hush, hush

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Product Description
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…until Patch comes 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 whom 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 far 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. 

Review
Ummm…I’m kind of stumped on this one. I mean, I love the cover art for this book, I could stare at it all day long, and the book trailer is just WOW, plus the story’s premise – very intriguing and very promising…so, how the heck did this story fall flatter than a fallen angel? Hush, Hush is so awkward. And not in a cute way.

I guess the awkwardness was maybe the point, but I was not amused. Patch, a fallen angel who came to Earth centuries ago to be with a human woman, wants more than anything to be human himself. Nora, a high school sophomore, is all about books over boys. So when Nora and Patch are paired together in biology, she doesn’t understand her immediate attraction to him. And I didn’t get it either.

I felt no emotional connection between the couple, and I certainly couldn’t understand why Patch wouldn’t accept Nora’s sacrifice so he could finally become human. I kept reading, hoping things would get better, but it just got more annoying. Their conversations were pointless. The first half of the book is all about Nora jumping to crazy, illogical conclusions and the second half is to fantastical to be believable. Vee, Nora’s best friend, was way over exaggerated. And there were too many (pointless) ‘villains’ in the story: Marcie Millar (snotty popular girl in school), Elliot (a minion), Jules (an immortal), and Dabria (an angel of death and Patch’s ex-girlfriend).

I may be over thinking this but I kind of don’t understand why the author chose to target a story like this for YA. I mean, sexual innuendos aside, there is no actual sex, but if you thought Edward Cullen was creepy by sneaking into Bella’s bedroom, what would you think of a centuries old fallen angel who possesses human bodies and targets a 15 year old. Just because he looks like a teenager doesn’t mean it’s okay to write stories like this.

Overall, a quick read with shallow explanations on the nature of fallen angels. It could have been so much better with more careful development of religion, sociology, and mythology. I guess it doesn’t help that I read this book right after reading The Gargoyle, which was mind blowing. Bottom line, this ‘Fallen Angel’ series is much better at selling their books with cover art than with story content.

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Product Description
Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can’t figure out if it’s for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy, Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The further Nora delves into the mystery of her father’s death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim bloodline has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn’t answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

Release Date: October 19, 2010

Drew Doyon: hush, hush cover model

7 comments

Posted at 8:39 pm  •  Labels: 2 stars, 2010, angels, Book Review, trailers, YA, YALSA's Teens' Top Ten 2010