Parents' Guide to

The Whisper: The Riverman Trilogy, Book 2

By Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Deep-thinking fantasy lovers will dive into this sequel.

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A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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This doesn't follow the standard "book 2 of a trilogy" formula of stringing readers along with an intriguing side plot and some character development, saving all the meaty stuff for the last book. We're barely even in Alistair's real New York town in THE WHISPER, where most of The Riverman took place, except in flashback. Instead, we're thrust into the fantasy worlds of Aquavania, puzzling out along with Alistair how they're connected, what happened to all the creators of the worlds, why monsters run rampant, and whom to trust. It's a confusing web with loads of questions stuck to it.

Sometimes the web is too confusing, especially at the finale, when more clarity is always welcome. It's hard to trust the author to make everything clear by Book 3, but the satisfaction in this series may not be about clarity. For all the young philosophers out there who are bound to enjoy the Riverman trilogy most, it's about the profound questions posed, coming-of-age and otherwise. And there are many.

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