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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
Hush is a YA dystopian novel about gaslighting, power structures, and the importance of the truth. It's a book that creeps up on you, but leaves a strong impression. It feels particularly poignant given the identity of the author. (Dylan Farrow is the daughter of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen and has spoken about the abuse that took place within that family)
The book is set in a dystopian world where writing and storytelling are controlled by a privileged few (mostly men) in order to control a plague called the Blot where ink takes over peoples bodies and kills them, and there are forbidden words and stories. Shae is 17 and lives in an impoverished town with her mother after losing her brother to the Blot. But when she finds her mother murdered (murder is a forbidden word btw) she is made to think she imagined things by people in power and her friends turn her away. But Shae is determined to find answers and justice.
I won't say more because the plot goes places I didn't expect, but I thought this was a fascinating world with a strong lead character. By the end it becomes clear that much of it is being used as a metaphor for the gaslighting of sexual assault victims and their family members, and the ways that power structures can cover things up to protect powerful men. I found it to be deeply resonant, but with enough of its own story as not to be too on the nose. Rather, you get to feel the EXPERIENCE of someone who is unsure of what is real and what isn't due to these things, and of the horror that can come with discovering someone you trust and care for isn't who you thought they were. Note that there is not actually sexual assault in the book, but other kinds of violence and psychological abuse. It's an important and powerful book that I would definitely recommend. When a public figure writes a novel, you don't always know what you're going to get but this was a very good version of a YA dystopian fantasy. I received a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.
The book is set in a dystopian world where writing and storytelling are controlled by a privileged few (mostly men) in order to control a plague called the Blot where ink takes over peoples bodies and kills them, and there are forbidden words and stories. Shae is 17 and lives in an impoverished town with her mother after losing her brother to the Blot. But when she finds her mother murdered (murder is a forbidden word btw) she is made to think she imagined things by people in power and her friends turn her away. But Shae is determined to find answers and justice.
I won't say more because the plot goes places I didn't expect, but I thought this was a fascinating world with a strong lead character. By the end it becomes clear that much of it is being used as a metaphor for the gaslighting of sexual assault victims and their family members, and the ways that power structures can cover things up to protect powerful men. I found it to be deeply resonant, but with enough of its own story as not to be too on the nose. Rather, you get to feel the EXPERIENCE of someone who is unsure of what is real and what isn't due to these things, and of the horror that can come with discovering someone you trust and care for isn't who you thought they were. Note that there is not actually sexual assault in the book, but other kinds of violence and psychological abuse. It's an important and powerful book that I would definitely recommend. When a public figure writes a novel, you don't always know what you're going to get but this was a very good version of a YA dystopian fantasy. I received a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.
I didn't understand the magic in this book, I didn't really love the characters, and it was all a bit strange for me. I'm not usually a fantasy reader, so maybe that's why it was a miss for me. I was looking forward to finding social themes in this text, but they were subtle, at best. 2.5/5
**I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am on the fence about many things in this book. The magic system and the idea of Bards who keep a contagion in check is really what drew me to Hush. What I enjoyed about it was the unique explanations of the entire system that this country revolves around to keep it safe. I found myself interested to know more about how it works.
However, I didn't really get any of that. What I did get was confusing. The magic system was explained, but I still had a lot of questions that weren't quite covered. I liked our main character, Shae, but I always felt like she was a little one sided and not quite fleshed out. That could also be because she started drastically changing in the last few chapters, so I'll ignore that for now. I'm interested to see what additions and questions could be answered in the next book in this series.
I don't think I found it as fleshed out as I wanted, but I did enjoy reading the last half.
I am on the fence about many things in this book. The magic system and the idea of Bards who keep a contagion in check is really what drew me to Hush. What I enjoyed about it was the unique explanations of the entire system that this country revolves around to keep it safe. I found myself interested to know more about how it works.
However, I didn't really get any of that. What I did get was confusing. The magic system was explained, but I still had a lot of questions that weren't quite covered. I liked our main character, Shae, but I always felt like she was a little one sided and not quite fleshed out. That could also be because she started drastically changing in the last few chapters, so I'll ignore that for now. I'm interested to see what additions and questions could be answered in the next book in this series.
I don't think I found it as fleshed out as I wanted, but I did enjoy reading the last half.
I was so excited to get to review an electronic advanced readers copy of Hush by Dylan Farrow. Hush is a dystopian young adult fantasy novel. It is the first in its series which is always tricky to do. You need to have world building. You need character development. You need enough closure to feel accomplished but enough open ends and a bit of a cliffhanger to motivate you to want to continue the series. Hush had all of that. It did take me a bit to catch on, but I kept going and felt the payoff was worth it. Hush is a really solid debut novel and I think it will find its audience.
Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the gifted copy.
Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the gifted copy.
**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**
Actual rating: 3.5
Dylan Farrow's debut YA fantasy, Hush, delves into a world wracked with plague, famine, and destruction. Writing and reading are strictly forbidden, as are specific words, phrases, and stories. Words have power, and Bards are those who can harness the power of words and perform Tellings, shaping the world to their will. Shae, a teenaged girl who lives in a small village, finds that something is wrong with her, after already having lost her brother to the Blot. When her mother is murdered, Shae seeks out the Bards for aid, and winds up training to become one. The story has many twists, turns, secrets, and lies that Shae will have to figure out.
I found the concept of word-based magic to be really exciting, if not particularly novel. I was eager to see what Farrow would do with this sort of magic system. I wound up a little underwhelmed with that aspect of the story in general as the power system was never firmly defined or established. The magic and the ability to do magic was available when the plot called for it, but failed as the plot called for it also. Even power levels of specific characters tended to fluctuate as needed, and generally be inconsistent.
The characters themselves seemed to be very surface level characters where back story seemed to be limited for everyone except perhaps Shae and Ravod as needed. Mads, Fiona, and Kennan all fell into supporting character positions, and I use that term specifically because a side character would have additional purpose other than to support the main character, their growth, and the main plotline. I don't believe they did.
That all being said, this was a quick read, and was enjoyable to read. I don't think this story will strike as particularly memorable, but I'm happy to have spent the time with it that I did. If I had access to the sequel right now, I would certainly continue, particularly with how the book ended.
I look forward to seeing what else Dylan Farrow comes out with in the future, in this or other worlds.
Actual rating: 3.5
Dylan Farrow's debut YA fantasy, Hush, delves into a world wracked with plague, famine, and destruction. Writing and reading are strictly forbidden, as are specific words, phrases, and stories. Words have power, and Bards are those who can harness the power of words and perform Tellings, shaping the world to their will. Shae, a teenaged girl who lives in a small village, finds that something is wrong with her, after already having lost her brother to the Blot. When her mother is murdered, Shae seeks out the Bards for aid, and winds up training to become one. The story has many twists, turns, secrets, and lies that Shae will have to figure out.
I found the concept of word-based magic to be really exciting, if not particularly novel. I was eager to see what Farrow would do with this sort of magic system. I wound up a little underwhelmed with that aspect of the story in general as the power system was never firmly defined or established. The magic and the ability to do magic was available when the plot called for it, but failed as the plot called for it also. Even power levels of specific characters tended to fluctuate as needed, and generally be inconsistent.
The characters themselves seemed to be very surface level characters where back story seemed to be limited for everyone except perhaps Shae and Ravod as needed. Mads, Fiona, and Kennan all fell into supporting character positions, and I use that term specifically because a side character would have additional purpose other than to support the main character, their growth, and the main plotline. I don't believe they did.
That all being said, this was a quick read, and was enjoyable to read. I don't think this story will strike as particularly memorable, but I'm happy to have spent the time with it that I did. If I had access to the sequel right now, I would certainly continue, particularly with how the book ended.
I look forward to seeing what else Dylan Farrow comes out with in the future, in this or other worlds.
Unfortunately I never connected with this story in any way. I found myself skimming a lot to get through it if I'm being completely honest. The characters all seemed one dimensional. The only one we get a sense of in any way is Shae and truly only in that whatever desire driving her in a moment was the most important thing ever and worth anything with no thought to the consequences or what happens after she gets what she wants. The rest we really didn't get to know much at all.
The worldbuilding and plot felt a bit shakey at times to me as well. We start out with the idea that this illness, the blot is ravaging places and then jump to years later when mostly it's just the memory/fear of it that is around, and by the end it rolls back in with a twist. The blot was the whole reason people lived in fear of words and writings and pretty much everything and looked to the Bards and their blessings to fix literally everything. We got a peek behind the Bard's curtains and it left me with more questions than answers. I didn't love that sometimes magic, aka the Tellings, were used to fill gaps. Like Shae magically learning how to read pretty much instantly. There was a few situations that just didn't add up that just got vaguely explained to us almost like an afterthought with no straight line of getting there.
To me it was like the author got the formula for what makes a standard YA Dystopian/Fantasy and then didn't worry about adding any unique depth or flare to it. There was an interesting idea here, I just wish more time would have been spent really filling it out.
All things combined made for a story I couldn't find anything to really root for or find myself wanting to even know more about in the end.
I received an arc of this book from Wednesday Books via Netgalley and this is my honest review.
The worldbuilding and plot felt a bit shakey at times to me as well. We start out with the idea that this illness, the blot is ravaging places and then jump to years later when mostly it's just the memory/fear of it that is around, and by the end it rolls back in with a twist. The blot was the whole reason people lived in fear of words and writings and pretty much everything and looked to the Bards and their blessings to fix literally everything. We got a peek behind the Bard's curtains and it left me with more questions than answers. I didn't love that sometimes magic, aka the Tellings, were used to fill gaps. Like Shae magically learning how to read pretty much instantly. There was a few situations that just didn't add up that just got vaguely explained to us almost like an afterthought with no straight line of getting there.
To me it was like the author got the formula for what makes a standard YA Dystopian/Fantasy and then didn't worry about adding any unique depth or flare to it. There was an interesting idea here, I just wish more time would have been spent really filling it out.
All things combined made for a story I couldn't find anything to really root for or find myself wanting to even know more about in the end.
I received an arc of this book from Wednesday Books via Netgalley and this is my honest review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think this was an amazing concept for a YA fantasy novel. A deadly illness known as the “Indigo Death”, or more commonly, the “Blot“ is ravaging the land of Montane. In the small village of Aster lives Shae and her mother, though they’re barely scraping by. Following the deaths of her brother and father, Shae and her mother have been turned into community outcasts, all from fear of this mysterious plague. After another tragedy strikes her family, Shae realizes she has nothing left to lose, and she sets off on her own to seek out answers.
Not much is known about the Blot. Reading and all other written forms of language have been banned, as well as some specific words and phrases, such as ‘murder’. Once she decides to leave her village, Shae attempts to track down the Bards, a group of magic-wielders who have the power to alter reality at will. Their magic is not elaborated on much beyond that, and that’s honestly one of the things I struggled most with in this book. There’s really no explanation of the magic system at play. Some people can speak magic, but there’s no specific instruction on how they can do this. Apparently you can also sew your ‘Tellings’ into existence, but there’s only one example of this.
I don’t know, there was a lot of interesting ideas here. I think the author had issues with the story and narrative construction. There’s not much build-up, even if the ‘tension’ is there. Farrow’s writing is a lot of ‘this happened, then this happened and oh yeah this happened a while ago but I’m just telling you about it now’. I was missing elaboration. I wanted the world she created to feel palpable, but it all came off so flat.
The dialogue was also pretty basic and a lot of the characterizations were stereotypical. My guess is that she just hasn’t read that many fantasy books, especially YA fantasy, and is unfamiliar with the tropes of the genre. I‘m left with so many questions. What were those ‘training’ sessions about? How does the labyrinth work? How is this country governed? As tempting as it can be in this genre, you can’t just answer every question with ‘because magic’!
I want to give Dylan time to grow as a writer. Like I said, there were a lot of good ideas. The way that Shae can’t distinguish between reality and delusions was done really well. As a reader I was questioning my own perceptions of what I was reading. I think I would like to see more of that going forward, not a half-baked romance with some guy who has the personality of wet cardboard. Usually I wouldn’t continue reading a series I didn’t absolutely love right away, but there is something compelling here. Maybe it’s how compulsively readable the story is, I don’t know, but either way I will definitely be back for book 2.
*Thanks to Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press & Netgalley for advance copies!
Not much is known about the Blot. Reading and all other written forms of language have been banned, as well as some specific words and phrases, such as ‘murder’. Once she decides to leave her village, Shae attempts to track down the Bards, a group of magic-wielders who have the power to alter reality at will. Their magic is not elaborated on much beyond that, and that’s honestly one of the things I struggled most with in this book. There’s really no explanation of the magic system at play. Some people can speak magic, but there’s no specific instruction on how they can do this. Apparently you can also sew your ‘Tellings’ into existence, but there’s only one example of this.
I don’t know, there was a lot of interesting ideas here. I think the author had issues with the story and narrative construction. There’s not much build-up, even if the ‘tension’ is there. Farrow’s writing is a lot of ‘this happened, then this happened and oh yeah this happened a while ago but I’m just telling you about it now’. I was missing elaboration. I wanted the world she created to feel palpable, but it all came off so flat.
The dialogue was also pretty basic and a lot of the characterizations were stereotypical. My guess is that she just hasn’t read that many fantasy books, especially YA fantasy, and is unfamiliar with the tropes of the genre. I‘m left with so many questions. What were those ‘training’ sessions about? How does the labyrinth work? How is this country governed? As tempting as it can be in this genre, you can’t just answer every question with ‘because magic’!
I want to give Dylan time to grow as a writer. Like I said, there were a lot of good ideas. The way that Shae can’t distinguish between reality and delusions was done really well. As a reader I was questioning my own perceptions of what I was reading. I think I would like to see more of that going forward, not a half-baked romance with some guy who has the personality of wet cardboard. Usually I wouldn’t continue reading a series I didn’t absolutely love right away, but there is something compelling here. Maybe it’s how compulsively readable the story is, I don’t know, but either way I will definitely be back for book 2.
*Thanks to Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press & Netgalley for advance copies!
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
What I loved about Hush is both Shae's journey, and the way magic can be used as a weapon of control. When you can be turned in by anyone, for the 'good of your village', Shae's village lives both in fear and a culture of silence. Living on the outskirts, Shae is used to being careful of her friends, knowing personally the loss associated with breaking the rules. Hush is a slow building story about the forces that drive us as well as the power of belief.
Hush is full of a world where people can use illusions and Tellings to manipulate our belief in them. To change the ways we see the world. To create a culture of fear and obedience in which our lives are firmly under their control. Shae's journey becomes not only a quest to believe in herself, but also to uncover the secrets that magic is obscuring.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-hush-by-dylan-farrow/
What I loved about Hush is both Shae's journey, and the way magic can be used as a weapon of control. When you can be turned in by anyone, for the 'good of your village', Shae's village lives both in fear and a culture of silence. Living on the outskirts, Shae is used to being careful of her friends, knowing personally the loss associated with breaking the rules. Hush is a slow building story about the forces that drive us as well as the power of belief.
Hush is full of a world where people can use illusions and Tellings to manipulate our belief in them. To change the ways we see the world. To create a culture of fear and obedience in which our lives are firmly under their control. Shae's journey becomes not only a quest to believe in herself, but also to uncover the secrets that magic is obscuring.
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-hush-by-dylan-farrow/
If I can say anything about Hush, Dylan Farrow knows how to write a page-turner. I read about 80% of it in one sitting and finished the rest a day or two later. It's a quick read for a nearly 400-page novel.
Montane is a fantasy world with strict restrictions on who can read and write, what you can speak aloud or even think. Words have immense power – and for some, magic. People who possess the ability to harness such magic are trained as Bards to perform miracles – Tellings.
I felt like Hush had all of the bones of a fantasy novel that I would enjoy, but I wanted more development in almost every aspect of it. The Bards and Tellings were a fascinating addition to the world, and I loved seeing Shae using her burgeoning gifts, but I wanted a better explanation of the magic system and the world.
Characters who I expected to turn out to be evil...turned out to be evil, and in the last 30% of Hush, I felt like all of the baddies turned into exaggerated caricatures of young-adult fantasy villains.
This felt a lot like the first novel in a debut young-adult fantasy series, but I enjoyed reading it well enough, and I am interested to see where Dylan Farrow takes the story from the ending.
3 to 3.5 stars.
Montane is a fantasy world with strict restrictions on who can read and write, what you can speak aloud or even think. Words have immense power – and for some, magic. People who possess the ability to harness such magic are trained as Bards to perform miracles – Tellings.
I felt like Hush had all of the bones of a fantasy novel that I would enjoy, but I wanted more development in almost every aspect of it. The Bards and Tellings were a fascinating addition to the world, and I loved seeing Shae using her burgeoning gifts, but I wanted a better explanation of the magic system and the world.
Characters who I expected to turn out to be evil...turned out to be evil, and in the last 30% of Hush, I felt like all of the baddies turned into exaggerated caricatures of young-adult fantasy villains.
This felt a lot like the first novel in a debut young-adult fantasy series, but I enjoyed reading it well enough, and I am interested to see where Dylan Farrow takes the story from the ending.
3 to 3.5 stars.