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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Take the most generic YA story you can come up with, and you basically have Hush, Hush. Even the cover is horribly generic to the YA genre. And I'm talking about the not so good YA books.
Honestly, I wish I could give this 0 stars. If I could really have my dreams come true, I'd give it negative ones.
So who wants to hear me rant?
To break it down: Nora Grey is a smart, capable, and independent girl. Whose character is basically destroyed at the introduction of Patch, a dark, mysterious, and frustrating boy. He basically swoops into Nora's life and changes everything she knows. Suddenly, she's being attacked and no one else can see what's going on. Patch seems to know everything about her, seems to be everywhere she is, and he seems to make all of her common sense fly out the window. She feels, and I quote from multiple scenes, 'drawn' to him.
There are so many things that bothered me about this book. So I'll go into them.
For one thing, Nora's character. In essence, she's a great character, totally human and realistic. She's independent, very smart, and strong-willed. Except, of course, around Patch. Because she's so 'drawn' to him, anytime she's around him she basically just feels like she wants to kiss him, despite everything that she logically thinks. And that really, really bothers me. Because Patch does not have consent to do basically anything that he does to Nora, but despite this, he pretty much gets away with this. And this weird fact messes with Nora's logic and her smarts and her ability to act on her own. And it's never explained, not fully. Everything else is, but this weird feeling she gets around him really isn't.
And Nora is a good character too, which almost makes this worse - she's very realistic. She's afraid of plenty of things and very guarded. She has some severe anemia, and a boisterous best friend and a sad backstory. Overall, she's a pretty good character. But the fact that her entire life is basically taken over and her personality derailed just because of a boy really, really bothers me. This is probably the Number One thing that made me unhappy with this book, because, seriously.
Not to mention that the plot twists weren't that good - I saw almost all of them coming.
And Patch by himself is honestly a pretty good character - I can go with mysterious guys. But he's pretty controlling and basically acts like he owns Nora, and that is something that is just seriously not cool and should not be promoted.
And, wow, okay.
It's not even that the story isn't done well, because it's really not bad. But so much of the plot devalues Nora and makes Patch 'dominant' and basically promotes this weird, unhealthy relationship. It was enough to keep me frustrated and unhappy literally the entire novel. I'm not being dramatic. I was frustrated 100% of the time that I was reading.
And maybe that's not a bad thing, at first, because the reader is supposed to feel pretty frustrated with Patch from the moment he walks in. But I'm also pretty sure that you, as the reader, are supposed to warm up to him and eventually understand his character and appreciate his and Nora's relationship. I did not.
Patch's character hardly evolves, as well. The story tries to pin some character development onto him at the end, but he really doesn't. He's still basically a jerk who feels entitled to Nora.
And while I appreciate all the angel lore and the clever way that they tied it still wasn't very clear or well developed.
I had a hard time really caring about any of the characters, too. Patch was just too controlling and entitled and, well, icky, for me to care about. And Nora would have mattered more to me if she hadn't been taken advantage of and her character destroyed so much.
This book basically pushes the harmful idea that when women say no, they mean yes. That is not something you should be glorifying. A book should not make something like a harmful, dangerous, and kind of abusive boy seem romantic. It should not degrade the girl character's descisons and choices until they all revolve around how much she is attracted to someone. It shouldn't take her rational thoughts and break them down until she is nothing more than 'Patch's love interest'. It certainly shouldn't have her agree to be around someone who terrifies her, someone who means her harm, and someone who has, multiple times, hinted that he would just love to rape her. Not to mention the little gems of anti-feminism I found scattered throughout the entire story, like when they talk about how 'you only get boobs for men'. Shut up. Women can do whatever they want, but it should be for themselves.
I actually originally had this book at three stars but as I wrote this review I realized just how uncomfortable this book made me. That's not to say I hated the whole thing, because despite how it looks based on this review, I didn't. But there were so many gaping problems that I can't ignore, especially with Nora and Patch's strange relationship.
Elliot and Jules' plot lines were handled okay. I didn't think the conclusion really went as well as it could have and some elements were left messily untied at the end.
I will say that this book did do a few things right - namely, it handled the concept of fear well. As the plot goes on you can see how all the suspicious activity around Nora is affecting her and breaking her down, making her even more paranoid and guarded. It also did a good job hiding which characters could be trusted, as I spent most of the book apprehensive of pretty much everyone.
Overall, I had a hard time reading this book. Honestly, I don't recommend it. At all. This book is so bad and filled with so many harmful ideas - it's basically a little anti-feminist bomb ready to explode in your face and make you want to chuck it out a window while simultaneously burning it.
Don't read this. For real. Don't. This has been a PSA.
Honestly, I wish I could give this 0 stars. If I could really have my dreams come true, I'd give it negative ones.
So who wants to hear me rant?
To break it down: Nora Grey is a smart, capable, and independent girl. Whose character is basically destroyed at the introduction of Patch, a dark, mysterious, and frustrating boy. He basically swoops into Nora's life
Spoiler
(literallySpoiler
See what I did there? Yeah.There are so many things that bothered me about this book. So I'll go into them.
For one thing, Nora's character. In essence, she's a great character, totally human and realistic. She's independent, very smart, and strong-willed. Except, of course, around Patch. Because she's so 'drawn' to him, anytime she's around him she basically just feels like she wants to kiss him, despite everything that she logically thinks. And that really, really bothers me. Because Patch does not have consent to do basically anything that he does to Nora, but despite this, he pretty much gets away with this. And this weird fact messes with Nora's logic and her smarts and her ability to act on her own. And it's never explained, not fully. Everything else is, but this weird feeling she gets around him really isn't.
And Nora is a good character too, which almost makes this worse - she's very realistic. She's afraid of plenty of things and very guarded. She has some severe anemia, and a boisterous best friend and a sad backstory. Overall, she's a pretty good character. But the fact that her entire life is basically taken over and her personality derailed just because of a boy really, really bothers me. This is probably the Number One thing that made me unhappy with this book, because, seriously.
Not to mention that the plot twists weren't that good - I saw almost all of them coming.
And Patch by himself is honestly a pretty good character - I can go with mysterious guys. But he's pretty controlling and basically acts like he owns Nora, and that is something that is just seriously not cool and should not be promoted.
And, wow, okay.
Spoiler
Their romance? Unlikely. Nora has spent most of the novel being both really really scared by Patch and also 'drawn' to him. But, hey, don't forget about scared! It's basically revealed halfway through the novel that he wanted to kill her! He's said multiple times that he basically wanted to have sex with her! He pushes her into so many situations she didn't want to be a part of! He freaking put thoughts into her head! And yet, by the end of the novel, they are making out and Nora is all for it. Another instance where Patch basically destroys Nora's character. Because maybe I could see them being in a romantic relationship, but so many things would have to change. It definitely wouldn't happen instantaneously. There was no time for Nora to accept and move past what happened and how Patch treated her. There wasn't even a real explanation in the novel as to why Patch fell in love with her, or how! It's just a fact that is universally accepted with no reasoning behind it.It's not even that the story isn't done well, because it's really not bad. But so much of the plot devalues Nora and makes Patch 'dominant' and basically promotes this weird, unhealthy relationship. It was enough to keep me frustrated and unhappy literally the entire novel. I'm not being dramatic. I was frustrated 100% of the time that I was reading.
And maybe that's not a bad thing, at first, because the reader is supposed to feel pretty frustrated with Patch from the moment he walks in. But I'm also pretty sure that you, as the reader, are supposed to warm up to him and eventually understand his character and appreciate his and Nora's relationship. I did not.
Patch's character hardly evolves, as well. The story tries to pin some character development onto him at the end, but he really doesn't. He's still basically a jerk who feels entitled to Nora.
And while I appreciate all the angel lore and the clever way that they tied
Spoiler
Nora's sacrifice and Patch's guardianshipI had a hard time really caring about any of the characters, too. Patch was just too controlling and entitled and, well, icky, for me to care about. And Nora would have mattered more to me if she hadn't been taken advantage of and her character destroyed so much.
This book basically pushes the harmful idea that when women say no, they mean yes. That is not something you should be glorifying. A book should not make something like a harmful, dangerous, and kind of abusive boy seem romantic. It should not degrade the girl character's descisons and choices until they all revolve around how much she is attracted to someone. It shouldn't take her rational thoughts and break them down until she is nothing more than 'Patch's love interest'. It certainly shouldn't have her agree to be around someone who terrifies her, someone who means her harm, and someone who has, multiple times, hinted that he would just love to rape her. Not to mention the little gems of anti-feminism I found scattered throughout the entire story, like when they talk about how 'you only get boobs for men'. Shut up. Women can do whatever they want, but it should be for themselves.
I actually originally had this book at three stars but as I wrote this review I realized just how uncomfortable this book made me. That's not to say I hated the whole thing, because despite how it looks based on this review, I didn't. But there were so many gaping problems that I can't ignore, especially with Nora and Patch's strange relationship.
Elliot and Jules' plot lines were handled okay. I didn't think the conclusion really went as well as it could have and some elements were left messily untied at the end.
I will say that this book did do a few things right - namely, it handled the concept of fear well. As the plot goes on you can see how all the suspicious activity around Nora is affecting her and breaking her down, making her even more paranoid and guarded.
Spoiler
And in the final battle, Nora's fear feels very real and her confusion is very realistic.Overall, I had a hard time reading this book. Honestly, I don't recommend it. At all. This book is so bad and filled with so many harmful ideas - it's basically a little anti-feminist bomb ready to explode in your face and make you want to chuck it out a window while simultaneously burning it.
Don't read this. For real. Don't. This has been a PSA.
4 Angelic Stars....
Okay....I have seen this book get a lot of flack and I must say I don't see the merit behind it. I have seen parallels drawn between this and Twilight, an I don't really see that either aside from some character archetypes, which I think can be found in MANY YA books, so I really don't think book should catch all of the harsh judgement.
I don't really want to give to much of a synopsis here, other than to say the basic, it's a good girl meets bad boy fallen angel story..they fall in love (kind of...?) and of course have to battle it out with bigger powers at play here.
I did have few issues withe the story....
1. Vee....he best friend was beyond obnoxious to me in this book and incredible obtuse and clueless to what was happening around her and potential warning signs. I mean I'm not expecting her to know the inner workings of FALLEN ANGELS but CMON MAN!!! Her danger radar was severely off kilter.
2.Nora & Patch's "love story". They go through this whole phase where he's mean and tries to push her away essentially to keep her safe...and even when you KNOW he likes her it always kind of seems like he doesn't...then all of a sudden...he LOVES her...I just wish there could have been a little more developed to make it seem authentic.
3. Lastly....the COMPLEXITYYYYY.....ohh man. I feel stories like this...angels, demons, etc. are going to always be complex...but I feel confused. Like scratching my head, having to flip back through because I really didn't get what happened. WHO IS THE BAD GUY HERE? There is just to many villains and fake outs in this game...I need an index map, and I fear that will only get worse as the series continues.
Now...with ALL that being said, I DID REALLY LOVE THIS STORY. It sucked me right in and help me to the end. I didn't find it lagging or redundant, it was exciting and had the edge of mystery that kept me on my toes. I would recommend to those open minded YA readers who can appreciate a good teen paranormal with out over analyzing.
Okay....I have seen this book get a lot of flack and I must say I don't see the merit behind it. I have seen parallels drawn between this and Twilight, an I don't really see that either aside from some character archetypes, which I think can be found in MANY YA books, so I really don't think book should catch all of the harsh judgement.
I don't really want to give to much of a synopsis here, other than to say the basic, it's a good girl meets bad boy fallen angel story..they fall in love (kind of...?) and of course have to battle it out with bigger powers at play here.
I did have few issues withe the story....
1. Vee....he best friend was beyond obnoxious to me in this book and incredible obtuse and clueless to what was happening around her and potential warning signs. I mean I'm not expecting her to know the inner workings of FALLEN ANGELS but CMON MAN!!! Her danger radar was severely off kilter.
2.Nora & Patch's "love story". They go through this whole phase where he's mean and tries to push her away essentially to keep her safe...and even when you KNOW he likes her it always kind of seems like he doesn't...then all of a sudden...he LOVES her...I just wish there could have been a little more developed to make it seem authentic.
3. Lastly....the COMPLEXITYYYYY.....ohh man. I feel stories like this...angels, demons, etc. are going to always be complex...but I feel confused. Like scratching my head, having to flip back through because I really didn't get what happened. WHO IS THE BAD GUY HERE? There is just to many villains and fake outs in this game...I need an index map, and I fear that will only get worse as the series continues.
Now...with ALL that being said, I DID REALLY LOVE THIS STORY. It sucked me right in and help me to the end. I didn't find it lagging or redundant, it was exciting and had the edge of mystery that kept me on my toes. I would recommend to those open minded YA readers who can appreciate a good teen paranormal with out over analyzing.
I don't know why I didn't start reading this series sooner. Love the love hate relationship between Patch and Nora. Love the suspense of the book. It made me want to hurry up and read the book to figure out what was going on it going to happen but at the same I didn't want to read too fast because it'd be over. I wanted the story to go on forever. I can't wait to read the next book!
This was long and not very interesting. The author is obviously not experienced b/c her writing was all over the place.
2.75⭐️
Creo que si le daría tres estrellas a este libro sería más por la nostalgia que cualquier otra cosa. Leí Hush Hush hace como 7 años cuando tenía 13, y obviamente estaba enamorada de la historia y de Patch.
Releyendo hoy en día, no entiendo como este libro tenia a tantas personas in chokehold, mi problema principal es que, no cuenta los detalles necesarios para entender las situaciones completamente, se siente como una introducción pero no hay desarrollo, si no hasta el final por ende todo es muy apresurado.
Patch, no se que amaba tanto de él, si literal no tiene una acción resaltante que demuestre su amor por Nora o razones adecuadas que demuestren propiamente su acciones y el hecho de que es un manipulador , era un personaje que recordaba más complejo cuando en realidad es tan simple.
Esta vez, el personaje que más me gusta fue Nora, ya que es el único personaje del que se tiene detalles y razones de su forma de actuar porque es la narradora, pero aún así su personaje se siente básico
Creo que si le daría tres estrellas a este libro sería más por la nostalgia que cualquier otra cosa. Leí Hush Hush hace como 7 años cuando tenía 13, y obviamente estaba enamorada de la historia y de Patch.
Releyendo hoy en día, no entiendo como este libro tenia a tantas personas in chokehold, mi problema principal es que, no cuenta los detalles necesarios para entender las situaciones completamente, se siente como una introducción pero no hay desarrollo, si no hasta el final por ende todo es muy apresurado.
Patch, no se que amaba tanto de él, si literal no tiene una acción resaltante que demuestre su amor por Nora o razones adecuadas que demuestren propiamente su acciones y el hecho de que es un manipulador , era un personaje que recordaba más complejo cuando en realidad es tan simple.
Esta vez, el personaje que más me gusta fue Nora, ya que es el único personaje del que se tiene detalles y razones de su forma de actuar porque es la narradora, pero aún así su personaje se siente básico
This could have received a better rating from me if the main character hadn't been given the horrible name of Patch
OH MY GOSH I LOVED THIS BOOK.
That's it.
I simply loved it.
That's it.
I simply loved it.