Ambassador of Books ~ Book Club Madam ~ Blogger Gal

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The Hum and the Shiver (and giveaway)

Alex Bledsoe

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!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

This one sounds really good. I keep hearing mountain music in my head. LOL

Toss my name in the hat, Heather. Thanks for highlighting this one.

janezfan (at) yahoo (dot) com

Linda said...

Sounds so intriguing. I enjoy books in a series, but am pleased to know this could be a stand-alone without a cliff-hanging ending. Thanks for the giveaway.
lcbrower40(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

thanks for this great giveaway. Your review and thoughts interested me in this captivating novel. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

petite said...

I would enjoy this gripping story. Many thanks for this lovely feature. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Kirsten said...

This sounds fascinating. I appreciate your thoughtful review!

Kirsten
kessna6(at)yahoo(dot)com

Kailana said...

This sounds really good. I haven't heard of it before.

The Joy of Booking said...

This looks fantastic! What a great concept. I've heard of mysterious people in east TN, and even though this is fiction, I'd love to learn more about it.

Andi said...

This sounds FASCINATING!!!! This is the first I'm hearing of it. Will most definitely keep an eye out. I'm all for obscure cultures (especially when based on fact).

Ryan said...

This is the second mind blowing review I've read of this in the last 20 minutes. I really want this one, so please throw my name into the hat.

Thanks for the review and the opportunity!

fforgnayr@yahoo.com

CarrieM said...

Thanks for the post! This book seems intriguing. carrie dot hare at gmail dot com

christa @ mental foodie said...

Haven't heard of this book and it sounds intriguing!

cytljjb @ gmail com

ImageNations said...

This book reminds me of Sand Daughter by Sarah Bryant.

Amanda said...

Ooo...this one sounds so interesting!! I used to live in East Tennesse when I was in junior high and thought the area so so beautiful. I had no clue about the Melungeons. I'm reading about them now.

Way side note: did you like Maggie Steifvater series? I tried the first few chapters of Shiver and just couldn't get into it. The wolf obsession just seemed creepy. Maybe because it was audio - not sure.

I'd love to win this one though!

Cheers!
Amanda
libraryofmyown at gmail dot com

Gwendolyn B. said...

You already had me at "East Tennessee" but then you added "old world mystery and magic"!?! This sounds like a MUST read to me. And obviously, you loved it. Don't know if I'll be able to wait long enough to see if I can win a copy, but please throw my name in hat. Thanks for the chance!

geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com

Hoot aka Jessy said...

I have never heard of this book before but I love the sound of it.

hootowl1978 at gmail dot com

Matthew Selwyn said...

I'm really pleased you enjoyed this Heather - I've just finished reading and reviewing it, and it is certainly an enjoyable yarn. I also ran an interview with Alex - he seems like a really nice chap.

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