Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Silence
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 978-0-85707-227-6
Pages: 438
Series: Hush, Hush #3
Type: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Nora wakes up in a cemetery in the middle of the night, with no idea how she got there and no memory of the last five months. Somehow it is September and she can't remember anything after April. Her world has moved on without her, and Nora struggles to recover her memories as she is haunted by black eyes and a mysterious boy whose absence has left a hole in her heart. But amnesia doesn't last forever and Nora's about to learn there are some who will kill to keep her in the dark.

This is the third book in the amazing Hush, Hush series (after Hush, Hush and Crescendo) and picks up three months after the last one finished. I had no idea of the direction this book would take, and even after Crescendo's cliffhanger I definitely wasn't expecting this.

The plot is brilliantly developed and is full of twists and turns that keep you turning the pages to find out what will happen next. The tension is kept high from the start as readers of the previous books know who kidnapped Nora and she has no idea, so we get to see her cluelessly interact with her kidnapper. Nora's struggle to find out the truth leads her on some risky paths and that too adds to the tension.

Patch is incredible in this book! I liked him in the previous books, but it was this book in which he stole my heart. It's hard to go into without adding spoilers but he is brilliant. Vee is a much changed character. Her past experiences means she has developed an anti-boy streak but she still adds a sense of fun to the book which is much needed while Nora's amnesia is in full swing.

The ending is cleverly done, creating a lead in to the next book and changing the balance between Patch and Nora forever. There is going to be a fourth and final book due out approximately October 2012 (confirmed by Becca at a signing) which will be set during Cheshvan.

All in all this was an incredible read and I can't wait for the next book!

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 49/50

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Crescendo
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 978-1-84738-719-6
Pages: 427
Series: Hush, Hush #2
Type: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Nora has survived the attempts on her life and her boyfriend Patch is now her guardian angel. Despite his new role, Patch seems to be acting anything but angelic being more mysterious than usual and spending time with Marcie Millar who has tormented Nora for years. But when an old family friend Scott Parnell moves back to town, Nora realises something is off with him and finds herself drawn even deeper into the angelic/Nephilim worlds.

This is the second book in the Hush, Hush series (after Hush, Hush unsurprisingly) and continues in the same incredible vein as the first. Nora and Patch are together now, but neither realises how many skeletons there are in the other's closet. Nora's Nephilim bloodline is more complex than she realised, and Patch starts acting strangely so their brief period of happiness soon becomes something more complex.

The plot is incredible, in fact the only thing keeping this book from a flawless score are the minor similarities with New Moon although this book goes in a completely different direction. The pacing is brilliant, and the mix of romance and mystery is kept from the first book with Nora ending up in even more danger than before.

Marcie Millar gets a lot more plot development and now instead of being just a bully, she has evolved into a far more complex (although not much nicer) character. Vee also gets a lot of page time as she is now dating Patch's friend Rixon, which is brilliant as she is one of my favourite characters and she really grounds the story. Scott is also an interesting character as you know from the start he is hiding a big secret which is revealed very gradually, giving the book quite a lot of tension.

The ending is outstanding and completely caught me by surprise. There are a lot of twists and turns and the last three chapters took the book in a totally different direction to what I was expecting, changing my opinions on all the characters and reshaping Nora's entire world. There is a cliffhanger at the very end which makes me incredibly glad I have the next book here and ready to read.

All in all this was another incredible read and I can't wait to get stuck into Silence.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 10/10

Overall: 49/50

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Hush, Hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 978-1-84738-694-6
Pages: 391
Series: Hush, Hush #1
Type: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Nora Grey is happy with her life and loves hanging out and working on the school ezine with her best friend Vee. Nora isn't interested in guys though, despite how often Vee pushes her at them...that is until a seating reassignment brings Patch into her life. Nora is fascinated by him and isn't sure whether to run into his arms or run screaming in the other direction, but what she doesn't know is that Patch belongs to a world beyond her wildest imagination.

This is one of those books I was incredibly nervous to read. Not only does it have a stunning cover but I have seen so many glowing reviews that I wasn't sure it would live up to the hype. I'm happy to say my fears were completely unfounded as this is the best angel themed book I've ever read and a new favourite. The narrative caught me on page one and didn't let up until I was finished.

The world building is brilliant and full of hidden depths and layers that make the book unputdownable. A few parts of the plot did feel a little familiar to me (girl meets guy in biology class, final showdown in deserted gym, girl researches possible identities of guy online) but on the whole this is a really unique story with a well thought out and developed world.

Nora is a brilliant protagonist who manages to avoid all the cliches and be really believable. Her best friend Vee is great fun and their friendship really shines through. Patch is amazing! He has the perfect mix of brooding and romantic with a hint of danger thrown in, and he rides a motorbike. Patch keeps you guessing about his motives right to the end of the book which is brilliant.

The book isn't all romance though as there is a creepy undertone. Nora is being stalked by a person in a ski mask and she keeps seeing strange things that no-one else can. I hadn't seen the stalker angle mentioned before reading and I loved the added dimension it gave the story, not to mention being incredibly disturbing and full of twists.

All in all this was an incredible read and I can't wait to get stuck into Crescendo.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 10/10

Overall: 49/50       

Teaser Tuesdays (7)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser:

"For a moment I thought maybe this was another mind trick. Maybe Patch had his reasons for not wanting me to go to the high school.."

~ Page 347, Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick