Book Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Today I'll be reviewing "Hush, Hush," a young adult fantasy novel by Becca Fitzpatrick. It's the first book in a series of four novels.

Overview: 

Nora Grey, a high school student from Maine, becomes biology partners with Patch Cipriano. Although Nora feels a romantic connection to Patch, she can't help thinking that he's a threat – especially since he seems to be stalking her. Eventually Nora learns the truth: Patch is a fallen angel with a dark past.

Before she knows it, Nora becomes immersed in a dangerous world of fallen angels and Nephilim (the offspring of humans and angels), with a side of forbidden love.

Opinion: 

I loved the basic premise of "Hush, Hush" – a love story between a human and a fallen angel. The plot line was dark and suspenseful, which drew me in from the start. And you can't ignore how gorgeous the cover looks!

That being said, I had a couple of problems with this novel:

1.) It's eerily similar to "Twilight."
Don't get me wrong, I loved "Twilight" back in middle school. However, Fitzpatrick seems to borrow heavily from the popular vampire romance series. First off, Patch and Nora meet in biology class – just like Bella and Edward. Patch is mysterious and brooding, and he has a dark secret – just like Edward. And, finally, Nora knows that Patch is a threat but she can't seem to stay away. Sound familiar?

2.) The writing could use improvement
I understand that Fitzpatrick is writing for a younger audience, but some of the sentence structure and punctuation seems a little off. Some sentences don't flow together well, and others simply don't make sense. For example: "His eyes looked like they didn't play by the rules." What is this supposed to mean?

3.) Patch is creepy
Some of Patch's flirtatious remarks really creeped me out because they verge on harassment. He's manipulative and violent with stalker tendencies, but Nora is still fascinated by him. No wonder she finds herself in many life-threatening situations.

However, pushing those criticisms aside, I really did enjoy reading "Hush, Hush." I constantly wanted to know what happened next. The slow-paced beginning gave way to a fast-paced ending, and I stayed up late into the night finishing the novel.

Rating: 3.5/5

Although "Hush, Hush" had some problems with writing style and character development, the interesting plot makes up for the shortcomings. I plan on reading the other three books in the series – "Crescendo," "Silence," and "Finale" – very soon.

Photo from Amazon.