This book started out slow, but eventually picked up around the 40% mark. Although I enjoyed the story and found it thought-provoking, the world-building and magical system felt underdeveloped. The characters were also superficial. Despite its flaws, the book was entertaining, and the ending left me excited for the sequel.

This book was so intriguing! It took me a while to read it and I don't know why I waited so long! I was hooked from the first page and need to read the next book soon.

I really enjoyed the storyline in world building in the novel. I also really liked the characters. I thought this was a solid read, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I received this arc on NetGalley in 2020. Since that time I’ve grown away from reading young adult books very much. That being said I did like this one. I wish there was more explanation about the magic system, why the Blot started, more history on their society, etc but I liked the heroine and the story well enough that I will probably pick up the second book so I know how the story ends.

**thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review**

I wanted to love this book - the synopsis is intriguing, the cover is gorgeous and I had been hearing a lot of hype surrounding this book.

Unfortunately, it fell really flat. The beginning had me hooked with its concept and I liked the vibe of the writing style, but it all went off the rails pretty quickly.

The main issue for me was the absence of world-building. There was a severe lack of clarity that caused all of the unique and exciting ideas to be muddy and confusing.
This issue leaked into the plot development, as so much of the plot had to do with the magic system and its place in the ruling of the world. It felt very disjointed, and without a strong base of understanding,

Shae's struggles were ineffective. Plot points seemed to come out of nowhere and had little to do with furthering any character arcs. Shae as a narrator was fine, but there was nothing special about her that allowed me to connect on a deeper level. Her journey was convoluted and she never developed from where she began.
We only got a surface level experience with all of the supporting characters, which was disappointing as they had the potential to be really interesting with complex dynamics.

In a fantasy or dystopian novel, having a strong and clear foundation of your world is arguably the most important thing, because it directly informs every other aspect of the novel.
While Hush had great potential, the lack of this crucial element overtook the book's positives, delivering a murky and unfulfilling story.

If you've read the blurb above, then you know that this book hinges on a magic system involving language and the silencing of many voices. The premise is fantastic and timely; however, I found that the execution didn't quite meet today's YA fantasy standards. There isn't much explanation into how the magic system works which leaves a gaping hole in the world building of the story, and a vague exclamation of "Magic!" is usually the blanket explanation for any scene that couldn't be logically explained away. I'm the type of reader who needs to understand how this magic works and why some people have it while others do not.

Another aspect that felt misleading is that this is being marketed as a "feminist fantasy", but I didn't find any portion of this plot to be particularly feminist. The main character falls into a typical insta-love relationship with the only boy available, which I don't personally have a problem with, but might be a turn off for readers expecting a story of solo female triumph or strong platonic bonds.

I'd like to end on a positive note by saying that the story is a page turner, and I think the right reader will really connect with Shae and her plight, and I'm truly excited to see how Dylan grows as an author with the second part of this story. Also? Wow, that cover. Excuse me while I drool over it for eternity.

As someone who LOVED Inkheart growing up, I felt like this was a more grown up version! It was still unique, but I couldn't help but make that comparison while reading. It was fast-paced, action-packed, and gripping, and I always love books that play on how powerful words and stories are. Highly recommend!

In Montane, writing is outlawed due to a disease thought to spread through ink and people are careful with their words to not invoke something unintended. Seventeen year old Shae lives on the outskirts of her village with her mother - mute since the death of Shae's brother from the Blot. When her mother is murdered and her concern over her ability to manifest things into reality from her embroidery, Shae is determined to find answers.

Hush mixes a fantasy world with some well-known tropes of the YA Dystopia genre. I thought the fantasy worldbuilding was original and interesting, but on the dystopian side of things it was all pretty typical. Overall it's a fun, fast paced read and I'm definitely interested enough in the cliffhanger to pick up the next book in the series.

"Hush" by Dylan Farrow presents a fantasy world with intriguing elements, yet falls short of its full potential. The premise, combining magic, secrets, and a quest for truth, has promise but lacks the depth required for a truly immersive experience. While the concept of a girl seeking justice and uncovering hidden powers is compelling, the execution at times feels rushed, leaving character development and world-building underexplored. The book's resemblance to other established fantasy works is evident, and while it attempts to stand out, it occasionally struggles to carve out its unique identity. Despite these shortcomings, Farrow's narrative does offer moments of suspense and mystery that manage to maintain reader engagement. While "Hush" possesses the foundation of a gripping tale, it falls short of fully delivering on its potential to captivate and differentiate itself within the genre.

Initially, I thought this book would be a knockout for me. The concept immediately caught my attention and the worldbuilding kept it. That ended up being the only thing to really stick with me. I found the characters lackluster and found I didn’t care what happened with any of them (and therefore lost my reason to keep turning the pages). Added to that, it felt like nothing really happened. The twists never felt like twists. There wasn’t that tension you want as a reader that keeps you up late at night. I was bored with the book and ultimately gave up on it around the 75% mark.

This was such a breath of fresh air from a debut author who is sure to bring more amazingly vivid worlds in the future. I gobbled this book up quickly and was unable to put it down. (Hello sleepless nights!)

This was a good read, but nothing great. I enjoyed the characters and the world. I would say the main character is a typical YA character. There is nothing wrong with that, so I think this book would be a good read for someone new the YA genre. The romance was a reminder of insta-love and took an interesting turn that I'm not sure I liked.

This was a decent enough YA read for me. I thought the character development was pretty could and the book held my interest for the most part as I was reading. I would definitely pick up something else from the author.

There were elements of this story that I found interesting and are ultimately what helped me to be able to push through to the end of the story. I found most of the characters very flat and wanted to root for Shea but she really just got on my nerves. I thought the magic system in this book was interesting and the plot was intriguing enough for me to want to know what happened but the pacing of this book was just not good in my opinion. I think there is definitely people who will love this book unfortunately I did not.

Here's the thing, 5 stars for Dylan Farrow speaking her truth, she's a survivor and I want only good things for her.

I really do understand and appreciate what she was trying to do here--the entire book is about gaslighting, the truth being obfuscated, victim blaming, all of that I completely get what she is trying to do and I think the bones are there, but the actual story itself suffers. What's the political organization here? How do the Bards actually use their magic? What can it do versus what can it not do? There was no chemistry between who I assume the love interest is and our MC and we know nothing about him short of him being grumpy.

I think there's the makings of a good book here--the writing really shines when Farrow talks about gaslighting and memory--but could have benefited from tighter editing and actual world building

Sadly this book just didn’t grab as much as I hoped it would. I put it down and picked it up multiple times but I just couldn’t connect with it. Super bummed.

Thank you Netgalley for this early copy of Hush by Dylan Farrow. This wasn't the book me. The characters lacked development and not much on the world building. I didn't feel any connection with the characters and wish there was more background. I believe this book had so much potential, but fell a little flat for me.

When I first started this one, I was a bit worried whether I'd liked it. It felt a little silly and over the top and I felt myself tuning it. I flipped to an aduio and settled in and felt myself drawn in. The world is completely different and it took a minute to understand it. I liked the bloody horror of the bards. I liked how strong-willed the MC was. I especially appreciated the twists near the end, ones I somehow didn't even think to figure out. I look forward to reading book 2.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Having read YA fantasy for 10 + years, I felt like this was a story I had read before. I found the concept of the Blot really interesting, but it didn't play as large of a role as I would have liked.