Published: May 2009 by HarperTeen
Format: Hardback, 391 pages
First Reviewed: March 2011
Buy: Barnes & Noble//Books-A-Million//Amazon//Book Depository
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A sacred oath. A fallen angel. A forbidden love.
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.
Rating: 3/5
This was a re-read because I never got around to reading the sequel and I needed to refresh my memory. I first read it back in '09 (wow, time files!) and I remember I enjoyed it then, but re-reading it, I think I liked it more. Now, this time around I was more aware of the whole "Hush, Hush is a Twilight rip-off!" debate crap, but to be honest, I'm not a fan of Twilight and while I found similarities between the two, I still really like Hush, Hush. Shoot me, but I do. Guilty Pleasure. I can't help it.
Foggy and eerie and Maine and awesome. I really felt the coldness and I felt it set the tone for the story. It made me think of everything in kind of a dark and mysterious shade, and I love when settings get me that involved.
For the most part, I really liked the characters. And for the rest of the part, I just liked them. The main character, Nora, was an average girl, and I think that's what many seem to have a problem with when I read others' reviews, but for me, I felt she was a three-dimensional average girl with a strong voice--the writing had a lot to do with that, though. As for the sexy (that word makes me laugh...I never say it. haha!) male counterpart...I liked him. He was intriguing and mysterious, but did sort of fall into that "unoriginal" trap with some of his traits. And one more shout out to Vee, Nora's best friend. I swear, she had me laughing out loud, literally. The few I felt fell a bit flat were all minor characters. And mainly, I just wanted a little more from them. They were pretty much just okay, and I wished I could have loved them as much as the others.
Really enjoy Fitzpatrick's writing style. She manages to capture me upfront and make me read on, which is probably why I like this book more than others. If it were just the plot and a different writing style, I don't think I would have liked it as much, if at all. But I felt the writing flowed well, the dialogue was realistic, and the narrative was strong. This is one of the few reads where I can literally just sit down and read it all in one setting because the writing is good. I honestly don't have anything negative to say about the writing. It was strong, believable, and nice to read.
For most of the book, I actually really enjoyed it. I felt I was there in the book, the characters were solid, the plot moved along at a great pace, in my opinion, and it had the mystery and dark elements I always like. What bothered me a bit was a scene toward the end that I felt was a bit rushed and part of the mystery was a bit predictable. Also, I felt a few open ends, which may be on purpose, I won't know until I read Crescendo, but I felt one in particular...actually two in particular, were just wrapped up too easily. I would have liked to see more with those. And lastly, there were some of those paranormal romance cliches that could have been avoided. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this. Sure, maybe it's not all original, but you know, sometimes books just need to be good reads.
Oh, and can I just...*dies from beauty* My god, this is the best cover I've ever seen. I may be exaggerating a little bit...okay, no I'm not. The cover is freaking phenomenal! Amazing! That is all.
And I noticed this the first time I read it, but I still think it's funny. My edition has chapters 20, 21, 21, and 23. haha! No 22 and double the 21! :) Anyway, I'll say it again: Shoot me, but I like this. Goes to show that you can't always trust others' reviews. We all have different tastes. :)
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