Caragh's Review // Finale (Hush, Hush #4) - Becca Fitzpatrick

Published - 1st October 2012
Publisher - Simon and Schuster
Format - Paperback
Synopsis - Fates unfurl in the gripping conclusion to the "New York Times" bestselling Hush, Hush saga.Nora is more certain than ever that she is in love with Patch. Fallen angel or no, he is the one for her. Her heritage and destiny may mean they are fated to be enemies, but there is no turning her back on him. Now Nora and Patch must gather their strength to face one last, perilous trial. Old enemies return, new enemies are made, and a friend's ultimate betrayal threatens the peace Patch and Nora so desperately want. The battle lines are drawn--but which sides are they on? And in the end, are there some obstacles even love can't conquer?

Hush, Hush Review - click here
Crescendo Review -  click here
Silence Review - click here 

Hurrah! I was starting to wonder if I would ever get around to finishing this series. As you can probably gather from my previous reviews, this series and I just do not mix. Out of an irrational sense of duty to myself, I continued reading and finally, it's over. I did it. Surprisingly.

One thing that's different between this review and the my previous ones is that I didn't end this book with an overwhelming feeling of anger. I laughed. Genuinely, perhaps madly, laughed. Finale took a leap and just became hilariously ridiculous. I didn't get angry at Nora, or Patch. I didn't shake my head in disbelief. I just found everything overly funny. I think anger might have made for a better review but i'll do my best.

This series gets a lot of hate, and of course a lot of that comes from me, but there were actually parts of the book that I liked and thought were well written. Dante's character grew wonderfully and although tensions and the flirting was reminiscent of early Patch and therefore felt a little stale, I enjoyed it and the relationship between him and other characters. The idea of this book, and the entire series really, is good. It has great potential that is disappointingly never met and that is what compels me to keep reading (if you were wondering why I spent hard earned money and time on a series I hate); in the hope it improves.Four books in and unfortunately, nothing changed.

It feels like Fitzpatrick tried to surprise her readers over and over with plot twists that were noticable from a million miles away. If she had accepted the fact that her readers weren't oblivious, I think it would have been more enjoyable.

Vee will always a point of frustration for me, even more so than Nora (which is a LOT). Right from the first book I had huge hopes for her. She was fun, exciting and adventurous; the complete opposite of Nora, but she just..flopped. Fitzpatrick didn't do her justice and by the end of the book she was laughable. It's hard to explain without spoilers but Fitzpatrick, as always, took it too far and just made the whole situation a joke and the same goes for Detective Basso.

Basso is one of the most interesting characters in the series as he's set up to be mysterious and without fail i've questioned just what it is he's up to and the resolve of his character was a major letdown. He's explained in about 5 lines and it's just not good enough. That sums up the series for me. The interesting sections of the books were the ones that were brushed over and made to feel pathetic whereas the rest took the spotlight and failed miserably.

I don't regret finishing the series - at least Brianna and I had a good laugh about it along the way - but I can say with certainty that I wont be reading them again and I wouldn't recommend them either unless you feel like taking on a four-book series just to vent some frustration.

Review // Silence (Hush, Hush #3) - Becca Fitzpatrick

Published - October 2011
Published By - Simon & Schuster
Format - Paperback
Goodreads Synopsis - The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past, bridged two irreconcilable worlds and faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust - all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for - and their love - forever.
                                  

Hush, Hush Review - click here
Crescendo Review - click here

Note: I'm not a...fan, of these books and so if you are, then this probably isn't the best review to read.

Oh god. No. Why do I keep doing this to myself? With every book I read in this series I get more and more angry! Silence was not only the same in that respect, but worse. For 90% of the book I was literally screaming WHY? JUST, WHY? I guess it probably doesn't help that I actually hate Nora. Just in the space of writing this much i've already sighed deeply and wondered what am I doing with my life. For some reason I have this ridiculous need to finish this series. Oh & Patch.

A redeeming quality..let's focus on that for a minute. Silence actually had what might have been a fairly decent plot and a driving force that keeps you reading. There were things happening, suspense, revelations; all exciting things in a book. Unfortunately, I just didn't care. I don't care for the characters, writing or the story. Patch is the singularly interesting character in the series and there's an awful lot of book that doesn't even have him there.

Nora is the absolute biggest problem with the series. She is completely irresponsible, has no common sense, is blinded by everything but Patch and yet still thinks that she is the centre of the universe. I truly believe that if Nora had a shred of common sense, she would be both more likeable and more relatable, making the series less of a chore to read and maybe even a little bit interesting. There is a point in Silence where Nora is talking and Patch looks up and wonders why me? I mean COME ON! Patch is Nora's soulmate or whatever, and even he thinks she is ridiculous. Doesn't anybody find that a problem? I was barely into the book before she started sneaking off at 2am to walk around the cemetery after being kidnapped and having no memory for the last 5 months. What kind of idiot does that? And then she feels the need to complain about people worrying about her. Oh god. I should have just stopped reading there.

I could honestly complain about this book until my last breath (and I have been complaining to anyone who will listen for over a day now) but it's time to move on. After all, I still read it and maybe i'm as idiotic as Nora because of course i'll be reading Finale (a long, long time from now) and even though I know i'll hate it just as much as the last 3, it wont stop me. Sigh.

Review // Crescendo (Hush, Hush #2) - Becca Fitzpatrick (SPOILERS)

Published - 19th October 2010
Published By - Simon & Schuster
Format - Paperback
Goodreads Synopsis - Nora should have know her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.
The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

Crescendo is the second book in the Hush, Hush series written by Becca Fitzpatrick. I reviewed Hush, Hush back in July and you can read it here.

The story continues to follow Nora and Patch who are having somewhat of a turbulent time. In fact, the biggest thing I feel I need to talk about in regards to Crescendo, is the relationship between the two of them.

I'm a 20-something year old female so I think it's fair to say that I have experienced young love/romance and can freely comment on this. So here goes...(be warned..Spoilers!)

At the beginning of Crescendo, Nora and Patch are doing great. Their relationship has lasted beyond the Chauncey incident of Hush, Hush and we are informed that they are currently in their second month of dating. I'm sure to some teenagers, two months seems like a really long time and maybe that's why i'm frustrated - I'm too *old* now. Well a short read into the book finds us listening to Nora proclaim her undying love for Patch and literally makes him promise to never leave her. This seems a little crazy to me. I mean, two months. So assuming we can get past the fact that the pair cannot stand to be apart, we then find ourselves witnessing Nora breaking up with Patch for what seems to be no reason whatsoever. I'm not ashamed to admit (and neither is my housemate) that the biggest reason I decided to carry on with the series was to read about Patch - so my reasoning fizzled out quite quickly.

These books (at least so far) are written from Nora's perspective so the lucky reader gets to participate in Nora's thoughts about how much she loves Patch, how much she doesn't trust him, how much she wants to be with him and of course, how much she wants him to stay away from her. My head actually started to hurt. Don't even get me started on Nora's jealousy issues. I could go on about this for a really long time but I do have other things I want to say.

Nora's mother. Oh where do I begin?! I refer you back to my review of Hush, Hush, where I talked about Nora's mother being completely irresponsible and that she seemed perfectly happy with Nora doing whatever she wanted as long as she could go to work for a week at a time. Well apparently she has had a complete change of heart as we are told that she is now overprotective. Oh wait...no. She's left her teenage daughter home alone again in order to work. But it's okay because she told Nora to be careful. Seriously?

HOWEVER. Surprisingly enough, Crescendo was not a bad book. Miles better than Hush, Hush as there was a continuous storyline and more interaction with people that weren't Patch. Vee continued to be annoying but Rixon, Scott and even Marcie to a degree, were pleasant surprises throughout the book. Patch was wonderful, as always and is fast becoming another YA crush that is endorsed and shared between me and my housemate. For those interested, I will be continuing the series as soon as I get my hands on the next book. Why? Because as infuriating as it makes me, I just can't stop myself. The Hush, Hush series is turning out to be one of those I love despite it's obvious and occasionally painful flaws. 

I realise that I haven't really reviewed the story, but let's face it, the story is interesting but nowhere near as interesting to me as what these particular characters are getting up to. 

Thanks for reading my review! Now I urge you to ignore it and go and read it anyway.

July Wrap-Up

It's the end of the month again, where is the time going? I managed to get most of my reading done this month which was great, except I had to switch out a couple of books with other things in order to stick to my reading time frames!
So here is July's Wrap-Up

Books Read in July

Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L.James
Let Them Eat Cake - Rachel Caine (Short Story)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson
Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick
Demon Thief - Darren Shan
Deja Vu of Love - Carol Cadoo

With the exception of Rachel Caine's short story and Carol Cadoo's debut novel Deja Vu of Love, all of the books have been reviewed this month.


Deja Vu of Love by Carol Cadoo will be featured on Loaded Shelves as part of her Virtual Blog Tour later this month where you can read more about the author, my review of her book and an exclusive Get-To-Know-You interview with Carol Cadoo.

Review // Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick

Published - 13th October 2009
Published By - Simon & Schuster
Format - Paperback 
Goodreads Synopsis - For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. At least, not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and probing eyes, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure who to trust—she can’t decide whether she should fall into Patch’s arms or run and hide from him. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth more unsettling than any feeling Patch evokes. For Nora stands amid an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen—and choosing the wrong side will cost her life.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick has been sitting on my loaded shelves, and after reading a fair amount of mixed reviews I decided that it was time to just pick it up and dive in to form my own conclusions. I'm glad I did.


It took a few chapters for me to really immerse myself in the book but the concept of the novel drew me in. This was my first time reading about fallen angels and it was enjoyable! I particularly liked the suspense throughout Hush, Hush. Admittedly, the plot (more often than not) was obvious and easy to figure out where it was heading/who was behind the events but even so, the suspense kept me interested and I ended up finishing the book in just a couple of hours.


My biggest problem with Hush, Hush was the relationship between Nora and Patch. I understand that she was drawn to him despite his portrayed image but I didn't find it very realistic. I also had issues with Nora's mother. Nora loses her father before the book begins and the reader is told that Nora sees a councillor to deal with her loss, yet her mother leaves Nora home alone for days at a time. The explanation given for this just isn't good enough in my opinion. Vee's character also wasn't great. At first, I thought she was a breath of fresh air and a great contrast to Nora's personality but as the book progressed, her character became less interesting and I found myself wanting to go back to another plot line.


As a whole, I enjoyed the book and the scenes at the arcade/fairground were excellent. I loved the way the Archangel ride played out and particularly the explanation given by Patch that the higher up an angel is, the further it is to fall. This obviously plays a bigger role later on in the book but even standing alone it was a great line.


The prologue was confusing at first but Fitzpatrick cleverly explained herself later on and it was actually quite refreshing to see them link up. Most importantly, Hush, Hush made me want to read more. The next book in the series Crescendo will be on my TBR over the next few weeks i'm sure and i'm looking forward to seeing what is next for the characters involved.