I enjoyed this book! At first, the main character Shae's powers reminded me of the character Kira in Gathering Blue. I was a little apprehensive that it would be too similar, but I was quickly proven wrong. The world that the author Dylan Farrow created was really interesting. It took me a few chapters to be able to fully envision what the Tellings were and how they were done. This book definitely kept me on my toes! There were so many twists and turns- most of which I did not see coming. and omg the ending!!!! can't wait for the next book in the series!! Overall, a great read.

I was intrigued at first but I couldn’t get past the first chapter. Did not like the writing at all.

DNF at 50%.

Initially, I was really into this book. The premise is incredibly unique and interesting, and I flew through the first 20%. I found the magic intriguing and it made me want to keep reading (although the Bards and the Telling were not actually explained). I felt very sympathetic towards the main character, Shae, and I was intrigued to see which direction the story would take.

However, I was quickly left disappointed. The first fifth of this book was very fast-paced, but it began to drag at around 25% and I found myself skimming due to boredom. I lost interest in all of the characters, including Shae. I was very annoyed with several of them, particularly Fiona and Mads, because of how they reacted to Shae’s obvious grief.

I continued to push on in the hopes that the story would improve, but it did not. By the halfway mark, I just decided to stop reading.

Perhaps others will find Hush enjoyable, but it just wasn’t the book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
First, I want to say I read the summary going in and was intrigued by the plot. It dealt with things that I thought were interesting. However I was unsure how it was going to work. I was keeping my fingers crossed that I would end up really enjoying it because it seems like such an intriguing concept. Unfortunately for me I felt that while this book was good and I enjoyed it, it lacked something. I felt like I never got invested in the book as I would have liked to. Not that it was bad, it was not, just something didn’t click with me.
I liked the writing overall. I think Farrow is a very talented writer, and the ease with which I read the book I adored. I felt that there was enough description, and yet, I did feel at times that the dialogue fell a little flat to me. To me at points it didn’t feel natural, but more forced to get the plot going somewhere. Yet, I was engrossed because the writing was good and it kept me entertained for the amount of time that it took me to read it. No doubt, Farrow is talented.
The pacing of the book is where I had a bit more of an issue. I felt that the pacing just never settled in for me. Instead it very much bounced around to everything happening very fast to suddenly being really slow paced. It confused me a bit and often made the story feel very incohesive. Which is a disappointment because I feel the story would have worked better with some small minor pacing tweaks.
As far as the plot goes, I think that was fine. I understood well enough what was going on, even if the plot twists were blatantly obvious to me, it didn’t take away my enjoyment of the book, I was just curious how our heroine was going to find out! There were a few subplots, but they were worked into the plot, and so it did feel like they all meshed together fairly well. I will admit at points I was a tiny bit bored.
As far as characters go, I didn’t love or hate any of them with any degree of emotion. I think they were all fine. Sometimes they came off as a little bland, and didn’t have as much depth to them as I might have liked. I was neutral at best on the characters. What I did find was that there is a small romance subplot, and I am still unsure how to feel about that…I didn’t love it. I was just overall “eh” on that subplot. So, characters were slightly flat.
As far as world building goes, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think some more explanation was needed. I felt I could grasp the concepts, but there was still so much unknown I was left struggling a bit with it.
Overall, I think this book maybe needed a bit more polishing. I liked it, and I will be curious to see what happens next, and maybe we’ll get some answers to the questions I had in this book.

This is a really interesting book where language effects magic and a strange illness called The Blot. This magic system blurs the lines of reality and even changes it at times. As the story progresses the characters learn more about how this magic works and ways they have been mislead in their previous understandings of this magic which is both fascinating and a little confusing. It does seem like this will be better explained as the character’s themselves learn more but sometimes as a reader I wish the aspects that they do understand had been better explained.

Aside from this I loved the characters. It was interesting learning their true actions and motivations among the secrets and gas lighting. With pretty much every character I spent time believing both that they were truly looking out for the heroine and that they were a villain and the twists back and forth were really well written. Finishing this book left me wanting more of the story, I need more answers about what it really happening and I want to see where the characters go from here.

I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. It just fell short of my expectation due to the intriguing description and beautiful cover. Maybe I had too high of an expectation. But overall, I enjoyed it and keep me wanting to finish it.

This ticks all the boxes of YA fantasy. Young woman discovering her power: check. Order of the world not as it seems: check. Love triangle: check. So I found the story to be predictable. Yet, the world-building was fantastic; Farrow builds a depth that allows readers to fully immerse themselves in this world and its events. More importantly, Farrow captures the impact of gaslighting and doubt, and the need for courage and belief in oneself. This is an obstacle I have not yet seen a YA heroine face and, in this day and age, it's an important one to see reflected on the page.

DNF.

Oof. I was a bit cautious about this one. I love YA fantasy but I'm weary of celebrities/people with large platforms publishing fiction. This is okay but nothing great. Run-of-the-mill and mediocre, but I wasn't invested enough to continue after 20%.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The portrayal of the insidious nature of lies propagated by powerful people was perfect. I have experienced the confusion you can feel when you see and exist in a reality that no one believes. This author perfectly portrays that existence, and still it is a hopeful story at its heart.

I look forward to the next book in the series!

Very grateful to netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This is one powerful story. Right from the start I was invested with Shae, wanting the answers she craved. And then the questions deepen with the death of her mother. And they deepen again. And again. It's amazing how the story unfolded, each layer richer than the next. I was easily able to imagine the world, feel the weight of the fears, and beliefs, and that is due to how wonderfully real Shae was portrayed. As the story evolves so does she and the way you feel for her. Her determination is admirable and I love the way she handled herself as each new twist wrapped her, spinning her world each time you though she was going to find her footing.

The power of words is amplified both with themes and the plot but more strikingly through the author's deft use of them to weave a world so rich and absorbing. This an intelligent YA fantasy with sharp edges that can be as profound as you wish while still being the fantasy escape you crave. The end sets up for more to come and this pleases my heart.

I was sceptical going into this, as I am with most books written by notable people - I constantly have to ask, ‘Was this published because of their name or because it's actually a decent story?’ I think this book is a combination of both.

This is definitely an interesting concept and there is some groundwork laid, but it's very bare bones. I don't feel like the magic system is 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 or not I am interested enough to continue reading the books.

“Narnia Meets The Hunger Games” in this dystopia fictional book. Shae is a normal teenager, only she and everyone else around her is trying to escape “The Blot,” which is a pandemic caused by language. The only people who know how to read and who can call things that are not into being are The Bards. Also known as menacing soldiers, The Bardscome to collect food and goods from the villages entrusted to the care of The High House. When Shae’s mother dies, she knows she must risk danger by going to The High House to seek answers from The Bards. However, she’s given a mission by the leader of her world that ultimately leads her to the truth.
The Hunger Games is one of my favorite books, so I was extremely excited when I got accepted by St. Martin’s Press to read Dylan Farrow’s Hush on my Kindle. While I loved a fresh, new spin on the unfathomable, there were parts of the book that I struggled to get through due to lack of interest or unnecessary wordiness. The forbidden love between two characters and the desire to see if Shae accomplished her mission was enough to entice me until the end of the book, however. I give this book 3.5/5 stars and I hope to read more like this from this author.

This was such a solid first book! I was completely drawn in by the tagline: "How do you speak up in a world where propaganda is a twisted form of magic?" Then I realized who the author was and became even more interested in reading this. And it didn't disappoint!

Set in a world where language is a literal magic, that power is reserved for the Bards, who just so happen to also be mostly men. It's the kind of world where the power of truth is held in the hands of only those who have a stake in it, and those left in positions of vulnerability have no choice but to shut up and take it.

I really enjoyed this book for so many reasons. The main one was because of the message and the delivery thereof. On the first look, this novel can seem very formulaic and familiar. To an extent, it is. And yet, it was unique at the same time. Each moment had a purpose, and conveyed a message, even without the author ever stating it explicitly. This is a book that focuses on the power of our words, on the way those in power can completely change the narrative of history for as long as we let them. There were some sentences that just got me because of how timely they were. Moments when Shae, like so many people, steps back and has to question what she's willing to believe from the people she was taught were never wrong.

While this book wasn't without its flaws, I truly believe the talent of the author more than made up for it. And I can't wait to see where this story goes in the books that follow.

Dylan Farrow is an exceptional writer and I can't wait to read whatever else she writes in the future.

3.5/5 stars (rounded up)

In a world where the written word is dangerous and interacting with ink results in a deadly disease only the Bard's, men and women who can manipulate the world through Tellings, keep the people safe. But when a life-changing event turns Shae's world upside down, she sets out on a quest to find the truth.

While I loved the idea of a magic system based on Tellings, commands brought to life through magic, I felt like there was no structure to what could and could not be done. While the Bards and the MC talk about the magic like it is very difficult to learn and control, the MC seems to pick it up easily and is preforming Tellings in no time.

I enjoyed reading the story, but I was left wanting a bit more from the characters and the world. Shae's insta-love with a male Bard seemed almost onesided and some of the characters and story elements fell a little flat for me. Hopefully, this will be resolved in any potential sequels; which I will be open to reading.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for sending me this eARC and for giving me the chance to review it

This is a story about bravery & risk.

When I found out Dylan Farrow wrote a book, I knew I had to read it. I deeply admire her, and anyone who speaks truth to power while coping with trauma.

This book was so good! It’s about words, and truth and courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable circumstances, even when the character is all alone in the world because no one else is ready to be as brave as her. The magic system is unique & it seems fitting that real magic comes from telling. The world is bleak- but the protagonist doesn’t lose hope. It’s a fantasy, murder mystery/thriller... with a tiny hint of romance. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️. Looking forward to the sequel!

Thanks Netgalley & , St Martins Press for this advanced e-ARC! Hush will be available for purchase on October

I fell in love this cover while researching other Dark Fantasy books. Thank you to Wednesday Books/MacMillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. This plot was fascinating and I agree with other reviewers who said it was refreshing to read a book where the female wasn't fawning or distracted from her end goal in her quest. I am very invested in seeing where this series goes and will recommend this to my family & friends who are interested in this genre.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited for this book but was not super impressed with it in the end. The magic system was very cool but wasn't explored in enough detail that I really understood it or could make predictions about it. There's this sort of enemies-to-lovers kind of romance, only the heroine falls for him even when he's still awful to her and it's never really clear why. I just could not get on board with the romance because it felt so shallow and the love interest's personality was so flat.

And just generally, a lot of the plot felt unnatural. Characters would do things that seemed completely out of character to progress the plot. Previous characters would show up in ways that felt random. It felt like plot-driven-plot more than character-driven-plot.

2.5 stars rounded up

This is a fairly straightforward YA novel. Pretty standard tropes, but a solid debut.

The love story was a bit of a mess, I thought. It was love at first sight from the main female character, although this didn't seem to be quite reciprocated, so she came across as a bit desperate.

The worldbuilding could have been a bit better and more in depth. There was a lot that wasn't explained. It was in the final 10% of the book that I finally understood why the magic was called a Telling.

However, despite the negatives, it was an easy and quick read and while I didn't really connect to the characters, I enjoyed the overall story.

Shae lives in a world that looks down on her due to her family's past. She suffers loss so great, but yet finds the courage to move forward in search of answers in a world where words are magic. Along the way she discovers herself and her abilities. With twists and turns I never anticipated, I couldn't stop turning the pages! Dylan Farrow created an amazing universe with interesting characters. I am excited to see how this story develops and cannot wait for the next installment.

I chose to give this story 4 stars instead of five (although I would rate a 4.5 if I could) because there were so many emotions from the Shae. I felt as if they were turned on and off by a flip of a switch. I like that her emotions were clear and vivid to readers, but for my personal tastes, it was just too overwhelming at times. I believe Shae has a sensitive personality, which many individuals do, so it was interesting to see such a character grow so much despite her traumatic past.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Pretty straight forward YA fantasy. Magical set up which I found a little complex and sometimes had a few holes. Good world-building but the plot stalled in the middle. Fair debut.