Hush, Hush [Hardcover]

Firstly, I should confess to not being a teenager being in my early 30s, so I am not, strictly speaking, the intended audience for this book. However, I really enjoy this type of fiction and I am glad that I was persuaded by the reviews, to buy it.

The story is compelling with plenty of mystery and action to keep you interested. I liked the characters and I thought that they were believable and engaging. I read the book very quickly in 2 sittings because I couldn't wait to see where it was all leading.

My only criticisms are: 1) lack of description- I never had a clear picture in my head of where it was all happening. I also don't have any sort of image of what the characters look like. If you asked me now, I could tell you that Nora had wild curly hair, Vee was curvy, Patch had black hair and Jules was tall. That is it. It would have been much easier to really get absorbed in the story if the characters and the setting had been more vividly described. 2) Maybe a little more guidance on the whole nephil/fallen angel history would have been helpful. I know there are a lot of fiction books in this genre and some people might be well-aquainted with it, but if this is your first foray into the genre, you might find it lacking in detail.

Don't let any of that put you off though! It's well-worth reading and I expect I will want to read it again soon. I hope there are going to be follow up books too, because I would like to know more about Nora and Patch's future.

Nora Grey isn't your typical high school student in the sense that she spends a lot of time on her own and yet concentrates on her studies and has her head on straight. She is that good girl that doesn't want any trouble and, slightly reminding me of Rory from my beloved Gilmore Girls in the "has her sights set on Yale and nothing will stand in her way" attitude (and yes, I know Rory was Harvard-bound, but you get where I'm going). But trouble seems to find her in the form of that mysteriously gorgeous bad boy, Patch.

And Patch...how can I describe Patch without turning into a puddle of mush? Well, he's trouble, plain and simple. But he's that good kind of trouble that just about anyone with the XX chromosome is attracted to. He's got the sarcasm down to an art and there's also the fact there's something about him that's not quite right.

Becca Fitzpatrick has done a beautiful job with not only the characters in HUSH, HUSH, but also the imagery is phenomenal. There are moments when she describes the scenery and it feels as if you are walking through places they frequented. And yet even in what should be the most innocent of events, there seemed to be this undertone that something dangerous was near.

And one thing that makes me over the moon is the fact that every character serves a purpose. There's not all these extra characters thrown in there along the way, with no explanation of why. I like that. The only thing about the entire story that got me was Vee, but just a little. I found Vee to be one of those friends that you have to take care of and keep an eye on like you do a child. A bit reckless and self-absorbed, but she still plays her role.

There were times when I found myself literally laughing out loud, like for this particular gem: "I scribbled Jerk on the first line. On the line beneath it I added, Smokes cigars, Will die of lung cancer. Hopefully soon. Excellent physical shape." The above was from Nora, shortly after her first couple of encounters with Patch.

Despite the many humorous gems I found throughout the entire book, this is also a dark novel, and in saying that, there are moments when I would gasp in shock or surprise. It seemed that over the course of 400 pages, I went through every emotion possible, and that's a good thing! Few authors can create a world and a cast of characters that sticks in your head like these do.

Of course, there are already a few different comparisons going on throughout the blogosphere. One being the comparison between HUSH, HUSH and TWILIGHT. Now, of course there are similarities, but they are far from the same novel, or even in the same ballpark for that matter, and the majority of similarities (bad boy/good girl, bad boy has some sort of "different" attribute, fall in love) are similar in books with just about any form of romance over the last couple hundred years. Then there are those (the Biology room as a beginning) that are clearly similar, but they don't make the stories the same.

Then there's the comparison of Edward from said TWILIGHT and Patch. And there's also this comparison of Spike and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and later Angel) and Patch. As someone who was never a fan of either of these shows, I can't comment on that side of the argument because I have no insight on either of those characters. But I can comment on the Edward comparison; and boy, let me tell you, Edward ain't got nothing on Patch! The only thing that Edward has over Patch is those sparkles, but Patch has scars, and scars beat sparkles hands down!

HUSH, HUSH seemed to captivate me in a way that no other book has since...I don't quite remember. I haven't stayed up until 2am reading anything in a long while, much less a 400 page book in one sitting! And if my review can't convince you to read this awesomeness, then just look at the cover! It's haunting, beautiful, memorable, and drop dead sexy...just like the story within.

This is the hardest review I've written and I mean that in a good way. HUSH, HUSH is a title that for the most part receives automatic squeals and excitement simply from its name alone, and there is a reason for all of this commotion. That reason, in short, is because it is fantastically amazing!

Reviewed by: Samantha Clanton, aka Harlequin Twilight

First off, this is an absolutely amazing book. I was lucky enough to spot it in Sydney Airport a couple weeks ago and the cover was just so... alluring, shall we say? that I couldn't NOT buy it. The blurb on the back was enough to get me cavorting to the check out desk - the mere mention of angels, good or bad, promises a good read. I was in love with this book from cover to cover and it even provoked a couple of all-nighters because I simply could not put it down. The relationship between Nora and Patch is frustrating and terrifying and heart-wrenching - but in a good way. Becca Fitzpatrick manages with skill and ease to build up tangible tension until you yourself are sitting there, biting your lip in apprehension and terror, with your heart pounding so loud you can practically hear it... and then she pulls it all away from under you again. The plot is exceptional - I never could guess what was coming next - and at times you didn't even have time to recover from one shock before another jumped out of nowhere. The characters are beautifully written and feel real. Nora is headstrong and intelligent, but still relatable, while Patch is always two steps ahead and infuriatingly addictive. Just when you think he won't really do/say something, he does. He has the perfect amount of mystery surrounding him - enough to keep you on your toes, but not too much that you lose interest. Vee is the comic relief - because, believe me, you need it - she had me laughing out loud the whole way through, and she's the kind of best friend every girl wants. As if all of this wasn't enough, Becca Fitzpatrick is one of those authors who loves to interact with and hear from her fans - send her an email telling her how much you loved the book, and anything else, your own points of view, and she'll get right back to you, showing genuine interest in what you have to say.

Now, what I don't get is that this book is written in a different style, with different themes, characters and everything else, and still people are comparing it to Twilight. Stephenie Meyer's vampire saga was amazing - until they made it into films. And really, how stupid was that? Hollywood is probably the farthest away place culturally you could get from Forks, Washington, so why they even attempted to make a convincing portrayal of these books I will never know. They've become a total gimmick, caricatures of themselves, and as far as I'm concerned, have lost any dignity they ever had. If you are going to let somebody make your books into films, at least make sure you have a lot of control and say over how it all happens before you sign the contracts. Stephenie Meyer's books and Becca Fitzpatrick's new novel have absolutely nothing in common, so why is everybody starting to use Twilight as a benchmark for what makes a good teen novel? Can't anybody's book just be left alone to be ITSELF and not have anything to do with Edward Cullen and Bella Swan and Jacob Black? Does everything have to be comparable to those books? I think not.

So, don't buy this book if you're looking for something to replace the Twilight saga, because you will be buying it for the wrong reasons. Buy it to read it for what it is - a debut novel by a fantastic writer about entirely new characters and plots you've never come across before. Open the first page, clear your mind, and enjoy the book for what it is.

Also, just a heads up, there is a sequel due out sometime next autumn, so don't feel too sad when you come to the end of Hush, Hush :)!