By: Becca Fitzpatrick
Fantasy/Romance
I remember back in 2009 I had read the first book, Hush, Hush, at the ripe age of 10 and loved it. Although my young mind did not process half of the things that went on, and re-reading it as an adult has given me a whole new appreciation of the book and the series following. I tend to re-read a lot of my first "big" novels, but doing so gives me such a delight that I feel like I am reading them all over again for the first time. I had never read the second, third, or forth book in the series for that matter helping shape this into an old yet new series. That being said, I am very pleased to have finished this series and share it with all of you.
Starting off with the first book in the series which is called, you guessed it, Hush, Hush I will introduce you to the main character Nora Grey, a 15 year old girl from a small town Coldwater, Maine who lives a simple life making good grades, hanging out with her best friend Vee Sky, having a classic high school rivalry with Marcie Miller, and struggling with the death of her father. This was routine for her, a cozy (almost) undisturbed life with no actual worries. Until one day a fallen angel named Patch comes into her life. Then nothing makes sense, and she comes to find that she knows nothing of a whole other life that was kept from her. All she knows is she is hopelessly in love with Patch and he is her map to navigate this newfound world.
The second book in the series, Crescendo, came out a year later in 2010. This book definitely gave me New Moon vibes continuing Patch and Nora's story...until they break up and she tells Patch she doesn't want him as her guardian angel anymore. Nora then finds herself dealing with her newfound problems from her secret life all on her own until her childhood best friend Scott moves back to town. With his help they then start to uncover secrets, and discover new ones, that lead her closer to finding out who killed her dad and why he is connected to a whole other world nobody knew about. On top of that Marcie Miller is dating Patch? Awkward and gross.
Personally I felt as if the third book in the series, Silence, was a bit random and confusing, although I will say this is a "trust the process" type series because it will all make sense the more you read. Aren't the best books the ones that frustrate you and make you feel something while you read them? I pulled a quote from the book, "There's a plan in all this, but it's going to take time," because I feel as if this describes the book perfectly and Miss Fitzpatrick was throwing in a little encouragement to tell us that if we stay with her through the series it'll be worth it. The book starts off with Nora waking up in a cemetery and not remembering the last 5 months of her life. Although she is still a target and a threat to her other life. Not only does she not remember anything thats happening, but she has to also figure out why she is trying to be killed. The ending to Silence pulled the last three books together and was a great set up for the final book.
At last we get to my favorite book out of the entire series. I finished this book in a span of two days unable to put it down and entirely captivated by the buildup to the final battle. Nora becomes a leader of an army she has no idea how to lead, and quite frankly nobody wants her to lead them either. She is being forced to choose a side: Patch or leadership. While making new friends, she unfortunately learns that loyalty does not go far and betrayal is around every corner. I will say though that Nora's character development gives you an encouraging push throughout the book building up to the ending closing the book with a sense of satisfaction.
I will say the only faults I had with this series is it took place in such a short amount of time, it was hard to validate the romance between Nora and Patch because they were barely together. On top of that, it was also a little hard to understand all of the events and activities Nora and her friends encountered because she is 15 years old in the series. While she does grow up, it's a mindset you have to keep yourself in.
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