Media Consumes Me

Becca Fitzpatrick’s debut novel, Hush, Hush, just came out last week, so I don’t want to give out any spoilers. But it was an interesting enough read that I managed to read this 400-page novel in about seven hours, including breaks to play with, read to and feed my daughter. So make of that what you will.

Romance was not part of Nora Grey’s plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen — and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

Obviously, this is a young adult novel geared toward young women and teens and I like to read some of these on ocassion. They’re always sort of light and romantic and invariably have that mystery boy who piques the heroine’s interest. Hush, Hush is no exception. What intrigued me about this story and drew me to it was that it sounded like a cousin to something like Twilight, The Mortal Instruments series or The Immortals series, all of which I enjoyed to varying degrees. And I like to read a little Young Adult fiction here and there. But what separates this story from the others is that instead of vampires or werewolves or demons and demon hunters or a different kind of immortal being, is that it is about angels. And that is a topic rarely touched on and I was curious to see how the mythology was tackled.

The story is much more normal than I anticipated. It doesn’t have as many fantasy elements as I assumed it would. For the most part Nora’s life is relatively normal, save for a few incidents which lead her to question just what’s up with Patch. I don’t know if I am disappointed by that or not, but it was nonetheless, a book that became a real page-turner to me.

I haven’t looked into it but I wondering if this is the beginning of a series of books, or if it is a standalone. It could work either way, honestly. The ending leaves you satisfied in that there is no frustrating cliffhanger dangled off the last page. On the other hand, there are some minor loose ends and the mythology certainly leaves room for expansion for future stories. So would I read a second installment? Sure. It has vast potential to dleve deeper into the mythology. A mythology, frankly, that wasn’t examined closely in this novel.

Recommended as light teen reading fare. Not as dense and engrossing as I found The Mortal Instruments, for example, but still, it was pleasant and surprising. I didn’t find everything about predictable, and that is refreshing for a genre where predictability seems commonplace.