The Whisperer’s Warning

Title: The Whisperer’s Warning

Series: Secrets of Oscuros

Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action and Adventure / Folklore / Fantasy

Suggested Ages: 8-12

Publisher: CaribbeanReads Publishing (January 31, 2022)

ISBN: 9781953747143

“The friendship among the three main characters is used not only for story-driven purposes, but for comedic relief; the plot twists were unexpected and came at the right times; and the story being open-ended leaves room for a sequel. The local flavour makes it more exciting and familiar for Caribbean readers.” – Josse Franco, young reader judge for the 2022 Bocas Children’s Book Prize and winner of the 2020 Drangonzilla’s Short Story Writing Challenge

“Caribbean folklore has the potential to be a rich source for speculative fiction stories. In the Whisperer’s Warning, JV continues to be a plucky and empathetic hero as the tale goes deeper into the mysteries of the Oscuros Forest and his shady family heritage. A fast-paced, entertaining story with a very satisfying resolution, this book is full of folklore and traditional folk knowledge in a relatable tale for young readers.” – Lisa Allen-Agostini, author of Home Home

* Click HERE for more reviews of The Whisperer’s Warning

“There’s plenty, plenty more to this world than what we see with our eyes.”

12-year-old JV is learning just how much truth lies behind those words.

He has discovered that he’s one of a select few entrusted with preserving the balance between the world’s natural and unnatural realms and is now more driven than ever to know who his birth parents are.

But there’s another mystery in the usually quiet village of Alcavere that he can’t ignore. He and his friends, Carol and Riaz, have received a cryptic warning from a supernatural being who dwells in the Oscuros Forest, launching them into a high-stakes mission. Can they solve the riddle and protect a villager from the foretold doom before time runs out?

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of The Whisperer’s Warning:

JV looked on as Pa Gregory placed the coin in the centre of his open left palm and closed his thin eyelids. For those ten or fifteen seconds, Pa Gregory’s hands and jaw were still, and when he finally opened his eyes, he looked directly at JV.

“Come. Come here, boy. Come let me see you.”

The tone caught JV by surprise. It was not a barked order but an invitation. An invitation with an unsettling hint of awe attached. Granny B gave him a reassuring nod. He stepped toward Pa Gregory who almost immediately leaned even closer and began taking in his every detail: JV’s big eyes, dark-brown irises, and long lashes; high cheekbones and round chin; low afro with its unfortunate zug on the right side; and his height that was just below average for a twelve-year-old. JV squirmed, imagining that this was how his coin would have felt under Pa Gregory’s intense scrutiny if it had feelings.

“Tell me what you know about this coin. Where you got it?”

“Umm…”

Granny B prodded him gently in the ribs.

“Someone gave it to me.”

Granny B gave him a sharper prod. “Jason, stop wasting time! Tell Pa Gregory everything you know.”

So, JV began. He told him about Papa Bois and noted that Pa Gregory did not react on hearing that the Protector of the Forest was real. He recounted what the Protector had said a little more than a month ago: how he had witnessed JV being abandoned in the Oscuros Forest as a baby, and that the woman who had left him there hid the coin in the folds of his blanket; that she had whispered the words ‘Akin Dawar’ in his ear before she had fled crying; and that Papa Bois had taken the coin in order to protect JV from the danger that it supposedly attracted.

Trinidad and Tobago: Books available for purchase at Charran’s bookstore (Level 1) Trincity Mall, My Reflection Children’s Bookstore, and Paper Based Bookshop.

International: Books also available for purchase on Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million. Bulk orders available through CaribbeanReads.