by Dylan Farrow
ASIN/ISBN: 9781250235930
Publication: April 26, 2022
Series: Hush #2

**I was provided a copy of the book through NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.**

Shae and her friends are on a friend’s trail after he disappears with a magical book. They make their way to Gondal, a land they were told did not exist, and find it vastly different. They must navigate this new land while trying to figure out how they can save their own.

The beginning is action-packed and gave me high hopes for the rest of the book. It provided some necessary background, and I began to look forward to what was to come. Unfortunately, the rest of the book did not pan out as I hoped.

I was disappointed with Veil. It pales in comparison to the first book, where greater care is given to both character development and plot, where literary devices and symbolism captured my attention even if the main character frustrated me. Veil discards the elements that made the first book compelling and focuses on a plot-driven story that quickly jumps from one moment to the next. The ending is also rushed and had me my scratching head, wondering why the final resolution had not been considered beforehand rather than in that instant. Additionally, pivotal moments hardly made any dent in my emotional state. This might have been different had more time been spent laying the foundation as opposed to trying to get to the end.

I wish I could say Shae grows as a character, but she doesn’t exhibit much growth at all. She is armed with more knowledge and experience, but her decisions and actions continue to be frustrating. She doesn’t seem to learn from her past actions. It hardly seemed believable that she would be a sought-after asset, but she is; thus, also leading me to more head scratching. I know that I may come across as overly harsh, but the ending of Hush encouraged me to set higher expectations for Shae. It was disappointing when she didn’t live up to them.

Aside from Shae, the other characters received little time on the page. Kennan is a character I disliked immensely in the first book, but, surprisingly, she was the character I wish I had more time with. Her character development was one that deserved to be read on the page because she grows and does some incredible things. Mads and Fiona are present in the book as well. While Mads’s role was one I understood, Fiona did not seem like a necessary character at all. Again, I wish more time had been spent on developing the characters.

There are a lot of things I wish had been different, but Veil may be a worthwhile read for individuals who have read the first book and want to find out what happened. It provides an ending and gives closure.