 | 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? |
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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. |
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© 2008-2010 Joanne Mosher of The Book Zombie. All rights reserved.
14 comments:
I can't decide on this book. I think I will get the library to buy it...
Great review! I can't decide if this book is for me or not.
Awesome review! I liked the different style you used this time around. I have to say, I was waiting to read some reviews for this book before I went out and got a copy. It seems like the book itself is very uneven and though there are some really good aspects, there are some pretty bad ones too. I still am not sure if I will read this one, but your review really gave me a lot to think about. Thanks!
Once I read about the similarity to the sparkly vampire (and I was wondering if you would make it through the review without mentioned the book that shall not be named) this book lost its appeal.
I'm still a little in lust with the cover, though.
I love this review! I agree with you totally. This book had a lot of resemblance to that other book plus Nora just doesn't have any sense at all. Why wasn't she more suspicious of the therapist? I mean, she always knew where Nora was! Patch was creepy at first but I liked him. One of the greatest things about this book was that it was an absolute page-turner. I couldn't put it down at all!
Well, you know how I felt about this book. I really, really, REALLY wanted to love it. I'm a sucker for a good cover, and this is fantastic. But I just couldn't make myself like it. I was pretty ambivelant about Nora. She was just so dumb sometimes I wanted to shake her. And I actually HATED Vee. The comparisons between this and that other book were just a bit much. Been there; done that.
Great Review, Joanne!!
Hmmm...I have a feeling that this might be a little too, er, sparkly-like for me :P Loved your review, though!
Hey Joanne, this was a really great review! I too often fall for books based on the jacket and hype and then am disappointed however, strangely enough, I STILL want to read Hush Hush, so not sure what that's about. Your 'too stupid to live' comment cracked me up big time..hellloooo Bella.
I'm a little unsure about this book. I've been hearing mixed things about it. I love your review - I trust your opinion so I'll probably give it a go but not set my expectations too high. :)
First of all, great review! It was really well balanced, and I loved it!
I am not sure what to think of this book : I really wanted to read it, but the mixed reviews make me think that maybe this book isn't for me. It sounds a little Twilight-ish for my taste!
Great review. I have this one on my shelf and I'm sure I'll read it, just not sure when. I absolutely fell for the cover though!
Love the relationship analogy--I've had a few books that were like that for me, too. I can't decide if I want to read this one or not. The cover is really beautiful, though!
Nice review, you made great points - thanks for including my book review on the bottom! :)
try FALLEN by lauren kate..its better =)
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