Series Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush #1

Hush, Hush #2

Published by: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 2.5/5

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...until Patch comes 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 whom 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 far 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.

Hush, Hush #3

Where do I start with this series...well, for straters I enjoyed it more and it pissed me off less than Fallen. That was until the third book where the writing and story line took a nose dive. I do believe Silence made me suffer from what can be summed up by an acronym I found on GoodReads PTJRARCBD (Post Traumatic Just Read A Really Crappy Book Disorder). Yep, it was really that bad but I'll get to that later in the review.

Ok so the good news and one of the saving graces of in particular Hush, Hush was that the story doesn't try to trick the reading into thinking it's about something it isn't. Which is good because it has an angel on the front cover. It also "reveals" this by about half way through the first book, kudos to you Ms Fitzpatrick for not thinking you're readers are idiots who couldn't piece two and two together and that by leaving the big reveal at the last minute creates tension.

The rest of the news is kinda a mixed bag. The mythology element. Ms Fitzpatrick do not, I repeat do not think you can go changing the story of Adam and Eve. This was really the only part that she majorly let me down on. I could deal with and kinda liked her take on nephilim and even her take on how the fallen act but seriously specific events in the Bible is a big no touchy. Now, don't get me wrong I'm not some born-again-christian but you can't go changing things that are so set. The snake who tempted Eve was Lucifer not some random who's in love with a mortal, and Lucifer wanted to remove God from his throne and when God cast him and his followers out they became known as fallen angels. So close yet so far Ms Fitzpatrick, you almost had me. And don't get me started on the supposed devilscraft that was introduced in the third book becuase where the hell did it come from and WTF is it? We suddenly have some random new type of magic that characters chuck around all the time, yet is never really explained.

I had really mixed feelings for some of the characters but the biggest problem I had was that a)by the end of it I really can't imagine what most of these characters look like besinde a couple of features that seemed to be chucked down my throut constantly and b)I had no clue what some of their personalities were like becuase what I was being told and what I was being shown were two different things. Let's look at Nora for example. She's apparently really smart and could make it into an Ivy League University yet in the first book she continually does things that she knows is stupid and wrong. Furthermore, it appears Ms Fitzpatrick doesn't know if Nora is smart or not either because in Crescendo Nora goes to summer school to take Chem claiming that she sucked at science and that finding a lab partner better than her would be easy considering her standard (ignoring the fact that in the first book Bio was supposedly her hardest subject and she was sitting on a B+) and then all of a sudden in Silence she's taking AP level classes, WTF! Please explain. Now Nora as a character was a bit of a Bella clone but considerable more tolerable than Luce that is until the third book when she turned into a psychotic b*$#@. She's whiny and mean, taking no consideration of anyone elses feelings but her own. The way she treats her mother is appalling and I dearly hope that the tween target audience don't think that this is an acceptable way to treat people. But even worse than being a witch she has no remorse what so ever. For a large chunk of the book all she is out for is revenge and to kill the person who 'kidnapped' her and stole her memories and when she finally gets it she doesn't give a damn. Surely you would feel something if you'd just killed someone even if you did hate them.

Patch. My dear Patch with dark hair, dark eyes and a perfectly sculpted body, I can't tell if you're moe or less abusive than Daniel. But let's put it out there, you're a dick, plain and simple. As you can tell not really feeling the love for Patch (Seriously where is Ms Fitzpatrick pulling these names out from). He's more tolerable that some of the other poorly written broody love interests out there but he still treats Nora like crap, and I really don't care for your excuses as to why you should be allowed too. But hey, he is kinda kick ass at points and doesn't sparkle or glow purple, so that automatically gives him extra marks, and maybe a gold star for not being a complete joke to the supernatural world.

Scott on the other hand, I did like. He's my Fallen's Cam in this series. Shame he seems to be more plot device than anything else at the moment though. He's bad and he knows it but he's also got a softer side which I liked. This was all in the second book though. The third book I swear he only existed to give readers an info dump with all the information given in the previous books. I know Nora's lost her memory but really I don't need to be reminded about what I've already read. And the worst thing is he's on the run and I kid you not living in a cave *face palm*. Just, no.

Now Vee (again what's with the names in this series?), oh how I hate her. She's just a bad character. Not only is she constantly breaking the law but she justifies it and the amount of times she was speeding or breaking and entering is really sending a bad message to the younger readers. In no way is this kind of behaviour acceptable. And furthermore, she's a complete cow. Some of the things she says about Nora's mum is rude and uncalled for. But what's worse Nora says nothing about it and at times says worse things. That being said there were times in the third book where I did have hope for her, especially on her views about Patch (she picked up on the fact that Patch is a dog's name, yay).

So while this story had some good elements it also had a lot of bad. I did however enjoy reading them but unfortunately could not give it higher than a 2.5 due to bad writing, inconsistency and bad character development.

Peace out.

Book Review: The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Darkness Rising #2

Published by: HarperCollins
Rating: 4.5/5

Maya Delaney's paw-print birthmark is the mark of what she truly is--a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly everyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it's only a matter of time before she's able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents. Now Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they're kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. In The Calling, the sizzling second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong pumps up the romance, danger, and suspense that left readers of The Gathering clamoring for more.

This book was mcuh more fast-paced and action packed than the first book in the series The Gathering. And despite being only focusing on the teens trying to runaway from whomever is chasing them it doesn't get old. Ms Armstrong manages to keep the plot moving forward and fresh. However, there really wasn't much in terms of information revelaing, tons of questions were brought up but nor many were answered. However, considering this is a middle book in a series that is not too uncommon or detrimental, plus it means the third book will be jam packed full of surprises!

There was very little in terms of character development in this book, but I still love all the characters. We did see them struggling to make sense of what was happening and who they really were, which was really cool to see. I am adoring most of the teens, I know what Corey's deal is, it will interesting to see was Ms Armstrong does with it and Nicole really, WTF! Rafe and Maya are still super cute and there was definitley some big steps taken in that relationship with the acceptance of what Rafe has done and why. Hayley was a big surprise for me and I can't wait to see how she develops in the next book. And Daniel, need I say more :).

This is a really entertaining read and one YA PRNL readers will enjoy for it's strong characters and for what sets it apart in the current market. Maya is the anti-Bella/Nora/Luce and the guys are most definitley not abusive a-holes. But what's even better is that it's dark, gritty and heart-felt.

Book Review: The Dark Divide by Jennifer Fallon

Rift Runners #2

Published by: Voyager Australia
Rating: 5/5

 Time is running out for Ronan and his psychically-linked twin brother, Darragh. In two weeks, at the Autumn Solstice in their own reality, the Queen of the Faerie will transfer the Undivided power to the new-found heirs and the older twins will die. But Darragh is trapped in 2001 Dublin and Ronan in a reality where the Undivided are not Druids, but Shinto warriors. The twins need to get home before the transfer takes place - not only to save their own lives, but to break the curse on Trasa, who is destined to remain trapped by Marcroy Tarth's spell, and to rescue Hayley from the Faerie Lord's seductive embrace. With Darragh caught in a reality without magic, and Ronan stranded in one with plenty of magic but no idea how to use it, the brothers must prove that even across realities, they truly are the Undivided.

This book has been taunting me for a while. First, it came out in stores early but I had to wait for my pre-order to come in the mail. Secondly, when I got it, it was the last week of the uni term so I was far too busy to begin reading it. Finally, I wouldn't have put this book down if real life hadn't forced me to.

Yes, I loved this book that much and yes, I may have a writers crush on Jennifer Fallon. I have read all of her books and loved every single one of them. I love her mix of fantasy and politics. I honestly believe she is one of the better fantasy writers published at the moment. She is an amazing world builder, does character development among the best of them, and best of all she keeps you guessing and manages to chuck things at you that you never saw coming. Ok, enough with my writer crush ramblings.

This book flows really nicely even though it jumps between characters and realities constantly. It was really easy to follow and helped build up the tension as the story moved forward as you just had to know what happened next. Although, what happened next you probably didn't see coming and with Jennifer Fallon you can never know what she'll do next (you just have to read The Chaos Crystal to know that). And that is what I love about her books, she gives you enough to make some educated guesses (I totally picked Pete) and then will throw you a curveball that you never saw coming. It makes for wonderful and compelling reading.  She also does world building among the best of them. The world (or would that be worlds) in the The Dark Divide is intriguing, dangerous and alluring, it sucks you in and you'll never want to leave.

I love all the characters in this book even the ones I hate, they all have their part t play and they all have their secrets. I love Ren/Rónán. He develops a lot in this book, becoming a self-assured leader rather than the rebellious brat he was in The Undivided. You can't help but to fall in love with him as he finds his way in a new reality that is so unlike the one he grew up with, while trying to work out who he is as one of the Undivided and the power he wields. His twin Darragh is also great to read about. I just love his frankness and his belief that he will be rescued by his people. I particularly liked how frustrated he was making everyone when they were trying to find out where Hayley was. Trása is another favourite. She really finds her place in this book and realises that even though she's half-fairie she still has a lot to offer. I just wish I could make up my mind about who I want her to end up with. I could go on for days about how much I grew to love Pete and Logan, how I suspect Kiva knows more than she lets on, how creepy  Isleen and Teagan and how Lady Delphine is a evil b*@#$.

I can't wait for Reunion to come out next year and to find out how everything will come together. I'm sure it will be a long but worthwhile wait.

In the mean time I'm eagerly awaiting The Calling by Kelley Armstrong to arrive in the mail.

Peace out.