What about Lynn Norris’s performance did you like?

She's a wonder, this one. Each character was fully fleshed, to include growth and greater depth as the story unfolds; this was true whether they were protagonists or "bad guys," though some of the latter were gratifyingly ambiguous right to the end. Her pacing was uncanny; she knew when to give us time to relish a scene, and when to fill others with crackling intensity and heartstopping momentum. I derived great visuals from her perfectly inflected descriptions that put me right in the action, and was so swept up that I could hardly believe I wasn't hearing footfalls and energy weapons! The love scenes, though not gratuitously explicit, were highly charged and erotic. Ms. Norris has just endless talent for rich, evocative narration. In short, *wow*.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Dreaming or awake, young telepath Sakhi is assaulted and beset. Can she learn to trust again, figure out *whom* to trust, and bring a peaceful end to the endless human-Meta conflict?

Any additional comments?

Some world-class talent on this project! No question: I'm gonna be looking for Lynn Norris when I buy audiobooks in future.

Everything you could ask for

Intensity, mystery, sexiness and romance all wrapped up in one. This book is one that I couldn’t put down and listened constantly wanting to know what was going to happen next. I hate that everything that happened to them in the manner it did, but it made their connection stronger and their beliefs change as they went along. The narrator made it even better and I look forward to more.

Wow...I WANT MORE!

It has been a while since I was so enthralled with a new book and author. The world is on the one hand so intriguing and terrifying. To be taken to a place like that and expected to live in constant turmoil and on the edge not knowing who to trust...wondering if prison would really have been worse.

This exciting story keeps you guessing, and thru a good part of the book not sure if you know who is stalking her in her dreams, not sure who you want it to be. It's exciting, mysterious, suspenseful...I didn't want to stop listening!!!

This book is so much more than science fiction or just a mere paranormal... it is a dynamic, exciting thrill ride...honestly couldn’t get enough or listening this book fast enough.

I was given this free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
This is really worth the credit! This will be on my re-read list! I can't wait for audible to get the rest and I will be looking for this author's other books as well.