I hate to admit this, but I had confused book 1 of this duology with book 1 in another series, so as I was reading Veil I began to realize that I hadn't read book 1. My apologies for that. I still did enjoy this book, but I'm pretty sure I'd have liked it even more if I hadn't missed out on so much from book 1.

I liked the premise that writing was outlawed due to a disease because it was misconstrued that the ink was somehow the cause of that disease. I can imagine how people could react to that belief as so many did during COVID, going so far as to wash down every single grocery, even those in packages, with some kind of disinfectant because our fear was so great. So I understood this. Shae is only 17 years old and lives with her mother who was mute since Shae's brother died due to BLOT. Then Shae's family is hit with another terrible tragedy so she sets out to find answers. From my non-expertise knowledge of the genre Fantasy, I felt like the world-building was quite good and interesting as well as unique from other Fantasy books I've read, so I appreciated that. I didn't really love the characters, and I'm pretty character-driven. Possibly that's because I didn't read book 1 (again, my mistake). I was invested in the disease and Shae who thought that she had contracted what killed her brother. I felt like she could've done a better job working on issues, but she is only 17 so that's somewhat understandable. I also thought she was far too quick to jump to conclusions and reach answers without enough true knowledge/research.

I thought the book was a good and quick read overall and the pacing for me worked well.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the producers for a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion, which I have given.

I think if I'd read this one much closer to book 1, I would have loved it. But as it stands, there was little I remembered from book 1 so I started this one just a bit lost. But it wasn't too hard to catch up.

I really liked Shae in this one. I feel like she's done some work and really starts to change her view. She still makes mistakes, puts trust where she shouldn't, but she does start to make the hard decisions and I liked her growth.

I really loved getting to know Keenan, Fiona and Stot. They were great additions to the story and added some levity and humor to the MC and the quests. This one felt very much like a RPG quest to retrieve a book in a far away land and I enjoyed the adventure of it. My favorite part was the epilogue.

This was a quik, highly entertaining duology. I enjoyed it!

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.

I enjoyed this sequel, although not as much as the first book. There was more political plotting and action in Veil, and some great twists. However, at times the plot seemed to drag for me. Overall this was an enjoyable story and ending to the Duology. I would recommend this to fans of the Ember in the Ashes series and The Prison Healer.

This book was one of the rare cases in which I enjoyed the sequel more than the first book. I loved delving more into the world of Gondal and seeing the growth between the characters. I thought everything tied up a bit too nicely, but overall this was a solid read.

*eARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Not the best sequel, when the epilogue is the best part of the book.

The action in Gondal is boring, and the (interest) resolution in Montane is very brief.

Worst yet- the romance is unconvincing.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Upon reading this I did not realize it was a sequel. If you have not read the first book, Hush, you will be at a complete loss reading Veil. I had to go and read Hush before I was able to read Veil because it is definitely not a standalone. Read close together the books work well but I noticed many other reviewers who read them with a significant time gap in between had a hard time so I would definitely recommend reading the books back to back. Great world building and magic system. Interesting plot and story line.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to review this book. I did not like this duology and did not care for this book.

This is a story about telling.

I really appreciated the magic system created for this world- it’s one of the more interesting concepts I’ve encountered recently. The characters are pleasant enough, but the magic system is where this work really shines.

I would definitely recommend rereading book 1- I didn’t and found myself confused as a result! This is definitely not a book you can read without reading book 2.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Wednesday Books!

This was a decent follow up to the first book. It didn’t give me everything I was hoping for but the world building was still pretty good and the characters were interesting though they did fall a little flat sometimes. I didn’t reread Hush before this so I do wish there was a better recap.

I enjoyed the first book of this series, Hush. I was excited for this book as the first ended on a cliffhanger. I was somewhat disappointed in this book however. It felt very bland and predictable. I saw the twists coming miles before they happened. Some I even saw while reading book 1. Predictibility aside, I do love the uninequeness of this world. The idea of writing being a form of "magic" is something I've not seen in other books, amd I loved the symbolism of it. It was nice to see Shae's old life and new life come together. There was some brilliant symbolism in that as well. I do think that this was a good end to the series, and it wrapped the story up nicely. Overall, a solid 3 stars.

Rating : 4 out of 5
Blurbs :
Dylan Farrow's Veil is the thrilling sequel to Hush, one of the most talked about YA fantasies of 2020.

Shae’s entire world has been turned upside down, and everything she’s ever believed is a lie. More determined than ever, she sets out to the mysterious land of Gondal—a place forbidden to mention and resigned to myth—in search of a dangerous magical book that could alter the fabric of the world.

Following the trail of Ravod, the boy she thought she knew and trusted, Shae discovers there is far more to the young man who stole the Book of Days than she ever realized. Together, with her friends, Mads and Fiona, and a newfound ally in her fierce former trainer, Kennan, Shae crosses the borders of the only home she’s ever had and into a world ruled not by magic, but technology and industry—one fraught with perils of its own.

In a world shrouded in lies, Shae is desperate for answers and to restore peace, but who will lift the veil?

Thoughts : I wished I liked this book more, sadly, I'm not. YA didn't work for me anymore. I can still enjoy this book tho. The characters and their banter are great. A very solid sequel after Hush!

(3.5*) The enjoyable sequel to Farrow's underappreciated Hush. While it didn't hold the same intrigue as its predecessor, it was entertaining and delved deeper into its fascinating world. Circumstances rose to intense highs and ended with a neatly tied bow—an overall satisfying read.

I thought the plot was decent, and I enjoyed the world-building. The characters developed really realistically and nicely. I wish that I had to read the first book first, not read the second book first. It was a bit confusing, as I lacked the context needed to digest some of the story. However, it improves throughout the story. By the end I was more fluent.

What a great book! I can't decide if I prefer this one or the first in the series. Maybe I love them equally well. Buy this book!!!

A satisfying end for our lead characters! We learn more about the blot and the rebellion, experience some twists and betrayals along the way before arriving at a happy ending.

I do want to thank netgalley for the Arc.
I wish I could've gotten into this book, unfortunately, I DNF. I preferred the 1st book of the series. I just wished Dylan Farrow went into depth about the main characters in the story I felt like you didn't know anything about them.

I feel like I should have reread the first book, Hush, before picking this one up. I enjoyed Hush, so I went into this one assuming it would be just as good; I wasn't WRONG, this is a good and enjoyable book, but it is not very memorable or something I want to reread. I feel like the plot was a secondary focus for this book, which I personally don't like since I enjoy when the books I read are plot driven. The characters, Shea and Ravod, feel more fleshed out and developed here, which is nice, but it is a sequel, so it was expected. Overall, I'm glad this is only a duology. I feel like the concept was fresh and fun, I enjoyed the characters, and I had fun reading it.

Great book and enjoyed the characters . loved the slight romance and the how well the group worked together. Overall a great book . I would read this author again.

Veil is the sequel to Hush, with both fantasy novels being written by Dylan Farrow. Both books were good, though I agree with other reviewers that this seemed to be the weaker of the two. I wish the author could or would have taken more time to refine the plotting of this one. I do hope to see more from this author as I so appreciate the weaving in of current social issues.

This book ended up being a DNF. Rating is based solely on the content I did read. I ultimately found the pacing and development of the story and/or characters not engaging enough to continue on and finish the complete book.