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If, like me, you were completely enamored with Johnny and Jack from The Last Child, here’s your chance to find out where time and space has landed the childhood friends. Be warned though, this might not be what you had in mind when you thought about a follow-up.

From the suspense driven whodunnit of The Last Child, to a mystery swathed in magical realism, it’s safe to say, John Hart took a bit of a risk with The Hush. If you’re not a reader that suspends disbelief easily—hello, that’s me!—this might not work for you. Missing was the frantic page turning frenzy his writing usually incites; replaced instead by this mantra, “keep an open mind . . . keep an open mind . . . keep an open mind.�� That’s never a good sign, am I right?

Hush Arbor or The Hush��6,000 acres of dense woods, swamp, rocky terrain, creatures and spookiness—is known for having a bit of a shady history. Once belonging to Johnny's ancestors, but ultimately signed over to a group of freed slaves, the land reverted back to Johnny on a technicality after the death of one of the pivotal characters from The Last Child.

Something about Hush Arbor captured Johnny’s heart immediately and he chose to become a hermit of sorts, living in a desolate cabin and watching over his property from a ancient tree. People that step foot on the land experience a host of things—weightiness, the sense of being watched, hours unaccounted for, disorientation and for some, it costs them the ultimate price. Unearthing what transpired between Johnny’s ancestors and the slaves is ultimately the mystery that drives the story. Who or what are the strange beings that now inhabit the land and torture the visitors? Again, not a storyline that got my blood pumping. In fact, the last 25% of the story was sort of torturous. Ludicrous. Pointless. Blah. You pick the adjective.

While this is technically a follow-up, in no way is The Last Child required reading beforehand. In fact, although most of the characters are present and accounted for, so much time has passed between the two stories—there’s a 10 year gap in the timeline—they’re almost unrecognizable, along with the writing itself. It’s like starting all over with a new cast and maybe even a new author.

*A big thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.