This duo-logy was definitely top-tier!! Loved the fact that it picked up right where Hush (the previous book) ended!! Although tbh this was a bit confusing for me at the beginning - so definitely revise the first book BEFORE diving in. The ending was SPECTACULAR!!

The world is super interesting, however the plot and flow of the story was a bit difficult to follow. I enjoyed the characters but I wish there was a little bit more of a steady pace. The descriptions and details were enjoyable and creative. I have to say that I liked the 1st book better.

Veil was the absolute perfect ending to the Hush duology! As I dove back into this world, I didn’t need a refresher of what happened in Hush. It all came rushing back as the characters rushed to save their world and each other. The characters are relatable and the premise is so unique. What a satisfying ending!

*Arc provided by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.*

Veil picks up right where Hush left off, which is great if you've just finished book 1. If you're like me and had a decent amount of time between the two it was rather sudden and confusing at times. Due to it's direct pick up and lack of back tracking I encountered times of being entirely lost as to the importance of some character's. Shae was such a strong lead in Hush, but it felt like she was so quick to trust everyone that after the ending of Hush didn't feel right. The best way to describe the pacing of this sequel is similar to when t.v. shows do mid-season finales, Veil is the after the new year counterpart to Hush.

It was good but I wish the things I loved from book 1 managed to continue into book 2.

Ok first of all, don't like a mid-series cover change. Second of all, this cover looks EXACTLY like a totally different series so not a fan of that.

Hush was such an interesting first book in this duology and it established a dystopian / fantasy world that had super interesting magic. Veil took us outside of that world and to a totally new world which didn't really make sense to me. Why spend time establishing one place only to abandon that place and establish a new place?

Furthermore, the romance was weird. It wasn't really romance. It was enemies to lovers to enemies to kind of friends, to lovers? The transitions between these statuses were clunky as well.

The ending also felt super rushed, we spent an entire book building to an idea, abandoned it and went somewhere else, then spend 30 pages finishing the idea we started for a WHOLE different book. Not a fan.

I think this series could have been stronger. But, I'd read more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

After discovering that everything she had ever been taught was a lie, Shae sets out to the mysterious land of Gondal with her friends. They are looking for the Book of Days, which was stolen by Ravod. When they go to Gondal, they discover that it’s ruled not by magic like their world, but by technology. Shae is still adjusting to a world with writing and books that is completely different from the world she grew up in. She has to find and use the Book of Days to restore her home.

This was an exciting sequel to Hush. I liked that it showed the world beyond Montane, the setting of Hush. Gondal closely resembled our real world, with large buildings, technology, and a lack of magic, whereas Montane was a fantasy land.

I was a little disappointed in the ending. I hoped that it would continue in another book because there is still more to explore in that world, but the epilogue suggested it’s the end of the story. There was an unexpected death that I thought Shae should have had a stronger emotional reaction to. I did like some surprising twists near the end of the story.

Veil is a good sequel to Hush.

Thank you Raincoast Books and Wednesday Books for providing a copy of this book.

A solid sequel to Hush. I have enjoyed getting into this fantasy world. It may not have been as impactful and printed into my brain as others I have read, but I definitely think more people should give this series a chance!

Picking up right after the first you..... In my opinion this whole book didn't really add to the story. I liked the epilogue tho

I just don't really understand how they crawl thru a drain pipe and get to a "world" thats so much further ahead of the other....but they know about each other.

I mean I get it but I don't. You're telling me no one leaves? Ever

In this sequel to Hush, we round out the duology in a new locale. After enjoying the first in the series, I was disappointed with this lackluster finale.

The first red flag for me was rushed world-building, relying on a basic steampunk vibe. Gondal, a world of wonder that is mysterious and out of reach in the first book turns out to be an urban, industrial foil for the rustic, magical world of the first book. It didn't feel exciting to arrive there with the characters since it lacked anything unexpected or multifaceted to draw the reader into an interesting experience. The fun of fantasy is entering new worlds, but this one doesn't feel fresh or vibrant.

Next, Shae has WAY too much main character energy to the point where side characters sacrifice their well-being in various ways to benefit her with no reciprocal acts on her part. There isn't even the typical ya fantasy sleight of hand whereby our main character has a particular function or ability that must be protected to benefit society. Shae's magic isn't viable for much of the book, and she has no knowledge or skill that sets her apart as valuable. There's nothing to disguise the unbalanced toxicity of her relationships. Unsurprisingly, this lends itself to a surface-level, generic romance plot between a girl-next-door and misunderstood-boy. A secondary sapphic romance could have been cute if it weren't too rushed to mean anything. It came out of nowhere without explanation or even a flicker of emotion to alert us to an inexplicable attachment. It's just suddenly ~there~ and we're all supposed to go along with it. Finally, I was frustrated by several misunderstandings that could have been avoided with basic communication and building a foundation of trust. Romantic entanglements and political actions lead to unnecessary angst when self-centered assumptions hold sway over reality.

The message of the book has to do with taking action to make a revolution happen. You can't trust the agenda of people in power to make decisions that support the downtrodden and mistreated. If the story was more engaging, the characters and their relationships less frustrating, or the world more inspiring, I would have been able to better focus on that message. This was a letdown for me, but I hope that's not the case for all readers.

I really enjoyed Hush, the first book in this series, but I just liked Veil. This is going to be a short review, as Veil is a sequel that really can’t stand alone from the first book. This picks up just after the first book leaves off, and we’re back with Shae and her friends as they try to find the land of Gondel, the place that no one is allowed to speak of. Of course, when they reach their destination, it’s nothing like they expected.

I’m not going to go into more detail than that, as I think part of the fun of this book is to go into the story without knowing the details of the world that they find and what it means for the rest of the story. This book felt rougher than the previous book, though it’s difficult to put my finger on why that is. Overall though, I enjoyed the characters and the twists to the story that came from Veil.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one just wasn't as good as book one. The characters seemed weird and well kind of stupid in this one. The world building and magic were still great but the overall story was just lacking.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of Veil! I enjoyed Hush a lot when I read it, so I was the most excited to get back into the world and see where we were taken next!
Veil 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads:
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?
There were so, so many great aspects of Veil and there were quite a few things I was not a fan of, but overall, I really enjoyed where the book ended up going! I really enjoyed the whole adventure/quest feel of the book leading up to the final battle. I was not a big fan of Kennan feeling like she was missing for maybe like 1/3 of the book (I mean, yes we know where she is, but she's not with the rest of the group and I love Kennan, so I was not a fan of that). I'm still very iffy about the whole Shae Ravod storyline, but I guess some people like them together, so that's fine. I loved Fiona and Mads and the secondary characters that came up again and that we met in this book- they definitely added so much! I think one of my biggest issues overall though was that I didn't remember enough of Hush- that's 100% my fault though and no fault to Veil, so if you do read Veil, make sure you've either recently read Hush or you've read a summary or detailed recap or something so you know what's going on. Overall, I thought that Veil was a fun read and I enjoyed it and being able to finish the story that Dylan Farrow started for us in Hush!

Link to be added once post goes live

I really enjoyed the first novel by Dylan Farrow, but I struggled to get into this one. I think I might should have re-read the first one since this definitely couldn't function as a standalone and memories weren't flashed back in a way that helped me remember more from the first novel. It literally just rolled right into the action, like an extension of the first novel.

Veil is one of those rare sequels that are better than the first. In this second novel, Dylan Farrow answers all of the questions readers had at the end of the first novel, Hush. It also has a powerful driving force throughout, possibly because the heroine, Shae, is no longer alone on her travels.

Veil begins with a prologue of sorts - excerpts from the diary of a rogue Bard - and then picks up where the first novel ended. Shae and her companions are following the Bard Ravod, who stole the Book of Days. The trail leads them across the country and through a rabbit hole into the unknown.

Filled with companionable bickering, the dialogue keeps readers engaged on Shae’s adventures. This sequel is enjoyable without reading the first book, even though it is not a standalone.

Whom do you trust? Shae has made mistakes trusting people in the past and is fearful or aligning herself with them again. Who are the good guys? Thei book is a quest involving good vs. evil. I think it could be enjoyed by middle schoolers and up. My thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this work.

{3.5 stars}

Last year, I was so impressed by Dylan Farrow's fantasy debut Hush, where the written word is something to be feared and storytellers have the power. Shae is on the hunt of the Book of Days, the relic she thinks can stop the plague "The Blot" and reset the power structure of her world. She has her ragtag group of friends and some folks she's not sure whether they are friends or enemies on her journey with her.

The series definitely skews on the younger side of YA, the emotions are not so complex and the relationships are all pretty PG. The fantasy elements are very readable and the battles are lightly outlined, if you're new to fantasy, this would be a place to start if you find high fantasy intimidating. Just like with the first one, I wanted a little more world building - an explanation of the generation of The Book of Days or the villain's motivations would have been nice. It wraps up really cleanly and all the loose ends are tied. A1 solid YA fantasy with a unique premise.

Thanks to Netgalley for advanced access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Veil is the second installment within the Hush duology. In this, we are following Shae on her adventure to find a magical book. At times, I didn't really understand the decisions they were making. Then how they easily trust people just made me want to roll my eyes. Still, they were young so it's easy to see how naive they could be.

Then there's the mysterious Gondal. We finally see this place and I was little underwhelmed by it all. The people there were not making the best decisions either. I also wasn't prepared for certain betrayals to come up either. Still, they happened and the adventured continued.

In the end, all I can say is that this was pretty interesting to read. I definitely feel like I should have re-read the previous book before jumping into this one. Since I didn't, I'll admit that I was a little confused for a good part of this book. Once things started to make sense, well, the pages continued to turn at a much faster rate. I'm happy that I got the chance to jump into this and will look forward to next book Dylan writes!

A follow-up to the first book, The Veil is the second half of Shae's story that completes the journey she starts in Hush. With the truth exposed, Shae must hunt for a path forward by journeying to Gondal, along with her friends and mentor.

I enjoyed the themes of forced silence and an oppressive magic system that were explored in the first book, but with all of that mystique exposed by the end of the first book, the magic was a bit lacking in this follow-up. Coupled with the way both books ended up being a bit formulaic for people who've read their fair share of YA fantasy, Veil ended up being a bit lackluster. I did enjoy getting to see the character relationships develop and the various plot threads weave to a satisfactory close, though.

I would recommend this if you enjoyed Hush and wanted to binge through both books to get the complete story, but it's not the most exciting sequel.

Veil, by Dylan Farrow, is the satisfying conclusion to the earlier novel, Hush. As with most series, it pays to read these two books in order. I thought it would have made sense to combine the two books into one large volume. The second book continues the efforts of Shae and her friends to rescue their homeland from the horrific dictator, who has used magic and might to inflict so much misery on its inhabitants. The sequel, however, develops the characters with much more nuance as well as the relationships between them. There is plenty of action, and enough twists and turns so that you can never be certain who is an enemy or friend.

Two flaws annoyed me but did not spoil the story. One character returns somewhat miraculously and inexplicably, adding nothing to the story, except for unbelievability. Second, the author overuses some words for reasons I can't begin to explain. Neither issue seriously diminished my enjoyment.

The Veil by Dylan Farrow picks up where Hush left off jumping right back into the action. We are given action, adventure and many feelings and emotions to work through. The world get broader and more elegant and overwhelming at times for our group but they handle it like they always do with a will do attitude and dont back down. I really enjoyed this follow-up and found I looked forward to reading it every night after a hard day at work. It was my way of escaping my real life and entering this strange and at some times terrifying world but in a good way. I enjoyed the distraction that it offered and loved being part of the adventure against the evils in this other world.
I want to thank Wednesday Books and Dylan Farrow for allowing me to read the Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for my honest feedback, I throughly enjoyed this entire series and love the world Dylan created!