First, I really enjoyed the whole concept of fallen angels. It was unique, and very interesting. Patch's story of how he became a fallen angel was what kept me turning the pages into the night. The beginning of the book is a prologue dating back to 1565, and those couple of pages grabbed my attention quickly. Throughout the book the readers are getting little bits of information here and there about the prologue, so we can understand more about how this began.

From the prologue I could sense this was going to be darker than most YA books I've read. It has a sinister feel, and when Patch was brought into the story, I could tell he wasn't no Edward. His vibe was dark, and ominous. I liked it at the beginning, but then it became almost as if the writer was trying to hard to make him a "bad boy".

The only thing I have a problem with in Hush, Hush is the relationship between Nora, and Patch. I didn't understand Nora's attraction to Patch, other than he was good-looking. He came off egotistical and was just plain nasty to her. It didn't set a good example to the books audience, young adults. I didn't feel the love, or even like in them, and then we are suppose to believe that they are soul mates of some kind, at the end. I wasn't buying it.

Hush, Hush was a quick read for me, and I enjoyed it for the most part. The best thing about this book was the fallen angels concept. I'm interested in reading the next book in the series, to see where the fallen angels idea goes. ( )

Let me start by saying that I’ve always loved me some bad boy and boy does Patch ever fit that bill! What this means is Fitzpatrick would have had to have dropped the ball in such an epic way to have not drawn me into this story. Patch would have had to have been entirely one dimensional in his characterization to make Hush, Hush a bad fit. Thankfully he’s formulated in that most appealing way where he’s so bad he’s good.

Where does this leave me as a reader? Well, it takes me to a place that even though I’m lead to think his motives and intentions are questionable throughout; even though I believe he’s being nefarious and even when there are times where it’s not one hundred percent clear which side he’s on I was still rooting for him. I enjoyed the fact that I was constantly going back and forth on where he truly stood in relation to Nora’s circumstances.

Patch’s characterization and behavior certainly added to the mysterious plot of the fallen angel as well. I would have liked to have had a bit more history than we got but was happy to see some of that information divulged as part of the resolution to the overall story. I imagine there will be even more when the follow-up makes it’s way into the world.

I was a mixture of love and loathing for the book’s heroine Nora. Most of the time I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake some common sense into her. You know, kind of something along the lines of “Oh, Nora. Nora, Nora, Nora….didn’t your mother teach you not to investigate scary other-worldly mystical-type events that put you in mortal danger? You, know, because I think my mom did! I got the ‘don’t touch the stove while it’s on’, ‘always look both ways when crossing the street’, and ‘when your room is mysteriously ransacked one minute then totally maid-worthy the next run away’ lectures from the first moment I could speak. Why, oh why, didn’t you heed her advice and use your head a bit more?” I suppose in the end the story would have been far less enjoyable and certain aspects and events wouldn’t have happened they way they did if she’d been far more cautious and fearful but yea, I was just perplexed on occasion.

An element of the plot I found particularly interesting was Fitzpatrick’s take on light versus dark (which may or may not have been intentional). Patch is dark haired and eyed while his competitor for Nora’s attention and affection Elliott is the direct physical opposite. Often times I found myself wondering if those visual cues were intended to throw me off the scent of story twists and turns. In general, I was already constantly wondering which of the two was good or bad and Fitzpatrick did a good job of giving us just enough clues so that it could go either way. Inevitably, though, I kept going back to that dark and brooding versus bright and sunny opposition. In the end it did contribute some small punch to the outcome where I finally found out once and for all where each of the characters actually stood.

Speaking of the ending, I’ve now had the opportunity to read both endings and have to admit that I preferred the ARC to the published version. Not wanting to give away what the ending actually is I’ll just say that I liked that the ARC ending, it seemed to me, is a better lead in for the sequel. I feel this way mainly because of my personal preference for having a bit more anticipation. The ending in the published version leaves the reader with a bit more of a tidy bow allowing it to be just a touch closer to a stand alone.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book it was quite entertaining. If you are at all interested in a bit of a darker toned story with mystery and some intriguing characters definitely give it a try. ( )

To Read my Review (which is too long to post here) please visit my blog:
http://tbqspersonalbookpalace.blogspo... ( )

My thoughts...Like everyone else, I fell in love with this cover. The photographer, James Porto, did a brilliant job. This cover is stunning and does an incredible job reflecting the story. Now the big question is should we judge this book by its cover? My answer is yes. This was a great story and a solid start to a promising series. I am not saying it wasn't without its imperfections and it did have a Twilight feel to it, but overall I really enjoyed Hush, Hush.

Let me start with the pros. First Patch, Becca Fitzpatrick can did a great job writing this character. Patch is the ultimate bad boy. I flopped back and forth trying to decide if I liked him, if he was trustworthy, evil or good, but one thing I knew was that he was H-O-T! The rest of the characters, including the heroine Nora, took a back seat. They seemed to be average teens with average lives.

I really enjoyed the storyline. The history of the fallen angels was original to me, as I have not read too many books with fallen angels. I feel the scenes were described well, I got a sense of where the story was taking place and the mood of the locations. This was a very quick read, it flowed nicely and I had trouble putting it down.

There were only a few cons. One was the very poor judgment of Nora and Vee. I think teenagers have more sense than what was demonstrated in the story. For example, at one point Vee tries to justify her friend being slammed against a wall by a boy by saying he was drunk, he's frustrated, or he will feel sorry in the morning. I was a bit alarmed by the message that this could send to young readers. Also at one point Nora wanders off alone in a dark alley and gives away her possessions to a homeless woman. Who wanders down a dark alley alone, especially when they are the victims of previous attacks. I realize this is fiction, but these choices were unrealistic and they disrupted the flow of the story.

The only other con was the connection between Patch and Nora. I did not feel 100% about their connection. I felt a strong sexual tension and desire, but his intentions were revealed so late in the story that I found myself struggling with their relationship. I will say that the end was unpredictable, that was a good thing! Overall, I really enjoyed the story and I will be reading Crescendo when it comes out in 2011. ( )

I have been hearing about Hush, Hush for the last few months, and it felt like Patch was Edward-mania all over again, and I rolled my eyes time and again and figured I’d buy it when it came out. No big deal. No big deal? WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS I THINKING?! Patch is every bit as alluring and seductive as everyone has said he was, and then some. And some more.

I really enjoyed the storyline, and the characters – Nora was headstrong, she knew what she wanted, and didn’t want. Vee was a good friend, although a bit dim. If your friend seriously thinks there’s something wrong with someone, you do NOT go somewhere alone with them. Hello, got a brain much? Elliot and Jules were interesting, and Patch… well, Patch was Patch. (Aka: See above paragraph.)

The only thing that I really didn’t like was that the story was very predictable. Yes, there were things I hadn’t figured out in the end, there were twists that I didn’t see coming, and I kept going back and forth about who was the bad guy. I took my final guess about half way through the book, and lo-and-behold, I was right. Most of the plot I guessed at before it happened, so very good story, just predictable.

Another thing, that puts me off edge, is that this is being marketed as a YA book. I can see in ways how it is, but there is too much sexual tension in this book for me to even THINK about handing it to a 13 year old. The book is literally oozing with it, it’s from the very beginning to the very end, and intertwined through all of the spots in between. Having said that though, I am SO glad that Becca wrote a heroine who didn’t find the advances alluring, or at least to the point where she lost her brain and couldn’t eat/sleep/drink/breathe without Patch. She evaluated her choices, used her brain and didn’t become a love-sick puppy running after something that could very well kill her.

I really hate comparing books because all authors have their niche and their safe zone, and the people/things/places they know the best, but I can tell you one thing: Stephenie Meyer could learn a thing or two from Mrs. Fitzpatrick. Like how to create a love that evolves (aka, not completely irrational), and a bad boy who isn’t.. you know.. creepy. Or well, not completely.

So I say to all the Patchinites: I understand. And I’m sorry I judged you prematurely. Please forgive me? ( )