Book Review: Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick

Release Date: October 4, 2011
Published by: Simon & Schuster

This review is spoiler-free... unless you haven't read the first chapter of Silence, as was released by USA TODAY earlier last week.

Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick

When silence is all that's left, can the truth finally be heard?


Nora Grey can't remember the past five months of her life.  After the initial shock of waking up in a cemetery and being told that she has been missing for weeks--with no one knowing where she was or who she was with--she tried to get her life back on track. Go to school, hang out with her best friend, and dodge her mom's creepy new boyfriend.


But there is this voice in the back of her head, an idea that she can almost reach out and touch.  Visions of angel wings and unearthly creatures that have nothing to do with the life she knows.


And this unshakable feeling that a part of her is missing.


Then Nora crosses paths with a sexy stranger, whom she feels a mesmerizing connection to. he seems to hold all of the answers... and her heart.  Every minute she spends with him grows more and more intense until she realizes she could be falling in love.  Again.

Ten Likes/Dislikes:

1. (+) Nora, the Protagonist - Silence makes it easier to identify with Nora. Not only do you have that first chapter where you really feel for her and the situation she's in, but Nora also admits that some of her choices are stupid.  She had a sort of self-deprecating humor and assuredness that made it easier to connect with her.  And she knew what she wanted.  Nora takes charge of her future, and I like that.  I like how much stronger she has gotten with each book in the saga.
2. (+) The Romance - Patch has some pretty sweet, swoon-worthy lines.  This is one of the only times he's completely and utterly honest about how he feels though he's still got the bad-boy vibe going for him.  And you know, I don't normally like it when I think the protagonist spends too much time talking about how she's looking up into his eyes, but wow, there was something so seductive to the color black and the way Fitzpatrick uses it along with Nora's memory of Patch.  Plenty of flirty lines and the chemistry between Patch and Nora still runs deep.
3. (+) The Villain - I'm not even going to pretend I understood him, but at the same time, he felt... real.  I would've liked to read more from his perspective, to know what he truly was thinking when he did all those things in the past, but oh well.  They always say the scariest villains are the ones who really believe in their cause.  Well, there have you it.  I definitely felt the danger of what he was doing and wondered what it would lead to.
4. (+) World-Building - Once again, there is a lot more to the fallen angel / archangel / Nephilim world that we learn about.  I would list some details here, but I don't want to spoil any of it; just know that it was an interesting touch, and I can't wait to see what the fourth book has in store for this. Also, loose ends regarding the paranormal world I didn't even remember from the previous books were tied up rather nicely in this book.
5. (--) Frustration - Since Nora has lost her memory, a lot of the characters need to tell her what happened to her, who she knew, etc.  While it's integral to the story to find out who exactly is lying, there were times when I wanted to say... we already know this!  Please, story, can you move on?  Can Nora please just remember what happened here so we can move on?
6. (+) The Ending - Though it ends on a cliffhanger--which I normally hate--I have an idea of where the fourth book will head, and I like that.  I like where it's headed. When Becca Fitzpatrick first announced that news, I didn't know how to take it or whether or not I liked that she was expanding 'the saga.'  This book helped me make up my mind on that end.
7. (+) The Writing - When I read the first chapter of Silence, my first thought was: wow, Becca Fitzpatrick's writing has improved SO much.  This is probably the best writing I've read from her!  That mostly continues through the book with one snag--the questions.  Nora's perspective is filled with questions.  Normally, I don't think I would've noticed, but one of my critique partners pointed out how many questions my protagonist asks and got annoyed with the protag for that... so, if you get annoyed when protagonists do that, watch out, I suppose. I personally wasn't bothered by it; there are a lot of questions that need to be asked.
8. (+/-) The Pacing - I did say that I was frustrated with Nora's inability to remember some of the things that we as readers could remember... and that affected the pacing, making it seem a tad slow at points and clogged with back story we already knew.  Also, in the beginning, I kept looking for more time with Patch.  It also made the book go a little slower in the beginning because I kept expecting him...(don't expect him for a bit)... but other than that, the pacing was fine, and I didn't let the book go until I had finished reading it.
9. (+/-) The Prologue - Becca Fitzpatrick continues her trend of prologues written from another character's perspective.  While I think it added great insight into his mind, I also think it would've added more to the suspense and mystery of the novel had she gotten rid of it.  Granted, I wasn't able to predict what would happen next in the story, but I think that not having the prologue would've definitely reduced my frustration with Nora, because I too would've been in the dark regarding what had happened to her later.
10. (+) The Cover - it matches the other two!  I can't wait to put it next to them on the shelves and see the prettiness all together.  I love the black and white and red theme... Though I'm not sure I quite understand the symbolism of the beach.  I understood the fall and the lightning from the Hush, Hush and Crescendo covers, but the beach is a little confusing.  I do like that they put Patch and Nora together this time; I can see that reflected in the book.

Personally, I liked Hush, Hush the best of all the books simply because it was the start of their romance and I think that was quite possibly the most exciting bit--trying to figure out Patch's intentions and what exactly Nora had gotten herself into... but I like Silence more than Crescendo.  Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick is a worthy contender in the Hush, Hush saga.  Fans will definitely not be disappointed with the sweet romance, suspense, and interesting take on paranormal world-building in this book.

Extra Tidbits:
-Some people have complained about the absence of Nora's mom in the first two books--how unrealistic that was.  Doesn't happen as much in Silence.
-Vee is still here, charming as ever before, though I didn't mention her up above.  Her role is sort of eclipsed in this novel because of the sheer amount of things going on around Nora.

Hope you enjoyed the review!