Hush, Hush
by Becca Fitpatrick
Published by Simon & Schuster
Book One in the Hush, Hush Series
A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE
Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.
RATED: 15+ CATEGORY: MOOD:
Violence Young Adult Annoying
Fantasy
Hush, Hush is the first book in Becca Fitzgerald's Hush, Hush series, centering around sixteen year old Nora Grey, who catches the eye of Patch, her new partner in sex ed. She likes him, but doesn't trust him. Especially when odd and scary things begin to happen to her, and Patch is always around when they do. Her mission to get answers leads to some unbelievable truths, that put her in more danger then she could imagine.
Dear God, what have I done? This book almost ended up on my DNF (Did Not Finish) list, but honestly, I wanted to finish it JUST so I can write this review, telling you all how much I disliked this book. But before I do that, I want to point out the things I did like, and why this book has been on my TBR for a while now. The cover. Honestly, that freaking cover drew me in. It's beautiful. I also thought the concept of fallen angels is interesting as hell. And that's it. Seriously. My problems with this book start with the choppy, inconsistant writing. The repetitiveness was boring and uninspired. Becca Fitzgerald couldn't seem to settle on an idea, so she threw all of them on the page. I think the first book should have been just focusing on the mystery of Patch. Instead we get this weird mish-mash of enemies. My second problem is the unoriginality. Yet another YA of an untypical teenager girl, who hasn't noticed the opposite sex until we meet the love interest in the book. Too many times I was reminded of Twilight. I was bored. You do not get the opportunity to use your brain reading this book ... everything is spoon fed to you.
Speaking of boring ... the characters. Being in Nora Grey's mind was chaotic. Her thoughts were all over the place, and most of the time, when learning something new, she would jump to the most ridiculous conclusion, with no thoughts on how she got there. Patch was the most interesting character in the bunch, but Becca lost me when she didn't give me the opportunity to find out what he is, and what he wants, on my own. She could have slid clues in, giving readers a chance to guess before finding out. Instead, we get a google search. One. Freaking. Google. Search. The dialogue is, again, choppy, and uninspired. The romance came out of no where. When spending 99% of the book dodging the guy because you think he is trying to kill you, and yet, at the end, -------------> they apparently want to be together? What? At what point did these characters even get to know one another? <----------------. I won't even get into the other characters. Viv went from the "comic relief" character (that was cringe at best) to an absolutely annoying character, that defined what a friend should not be.
I didn't mean to ramble this long. Especially on a book that, as you can tell, I did not enjoy. But here it is. If you are still with me, thanks! You are great! Have you read Hush, Hush? What did you think?
Patch and Nora playing pool
Vee high
Coach: "Human reproduction can be a sticky subject -"
Students: "Ewww!"
Nora: "You're not impressing me."
Patch: "I haven't started trying yet."
Patch: "Say 'provoking' again. Your mouth looks provocative when you do."
Coach: "You've found one girl who fits your profile - attractive, intelligent, and vulnerable. How do you let her know you're interested?"
Patch: "Single her out. Talk to her."
Coach: "Good. Now for the big question - how do you know if she's game or if she wants you to move on?"
Patch: "I study her. I figure out what she's thinking and feeling. She's not going to come right out and tell me, which is why i have to pay attention. Does she turn her body toward mine? Does she hold my eyes, then look away? Does she hold bite her lip and play with her hair, the way Nora is doing right now?"
Laughter rose in the room. I dropped my hands to my lap.
Patch: "She's game."
Coach: "Very good! Very good!"
Patch: "The blood vessels in Nora's face are widening. She knows she's being evaluated. She likes the attention, but she's not sure how to handle it."
Nora: "I am not blushing."
Patch: "She's nervous. She's stroking her arm to draw attention away from her face and down to her figure, or maybe her skin. Both are strong selling points."
Nora: "This is ridiculous."
Coach: "And there you have it! Biology in motion."
Patch: "You smell good too."
Nora: "It's called a shower. Soap. Shampoo. Hot water."
Patch: "Naked. I know the drill."
Vee: "He'd better bring chips soon. I'll break out in hives if I don't eat something salty within the next forty-five seconds. And anyway, the first three letters in the word diet should tell you what I want it to do."
Before I could stop myself, I punched his arm.
Patch: "Careful. They might think we're flirting."
Nora: "If you can't feel, why did you kiss me?"
Patch traced a finger along my collarbone, then headed south, stopped at my heart.
Patch: "Because I feel it here, in my heart."