Blog Tour Stop : Whispers in Autumn by Trisha Leigh

Hi everyone!
Today, I'm really glad to be part of the Whispers in Autumn Blog Tour. For my tour stop, I will be sharing with you all my review and an excerpt from the book.
Also, Trisha is on the blog with a guest post on TV shows. Sounds awesome, right ? I hope you guys enjoy it! :)

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Whispers in Autumn (The Last Year #1)
Author : Trisha Leigh

Publisher : Self-Published
Publication Date : July 24th 2011

Goodreads - Amazon

In 2015, a race of alien Others conquered Earth. They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots.

Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone.

The autumn she meets Lucas, everything changes.

Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race.

It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what.

And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good.

Personal Thoughts

Whispers in Autumn by Trisha Leigh is a book that caught my attention when I first read the enticing summary. I was intrigued by the idea of a dystopian society controlled by a race of aliens. You have to admit, it's a very unique idea. With all the original concepts behind Whispers in Autumn, the book is teeming with potential. 

Whispers in Autumn tells the story of Althea, a 16 year old living in a futuristic world run by aliens. These aliens have the ability to manipulate the minds of the humans on Earth. However, Althea isn't under their control. She realizes that she's different from the others, and decides to hide it. Soon, she meets Lucas and both come to the realization that the aliens have no power over them. Together, they try the discover the reason why.

I was excited to dive into Whispers in Autumn because I was absolutely fascinated by the author's creativity. Jumping into the story, I found myself being very confused by what was going on. I had to re-read a couple of scenes a few times before I fully understood what was happening. The problem was, the author didn't really prepare the reader for her setting. Instead, I found myself being propelled into a strange world, not comprehending what was going on. Because of that, the book didn't really make a great first impression on me. However, as the story progressed, I started to feel a little bit more comfortable with it. Althea was a character who was easy to sympathize with. She was basically very lonely even if she was surrounded by so many people because she was different from the others. It must have been emotionally traumatizing for her. I was actually very happy for her when she met Lucas because then she had someone alongside her. In the end, I thought that she was a strong and independent girl, given everything she had gone through. Overall, I thought Althea was a genuine and realistic character who was easy to connect with. The romance in the book was the slow-budding type. While it wasn't exactly the kind that had my heart thumping, it was sweet and very cute. The plot itself was highly interesting and I was immersed in the story as soon as I got the hang of it. However, the book lacked action. There were times when I was craving for my action-packed scenes, especially with the aliens aspect.

Overall, Whispers in Autumn was a fairly interesting story that had the possibility to be a lot better than it was. If you're looking for something fresh in the YA dystopian genre, then this is a book that you should give a shot.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 2/5

Excerpt

I stumble, tripping over several plastic crates and landing hard on my rear end. Pieces of metal and other unidentified objects skitter and bounce across the concrete floor, making a racket loud enough to be heard in the next town, never mind upstairs. I scramble backward on my butt in an attempt to put distance between me and the animal. Pine Boy is gone, escaped because of the noise or perhaps because of what’s in the back of the room.
There’s a fish back there. In a bowl. Someone is keeping a live animal right here in the Cell, exposing all of us to unknown diseases. Desperation claws at me as I press a hand to my mouth and suck air through my fingers. Maybe the fish can’t hurt us like some bigger animals, the ones with rows of teeth, but still. Animals of any kind are not allowed inside the boundary.

Guest Post

Here’s something you might not know about me: I have a Film degree from Texas Christian University, and put it to use reviewing television and movies for a website, Poptimal. Now, some people might think I’m wasting valuable writing hours with all of the time I spend in front of the television and sitting in movie theatres, but I disagree. Writing novels is, of course, the art of telling stories. And that’s exactly what film and television writers do—whether they have two hours or six twenty-two episode seasons. They create and develop characters, story arcs, atmosphere, entire worlds! A few of them are darn good at it, too, and I personally think writing for a serialized television show would be terribly difficult. You never know if/when your stories are going to end, so you need to keep them both relevant and close to a resolution at all times.

If you’re a writer looking for a way to recharge your creative batteries, I find that watching a new show or movie can really do the trick. In your genre or in a different one, watching the way other writers work can spark ideas in our own minds as we internalize and make them our own.

For example, Whispers in Autumn, though not heavily dependent on any single piece of work, certainly draws influence from novels (A Wrinkle in Time), movies (Star Wars, The Stepford Wives), and television shows (Lost, Fringe).

There are currently three shows I go back to over and over, and watch as a fan as well as a student because their characters, world, and narrative structure floor me with their elegance.

Fringe: This one not only pushes your mind to consider unfathomable possibilities through its immaculate world-building, but it also proves that even though you’re working in a defined science fiction genre, it’s still possible (and freaking important) to fill that world with deep, evolving relationships between fleshed out characters. Without people to care about, nice world-building is nothing more than pretty scenery. Also, no series better plays the ‘always leave them wanting more’ card (okay, maybe The Vampire Diaries)?

Once Upon A Time: There are no new stories. That’s what we’re told, right? Every story in existence has already been told, so the trick is to tell it in a new way. Once Upon A Time had a few dips and wiggles during its freshman season, but I’ll continue to watch it for the surprises. For the idea that even these tales that we’ve been intimately familiar with since childhood can find ways to twist in new directions, can serve to peel back previously undiscovered layers on well-worn characters. And also because the Snow White and Prince Charming storyline makes me swoon, and hey, that’s as good a reason as any to watch a television show.

Fairly Legal: I began watching this show before the second season premiere, and ended up viewing the entire first season in about three days. It hooked me before five minutes of the pilot episode had passed, and do you know why? The main character. Characters are what the USA Network prides themselves in, and this show has probably the best characterizations on television (in my humble opinion). I’ve studied how they did it—made me root for Kate Reed from those opening moments, and the series does some of the most difficult things in storytelling, from keeping us firmly on Kate’s side even though she makes some horribly selfish decisions, to introducing a new love interest and crafting him in a way that makes him impossible to hate. Want to beef up your characters? This show is a master class.

What about y’all? Do you like watching television or movies when your creative juices are running low? Or do you prefer reading more, or even listening to music?

I’m always curious why people love certain television shows and what it is they get out of them that makes them keep coming back for more. I’d love to hear about your favorites!

Author Biography

Raised by a family of ex-farmers and/or almost rock stars from Northeastern Iowa, I’ve always loved to tell stories. After graduating from Texas Christian University with a degree in Film, I began to search for a way to release the voices in my head. I wrote a thriller and a couple of ghost stories, getting my feet wet and learning with each attempt. When I attempted my first YA novel, which would become Whispers in Autumn, I was hooked. I knew then my heart lay with telling stories about and for young adults, and for anyone who loves to read and recapture those fleeting “first” moments.
My spare time is spent reviewing television and movies, spending time with my large, loud, loving family, reading any book that falls into my hands, and being dragged into the fresh air by my dogs Yoda and Jilly.

Website 
Twitter: @trishaleighkc
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