I really wanted to like this book. It sounded so cool and had such an interesting premise and a beautiful cover and a lot of buzz, and I was so stoked to be granted access to the e-arc on NetGalley but instead, I struggled with this book for months. The prose was great and descriptive, the characters were engaging and I was interested in the world-building and wanted to know more about all the mechanics of how things worked. The problem I had probably ultimately comes down to preference and taste. I hate to say it like this but reading this book was a very miserable experience for me. Miserable strictly in terms of plot in that we start out with our main character in bad and unhappy circumstances and then as the book goes on it just gets worse and worse and worse and somehow even worse. The first 35% of the book could basically be called a Series of Unfortunate Events in that Nothing good happens and then it keeps getting worse. There were three distinct points where I was struck by how unhappy I was reading but just kept thinking that if I kept going it would get better and that things couldn't get worse and then somehow each time it did! It was such a melancholy experience. I'm not saying everything has to be sunshine and roses but there was nothing to hold onto for me, no indication is given that things would turn around any time soon. I'm all for gritty and dark and realistic if done right but if you don't give me any light at all or any glimpse of joy to hold onto, I'm going to give up. I hated to do it but that's just what I did here. I was still curious about the Bards that Shae had met earlier as well as her power but my curiosity and interest wasn't strong enough to beat the misery the rest of the plot was giving me. Maybe I'm not in the right headspace for that much unhappiness this year though. It is well written and interesting but just not for me.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to review this title.

This is definitely an interesting concept and there is some groundwork laid, but its very bare bones. I didn't feel like the magic system was explored enough, the characters are pretty one-dimensional, and the pacing/flow is off at times. and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was constantly missing something to really connect all the dots throughout.

I think there is enough content to build upon and improve as the series progresses, but the jury is still out as to whether I am interested enough to continue reading the books.

Despite it being boring and confusing, I still liked the novel because of the themes and messages that it presented.

Hush is a compelling read set in a fascinating world where the phrase "words have power" has an entirely new meaning. Dylan Farrow's debut novel was an intriguing anthem for using your voice and speaking up for yourself and I'm curious to see where her writing career will go from here.

Amidst the effects of a plague spreading through ink that has signed the restriction of written words and the exclusion of certain words from speech, a sister and daughter—Shae—is out-casted and all alone after losing those who were closest to her, In a world where words are power and can only be possessed by the privileged ones blessed with pure magic, a young Shae finds herself creating magic. Following the mysterious death of her mother, the main character runs to a group of prodigious people who promise to use words for the betterment, like growing crops or inciting rain, but are high on Shae's list of suspects. With a whirlwind of secrets unraveling and illusions shattering, this tale also explores power in its raw form and smoothly hints towards a timely theme of silencing those below the dominant. However, the strong exclamation of an adamant teen girl is often replaced by a mismatched voice of stereotypical balance commonly used to highlight a young chosen one—which is annoying, to say the least—and the debut underdelivers in the aspect of feminism with no true female friendships or platonic relationships explored, unless a particular dialogue from the story: "us women have to stick together" is considered even slightly powerful.

I had a hard trouble putting this down, it kept me so interested and kept me continuously turning the page to find out what would happen next. This was pretty interesting, from reading ya fantasy it made some plot points predictable.

I loved how unique the world building was. The idea that speech is a form of magic and that there is a disease called the blot or indigo death. The story is about power struggles and how truth is important. I am excited to read the next book.

I was super excited about the concept of this - murder mystery and MAGIC? Sign me up. However, I would have loved the magic system to be a bit more developed and the characters to be more well rounded. The writing was BEAUTIFUL.

Love the magic system, love the plot, love the twists and turns, and I love the characters, I thought this was a captivating, amazing story that I couldn’t get enough of and didn’t want to put down.

I love the premise of this book. Fantasy reads are not my preferred genre but there was something in the blurb that reminded me of Neil Gaiman's books, which I love. It is a good, entertaining debut but a little lacklustre in parts where I felt my attention wandering. I did finish it though and, while not for me personally, I do feel that it will do well in the YA market.

Okay, so to start, I love this cover! It easily caught my eye! I was also intrigued by the story blurb and am really glad I picked this one up.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a debut novel, and I'm happy I picked it up! It has everything you wanted in a YA fantasy: curses, magic, epic adventure and characters to root for! Also can we talk about how this book has a strong female lead too? I recommend this book if you love YA fantasy and you want to lose yourself in a magical and dark adventure.

Shae, a 17-year-old girl, has been cast aside by many because of the tragedy that has touched her at such a young age. She has a best friend, Fiona who she adores and another friend, Mads, who knows how to make her smile. Between losing her little brother to a disease that is basically a curse and her dreams that blur reality, it was the murder of her mother that let her know she can no longer pretend that everything is normal.

This was a ride that could have been both shorter and longer at the same time. I really liked Shae’s relentless attitude and pursuit of the truth. Her mind played so many tricks that even I felt crazy questioning several outcomes. I thought her decision to go seek answers were both bold and terrifying. Having never left her small time, Shae had a lot in store for her.

With the stigma of the Blot, I understood the way some people treated her in Aster. I however did not understand the hate radiating off of most of the Bards in High House when Shae first arrived. I was under the impression that they all started out the same way, as recruits. I had my doubts about several people and a little disappointment in others. There were some moments that I thought were too convenient but then I was proven yet again not to trust everything I read.

This was a really good fantasy filled with lots of secrets and mystery. I was left with several questions so I cannot wait to get my hands on book 2.

Oh my! Hush is a must read for fans of YA fantasy! I loved this book. I was drawn to it by the stunning cover and was thrilled to discover within the pages all the best elements of a five star fantasy: a curse, a labyrinthine castle, dark secrets, and powerful magic and a strong female lead. Creative and exciting, Hush is one that should be on every reader's TBR!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“Sometimes being extraordinary is to be extraordinarily lonely"

Name: Hush
Author: Dylan Farrow
Series: Book 1 of The Hush Series
Genre: Young Adult, Magic, Fantasy

Well that didn't turn out as I wanted it too. I was very excited to begin this story and get my hands on a magical and fantastical world, but this plot and this story didn't deliver. I wasn't astounded or amazed by the characters or the whole setting where the story takes places. There are a lot of plot wholes that could have been solved with few less internal banter and more external explanations of the world and the characters.

Hush tells the story of a world where not many people have magic, and those who do are powerful (not very creative). The people that have magic are basically a cult or that was how I imagined them and their purpose is to do these magical spells on the towns that provide goods and money to them. However, there is this "sickness" that is spreading and killing off the world? Shae is our main character and she lives in one of the poorest towns, she has always felt she was different. After her brother and her mother's death she runs off and finds this "school" where she basically learns she is one of the magical beings.

The story was very all over the place, hence why my summary is not very detailed or great. There's a very good idea behind it, I love schools and dark academia type of stories where there are magical and creepy cults, but this wasn't creepy or fun to read. All the plots twists were so obvious and the questions (the important ones) are never really answered. All though I know this is the first book and another one might probably come out to answer these questions I felt as thought we should have at least grasped the sense of the story or where it was going, but I never really got it.

One of the things I really didn't enjoy was the character development, as I felt it lacked in a lot of places. Our main character seemed bland and the love interested is stale bread. You guys know how I love my dose of romance, but in this story it was just thrown out there as a subplot and it wasn't even development enough for us to AT LEAST root for the lovers. There is not even a kiss... It all just felt like a high school crush for me.

There are some details here and there that caught my attention, but overall the story was so confusing to read and not developed enough for me to be invested in it.

"I wonder if he realizes that his words have the opposite of their intended effect. The more he taunts or warns me , the more determined I am. I want to see the look in his eyes when I prove him wrong"

* I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*


-- 2 stars --

#Dylan Farrow has a new fantasy novel #'Hush' out. And it's quite the debut YA novel. Dark, powerful magic, and a labyrinthine castle. All the elements of a winner.
Thank you,
#Netgalley, # Dylan Farrow and # St. Martins for the advanced copy

I don't think I've ever read a book this fast in my life. I read this in the span of a couple hours and let me tell you, I did not get bored once. This was such a fascinating world to me. I was intrigued by the "blot" and by the Telling these Bards possessed. What an interesting and refreshing world to delve in to! I am very pleased with this and how this ended. I'm looking forward to find out what happens next in Shae's world. I will most definitely pick up the next installment!

Mark me down as disappointed. I was thrilled when this book was announced. Dylan Farrow is such a fantastic activist and I was excited to see how her book would take her ideals into a fantasy world.

Unfortunately, this book reads a lot like she started with the idea for her metaphor on gaslighting and what it means to control the narrative and then built the fantasy world around it. And while magic is often a metaphor for real-world issues, in this case, the world felt hollow. It felt as if this world wasn't real and was just there to prop up the message. I don't need the magic system to be fully explained, but make it feel real and consistent.

Perhaps this lack of worldbuilding and dimensionality would have been excusable if the writing and the characters had been robust, but alas this wasn't the case. This book's characters feel flat and beyond the main character, don't have well-defined motivations or arcs. There is a half-baked romance, but there is no real chemistry or sense of why these characters would be interested in one another. I think why all these different elements feel so flat is that the writing tells and does not show. We are told how Shae feels, we are told how characters react, but because of that, the readers don't feel it. There are some lovely descriptions, but the narrative reads somewhat like "she did this, then he did that and then they did this."

Overall, I am quite sad because when you read the author's note, there was a good idea here and a clear intention. I wish that Farrow had given more attention to making the world and the character feel fully realized to support those great ideas. As it stands now, it feels like another cookie-cutter YA fantasy with cardboard characters and a standard "shocking" ending, which is really sad considering the uniqueness of the idea at the center. But I will give Dylan Farrow a chance in the future because I think with further seasoning, there could be something here.

Hush is a debut novel from Farrow and the first in a series. We know in our own lives words can have the power to heal or wound. What if reading and writing were forbidden and even speaking some words can bring tragedy to your door? Shae is living on her own now, she has lost her brother to the Blot (a disease from ink), and now her mother is mysteriously killed. Along the journey to find answers Shea discovers she has her own powerful magic. This of course is not just a fantasy novel but also filled with governmental and gender controls. The story over all is okay, maybe not great or fabulous but just okay because when a character is so clueless and naive for pretty much the whole story it's kind of annoying.

This book was like warp speed. I feel like it could have kept going and had so much more and I would have loved it even more.
It reminded me of Vampire Academy meets Spoken Mage. A weird cross but something I can really enjoy. I am excited to see where the second book leads and how they will evolve romance and truth more.

*eARC provided in exchange for an honest review*

Oh hey dark fantasy from Wednesday Books, you are just my thing.

Hush tells the story of a fantasy world where words have power. Writing and stories are illegal, and a groups of Bards (mostly men) go around helping crops grow and villages flourish, if they are paid enough. There is also a deadly plague, called the Blot, which is caused by storytellers and writers. Shae, our heroine, fears that she is affected by the Blot because her dreams become reality. After her mother is killed and everyone in her village ignores it, Shae decides to venture out to find the truth for herself.

Okay yeah, the plot is a little cliche and also a lot, but it somehow works!

Featuring: rivals/enemies to possible lovers, bad guys, girls going mad in fancy castles, secrets and lies, yay!

I gave this one 4 stars because, though it's not perfect, it was fun to read and I finished it in one sitting.