[Review] Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Hush, Hush #1
Published September 21st, 2009
Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy

Premise:

A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

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 that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

 

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Review

My thoughts:

Okay, before we start I have to warn you. This review won't make any sense. With that out of the way, we can begin...

I heard a lot of great and awful things about this book, so I couldn't help to pick it up and try to judge by myself. I liked it, sort of... But I had expected more from it, because my friends really liked it and we have similar taste in books, so I have to say I was disappointed when I finish it.

However, I think it's an okay story, fast-paced the way I like them (especially when I'm on a light mood and I want something that isn't too complicated or detailed) and well, a story... 

I read Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers and Twilight by Stephanie Meyer before I read this one and they all seemed really similar to me. I had a bit of that deja vu feeling when reading Hush-Hush, but there were details and characters than made it somehow different.

The whole Jules-Chauncey thing was one of them. I don't want to reveal too much but I think that sub-plot added a bit of mystery to the story and made it bearable and the reason I kept reading it in the end. I mean, this could be the only thing I really liked about the book. The problem is... the main story could have go on without this element and fulfill its purpose just fine...

Nora, our main character is your "average" teenager... Maybe I should rephrase that... She is your average annoying teenager. She was weak and whinny and I while I was reading her thoughts I felt the insane urge to go hit a wall... with my face. So you guessed right. I did not like her. 

Also... I didn't like Vee -Nora's friend- she was really shallow and stupid and I just wanted to slap her across the face while yelling at her "Wake up, you moron!"

Then... there's Patch. I sort of like him in a twisted way... I would like to extract that character from that book and try to apply him on some other story and see what happens... I'm not making any sense, am I? I'm sorry, it's as confusing for you as it is for me, I swear.

The romance in this book was idiotic. I mean... Patch is the bad-angel guy and I like bad guys, but he doesn't fit the role of bad-guy-turned-into-a-hero if you know what I mean... He's BAD, but then the author tries to make him good (while Patch tries to fight her kicking and screaming because that's just not who he is) and suddenly after trying to kill Nora like fifteen times, out of the blue he's all like: "I love you and I want to be with you forever and ever". So, no... That, my friends, is not romance. 

At this point you should be asking yourself "Why did she like this book?" and the answer to that is: "I have absolutely no idea". Apart from the sub-plot thing going on, I don't even know why I kept reading. But strangely when I finished it, I realize I didn't hate it. So, even when I dislike most of it, I think the whole thing is still okay somehow. 

Well, I warned you... it doesn't make any sense.

 

Rating: 

 

Reaction: 

About the author

Becca Fitzpatrick grew up reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden with a flashlight under the covers. She graduated college with a degree in health, which she promptly abandoned for storytelling. When not writing, she's most likely prowling sale racks for reject shoes, running, or watching crime dramas on TV. She is the author of the bestselling HUSH, HUSH Saga. 

Love,

[Review] The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

The Sea of Tranquility
by Katja Millay
Young Adult Contemporary.
Published November 13th 2012 by Atria Books (first published September 5th 2012).

Premise

I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

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I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My thoughts

Oh my freaking God! Just WOW!

The Sea of Tranquility is such a beatiful, heart-warming, heart-breaking, powerful, intense, painful and amazingly well written story that I don't think I have the right ammount of adjectives to describe what this book did to me.

I loved every single page of it. I love how slow it was at the beggining (and I hate when the books start off slow) because it made the waiting so much worth while. At first it was like we had this big introduction to the world of a girl who hasn't utter a word for a year because of a horrible thing that happened to her when she was fifteen but we don't find out what it was until the last few chapters and we don't even get clues to try and figure it out. We just have some facts, she used to play the piano but her left hand is screwed up now and she can't. She obviously hates that and hates the person who did this to her. So, she doesn't do what's right and what's excepted of her -because she's not perfect by any means and I love her for that- what she choses to do is to hid behind a tick layer of make-up, slut-ish clothes and silence. On the other side we have Josh, a boy who's broken as well because life sometimes can be a bitch and he feels like he was dealt the worst cards of the deck and he just want to be left alone and be miserable by himself.

We learn about their daily lifes and I was surprised at how easily I went through that pages even when nothing really interesting happened. I think it was the inner dialogue, because it was witty and sarcastic and really funny. Maybe I shouldn't say that because if you're looking for a light read to laugh your ass off through the entire book, you should look somewhere else, because Sea of Tranquility is so much more than just that.

There is a saying about how misery loves company and in this story that's entirely true. So, the characters slowly start to allow themselves to spend time with each other. There's not love at the beginning (maybe not even at the middle) there isn't even friendship as much as company. I think that's what makes the story so beautiful, because there isn't insta-anything... everything is really developed and well-built, with no rush and it doesn't feel forced at all.

I loved the characters and how well developed they were. I don't think I've ever read a book in which I didn't hate at least one character. But in this one I loved every single one, because they all were so authentic that you can easily imagine them as being the person you see sitting next to you in the bus in the morning. And I just absolutely LOVED the writting, it wasn't precise, it wasn't perfect but I was just right for the story. I enjoyed this book so much! It made laugh out loud, it made cry like a baby, it broke my heart and then picked up the pieces and glued them back together.

Reading this book was an amazing experience and I'd recommend it to anyone who's willing to hear about it.

Rating

About the author

Katja Millay grew up in Florida and graduated with a degree in film & television production from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She has worked as a television producer, and a film studies and screenwriting teacher. Currently she resides in Florida with her family. The Sea of Tranquility is her first book.

And here are a few places you can hang out with her!
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[New Releases] Week April 28th - May 5th

Every week I'll be featuring books that are coming up in that time frame. You'll be able to check out the titles, covers, genre and release date for each of them in the blog. If you want to find out more about any of the books, just click the link in the title and you'll be redirected to the book's Goodreads page.

I'll feature mostly Young Adult & New Adult books, since that's the orientation of this blog, although I occasionally may feature some adult books. 

All the information is taken from Goodreads website.

April 30th

This Girl (Slammed #3) by Colleen Hoover (New Adult Contemporary Romance)

The Program (Program #1) by Suzanne Young (Young Adult Sci-Fi Dystopia)

  The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa (Young Adult Paranormal Dystopia)

Sweet Peril (The Sweet Trilogy #2) by Wendy Higgins (Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy)

 

Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game by Katie Ashley (New Adult Contemporary Romance)

 The Ward (The Ward #1) by Jordana Frankel (Young Adult Sci-Fi Dystopia)

The Last Academy by Anne Applegate (Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy)

Darkness Fades (Darkness Falls #3) by Jessica Sorensen (Young Adult Paranormal Dystopia)

No Attachments by Tiffany King (New Adult Contemporary Romance)

Breathless (Elemental #2.5) by Brigid Kemmerer (Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy)

Oath Bound(Unbound #3) by Rachel Vincent (Adult Paranormal Fantasy)

Bronze Gods (Apparatus Infernum #1) by A. A. Aguirre (Adult Sci-Fi Steampunk)

  

 

The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise (Young Adult Contemporary Romance)

Immortal Eclipse by Sherry Soule (Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy)

May 1st

 

If I Should Die (Revenants #3) by Amy Plum (Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy)

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr (Young Adult Contemporary)

Game. Set. Match. (Outerbanks Tennis Academy #1) by Jennifer Iacopelli (New Adult Contemporary Romance)

Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington (Young Adult Sci-Fi)

May 2nd

 

The Beautiful and the Cursed (The Dispossessed #1) by Page Morgan (Young Adult Gothic Thriller)

  Our Song by Jordanna Fraiberg (Young Adult Contemporary Romance)

May 3rd

 

Love Notes by Heather Gunter (New Adult Contemporary Romance)

 

 

  That's all I have for now. 
If you find another title released this week, let me now in a comment and I'll add it to this list!