Book Review: The Hum and the Shiver By Alex Bledsoe

The Hum and the Shiver By Alex Bledsoe

Yasmine Sami 

The Hum and the Shiver is a rare find of a book in a saturated market of fantasy literature. It also possess a rare quality because it doesn't seem to fall into that category because it draws a very distinct line between reality and make believe, pulling you into both worlds, edging you on to figure out where you wish to stand. 

The main protagonist Brownyn Hyatt is a true embodiment of a 21st century woman, that happens to descend from an ancient blood line known as the Tufa. She is one of a string of compelling characters that though interesting, are not very dimensional, except for Brownyn herself. That really isn't a problem for readers though because it is Bledsoe's amazing ability to draw you into the story by leaving you bread crumbs is what makes this book a real page turner. On the surface you are lead to believe you are going to read a story about a woman grappling with her experience as a soldier who is returning home from the Iraq war, after having been badly injured. That is all smoke and mirrors though because the writer draws you into a world full of unexpected twists and turns. 

The real center of the book is how music is valued and how that concept flows delicately through the novel but only at first, until the music itself becomes a character just as valuable as Brownyn. As one turns the last few pages of the book they come to realize that the music and not the Tufa people is the real backbone of the novel. 

Number of pages in book: 346