This was an enjoyable story of a strong woman who learned how to acknowledge her path and become stronger. The first strength is mainly physical agility, willfulness and a natural attractiveness. The second strength is being able to sense what is right for herself, and then pursue that.
The new culture Bledsoe invented is intriguing, easily assumed to be Native American (it's not), and includes traits we can internalize, e.g. making music together as community building, songs as a source of inner strength.
Maybe more foul language & loose sex than I usually select in a book, but it's nothing I haven't heard before. ( )

This book particularly appealed to me because it takes place in a thinly-disguised town in the next country from where I grew up in East Tennessee. And the Tufa people are a fantasy re-imagining of the Melungeon people who do, in fact, live in the area.
That said, I enjoyed the story, but only modestly. I may well read the sequel because Bledsoe does such masterful job of evoking my homeland. But it isn't a burning ambition at the moment.
[Audiobook note]: The audiobook is performed by two readers: one when the narration mostly comes from a female character; the other when it comes from a male. While I can understand why the producer chose to do this, I'm not sure it was the best decision. The female reader (Emily Janice Card) does a much better job of capturing the mountain accent. And the story might have been smoother without the back-and-forth transition between readers.] ( )

I really like the setting for this series and the world building done mostly through character interactions. It had a natural feel to it that I appreciate when being introduced to a new fantasy.
I'm still undecided how I feel about Bronwen, the main character, and I'm not sure what I think about the plot direction at the end, but I'm interested enough to try the next book.
It bothered me that her big challenges just worked themselves out, and the romance didn't really feel developed. The intense focus on the character's sexuality and history made me uncomfortable, perhaps because the author is male and it felt squicky. I realize that may not be fair. I'll check out the next and see how I like it.
( )

The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledso

I read this book a few months ago, I jumped right into another book when I finished and didn't write my thoughts down at the time. Thinking back, I've forgotten most of the book. I remember a few high points, but most of the characters and relationships were forgettable.

The concept behind the book is intriguing. The sense of place and atmosphere in general are well developed. But the over all plot (and supposed reveal that you're going to guess way before it's spelled out, enough that you'll probably find yourself saying "just get it over with and spill the beans already) and character developement are where the book gets stuck.

I had a hard time understanding the characters. Both the good and the bad. I just didn't buy into why they did the things they did. The relationships between characters ranged from unrelatable to uncomfortable. The relationship between the main character and her mother was the one I had the hardest time with. It seemed like every time that relationship was explored I just dropped out of the story.

The ingredients are there. But unless I hear that the next book is a vast improvement, I dont' think I'll be continuing with the series. ( )

When I got a copy of The Fairies of Sadieville, the latest book in the Tufa series did I not started directly with it as I usually do, despite that I usually have no problem about reading books, not from the beginning. I have wanted to read this series for a while now, and having all the previous available as audiobooks gave me the chance to listen to all the previous books in order before starting to read The Fairies of Sadieville. And, after finishing this book is my advice to do the same. Yes, the books can be read stand-alone. But, you will get a greater appreciation and understanding of the characters reading the books in order. Not to mention that the books are great!

The Hum and the Shiver introduce us to the Tufa that lives in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. No one knows where they came from and it's said that they were there before the white men arrived and even before the native Americans arrived in the country.

Bronwyn Hyatt is a pure-blood Tufa who has arrived home as a hero after surviving an ambush that killed many of her fellow soldiers, and that led her to kill ten men. But, the danger isn't over for her. Omen points to that someone in her family will die and her ex-boyfriend is not over her. And, she's having problems remembering the music that is so important for the Tufa. If there is one genre I love is it urban fantasy and the Tufa series is right up my alley. Well-written, with a story about a mysterious people that live in the Smoky Mountain.

The Hum and the Shiver introduced us to the characters, like Bronwyn Hyatt, Bliss Overbay, Rockhouse Hicks and Mandalay Harris. All important characters in the Tufa community. The Tufa isn't one group of people, there are those that follow Mandalay and those that follow Rockhouse Hicks. It's a fascinating story and I was engrossed in the story. I liked listening to the narrated version, it's the kind of book that made working easier because the book fascinated me so much that I didn't mind working. ( )