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violetbonsai's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Hush Money
Any enjoyment of the book went out the window the second a character decided to stand by and watch another girl be sexually assaulted (another character steps in before it passes groping) while commenting on how she wasn't trying to save herself/wasn't fighting hard enough so why should she step in to help her. For example"so some gross guy was pawing her? She'd live right?"
It's a shame because the story had been fairly interesting up until that point but afterwards I just couldn't connect with the characters anymore.
Any enjoyment of the book went out the window the second a character decided to stand by and watch another girl be sexually assaulted (another character steps in before it passes groping) while commenting on how she wasn't trying to save herself/wasn't fighting hard enough so why should she step in to help her. For example
It's a shame because the story had been fairly interesting up until that point but afterwards I just couldn't connect with the characters anymore.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
Minor: Gun violence and Child death
halynah's review
4.0
Fresh, unique and gripping book with an interesting concept of Talents! Exciting plot, great characters(especially Joss' little sister) and nice style of writing. I took away one star, because Joss as a main character is not very charismatic and the romantic line could be better, but still the book is worth reading!
zoe_e_w's review
1.0
Hush Money starts out with an interesting premise for a world setting, and then promptly kills my interest with constant character stereotyping and inconsistent character behavior.
Joss is a girl with a secret, a Talent. As the story opens the government has taken someone else from their school. The government should do this kind of pick up every week at Fairview, because Joss' school is Talent Freakin Central. Everybody Joss knows has a Talent, which is funny, because in spite of all the Talent on hand, there's almost no talent in the story-telling.
My problems started right after Joss sits and watches another girl being raped. (Another girl comes to the rescue before it's too late.) Her defense for doing nothing? "Well she didn't do anything about it either." Uh...what? And it doesn't get better from there.
Not one character didn't come off as a walking stereotype, and every conversation made me want to know these people less, not more. Marco and his crew are pathetic. Dylan is a doormat, and Joss is a coward. And these are the mains. Once you move down to the second string characters, the stereotyping gets even worse. The bit characters don't stand a chance in a world like this. Their whole development revolves around descriptions like "the quiet one," or "the brash girl." They get no physical descriptions either, but the descriptions that are given for the mains are all pretty much what you'd expect. (All hot chicks and hot guys, cause no ugly characters ever attend public school in YA land, unless they're rolling with the heavies.)
I expect weak character development from the supporting cast in YA books, but the mains are the worst offenders here. By the conclusion of Chapter 8, I had grown so frustrated by weak dialogue, a weak plot, and weaker character development, I decided to put down the book 70 pages in. I can't make myself care if Marco's petty crime plans are foiled, nor do I care if Dylan and Joss will go to Kat's party as a couple. I don't care if the government swoops in and kidnaps the whole group to kill them for medical science. And when I can't be made to care after 70 pages, you're doing something wrong.
I give this book 1 star, and don't care to find out more about the Talent series. This is a bad start to what could have been a promising world.
Joss is a girl with a secret, a Talent. As the story opens the government has taken someone else from their school. The government should do this kind of pick up every week at Fairview, because Joss' school is Talent Freakin Central. Everybody Joss knows has a Talent, which is funny, because in spite of all the Talent on hand, there's almost no talent in the story-telling.
My problems started right after Joss sits and watches another girl being raped. (Another girl comes to the rescue before it's too late.) Her defense for doing nothing? "Well she didn't do anything about it either." Uh...what? And it doesn't get better from there.
Not one character didn't come off as a walking stereotype, and every conversation made me want to know these people less, not more. Marco and his crew are pathetic. Dylan is a doormat, and Joss is a coward. And these are the mains. Once you move down to the second string characters, the stereotyping gets even worse. The bit characters don't stand a chance in a world like this. Their whole development revolves around descriptions like "the quiet one," or "the brash girl." They get no physical descriptions either, but the descriptions that are given for the mains are all pretty much what you'd expect. (All hot chicks and hot guys, cause no ugly characters ever attend public school in YA land, unless they're rolling with the heavies.)
I expect weak character development from the supporting cast in YA books, but the mains are the worst offenders here. By the conclusion of Chapter 8, I had grown so frustrated by weak dialogue, a weak plot, and weaker character development, I decided to put down the book 70 pages in. I can't make myself care if Marco's petty crime plans are foiled, nor do I care if Dylan and Joss will go to Kat's party as a couple. I don't care if the government swoops in and kidnaps the whole group to kill them for medical science. And when I can't be made to care after 70 pages, you're doing something wrong.
I give this book 1 star, and don't care to find out more about the Talent series. This is a bad start to what could have been a promising world.
georgilvsbooks's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. Only started reading it this morning and I'm finished. It's about a bunch of kids who have special talents but must keep it a secret other wise they will be taken away and experimented on. Can't wait to read the second book to the series :) 10/10
msglam's review
5.0
LOVED this book!!!!!! I want more of Joss and Dylan and their gang of talented friends NOW. I was drawn into this book from the very first page and was very upset when I got to the last page to find out that my trip into the Talent world had come to an end for many reasons. The characters are not only well developed but they are believable and loveable and keeps you rooting for them hoping they find their happily ever after. The story was face paced keeping me engaged and wanting to see what happened next and I am just itching to know how the story will continue. CAN'T WAIT for the next installment.
shan198025's review
4.0
It's a good book. It's really too bad that the author never finished the series (or even wrote book 3)
samanthajane_x's review
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought that it was going to be just like any other YA fantasy-romance, however once I began reading it, I was proved wrong. The main character, Joss, is such an easy character to relate to and like. I recommend this book 100% :)
mrose21's review
2.0
Boring and not that great. It just feels super immature, if you are a young teenager just starting out on YA, this may be for you, but if you are die hard YA reader this book gets old pretty fast.
theladygonzalez's review
3.0
With Hush Money Susan Bischoff creates a fascinating world where some people are born with superpowers. These people, the ones with "talents" live in fear of being rounded up and taken away from their families. Joss, a quiet teenager is of these individuals.
Joss does her best to go unnoticed. She and her family are afraid that she will be identified as a talent and therefore taken away. She doesn't have any friends; she avoids contact with anyone and everyone.
I have to say, I was really disappointed with Joss's character. I did not particularly take to her; her personality simply did not rub we well. She didn't have much of a backbone and she never stood up for herself. I really was put off when she stood by idly and watched something terrible happen to another girl. I understand that she did not want to draw attention to herself, but I cannot believe some of the decisions she made.
I also did not like Joss's love interest - Dylan. Dylan was also a huge pushover, he let his idiotic friend Marco walk all over him. I never was really able to connect with him because he did not get much time as the narrator. This made it difficult to see his motivations, or at least to sympathize with his decisions.
Now, I loved the premise for this book and it started out fabulous. The way that Bischoff introduces the talents immediately draws you in, making you want to see what happens next. The idea of it was reminiscent of the T.V. Heroes, especially with the way the organization was rounding people up.
My favorite part of the book was when a group of teen "talents" band together and save one of their own. It's a great action scene and I hope to see more of this kind of thing in the upcoming books. They have the whole "us against the world" thing going on and it gives them an easy bond. I do wish that the rest of characters (those others with talents) were a bit better described. We are given basic descriptions of their talents, but not much else. I was interested to know more about them all, but unfortunately it didn't happen.
I did enjoy the plot overall, but parts of it were a little unbelievable for me - especially concerning the book's main villain, Marco. Marco was incredibly stereotypical, which made him into an extremely flat character. He was horrible all the time and never really gave much of a reason for being so terrible. I like when you can feel some sympathy for a villain, or at least understand their motivations, but that was not the case with Marco.
Although I had a lot of issues with this book, I did enjoy it. It was a quick, entertaining read that kept me on my toes. I will probably continue with the next book, but I certainly hope some things change. For one, I hope that all of the characters are fleshed out better. I did not connect to anyone in Hush Money, so hopefully that will change in the next book.
Joss does her best to go unnoticed. She and her family are afraid that she will be identified as a talent and therefore taken away. She doesn't have any friends; she avoids contact with anyone and everyone.
I have to say, I was really disappointed with Joss's character. I did not particularly take to her; her personality simply did not rub we well. She didn't have much of a backbone and she never stood up for herself. I really was put off when she stood by idly and watched something terrible happen to another girl. I understand that she did not want to draw attention to herself, but I cannot believe some of the decisions she made.
I also did not like Joss's love interest - Dylan. Dylan was also a huge pushover, he let his idiotic friend Marco walk all over him. I never was really able to connect with him because he did not get much time as the narrator. This made it difficult to see his motivations, or at least to sympathize with his decisions.
Now, I loved the premise for this book and it started out fabulous. The way that Bischoff introduces the talents immediately draws you in, making you want to see what happens next. The idea of it was reminiscent of the T.V. Heroes, especially with the way the organization was rounding people up.
My favorite part of the book was when a group of teen "talents" band together and save one of their own. It's a great action scene and I hope to see more of this kind of thing in the upcoming books. They have the whole "us against the world" thing going on and it gives them an easy bond. I do wish that the rest of characters (those others with talents) were a bit better described. We are given basic descriptions of their talents, but not much else. I was interested to know more about them all, but unfortunately it didn't happen.
I did enjoy the plot overall, but parts of it were a little unbelievable for me - especially concerning the book's main villain, Marco. Marco was incredibly stereotypical, which made him into an extremely flat character. He was horrible all the time and never really gave much of a reason for being so terrible. I like when you can feel some sympathy for a villain, or at least understand their motivations, but that was not the case with Marco.
Although I had a lot of issues with this book, I did enjoy it. It was a quick, entertaining read that kept me on my toes. I will probably continue with the next book, but I certainly hope some things change. For one, I hope that all of the characters are fleshed out better. I did not connect to anyone in Hush Money, so hopefully that will change in the next book.