This book drew me in with its dark, mysterious premise of hushed, a personified secret created by the death of someone with something to hide. They appear human and die upon revealing its truth, which it feels compelled to do. Of course add in forbidden romance and you’ve got one heck of an interesting read!

The FMC Eerie and her brother are unique even among hushed as they don’t remember their secret. Eerie finds herself in the middle of a compelling mystery and a man she cannot keep herself from becoming attached to. The closer she gets to Logan, the closer she gets to her secret, one she finds is much bigger than imaginable. If her secret is told, death follows.

I couldn’t put this book down, it was addicting with a convoluted tale full of action, love, power and complex evolving relationships. The end was so satisfying for me and I highly recommend to those who enjoy thriller, paranormal, sci-fi fantasy and romance vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

DNF. I just could not get into this, though I tried multiple times. It seemed right up my alley, but it turned out I misjudged.

The Hushed by K R Blair

5.0

A world in which your darkest secrets come back as people when you die.

Eerie is a hushed. Logan is a hell-raising son of one of the infamous Ironbark Prison fire. Eerie doesn’t know what secret formed her but she knows it’s connected to the Prison fire. The Hush are compelled to reveal their secrets and drop dead shortly after. Hushed are also out casts in society and often live on the run.

What I loved:
🤍Strong FMC
🤍Forbidden Love
🤍Supernatural creatures called the Hushed
🤍Good Trauma representation

What’s not my cuppa tea:
☕️ slower pace, I prefer mid paced books
☕️ YA romance / closed door
☕️ That I have to wait for the sequel

Ideal Reader:
A fan of a thriller with Romantasy. Fans of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.

The premise of this work is interesting, but the execution just didn’t quite work for me. There are parts interspersed throughout the main plot that are somewhat like flashbacks (called “drifts” in the book) that tell a secondary story. Especially in the first half of the book, these sections only really made the story feel that much more disjointed and fragmented. It also made the timeline unclear and made it feel like random things were just happening that didn’t have much relevance to the plot. The pacing of this work is also painfully slow, to the point where it’s over halfway through before much begins to happen.

The setting wasn’t utilized strongly, which made the work feel somewhat adrift. There was also a lot of telling rather than showing, which detracted from the experience as a whole. This also made it difficult to really connect with the characters and their story, and that lack of emotional connection made the work feel a little boring overall. It also made the romance feel completely forced and unnecessary and not like a real romance at all.

If you like YA and urban fantasy, and don’t mind insta love and slow pacing, then you may like this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

I keep going back and forth on what rating I want to give this. It's a 3.5 in my opinion, but I can't decide if I want to round down or up. Ultimately I think I will round it down.

This was just too YA for me, which was not in the tags or I likely would have skipped over. The world wasn't as fleshed out as it needs to be either. Thats not to say it wasn't enjoyable or a good concept, because I absolutely loved the concept of The Hushed/secret keepers. But the YA genre has a way of writing and story telling that just isn't for me, and a lot of plot opportunities were missed or shorted. I'll probably get into some spoiler territory because I have some logical pieces to sort out.

Straight from the start, I disliked the seemingly unnecessary choices on the part of the author to make the character(s) high school/juvenile. It felt very much like a conscious choice that did not serve the purpose of the story. But also, I was going into it not expecting that kind of setup with the characters since it wasn't tagged YA. I saw in the original book release The Breath of Bones, the MFC was 17. At least she upped her age in this version (I think anyway, since she's in college) but is likely a player in how YA it reads as well.

The MFC is set up to be so level headed, cautious, and resourceful but naturally that dissolves the minute she gets some male attention or ends up in sticky/stressful situations. She ends up falling for every single setup, not once thinking anything might be a trap. It didn't feel like there was chemistry in the main relationship, or much build up to it besides just being in proximity to each other/interacting a few times before everything just fell together.

The concept of the Hushed is so unique and interesting that despite some confusion in setup/pacing, I am craving to learn more. I love that no one in this world/universe can get away with keeping life altering secrets. The God of this universe is a petty one & I am here for it 😂 But for real, there's a nice sense of justice that comes with the Hushed existing, even if they aren't readily accepted into society. It's definitely the messiest way someone could have designed a secret-keeper, but if it was less gruesome I don't think it would be as persuasive lol. The implications of the way society COULD have set up a system for the Hushed is also mind-bending. Imagine if they'd been more savage about it. Society hates the Hushed? Wanna get rid of them? You make them register themselves anyway, why not also imprison them and force them to expel their secrets to their source? Takes care of 2 problems - the secret, and the Hushed!

There were a handful of logical "why would you do/think that" moments for me that I think work in the end because it is a "YA book". You can't think too hard about some of the things or you'll run yourself in circles around the plot. There's been a couple times where it almost feels like it's missing pieces? Somehow during key moments I would manage to get lost - like we're too busy rushing to the climax to worry about how we're getting there. I don't really know what caused it, but it's not typically a problem I have with audiobooks. I think another thing that would have helped is getting more in-world history with The Hushed. Our MFC could have visited a library to research her kind, or hopped on a "dark web" forum since she's obviously familiar with that. I feel like there HAS to be more info out there, we just didn't explore it in the beginning when it was needed for the reader/MFC to understand. Also, more world history. We have enough real life history to draw inspiration from to set up the world more believably than what we got. The Hushed are world-wide, right? Theres got to be some political takes/landscapes across countries that we could learn about to deepen everything and enhance the readers understanding of how The Hushed function in societies in a WHOLE WORLD perspective, not just this little town.

The one thing that really threw me off though was the "how did we get here/who are we" stuff. I am ALL FOR our characters having their personal beliefs and visions of why they exist, who they are, what their purpose is, etc. It just felt like the way it was done didn't make sense or link back up in a way that, in retrospect, made things connect. It seemed like it was just a method of introducing concepts to readers to use for later plot points, not deepening the characters themselves.

I really did like this setup/universe though. I hope we get more background/history/insight into the greater universe itself in book 2, as well as some more fleshed out characters/relationships that this one felt lacking in. This feels like such a solid premise that we could easily have a million spin-offs/plot twists, it just needs the right direction. I'm looking forward to reading book 2 & finding out where all this is going!

Hushed are born from humans who die with a secret to tell. Hushed die when they tell their secret to the ones it will hurt the most. Eerie can't remember her secret, and as the story unfolds, she realizes that her creation goes back to the beginning of the hushed.

"The Hushed" is probably one of the most unique books I've read/listened to in recent years.

This paranormal mystery introduces a new and rather intriguing kind of entity and I love the obscurity surrounding their existence. Eerie is an intriguing FMC and discovering things alongside her was a lot of fun for me.

I think this book is perfect for everybody who is looking for something new and unexpected that's riddled with secrets, as well as readers who enjoy high stakes, conspiracies and secret romance sideplots.

Also, if you enjoy audiobooks, you should definitely check out how skillfully Elizabeth Evans is bringing the story to life.

The Hushed are essentially a species of humanesque magical beings who are here temporarily until their purpose is fulfilled. They are abused and hunted by the people who resent them.

Eerie has some special circumstances tied to her and her brother's evolution, but she doesn't quite have the full picture yet. Eerie and her brother manage to find some allies and build some friendship, but their lives are still in danger, both from those who resent them and that they will immediately expire upon the fulfillment of their purpose. This was a unique storyline with regard to the magical elements that affect the characters.

This story ended on a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait for the next installment!

Great audio narration.

3.5⭐
I really enjoyed this paranormal romantic thriller - I went into this blind & I think that made it all the better. The dynamics of how things work in this paranormal world wasn't too hard to grasp.

✨ It did seem somewhat familiar, just can't put my finger on it, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

✨✨ Thank you Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think I was at all prepared for this book which must be why I'm still struggling to figure out WTH I just listened to. This was obviously intended for a YA romance audience or at least I hope t was because it was so hard to follow, didn't make sense and wasn't interesting enough for me to even care. Maybe its just this genre that's foreign to me but I don't recommend this one. My thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing the audio version for review. All opinions are my own.

This was an OK read with an intriguing premise and eerie themes . The blend of paranormal thriller and forbidden romance for a good plot, but I did not relate with the characters at all, Its a moderately fast paced story, and some twists were predictable. While Eerie's mystery kept me hooked, the story didn’t fully deliver the tension or depth I was hoping for.

I liked the concept of this book with, essentially, ghosts as second rate citizens. I really wanted to like it because this seemed unique but it just could not hold my interest. I DNF at the 53% mark. I can’t decide if it was the narration or slow moving story but it just didn’t keep me invested.

This had New Age "Shatter Me" vibes from the beginning, and I was instantly sucked into it.
The story moved quickly, it was easy to follow along, it was not hard to understand the world and their magical limitations and powers.
The idea that when a secret is taken to the grave, a "humanoid" person wakes up with that secret to tell and then they die is sooo interesting. The pull to tell this secret to the people involved sounds so intense.
Eerie and her brother not having a pull or a secret to tell makes them so interesting and you just have to keep listening to figure out their mystery!
There is a touch of romance, nothing intense, very YA and closed door which is exactly the feeling you want from these characters in this world.
There is a great secret revealed in the end and a good cliff hanger that makes you excited for book 2!

Also the narrator is the best, aka Aelin Ashryver Galathynius.

I listened to this on my vacation and it was fantastic. Made the car ride seem much quicker than it would have otherwise been. Gripping, edge of my seat, fantastic. Kept my attention the entire time

I received an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrator(s): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes, etc: Forbidden Love, Paranormal
POV: Single, 1st Person
3rd Act Breakup?: No
Cliffhanger?: Yes

Brief Summary: When someone dies with a harmful secret, a human-like being is spawned to embody it…The Hushed. They look and act just like everyone else, but they feel a pull to expose their human’s secret to the person it will hurt most, and once they do, they die. Eerie Ashwood doesn’t remember her secret, but she knows it has something to do with the Ironbark Prison fire.

The Praise: This was so good! The concept is so unique and the characters are so interesting. The mystery of Eerie’s secret and the dreams she couldn’t explain kept me riveted.

The Critique: The cliffhanger?!

Final Thoughts: I really loved this. I NEED the next book.

The Hushed is a paranormal thriller by K. R. Blair. This book had a really interesting concept and was unlike a book I've read. The story follows Eerie, who is a "Hushed”. Hushed are human in form, but they are a walking secret. They are spawned when a person with a secret dies. Their whole purpose is to release that secret to the impacted person and then they die. Such an interesting plot!
I read this on audiobook, which was narrated by Elizabeth Evans. I don't think I've read any book narrated by her, but she was fantastic! I typically don't like when a female does male voices, but I thought how she did all of the voices was perfect.
The story starts out slow, but it is so fascinating that I was absolutely addicted and I really hope there is a second book. Overall, this was a great read. I would recommend this book, especially on audio.
Thank you so much to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This book was ok, the premise was promising but the story drug on at times for me. I think if it had about 1/3 cut out it would have been better. It was a very unique idea and made for an interesting read. I did enjoy the narration!

Wow—this book! The Hushed presents such a fresh and captivating premise that instantly draws you in. It masterfully blends genres, immersing readers in a world that feels both fantastical and eerily relatable. Imagine this: when someone dies with a secret, a “hushed” emerges—a being driven to reveal that secret before it can rest. The concept is absolutely brilliant, and the execution is flawless.

The story has it all: forbidden love, found family, thrilling adventures, and life-changing secrets. The twists? Utterly unpredictable and jaw-dropping. Set in a society that despises the hushed, the themes of prejudice and acceptance are both timely and deeply impactful.

The characters are another standout, particularly Eerie. Her journey of self-discovery and defiance against societal norms is compelling and relatable. There’s a little bit of Eerie in all of us—torn between obligation and desire, striving to define our place in the world.

“𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒.”

The audiobook, narrated by the phenomenal Elizabeth Evans (Throne of Glass, Crescent City), is an absolute treat. Her narration brings the story and its characters to life with unmatched skill and emotion. If you enjoy audiobooks, this is a must-listen. That said, I’ll still be adding a physical copy to my collection—it’s just that good.

With its major cliffhanger ending, The Hushed has left me eagerly anticipating the next installment in what promises to be an incredible series. This is a gripping page-turner that will stay with you long after you’ve finished.

Thank you so much to @NetGalley and @BlackstonePub for the gifted audiobook copy!

Thank you to K.R. Blair, Blackstone Publishing Audiobooks, and NetGalley for an ALC of The Hushed!

This was one of my favorite reads of 2024! The concept is super interesting and unique. Secrets of people who've died come to life as new beings. Once they tell the secret, they die. They feel a pull to tell their secret, but until they do they live like typical human beings... though also shunned from society.

I enjoyed every minute of this book. It had elements of romance and fantasy/sci-fi with found family, hidden truth, and a bit of forced proximity/forbidden love tropes. It had most of my favorite elements in books tied into one!

Things I Loved...

The characters were relatable with interesting back stories. If anyone was grumpy they had good reason to be and after knowing their secrets, I could even empathize with some of the villains.

The plot was unique. I don't think I've ever read a novel where secrets are people. This alone made the book a page turner because I needed to know what secret Eerie was keeping!

The pacing was perfect. I thought K.R. Blair set the perfect pace for building her world and slowly revealing the intricacies. Even when sh*t hit the fan, I felt like everything had been slowly building to this climax so it wasn't sudden, jarring, or out of the blue.

The narrator, Elizabeth Evans, did an amazing job as well. I felt like her voice perfectly embodied the characters and she capture the emotion and tone of the book very well.

I am so ready to read book 2 in this series and to see what happens next with Eerie and her crew! 5/5 stars

When you find a new take or story line you know this book is going to impress you. This story idea is something Ive never read and I loved it! Not only was it a new idea but the author did a great job creating this world and connecting me to the characters, I was completely invested in this book and wanted to know what would happen next.

Hush is created when someone dies with a secret, now this Hush carries the secret with them. Most Hush don't live long because the pull to tell their secret to the person it's about is so strong they tell then die. Eerie is a Hush but she is different because she doesn't know her secret and doesn't have the pull all other Hush have to tell her secret. Living in a governmental designated area with her family Eerie has one goal and thats to get out before her brother tells his secret. Most Hush don't last too long but she will do everything she can to help her brother.

Eerie may not remember her secret but she knows where she first woke so she stays away, until she meets Logan and finds out who his mother was. The fear she has of being too close to Logan is just as strong as the desire to be close to him. With Eerie's plans soon changing she is taken by the Hush who will do anything to keep their group safe even if it means sacrifice some of their own. They want information from Eerie she's sure she doesn't have.

I love the history of the Hush in this book, we see how they come to be and how many in the world hate them because what they represent as well as the fear they bring just for knowing secrets. I also love the twist in this book. The story is just superb and so impressive, we don't end this book on a cliffhanger per se but this story is not finished at all. I will for sure be reading the next book in this series

not only is this story amazing we get a great love story between Eerie and Logan and then so many other characters and twists in this book makes for a must read that I didn't want to put down. I am so impressed with this book and the author K.R. Blair. I can't lie the cover drew my attention and everything else made me not only stay but become hooked, I can't wait for book 2!

*Thank you Netgallery and Blackstone publishing for this book