 | A Sacred Oath, A Fallen Angel, A Forbidden Love. Nora Grey is responsible and smart and not inclined to be reckless. Her first mistake was falling for Patch. Patch has a past that could be called anything but harmless. The best thing he ever did was fall for Nora. After getting paired with Patch in biology, all Nora wants to do is stay away from him, but he always seems to be two steps ahead of her. She can feel his eyes on her even when he is nowhere around. She feels him nearby even when she is alone in her bedroom. And when her attraction can be denied no longer, she learns the secret about who Patch is and what led him to her. Despite all the questions she has about his past, in the end, there may be only one question they can ask each other: How far are you willing to fall? |
My Thoughts
Hush, Hush is a toughie for me, I’ve been trying to figure out exactly how I feel about it and how to say it for a few days now, and the closest I can come is this: Reading Hush, Hush was like finding the perfect guy/girl, gorgeous, smart and creative – then things start getting rough and the relationship is over – but you still yearn for that perfect guy/girl. Total shenanigans!
So let’s break it down into what I liked versus what I disliked:
Obviously looks are the first thing a person might notice, and this book is a hottie! Whoever designed that cover is a genius. We’ve got a falling angel which is simple enough, but the black-red wings add a touch of darkness. Not to mention the guy himself, he’s not just falling, he appears to be fighting for whatever hold he can get. GRADE = A+
The next step in the relationship would be that first meeting, when you exchange those important first words – this is the make or break step. If you like what you see/hear you can move onto phase two, if not c’est la vie. (In book terms this stage would be flipping to the synopsis and giving it a read.) For me the book description was a total turn-on. There’s Nora, a smart and responsible high-school girl. Then there is Patch, mysterious, intriguing and maybe a little bit of a bad boy. Allusions to secrets add some spice to the scenario and then that last line: “How far are you willing to fall?” Total hook, line and sinker for me. GRADE = Another A+
Now we get down to the nitty-gritty – commitment. I liked what I saw and what I heard so I was willing to give this book a shot at a reading relationship. Here’s where things start to derail. Nora ends up not being as smart or responsible as the description stated (The Book Smugglers called her the “worst TSTL (Too Stupid to Live) heroine” definitely check out that fantastic review) I’d agree 100% If Nora were in a Choose Your Own Adventure book, she’d never make it past the first chapter. Then we have Patch, who I was so interested in finding more out about – but he ends up being pretty boring/totally obnoxious to tell the truth. And creepy, not in a good way, more like that weird, sparkly vampire who sneaks into bedrooms to watch girls sleeping (you know who I’m talking about.) It was too obvious that this relationship was headed into “She hates him, she loves him, but she’s scared of him, but she can’t keep her eyes off him” territory. (Oh and I should mention they met in Biology class when they became seatmates.) GRADE = FAIL
Anyone whose ever been in a relationship knows it’s never just two people – when you date someone, it almost always seems like you end up dating their friends too. Kinda like in-laws. Sometimes a person gets lucky and ends up enjoying the friendships that come as a package deal. Sometimes though, luck is not such a lady. For example, Nora’s BFF Vee – every time she appeared in the story I got the feeling she would actually sound like a “Valley Girl.” The other two secondary characters, Elliot and Jules, a pair of rich-boys looking to hook up with Nora and Vee, were not as bad in the annoying sense, but they were sadly two dimensional. GRADE = FAIL (EPIC FAIL in Vee’s case.)
Mystery in a relationship can be a good thing or a bad thing. Deep, dark secrets or a back-story finally revealed, can sometimes make a relationship stronger. There are lots of secrets to discover in Nora and Patch’s relationship, even if it is a little one-sided. Patch has a lot of skeletons in his closet, and Nora is gonna smash that door until they all come tumbling out. Here is where the whole Angel/Fallen Angel mythos comes into play. The entire reason why I was so into this book. Surely I can’t be the only one whose starting to get a little tired of vampires? Knowing that Hush, Hush was headed in a whole different realm of paranormality was exciting. And Fallen Angels have always been particularly interesting to me. However, with that said (and no more because I want to stay spoiler-free) this interpretation of these mythical beings was a bit too haphazard. It was certainly a creative premise, but it felt a bit rushed. But there is a sequel coming in 2010 that could improve on this aspect. GRADE = B+
Every thing in life must end, and although Hush, Hush does end, the relationship between Nora and Patch looks like it’s just getting started. The ending I read in the ARC is not the ending that appears in the final book. However the finalized ending was available to be read online, and there really wasn’t much difference that I could see. Either ending indicates that this story isn’t over. Adding up all the pluses and minuses of my relationship with Hush, Hush leads me to conclude that this book wasn’t what I’d hoped for at all (my expectations were extremely high, perhaps due to the hype surrounding Hush, Hush.) But like a lot of relationships that end on a sour note, I have this uncontrollable urge to try again. Which means I will most likely give the next book Crescendo a shot. Maybe I’ll end up being let-down, but then again maybe the good things I expected in this first go will come through for me with a second chance.
 | About The Author Becca Fitzpatrick grew up reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden with a flashlight under the covers. She graduated college with a degree in health, which she promptly abandoned for storytelling. When not writing, she’s most likely prowling sale racks for reject shoes, running, or watching crime dramas on TV. Hush, Hush is her first novel. She lives in Colorado. |
© 2008-2010 Joanne Mosher of The Book Zombie. All rights reserved.
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