The Waiting Booth (Whispering Woods) [Kindle Edition]

Brinda Berry (Author)

Book Description

A missing boy, government agents, an interdimensional portal...

Mia has one goal for her senior year at Whispering Woods High—find her missing older brother. But when her science project reveals a portal into another dimension, she learns that travelers are moving in and out of her woods in the most alarming way and government agents Regulus and Arizona are policing their immigration. Mia’s drawn to the mysterious, aloof Regulus, but it’s no time for a crush. She needs to find out what they know about her brother, while the agents fight to save the world from viral contamination. But when Regulus reveals that he knows Mia’s secrets, she begins to wonder if there’s more going on than she thought...and if she was wrong to trust him...

Product Details

• File Size: 285 KB
• Print Length: 200 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Etopia Press (July 15, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005D7F7US
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #530,315 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A strong paranormal debut from a talented writer December 13, 2011

By Michael Offutt

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Warning, there are some spoilers ahead.

The Waiting Booth by Brinda Berry is an excellent book. The majority of the time, the book remains in first-person perspective looking out at the world through Mia. She is in a difficult spot because her brother Pete has been missing. However, soon she meets two mysterious and extremely hot guys that offer to help her uncover the whereabouts of her brother. Despite a rough start, she eventually learns to trust them. But there is enough tension in the book that you never really know until close to the end if Regulus and Arizona have Mia's best interest in mind.

I thought the men in the book were particularly engaging. Brinda knows how to write them with just enough flavor to allow them to leap off of the page. She also takes chances with her writing by switching occasionally to third-person perspective. It isn't particularly "jarring" as one might expect because she treats these shifts in point-of-view as their own separate chapters. I might have gone about it differently. However, it does seem to work okay particularly as a vehicle to impart information to the reader that they may need to know.

Brinda also has a thoroughly engaging story. She has an amazingly detailed world and has done a lot of impressive world-building to allow the reader to feel its authenticity. I think that this book would appeal to readers of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi or perhaps those who love strong female characters with paranormal powers (and mysterious men). All I can say is, I hope Brinda is working on a sequel.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! October 16, 2011

By Catherine Cavendish

Format:Kindle Edition

Thoroughly enjoyed this new novel by Brinda Berry. The main character, Mia, is on a quest to find her missing brother and finds herself in all sorts of trouble when she discovers a portal to an alternate reality. This is a pacy, multi-layered novel and Mia is just the sort of girl you would want as a friend - feisty, fun and, at the same time, sensitive. The story is told through her eyes and her voice carries you through the twists and turns and suspense. I'm saying no more about the plot as I don't want to give anything away. This is the first in a new series called 'Whispering Woods' and I am looking forward to the next instalment. Aimed at the YA market, this is a winner. Highly recommended

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable YA Fantasy Story March 26, 2012

By VanillaOrchids

Format:Kindle Edition

Rating 3.5

Mia Taylor is your average 17 year old high school senior. She's working on a science project to test whether moon phases influence feeding patterns of wildlife and her and her friends are really into online gaming. But there is something special about Mia very few people know about ... she has a condition called synesthesia. The same condition her missing brother Pete was diagnosed with.

Cameras set up throughout the woods around her house to capture pictures for her science project, reveals more to Mia than she expected. She is intrigued by the picture of the two guys in her woods but thinks nothing of it, until she meets them unexpectedly. And when one of them informs her that her brother is still alive, she's determined to learn everything she can about what happened to him, who these two guys are, and why they seem to know so much about her and her brother.

The Waiting Booth is Brinda Berry's debut Young Adult novel and I found it rather interesting. I liked the fact that Mia has synesthesia, a neurological condition, where her sensory perception overlaps and she sees colors within sounds, smells, and written words. Austin and Em are Mia's best friends, though Austin has developed deeper feelings for her that she's not ready to deal with. And, of course, she meets Regulas and Arizona, the two guys she photographed in the woods.

I enjoyed the story and the characters. Mia comes to a point where she doesn't know who she can trust but she never would have suspected the one that betrays her, putting her in danger. That's where a very surprising twist to the story comes into play. As for the characters, my favorite is Arizona because he seemed like such a playful, flirtatious, fun guy. And he's honest with Mia even when he probably shouldn't be all the time. Mia and Regulus develop feelings for each other, though it's against the rules for Regulus to have a relationship with her. And then there is Austin, who seems determined to not only keep Mia safe but to fight for her affections.

Though I did enjoy The Waiting Booth, it did have some errors in it that at times had me backtracking a bit to re-read some things but overall didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story too much. I'm actually looking forward to finding out what happens in the next book, Whisper of Memory.

** I received a copy of The Waiting Booth for review as part of the Knights of the Round Table group on Goodreads.**

More About the Author

Brinda Berry lives in the southern US with her family and two spunky cairn terriers. She has a BSE in English and French and a MEd in Learning Systems Technology. She's terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality. She doesn't mind being called a geek or "crazy dog lady". When she's not working the day job or writing a novel, she's guilty of surfing the internet for no good reason.