The Hum and the Shiver (and giveaway)

The Hum and the Shiver

by Alex Bledsoe

352 pages

About the Book

from the author's website:

No one knows where the Tufa came from, or how they ended up in the mountains of East Tennessee. When the first Europeans came to the Smoky Mountains, the Tufa were already there. Dark-haired and enigmatic, they live quietly in the hills and valleys of Cloud County, their origins lost to history. But there are clues in their music, hidden in the songs they have passed down for generations…. 

Private Bronwyn Hyatt, a true daughter of the Tufa, has returned from Iraq wounded in body and spirit. But her troubles are far from over. Cryptic omens warn of impending tragedy, while a restless “haint” has followed her home from the war. Worse yet, Bronwyn has lost touch with herself and with the music that was once a part of her. With death stalking her family, will she ever again join in the song of her people, and let it lift her onto the night winds?

Why I Read It

Come on now, didn't that summary intrigue you in the least?! It completely captured my attention and I immediately agreed to be part of the PR by the Book book tour.

My Thoughts

Once I got halfway through this book I COULD NOT put it down - I stayed up until 2am on a weeknight because I simply HAD to know how everything would turn out. If that isn't a great recommendation then I don't know what is!

But seriously, this is a fantastic book. Take a wounded female Iraqi War veteran, toss her into a music-filled mountain culture, and throw in a bit of old-world mystery and magic and you get a wonderfully original story.  The poor girl finally makes it home after being shot and partially blown up only to have her mother tell her that a ghost has been hanging around waiting to give her a message. Say what?!?! This mix of modern and magic may make you think of Urban Fantasy but the book is anything but Urban and it doesn't fit with my idea of UF. Not sure what exactly I would call it, but it's good!

The Tufa people were created by the author but  based on a real group of people whose origins are unknown. You can read about it on his website if you are interested. The fact that the idea for the Tufa came from real people made me love this book even more - the world, though magical, seemed all the more possible.

This book is meant to be the first in a series about the Tufa. I'm excited about that because I definitely want to get to know these characters better. That said, for those who don't want to be sucked into a series, this book also works as a stand alone novel. Although there is an overarching storyline that will continue into the next book, the plot of this book comes to a satisfying conclusion by the end; no cliffhangers to torment you until the release of the next book (I'm thinking of you, Maggie Steifvater!).

I hope many of you will give this unusual book a shot - I'm thinking it may be one of my top reads this year!

Giveaway 

Thanks to PR by the Book I have one copy of this fantastic novel to give away.

The Rules:
- This giveaway is open to the US/Canada.
- To enter leave a comment on this post.
- If your email address is not easily accessible via your blog, please include your email in your comment.
- A winner will be chosen randomly on Oct. 11 and will be contacted by email.
- The winner must reply to my email within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks and good luck! I hope that the winner enjoys this book as much as I did!