The Hushed

What a unique premise and world! K. R. Blair’s latest noel, The Hushed, is a moving and atmospheric paranormal thriller combined with a forbidden romance. Eerie Ashwood attends the local community college and works part-time at a diner in Rearden Falls, North Carolina. However, she’s not a typical college student.

She’s a Hushed, a living secret created by the death of a human who had something to hide. While they look human, they are compelled to tell their secret to the one that it would hurt the most. However, if the do, the Hushed will die immediately afterwards.

However, Eerie and her brother Fabian aren’t like most Hushed. They can’t remember their secrets. They just know they’re connected to a local prison fire. Everything starts changing when Eerie meets Logan Winspeare, the son of one of the inmate fire victims. But as Eerie starts remembering things, the history of the Hushed starts to play a role in the plot.

The main characters have depth and experience growth over the course of the tale making them more dynamic and relatable. Readers get to see Eerie’s near-photographic memory in action as well as feel how frightened she is. Logan is strong and believes his mother was innocent and wrongly convicted of murder. There’s a vulnerability about him that makes him feel realistic and elicits empathy. However, I wanted more character depth for the secondary characters.

The plot is multi-layered and complex with some original world-building concepts. The premise is intriguing. Additionally, the first sentence grabs your attention and the story line keeps you engaged. The narrative gives insight into how people who are different are often bullied, segregated, and treated badly, even if there are laws protecting them. Being afraid of someone different leads to different actions from the tertiary characters.

The story is somewhat strange, twisty and atmospheric, as well as filled with suspense, danger, and action. It’s heartbreaking at times, and riveting throughout. However, the pacing felt off at times and the ending was a little too abrupt. Threads of fear, power, panic, hatred, trust, love, friendship, complex relationships, and found family run throughout the novel.

Overall, this was an intense, engaging, and emotional paranormal thriller with a science fiction vibe that was filled with surprises and twists. If you enjoy original thrillers, then I recommend that you check out this one. I am looking forward to finding out this author writes next. Will there be a sequel?

Blackstone Publishing and K. R, Blair provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for October 01, 2024.