What a journey it’s been! So sad that this addictive, fast-paced and amazing series is over, but also very pleased with (most of) the way Becca Fitzpatrick wrapped things up! It’s definitely one of the more unique YA fantasy series and the concept of fallen angels felt very new and fresh compared to all vampire novels. The story hooked me from the very first page in book one and kept me at the edge almost the whole way through all four books.

In this fourth book, Patch and Nora face almost insurmountable obstacles, with Nora being forced to lead the Nephilim against fallen angels. To try and convince the Nephilim that Nora is on their side, she and Patch fake their break-up. But of course nothing goes as planned… Things even got so bad that I feared for a heart-breaking ending of the whole series.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing style and all twists and turns, and that the story felt new and unpredictable. But most of all, the characters were absolutely wonderful. All of them were so much more than the one-dimensional archetypes you often find in YA books. And even though the finale felt a little rushed, and the series has had its ups and downs along the way, this is definitely one of my favorite series of all times and I am really happy with how (almost) everything played out in the end.

Rating:
4.5 stars rounding up to 5

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​Author info:
Becca Fitzpatrick

I love this brilliant book and its amazing characters that are absolutely real, with flaws and shortcomings, and all the complexity that comes with being human. The main character Starr is so bad-ass, smart, funny, adorable and brave in a real way; trying to stay true to herself and her believes while maintaining a balance between her two worlds (the poor neighbourhood and the posh school on the other side of town).

Starr’s favorite TV show in the book (and mine as a teen...) is The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and I loved the references to it throughout the book. It was such a clever way to use The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as an analogy for how Starr felt to be sent to Williamson Prep after Natasha’s death, just like Will Smith was sent to from his West Philadelphia neighborhood to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle in their mansion in Bel Air after he got himself into trouble.

I have to admit that it took me some time to get into the book and the narrating, but once I did it was impossible to put this book down. It was heart-wrenching, stirring, with a perfect balance of heartbreak and humor, telling the story about love, friendship, loss, grief and racism in a completely new way. Even though the book touches on difficult topics and there are some really sad parts in it, it’s not a heavy read. I can’t recommend it enough!

Rating:
​5 stars

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Angie Thomas

This third book in the Hush, Hush series following human girl Nora and fallen angel Patch, was a little slower for me than the first two and started off a bit confused. There was also less action than before, so this book felt a lot like a build up for the grand finale. But it was still a very enjoyable read that left me even more eager for the last book!

In the beginning of the book, Patch gets a deal that can give him Nora back, but would make him loose his wings forever. Five months later, Nora wakes up within a graveyard having lost her memories. She has no memory of Patch, but has moments of deja vu when she hears his name and as the story progresses, both Nora and the readers realise what has happened and things become clearer. It was a bit repetitive and confusing reliving some parts of the stories from the previous books, but I truly enjoyed the part where we got to see Nora and Patch fall in love with each other all over again.

Even though there wasn’t much development in the first half of the book, it was still amazingly well written and the second part was a total rollercoaster. By now we should be used to Becca Fitzpatrick’s twists and turns and cliffhanger endings, but this book’s ending was truly shocking! I absolutely cannot wait to continue the series and find out what’s in store for Nora and Patch and how it will all be wrapped up!

Rating:
3.5 stars rounding up to 4

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​Author info:
Becca Fitzpatrick

The Host is a romance-sci fi novel, with just the right balance of sci fi to not scare the romantics away, and not too much romance to bore the sci fi fans. Twilight will always have a special place in my heart, since it opened my eyes to the YA genre and brought back the magic of books to me again, but even so, I definitely think that The Host is Stephenie Meyer’s best book by far.

This second book in the adorable Hush, Hush series following human girl Nora and fallen angel Patch, was almost as addictive and amazing as the first one. I was so excited to read more about Nora and Patch after what happened in book one, but it took a little while before the plot really took off this time. But when it did, there was so much action and so many twists it felt like a rollercoaster!

Patch is now Nora’s guardian angel and her angel boyfriend. But soon Nora starts to feel insecure and doubting Patch’s feelings for her, and things start to go downhill… A relationship with an angel is no walk in the park, that’s for sure.

Nora came across as a little bit whiny at first in this book, but about halfways she was back to her tough and feisty self. And Patch was such a douche bag for a major part of the book, but still he’s my favorite bad boy. I think I will forgive just about anything he does… A character that really grew on me in this book was Vee. In a way, she became more of Nora’s guardian angel than Patch. She was truly what a real friend should be, always looking out for Nora.
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Just as in the first book, there were a lot of twists and turns, and the book ended on a major cliffhanger making me wanting to jump straight into the next book in this series!

Rating:
4 stars

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Becca Fitzpatrick

Carry On is something of a fan fiction for Harry Potter. It is also a spin-off from Rainbow Rowells’ book Fangirl, where Simon Snow began his life as a fictional character. But it’s so much more. I absolutely love this book!

In the beginning it’s quite easy to pick out the similarities between Carry On and Harry Potter – Simon/Harry, all the things about being the “chosen one”, Baz/Draco, Penelope/Hermione, Watford/Hogwarts, the Humdrum/Voldemort etc - but this story very soon takes its own completely unique direction and it’s definitely not a rip-off of any kind.

I love the way Rainbow Rowell keeps you in suspense. This is the complete opposite of insta love, you have to wait almost the whole book to find out if the two main characters love each other or hate each other, if they will end up together or if they will kill each other first. So good! And so mean to the reader, it makes the story completely addictive and deprives you of sleep...

This story is about Simon Snow (“the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen”), Baz (Simon’s roommate who “might be evil and a vampire and a complete grit”), Penelope (Simon’s best friend) and Agatha (Simon’s girlfriend who breaks up with him right from the start of the book). The story is told from all their different views, as well as from some more characters, and it’s written in a fast, witty style, that gives you all the information right from the start; who’s who, what they think and feel, their backgrounds. You also get the mystery part right from the start and then you can’t wait to read on to figure out how everything comes together –and most of all, will Simon and Baz end up together, or what?

I loved the characters so much (except for Agatha). Simon is so sweet and adorable. Rainbow Rowell did such a fantastic job to describe his struggle with himself, and how he’s definitely not perfect in any way, that I immediately took him to my heart. Penelope is badass, bossy, bold, smart and possibly the best friend ever. And Baz. Oh, I love Baz. He’s my favorite book boyfriend right now! I love that you didn’t know what to expect from him in the beginning, thinking that he might be the villain, a snobby bully, but how he develops through the story to this absolutely amazing, funny and wonderful person.

I love Rainbow Rowell’s writing style with all the different POVs and the fast pace and the way she entrangles the background story. And the world building and the plot and the characters. This book is so quirky and fun. I love the way Rainbow Rowell constantly kept you guessing to what was going to happen next and how the mystery ran its course, but without actually being the main drive of the story. Instead it was the characters and their feelings and the dialogues that lead the story in such an amazing and addictive way.

Alright, let’s face it, I love everything about this book!

Rating:
​5 stars

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Rainbow Rowell

This was such an addictive, fast-paced and amazing read! So much better than the synopsis, it really doesn’t give this book justice! Hush Hush is so much more than the typical girl-meets-dangerous-boy ordeal, so much more than a Twilight copy. It was all I was hoping it would be and so much more!

Yes, at first the plot may resemble Twilight quite a lot. A small town where everyone knows everyone. An over-achieving high school girl with not many friends (Nora) who is left by her single parent to look after herself most of the time. A strange, but gorgeous, bad boy (Patch) in her school, who she suddenly gets teamed up with for a school project. But there is so much more to it! The plot was amazing, and quite unique from other similar YA fantasy novels. The concept of fallen angels felt very new and fresh compared to all vampire novels… The story hooked me from the very first page and kept me at the edge the whole way through. There wasn’t a dull moment and the writing was very smooth and with a great flow. But most of all, the characters were absolutely wonderful. All of them were so much more than the one-dimensional archetypes you often find in YA books. (Even the antagonist, who was quite the surprise at the end...)

Nora was such a great and lovable main character. She was both strong and vulnerable, intelligent, attractive and humble. And I really appreciated that she kept her doubts against Patch and others throughout the novel. (That she wasn’t the naïve damsel in distress that Bella Swan sometimes felt like.) I rooted so much for her, but the character that completely stole my heart was of course Patch. Bad boys with a good heart are my favorites… I also really enjoyed Nora and Vee’s friendship. It felt authentic and the dialogue was just so witty and fun!
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I basically read this book in one sitting and can’t wait to continue the series to stay in Nora’s and Patch’s world!

Rating:
5 stars

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Becca Fitzpatrick

This is the first book in The All Souls trilogy following Dr. Diana Bishop, a highly respected Oxford researcher in history and science, who also happens to be the descendant of a famous Salem witch. Diana herself though has turned her back on magic, after being traumatized as a child by the murder of her powerful witch parents. Until she is able to find an enchanted manuscript in the Bodleian library and draws the attention of all kinds of supernatural creatures such as vampires, demons and other witches, and her magic starts to awaken again. One of the creatures following her especially draws Diana’s attention to himself too, the biochemist researching vampire Matthew Clairmont who wants to find a cure to stop vampires from getting weak and eventually exterminated.

I love strong female leads, historical and academic settings, and ever since Twilight I have a thing for vampires, so I was certain this book would be a perfect match for me. But sadly, it wasn’t as amazing as I thought it would be. I did love the world building and the descriptions of the Oxford surroundings and the historical aspects, the vivid writing and the wonderful secondary characters in Matthew’s family (sired as well as biological) and Diana’s aunt and her partner. But I had two major problems with this book.

The first problem was the length and pace. With more than 600 pages, this book was simply a bit too long, overloaded with details, and painfully slow at times. It also didn’t have that certain fantasy feels to it. It was more of a traditional romance with some (a lot…) extra history and science added plus some paranormal creatures and linear curses etc to spice it up. Even though there were a lot of action, the focus was on history rather than adventure.

The second problem was the main characters and their romance. The romance had an intense and fast start, but then it never really matured the way I’d wanted to. I never really felt the connection between them, or a connection myself to either of them. They were a bit one dimensional with Diana as the flawless good girl not wanting to use her powers and Matthew as the stronger and older guardian always protecting her. But at the end, it felt like the scale was shifting with Diana stepping up to become the witch she was meant to be, so I’m hopeful for developments in the next two books in this series!

And overall, even though this book wasn’t exactly what I expected, it was still a very enjoyable read with a wonderful world building, and I am definitely invested enough to continue this series.

Rating:
​3 stars

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Deborah Harkness 

This is one of my favorite dystopians ever! I loved the unique world building with a society divided into factions depending on your personal traits, and the set up with teenagers having to select which faction they would devote the rest of their lives to based on an aptitude test. I also really loved the complex characters, especially the fierce and strong female lead, Tris!

In the future version of Chicago that Tris Prior lives in, society is divided into five factions based on virtues: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). If you don’t fit into the factions, or break their rules, you are cast out and must live the rest of your life as a fractionless, which is believed to be even worse than death itself. On the day for the aptitude test, which will decide her fraction, Tris gets a very different, and as it turns out, dangerous result.
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This action-packed story got me hooked from page one. I absolutely loved this unique and imaginative concept and world building, and how Tris was a new kind of fierce and independent female character. I really appreciated how she was allowed to be complex, with flaws and typical “masculine” traits. And the slow-burning romance part also felt fresh and so sweet. Can’t wait to continue this captivating series!

Rating:
5 stars

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​Author info:
Veronica Roth