This book was absolutely wonderful! I loved the atmosphere of the book, I am a sucker for great details and engaging characters. Definitely something to look forward to in this title. The author kept me on the edge of my seat with the unraveling of the story! I look forward to reading more titles by this author.

This book was like a fantasy mystery and I really enjoyed it. It seemed fresh and new, as well as realistic. I did feel it could have been fleshed out a bit more - some of the magic and characters needed more depth. But overall it was a great story!

I've tried to read this book a few times and I don't know if it's because of the pandemic or something else, but I can't seem to get myself to read this book. I really hope it finds success and the readers who will love it, but I'd rather not force myself to read it and probably give it a poor review. The concept sounded so intriguing, but I think this book just isn't for me, at least right now.

I will keep my review very short, sweet and brief.

Ravod saves the book in more than one way. He deserved so much more and was the only reason I kept reading the book even when it went off the rails after Shea suddenly became the Chosen One (I still don't understand how).

If you want to read my extremely long (not so nice, definitely a rant) review. You can check it out here: https://bookgirlreviewsbooks.blogspot.com/2021/06/what-is-hush-reader-rant-edition.html

2.5 out of 5 stars (and it is only an extra half because of Ravod.)

Shae lives in a time of banned books. They are banned, not because of the words but because of the ink on the page. The Ink is the cause of a terrible plague known as "The Blot" so books and writing have been banned everywhere in the country of Montane.

After Shae's little brother catches and dies from The Blot, Shae and her mother are virtually exiled and ignored by most of the town. They are pariahs in their own town.

When Shae starts seeing things around her and accidentally making things happen, she fears that she has contracted The Blot and seeks help from the Bards who control the magic of the land.

Before she can get their help, her mother is murdered and the town covers it up by saying it was a landslide. This is the final straw for Shae and she runs away to find the Bards to save her from her curse and to find her mother's murderer.

What she finds outside of her tiny town is much more than she ever could have believed.

Final thoughts: Another good premise that is poorly done. The world and characters just aren't built well. The plot is pretty predicable and the hidden villain is really pretty obvious. I feel like this was only published because of the author and not because it's actually good. Not worth the read and not worth going to the next book in the series.

Rating: 2/5

Fascinating and imaginative, this fantasy debut by Dylan Farrow is worth reading! I look forward to seeing the rest of her work in the future!

The concept of for this story is really interesting a unique. There was a really unique magic system which is the best part of the story. The rest is fairly predictable.

I feel like there was sooooo much missing from this book. Like honestly, the bare bones isn’t enough. I need more of everything! World building, characters, feelings!

This book was different but it did keep me entertained. At first I thought it was a rendition of hush, hush, I was wrong! I would recommend this book.

Debut novel by Farrow is a YA fantasy of triumph, despite the great tragedies that occur in the character's life.

Layered with secrets, magic, lies, and a curse, the struggle to find light in the darkness can be difficult, but Farrow finds a way to bring hope into a world that, at times, seems hopeless.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise was really interesting and I liked the character driven bits, but I feel like more time spent worldbuilding would have been a great benefit. Love the action and the mysterious feel.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I admit in my joy at joining NetGalley I may have been overzealous in my requesting numbers. As this book has already been published, I am choosing to work on the current upcoming publish date books in my que. As I complete those I will work on my backlogged request and will provide a review at that time. I again send my sincere thanks and apologies.

Hush was a fantasy that ive been wanting to read for awhile. Dylan has a talent that i quiet like. I really cant wait to read the next book in this series

Hush by Dylan Farrow has been on my TBR for a lot longer than I'd care to admit, especially when I found it pretty enjoyable.

Hush is the story of Shae, a village girl who has lost her family but finds that she has extraordinary power. While this power makes her an outcast in her village, it allows her to start training to become a Bard where she is quickly singled out as a favorite of their leader, Cathal. Unfortunately, being Cathal's favorite might not be for the best.

I absolutely loved the idea of the magic system being tied to the written word but I also think that Hush did not do a very good job of explaining it. The magic system, and also the dangerous Blot, seemed to be a little bit all over the place and worked in whatever way the plot needed it to work.

The other problem area was the ending. While I am happy to see that there is a sequel planned, it felt like Farrow was trying to put an ending that would allow the book to work as a stand alone, just in case. However, there was just too much to wrap up and it ended up being clunky. I'm glad to see we will be getting a real ending in Veil.

A beautiful debut novel!

I stayed up late into the night to read this imaginative fantasy. From the characters to the plot to the world building, everything was perfect. I certainly recommend this one for all fantasy lovers and those who want to get started with the genre. I look forward to the next novel Farrow writes.

5 stars.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

I wanted to like this novel so much and it was just, disappointing. This was boring and it felt like there were so many details left out to explain so many areas of this novel and maybe it was edited out? Maybe this novel was like twice as long and they took all that information out? The world building was rather weak and this novel felt like it jumped from one situation to another with very little transition and it was terribly inconsistent. In the end it just didn't make sense. Then, the novels flow was so choppy, the magic wasn't really explained, the quasi romance felt SO forced, it was just boring and I kept hoping this would get better and it just didn't. The ending was such a quick and contrived happily ever after situation that did not make sense! Obviously, there is still an opening since this is supposed to be a series, but still.

I can understand this author has been through a lot and I super appreciate her author's note and fully support that writing this novel was a huge therapeutic type help to her, however, I feel like this needed a lot more editing. I wonder if her publisher was just rushed to get this out because of the documentary coming out around the same time and it would give more publicity to the novel? I will not likely finish this series, however, if the author writes a new novel/new series I am absolutely willing to give it a try!

I think younger readers will enjoy this book a lot, especially if they're a fan of authors like Shannon Hale. I loved the premise of this book a lot in that it had the potential to be a really great feminist fantasy that alludes to the author's own life experiences. I think there was an instance of insta-lust that wasn't portrayed that well, but overall, Dylan Farrow has a lot of potential. Her writing is very well done!

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Hush
4 stars
There is nothing better than a great fantasy with a bad ass female main character and this book fits the bill! This story was a ride! The world building was done in an intense way that kept you in the story. The characters are well developed and complex. The story telling is a bit different but it’s not hard to follow and as mentioned before it keeps you in the story. I was super invested until the end and I can’t wait for the next book! If you are a person who hates cliffhangers though, you should wait for the next book to come out. I’ll be watching for it for sure!

Hush
4 stars
Wow this book is mind blowing. Another great fantasy with a kick ass female MC! The world building is very creative and explosive. The characters are well developed and complex. The story telling is different but you never get out of the hook. You still stay invested in the story and the characters. I loved it and stayed invested till the very end. I never got bored. Also a little heads up, if you don’t like cliffhangers then wait for book 2 😘