One of my secret identities: I'm an occasional book blogger/ reviewer. So I read books and share my feelings about them (it's a thing really). Recently, I saw Becca Fitzpatrick's popular young adult series "Hush, Hush" heading for the big screen and after a re-read of the first book in the series, I thought it was time I shared my feelings with the people in the Interwebs.
Oh, and just so you know, since I like to keep my thoughts as spoiler-free as possible, most of this might not make sense unless you've read the book. Reading is good okay :)
I have a mental rating system for books, and I had a hard time rating this one because I'm not completely sure where I stand with this read. It's...complicated. First of all, what is this deja vu feeling I kept experience the whole time? I feel like I have read this book before, but I can't seem to remember when and if I have at all. Strange.
Characterwise. I liked how some things were different in this book compared to others of this genre (fantasy/ romance/ supernatural). The central female character Nora has a spine, for a change (even though I had to eye-roll at her excessive flushing and blushing around the central male character Patch, multiple times). I like the character of Dabria too, and even though I prefer to keep my book babies together at any cost, I'd rather have her over other non-convincing bad guys...which brings me to that whole suspense about "who's the person?" plot of the book.
That did not really convince me much. I won't say the whole revelation wasn't surprising, but it was kinda let down for the most part. Scenes where I should have been at the edge of my seat, I was kinda bored and wanted to get over with the part. But, plotwise, one of the things I really liked though was the fact that the author doesn't try to oversell the whole fallen angel thing. The terms 'forbidden love' and 'fallen angel' make me yawn more often than not because we all kinda sorta know where the story is headed, right? For this one, however, I was really glad to see how maturely it was handled. Phew.
"You're impinging on my private space," I said, inching backward. "Impinging? This isn't the SAT, Nora."
One of the best things about this book is the ML, Patch. Also, why on earth would you name anyone Patch (I get the backstory but still)? I simply loved how his character is portrayed. Unlike many many other books, you don't see him as the all-good-all-white (as in the metaphoric character shade, not the race, in case you were wondering) guy, because he has a dark past, and he seems to openly admit that he's trouble, but he does it with a charm of his own. I love the fact that he's an unpredictable, fun-seeking, trouble-making, seductive fallen: makes him appear human to me, and he kind of isn't like the stereotypical fallen either, which is oh-Lord-so-refreshing! Most of the times it seems like he's just fooling around, messing with your head, but there's a side to him that he doesn't intend to show, a side connected to his past. Especially to Nora, because he doesn't want her to judge him by his past actions I guess. Talking of which, I enjoyed Nora and Patch's relationship dynamic for the most part, one of the many reasons: he didn't go all I-feel-very-protective-of-you-so-must-stalk-you-24x7 *cough* a very famous vampire movie *cough*. Ugh, talk about creepy.
"Go ahead," he said quietly. "Keep in mind that people change, but the past doesn't."
The main reason why I wanted to read this book is that I had read another book by Fitzpatrick called "The Black Ice", which I found to be pretty amazing (even though it was a different genre) and you definitely should give that one a try as well. Whoever has read at least one of her books and likes her writing style, this book is for them. Also, if you're into fallen/angel/supernatural-human plots, this might be a good read for you, especially with a movie adaptation coming hopefully soon!
