Hush, Hush

Hush, Hush
by Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

YA Paranormal Fantasy
400 pages, Hardcover
Target reader: 14+

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
978-1416989417
Release Date: October 13, 2009



From the publisher:

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and 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 Nora 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 her life.

Read excerpt.

**NOTE: Some spoilers contained in this review.**

I heard so much about this book that I was really looking forward to reading it. While it was okay—basic plot is good and has potential, characters are okay, idea of fallen angels and nephilim is intriguing—it's not going on my all-time favorites list.

One complaint I have is that the book is uneven, inconsistent. Sometimes the plot is really good, sometimes it's predictable, sometimes confusing. Sometimes the pacing is good; sometimes it's too slow. Sometimes the characters are great; sometimes they're flat. There's some violence. I guess when you're dealing with fallen angels, you get that. There is also way too much sexual innuendo for my comfort.

Another complaint is the romantic relationship is so one-sided. Patch is mean, dangerous, and doesn't have Nora's best interests at heart. In fact, he tries to kill her more than once. And Nora knows it! Or at least, she's pretty sure about it. Patch is constantly rude to Nora, pushing her away—but every once in awhile, he gives her a little crumb of positive attention and she is such an idiot that she falls for it. And falls for him. Even though she is afraid of him. What is wrong with her?!?

But my biggest complaint is that it just is unbelievable in too many places. For example (there will be some spoilers):

• Nora takes iron pills when she's stressed and they work immediately to de-stress her. Really? Iron pills do that? Why haven't we heard of that before?
  
  
• The high school science teacher does a sex ed class, using students as examples. Totally inappropriate. He'd be fired—or worse.
  
  
• Nora is caught in the records office by the principal. She gives him a really lame excuse for being there and he buys it. No consequences. Seriously?
  
  
• Nora, who is portrayed as ultra-responsible, leaves her best friend at an amusement park with two guys they barely know so she can be with Patch. Who would do that?
  
  
• Nora calls her purse a handbag. My grandma calls her purse a handbag, but I don't know any 16 year old that would.
  
  
• Nora always keeps her cell phone in her pocket. Always. But when she needs to be caught without resources in the story line, she has conveniently left it in the car. Don't buy it.
  
  
• The previous school psychiatrist is calle DR. Hendrickson; the new one is MISS Greene. What? And she doesn't act like a psychiatrist at all, offering Nora orange juice, shaking her hand, offering up her back story with very little prompting.
  
  
• Nora lives out in the middle of nowhere, with the nearest house a mile away. Yet her mother regularly leaves her alone for weeks when she travels for work. No. No good mother would do that.

And there was so much more that just fell short of my willing suspension of disbelief. Clueless adults. Stupid girls. Unlikeable heroes. And yet...

Now that I've picked the book apart, I do have to say that the parts that were good, were good. This is my first book about fallen angels and nephilim, so that's a new idea for me. It was actually kind of fun to think about.

Nora and Patch have that same doomed, yet irresistible attraction that is so popular in the current paranormal fantasies. (Think Twilight.) I mostly like Nora, despite her idiocy at times. And when Patch isn't acting like a jerk, I like him. But I don't think Nora and Patch will replace Bella and Edward in the hearts of YA paranormal romance lovers.

Some parts of the plot were very good. There were some unexpected twists. It wasn't completely obvious who the bad boy was, or who Miss Greene would turn out to be. That was good. Also, it was a very easy read. Despite it's unbelievable parts, it was easy to get lost in the story. I also found the ending very intriguing and loaded with potential, and yes, I will be reading the next one in the series.

Plot:

Characters:

Ending:


Cover: Awesome cover!


Content Ratings

Language: Some light swearing; some sexual innuendo.

Violence: Murder, attempted murder. Masked men break in and terrorize teenage girls. There's a whole crazy demon scene at the end that's pretty violent.

Drugs/Alcohol: Trying to remember on this...I think there's some underage drinking.

Immorality: Begins with implied out-of-wedlock relationship; sex jokes and innuendo; steamy kissing scenes.

Values/Themes: This is another one of those books where the girl goes for the bad boy with no obvious redeeming characteristics because she feels like she knows him. This is stupid and dangerous behavior.

Age Appropriate: I'd say 16 or older.

Writing Mechanics: My editing fingers were really itching on this one.


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