Graceling meets Red Queen in this exciting debut novel by an electrifying new voice “Hush has all the trappings of a great fantasy: a curse, a labyrinthine castle, many secrets, and powerful magic. At the center of it all, a girl unwilling to allow her world to be twisted by lies when she knows the truth. A truly gripping read.” – Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked … York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints
They use magic to silence the world. Who will break the hush?
Seventeen-year-old Shae has led a seemingly quiet life, joking with her best friend Fiona, and chatting with Mads, the neighborhood boy who always knows how to make her smile. All while secretly keeping her fears at bay… Of the disease that took her brother’s life. Of how her dreams seem to bleed into reality around her. Of a group of justice seekers called the Bards who claim to use the magic of Telling to keep her community safe.
When her mother is murdered, she can no longer pretend.
Not knowing who to trust, Shae journeys to unlock the truth, instead finding a new enemy keen to destroy her, a brooding boy with dark secrets, and an untold power she never thought possible.
From Dylan Farrow comes Hush, a powerful fantasy where one girl is determined to remake the world.
more
Thank you to the author/publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 4.5/5 Stars
Plot: 5/5 Stars
Setting: 2/5 Stars
Characters: 4/5 Stars
Writing: 4.5/5 Stars
Memorability: 5/5 Stars
~Quick Review~
I was fairly surprised by how excellent this novel was. My favorite parts of Hush were the characters and plot, not to mention that the writing style is exquisite. However, my biggest issue with the novel was the world-building. While the main character, Shae, is taught somewhat about the magic system in the world, she learns little to nothing, which left me very confused. However, Hush is most likely getting a sequel, so hopefully, more world-building is done in the second novel of the Hush series.
~Other Information~
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Page Count: 384 pages
Release Date: October 6, 2020
~Quick Synopsis (via Goodreads)~
How do you speak up in a world where propaganda is a twisted form of magic?
In the land of Montane, language is literal magic to the select few who possess the gift of Telling. This power is reserved for the Bards, and, as everyone knows, the Bards have almost always been men.
Seventeen-year-old Shae has lived her entire life in awe of the Bards—and afraid of the Blot, a deadly disease spread by ink, which took the life of her younger brother five years ago. Ever since, Shae fears she’s cursed. But when tragedy strikes again, and her mother is found murdered with a golden dagger—a weapon used only by the Bards—Shae is forced to act.
With a heart set on justice, Shae journeys to High House in search of answers. But when the kind, fatherly Cathal, the High Lord of Montane, makes Shae an undeniable offer to stay and train as a Bard, Shae can’t refuse.
Through this twisty tale, Shae endures backbreaking training by a ruthless female Bard, tentative and highly-forbidden feelings for a male Bard with a dark past, and a castle filled with dangerous illusions bent on keeping its secrets buried.
But sometimes, the truth is closer than we think. We just have to learn to listen.
~Characters~
Hush follows the story of a young girl, Shae, whose entire family has been taken from her. To discover the truth of her family’s demise, Shae travels to High House, a place where Bards train and where she finds out that she has the power that the Bards hold. I’m on the edge of how I feel about Shae; on one hand, she is selfless and kind, but on the other hand, can be quite frustrating in her choices. Half of the story I spent being frustrated with what she chose to do, but nevertheless, she was a strong main character.
While the main character was strongly built, I thought that many other characters like Kennan, Niall, Ravod (who, by the way, I totally ship with Shae), Mads, and Fiona were almost paper-thin and had no true characteristics about them. They all are very important to the plot, however, they just didn’t seem like enough thought was put into them.
Also, I was fairly disappointed to see that all of the characters in Hush were white. And I mean all of them. I expected something more honestly, maybe a few POC sprinkled in at the very least, yet there was absolutely no representation for any minorities.
~Writing and Setting~
Dylan Farrow’s writing style made it very easy for me to get lost inside the novel. The majority of the time, the writing was very descriptive and illuminating, however, as mentioned before, little was told about the magic system or any basics to Shae’s world.
The setting is what I had the biggest issue with. Shae is from the village of Aster, which resides in Montane. However, that’s almost all we know of the world. I found myself questioning the world-building throughout the novel. Is Montane the entire world, and therefore the only kingdom in the world? Or is Montane under such tyranny that they are cut off from the outside world? For me, at least, the world-building was honestly (I’m sorry to say) horrible.
Also, as I’ve mentioned before, I learned little to nothing about how the magic works in Montane, which is concerning because Shae is a magic-user, so understanding how magic works seems almost critical. Hopefully, Shae’s knowledge of magic is built upon in the sequel.
~Plot~
While there were other issues in Hush, I have to commend Dylan Farrow for creating such a great plot. Not only is the novel fantasy, but it’s also a mystery. Shae’s focus is entirely driven on finding out the truth about her mother’s murder, which leads to many other shocking discoveries. I could not set this book down, and when I did it was hard to not focus on what was happening in the novel.
~Overall Review~
Overall, Hush is a pretty solid and good novel with a few minor issues, however, it is definitely one of my favorites and I absolutely cannot wait until the sequel is published.
i could NOT put this book down. i knocked it out in two days and loved every moment of it. i caught myself trying to skip over half a page just to see what was happening next!
This book is amazing! It was so good I finished it in a day. The plot of the story is amazing and I can’t wait to get my hands on the 2nd book. I would recommend this book to those who really enjoy action-packed, young adult, fantasy books.Hush
Hush by Dylan Farrow is a quiet rush of words that enter your subconscious and take root, growing into a wonderful, mysterious tangled web. From the first page, I could tell this wasn’t going to be like all the other dystopian stories I have read, and believe me, I have read a lot. This novel had such a unique voice and a different way of world-building. I could feel a lot of Farrow’s own emotions and struggles bleeding into the pages as I read this tale. I do not doubt that writing this story was a journey for her as a first-time author and a survivor. You can feel the fight and endurance in every word, making you root for the main character even more than you would typically do. I love how words are the enemy in this story, and they are the villain throughout. Shae lives are hard life and deal with so much in such a small amount of time for someone so young. But somehow, she doesn’t give up and throw in the towel. She goes against everything and everyone to fight for the truth and answer the questions that everyone is so scared even to ask. Because in this world, words are deadly, and the question can get you killed.
Shae finds that she is not like everyone else and fears that she is cursed, that she might be the reason her small village is suffering. She sets out on the quest to find the truth and answer that no one will give her at the cost of her own life. The amount of strength and determination this one girl shows are awe-inspiring. Farrow finds along the way that she is more than the monster that her village made her believe she was and can do extraordinary things when she sets her mind to it. She also finds that her voice, her words are her greatest weapon, and she wields it with great power.
Hush by Dylan Farrow is a dystopian fantasy that leaves you hanging on every word, flipping frantically to the next page, begging for more.
What a fantastic debut novel for Dylan Farrow. Hush is a new and refreshing story idea.
Shae lives in a village that is failing. Each day becomes more of a struggle. A few years ago, many died from the Indigo Death, including Shae’s brother, Kiernan. Here they don’t read or write and certain words are not permitted to be spoken aloud for fear of the weight and power they hold. Shae believes she may be cursed or going crazy. Things are happening that she can’t explain.
The Bards are the ones that helped them when people are dying and now Shae is on a mission to go there for help. Here they find that she harbors magic and begin to train her. But things take a turn and start to become more dangerous. She is not sure who she can trust, especially Ravod. And things become more difficult as she begins to feel like they have a connection.
I really loved the characters and how the story unfolded. I definitely felt like I was in another time, another realm. I can’t wait to see where this series goes.
“There are many ways a land like ours can be threatened, both from inside and out,” Kennan states. “As Bards, we have to be prepared to face any threat and prevail.”
‘Hush’ by Dylan Farrow was another of my most highly anticipated reads for 2020.. and it absolutely exceeded my expectations.
Shae, our main character, is a girl of seventeen who lives a quiet life in the small village of Aster with her mom.. the last living member of her family. Terrified of the plague that killed her baby brother, she lives in constant fear that she’s cursed.. a fear that’s reflected back at her by most of the townspeople.
Treated as an outcast, the only friends she has are Fiona and Mads.. both of whom do their best to make her life a little better.. but there are rules with harsh punishments enforced by a group called the Bards. These justice bearers come dressed all in black and gold, claiming to use the magic of Telling to keep the people safe.. so long as they provide appropriate tithes.
When she finds her murdered mother’s body, the discovery exacerbates everything. All her fears and those of the community.. come down hard around her.. and that’s where her journey begins.
This is one of those extremely rare instances where the synopsis not only leaves the best parts of the story out.. as well it should.. it even leaves out some of the most intriguing aspects told in the very first pages. It’s actually kind of mind-blowing.. how bland the blurb is when compared to even the opening of the tale.. and it only gets better from there.
The brooding Bard with secrets of his own has an absolutely magnetic pull and I desperately hope there will be another book so I can learn more about him. Everything seems to imply there will be considering the way it wraps up.. but I’ve seen no confirmation anywhere yet.
“The Book of Days.
It is the repository of all truth, brought to our land by the First Rider. In its pages is the record of everything we know. The fabric upon which all reality is shaped.”
As for the magic system, I loved how the importance of balance was displayed and how it seemed to work. Especially good was the play between illusion and magic grounded in reality. It created a sense of uncertainty, not only for Shae.. but a bit for the reader at times, so that one might wonder which way things would go.
Through it all runs an important message that the author alludes to in her acknowledgements. The importance of speaking out, the strength it often takes to do so.. when those around you seem aligned against you, and the celebration of those who do so anyway. It’s certainly a position Farrow knows personally and I think that showed in the conviction and sometimes wavering bouts of despair that Shae struggled with.
I found the setting nearly as fascinating as the story itself. Shae’s home village is described so cleanly, I feel like I can see it.. and the castle.. wow. It’s a vast fortress of training grounds and corridors, a hidden maze, and a multitude of dangers.
If I was looking for something to improve on.. I’d say the dialogue could be better.. but that’s not to say it’s bad either. The conversations feel a little contrived at times, but there’s definitely better dialogue chemistry once she reaches the home of the Bards.
Anyway, this book was fantastic! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a wonderfully creative fantasy read.
(More reviews like this at Betwixt The Sheets.)
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)
Hush by Dylan Farrow is a fantasy, which emulates real life in that Shae’s world, seems to be an endless series of rooms in a labyrinth. Much of the time she is not sure what is real and what is not. Even by the end, she is not sure. Shae’s mother was killed. This much she knew. She saw the knife and the shambles her mother’s killer had made of their home. What she couldn’t figure out was why. Why Constable Dunne is not helping. Why is his office full of ink and paper, things that have been banned? Why is her best friend, Fiona, not more supportive? Why is this all happening? She decides to run . . . to the Bards, High House, King Cathal. They will help her. She knows it.
High House is even more confusing. She never seems to really know what is happening to her, who she can trust. Although not normally a fantasy reader, this was an intriguing book. Is it a commentary on today’s society: willful ignorance and confusion? Is it simply a fantasy? It was an entertaining read, a page-turner, if you will, where the reader is as confused as the protagonist. Does it come together at the end or are there just different questions? I guess that’s a decision for each reader. It was interesting and engaging and different. I recommend it.
I was invited to read a free ARC of Hush by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #hush
It was a bit hard to get into the story. It is a fastpaced story and in the beginning, it feels like that everything is happening really fast and you cannot grasp the details or even understand the whys and hows. You have to stick with it though, It is a really iteresting debut novel and it definitely makes you long for the sequel.
The concepts of dangerous words, lies truths and the ink disease are fascinating and refreshing. The world building and the way they use magic is trully spellbinding. On the other hand, I could not connect with any characters apart from Shae, the female MC, because this book focused solely on her. The other characters were just around to help stuff happen. But Shae did not disappoint. Her growth is obvious through the book, apart from some instances that I was screaming to her to get a grip, and really satisfying towards the end. Hopefully, the sequel will help us connect with the other characters. Please, please we need more Ravod!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Words hold more magic and power than life itself in this fast-paced read, which introduces an intriguing theme and world.
Written words and ink can kill and are forbidden in Shae’s world. Considering she lost her own brother to the plague ink brought, this is something she’ll never question. But sometimes words hold magic in the spoken form too. When the Bards come to town, their Tellings can bring the blessings so desperately needed, but their price is a tithe that the town can’t afford. Shae herself is sure, after her brother’s death, that she might be cursed thanks to the plague too, and seeks out the Bards for help. Instead, she finds her mother dead on the floor, stabbed with a golden dagger. But despite promises of finding the murderer, the town tries to shove the death under the rug. Shae refuses to ignore her mother’s death and decides to take matters into her own hands. But when she travels out to find the Bards and, hopefully, the murderer, she runs into more than she would have ever dreamed.
First off, I had no clue this was written by a well-known personality, one of Mia Farrow’s children. Which in this case is probably good because it definitely didn’t effect how I saw the book.
This is a very interestingly woven theme and surmise. The readers meets Shae in a small, rustic, farming town, where people work hard, food is scarce and life is tough. The author spends a few chapters letting the reader get to know Shae and her situation. It’s hard not to like Shae and root for her as her desire for truth, difficult past, and shunned status make her easy to sympathize. The writing flows very well in these first chapters, introduces friends, secrets and heart-ache. The first encounter with the Bards offers a wonderful touch of mystery and magic and nods at what is to come. These chapters drew me in and had me excited to read the rest.
The rest, however, isn’t as tight.
The writing is honestly well done and the author definitely has talent, but the story didn’t always take the time to give characters enough depth to care about them and often made decision jumps, which made me wonder what in the world had just happened. It’s as if too much was pushing through too fast, and there were even a couple moments which confused. Yet, I didn’t want to put this one down, either, because it is an interesting tale with so many tense moments and intrigue. But the further along the story goes, the more stumbles hurt the flow. Especially the ending left me with a ‘huh?’ as a character from early on suddenly reappears to ‘help’, which I have no clue why. It just happened as if it had to for whatever comes in the next book. And that is too bad because I could have loved this read and desperately wanted to.
If you didn’t read the blurb, in ‘Hush” we follow seventeen-year-old Shae who wholeheartedly believes she’s cursed after the death of her younger brother five years prior. Tragedy strikes again when her mother is found murdered with a golden dagger—a weapon used only by the Bards. She ventures out to seek the truth and after locating the Bards whereabouts, she later discovers the truth behind the murder was a lot closer to home then what she initially thought.
Overall, this was an impressive debut from a celebrity that I have seen in a long time. Their track record ahem hasn’t been great *side-eyeing Evelyn Lozada and KUWTK trash crew ‘works of art’* and this was surprisingly well written and more so up my alley. It almost had me shook.
The plot was satisfactory. It was predictable at times but it still kept me mildly entertained. The romance portion. Meh. It could’ve been better but then again my heart was set on Mads because I mean… Mads was the book boyfriend of all book boyfriends and I will fight anyone that says otherwise! He was so sweet, endearing and swoonworthy! Why oh why didn’t Shea fall for him?! Why did she have to go fuck up a good thing?! I understand he doesn’t have the typical leading hero looks but c’mon, Ravod was alright but he didn’t stand a chance against Mads. Ugh. So disappointing. Anyway I digress…
Moving along to the MC—Shae, the lead heroine, wasn’t very likable. Side characters were great but something about her just rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it was her rash behavior that led to the disruption of her friendships with Mads and Fiona. It’s understandable that her mother’s death was absolutely gut-wrenching especially after losing her father and brother years prior but her approach, behavior and actions were abrupt and too rash for my liking. Her problem was that she never thought things through (not the brightest as you can see) and nearly put her loved ones and their families lives at risk. And in all honestly I would have probably reacted the same way her childhood friends did and distance myself from her and her mother’s murder.
So to sum it all up, Dylan Farrow’s ‘Hush’ has promise and I can’t wait to follow this story with the upcoming installment. And if you still unsure if this is right for you, keep in mind that this is ideal for readers who enjoy young adult fantasy, adventure, magic, and a bit of mystery all bundled into one. So if you’re a fan of all of that, jump aboard, you won’t regret it.
Thank you to Wednesday Books for the free advanced copy, which was won through a Goodreads giveaway.
“Papers…quills… books… ink… Everything I’ve ever been taught to fear and revile…”
I wanted to love this book. The cover is gorgeous – the shiny golden title against that starry background had me intrigued from the start. The premise, too, gave me such high hopes for the story within – a plague stemming from the ink on pages leads to all written word forbidden, where injustices are felt throughout the villages. Peasants serve up offerings to a revered class of gifted citizens for the chance at a blessing (called a “Telling”) on their drought-ridden lands.
Unfortunately, the author’s ideas never came across as fully developed. While the intention could’ve been simply to hold the intrigue strong onto book two, it left me, as a reader, in the dark about what should have been core concepts of the story. The magic that our Bards (gifted citizens) are able to wield is never fully described or understood, even though our main character spends a good deal of time being trained to use it. While the banning of books and written word is explained away as the cause of the plague, their habit of being mindful of their utterances is never given more reason than superstition (as how would spoken word effect a plague that they literally all believe is sourced from tangible ink?).
“I want to trust him. I want it more than anything.”
I also wish that Shae, our main character, had come across as less naive, though I’m sure that was by design. Instead of putting her faith in the people she has every reason to trust, she looked for acceptance and friendship from someone whose loyalty should have been questioned from the start. Even as she learned to second-guess the narrative around her, she remained woefully ignorant to what I’m sure most readers saw coming from a mile away.
I found there to be an overall similarity to another YA fantasy – Red Queen, which I feel is an extremely overrated series – though more development in the magical system she set the groundwork for would have easily set it apart.
I enjoyed the book, but I didn’t love it. Whether or not I’ll seek out the the second book remains to be seen.