Veil: A Hush Novel

by Dylan Farrow

Overview

"[A] fast-paced and thought-provoking read that will keep readers on their toes until the intense end." - Young Adult Books Central

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?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250235947
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/26/2022
Series:	The Hush Series , #2
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	983,747
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

DYLAN FARROW is a writer, mother, and activist for survivors of sexual assault. Growing up in both New York City and rural Connecticut, she spent countless hours drawing and writing for pleasure. After graduating from Bard College she found a position at CNN as a production assistant and later moved into graphic design. Soon, however, she felt that neither were her calling. Dylan returned to writing full time, exploring her love of YA fantasy. Hush is her debut novel.
DYLAN FARROW is a writer, mother, and activist for survivors of sexual assault. Growing up in both New York City and rural Connecticut, she spent countless hours drawing and writing for pleasure. After graduating from Bard College she found a position at CNN as a production assistant and later moved into graphic design. Soon, however, she felt that neither were her calling. Dylan returned to writing full time, exploring her love of YA fantasy. She is the author of Hush and Veil.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Veil:

"A satisfying conclusion to an intriguing YA fantasy duology, VEIL is a fast-paced and thought-provoking read that will keep readers on their toes until the intense end." - Young Adult Books Central

Praise for Hush:

An Entertainment Weekly Must
One of Gizmodo's Best Books of October
One of Frolic's Top Ten Books of October
One of The Nerd Daily's Best Books of October

"You'll be hooked from the first page." - HelloGiggles, "October's Best New Books"

"A captivating YA fantasy that kept me guessing all the way through... Highly recommend for fans of Tricia Levenseller, Cassandra Clare, and Amanda Hocking." - Young Adult Books Central

"In this cruel, beautiful realm, all reading and writing as well as select spoken words are strictly forbidden to the lower classes, while the elite of Montane, called Bards, are skilled in the powerful magic of Telling — a form of reality-altering sorcery based in the use of language... The novel speaks brilliantly to the many ills of 2020." - Entertainment Weekly

"[A] notable debut... The themes of quarantine and deadly disease in the context of current events are poignant; Farrow deftly demonstrates the power of language and education in the hands of the elite as a means for controlling others through propaganda. An intriguing female-driven dystopian fantasy for the same audience who loved the “Hunger Games” series." - School Library Journal

"Incorporating commentary on propaganda, censorship, and female empowerment, Farrow's debut reveals her activist roots." - Booklist

"Hush is a captivating tale of a girl's fight for her voice in a world where the only thing deadlier than power is the truth. Shae's search for answers in the dark will stay with readers long after the last page." - Margaret Owen, author of The Merciful Crow

"Farrow carefully crafts a layered world hiding dark secrets and gives us a fierce protagonist determined to unearth the truth-no matter the consequences. A compelling tale that's bound to grab your heart." - Swati Teerdhala, author of the Tiger at Midnight series

From the Publisher

02/01/2022

Gr 7 Up—This title is a strong sequel to Hush, a dystopian narrative in which protagonist Shae learns she is a powerful Bard with the ability to will good or bad into existence with a mere word—aka the Telling. The story continues as Shae and her companions travel a dangerous path from the wastelands of Montane toward Gondal, a legendary land ruled by technology and science rather than magic. They seek to retrieve the Book of Days, which Shae believes is the key to changing everything for her people. Upon reaching the Gondal city of Tybera, Shae must decide if she can once again trust Ravod by relinquishing the book in a Gondal power play over Montane and its villainous leader, Cathal, or join the Protesters, refugees from her homeland who have failed to receive citizenship or much support from Gondal. Ultimately, with the book, her companions, and fate on their side, Shae returns to Montane prepared to confront Cathal or die trying. Strong themes of friendship, guilt, the power of knowledge, and identity are explored within a tightly written narrative. The characterization and worldbuilding are more fully realized in this conclusion of the duology. VERDICT Readers of Hush and those interested in YA dystopian fantasy will enjoy this book.—Linsey Milillo

School Library Journal

2022-01-26
Shae and her friends seek to overthrow Cathal’s oppressive reign in this duology closer.

Guided by a capriciously behaving torn page from the Book of Days, Shae and companions—prickly former trainer Kennan, best friend Fiona, and former suitor Mads—race across Montane in hopes of reaching safety in Gondal. They succeed, learning lots of backstory in the process about Shae’s mother and the Bard rebellion in general. But Gondal, though quite nifty (and fun to explore through Shae’s unworldly eyes), has problems of its own, resulting in the intense marginalization of Montanian refugees. While the heroes try to figure out whom they can trust and how to improve the lives of their countrymen at home and abroad, there’s a strong theme of speaking up as not being enough; though the explicit calls to action and critiques of ineffective protests can be didactic at times, these moments are justified by how they fit into the plot. Themes aside, the plot’s story beats are familiar enough that some plot twists will be expected. Plenty of action sequences and rising stakes provide incentive to ignore these moments of predictability. In the relationship storylines, Shae’s still reeling and off balance in dealing with her feelings of attraction to and betrayal by Ravod; her friendships are given equal weight, though. Among secondary characters, there’s a girl-girl romance and nonbinary representation. Aside from dark-skinned Kennan, characters default to White.

An easy-to-engage-with slice of escapism that fans of the first volume will appreciate. (Fantasy. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews