Hush, Hush (series)

The Hush, Hush quartet is a series of four novels by Becca Fitzpatrick that follow teenager Nora Grey as she falls in love with the fallen angel Patch and discovers her own angelic heritage. The first book in the series, Hush, Hush, was released on October 13, 2009 through Simon & Schuster, with the final novel in the series, Finale, releasing on October 23, 2012. The series was initially promoted as a trilogy,^[1] with later announcements stating that the series would comprise four books.^[2]

Film rights to the series have been purchased by LD Entertainment and book rights have been sold in 13 countries.^[3]

Synopsis

Hush, Hush

Nora Grey meets Patch Cipriano in her biology class. She finds herself drawn to him despite him initially trying to assassinate her and her friends preferring that she date their friend Elliot, who is later revealed to be a pawn of the nephilim Jules. Patch saves Nora from death multiple times because he realized he fell in love with her and even though Nora believes he is stalking her, she eventually gives in to her feelings for Patch after he reveals he is a fallen angel that is protecting her. Jules, also known by the name Chauncey Langeais, attempts to use Nora as a way to target Patch, but fails and is killed when Nora jumps off of a gym ceiling rafter and dies, severing the blood related tie between Nora and him. She is brought back by Patch, who then becomes her guardian angel.

Crescendo

In Crescendo Nora finds that her relationship with Patch has hit a rough spot when he stops returning her calls and refuses to tell her he loves her in his car when she admits her love for him. She is hurt when she discovers that Patch has been standing outside of rival girl named Marcie's window. Patch explains he can't tell Nora he loves her because it would potentially send him to Hell. This prompts her to begin talking to Scott Parnell, an old friend and possible Nephilim, and use him to make Patch jealous. Nora becomes involved in a fight in the process and ends up firing Patch as her guardian angel. Through Scott she finds that a person called the Black Hand killed her father. Nora becomes more depressed as she sees Patch start a relationship with Marcie and believes him to have sent her a drugged apology letter. It's eventually revealed that Nora's mother had an affair with Marcie's father Hank, prompting Marcie's vendetta against her. She also comes to think that Patch is the Black Hand and that he's now Marcie's guardian angel. The true identity of the Black Hand is later revealed to be Hank Millar, Marcie's father. However, Rixon, a fallen angel and Patch's best friend, is revealed to be behind most of the book's events. His nephil vassal is Marcie's father, Hank, who is revealed to have impregnated Nora's mother years ago, making him her real father. Due to her true heritage, Rixon attempts to sacrifice her to kill his nephil vassal and obtain a human body. In the process of sacrificing Nora, Scott interferes and is shot multiple times. Rixon shoots Nora in the arm and is about to kill her, but Patch appears and he is unsuccessful. The book ends with Rixon getting sent to Hell, Patch and Nora making up, and her real father, Hank, appearing and cornering them, capturing Nora and asking her if she was responsible for the death of Chauncey Langeais.

Silence

The book starts with Hank making a deal with Patch that if Hank returns Nora by the end of summer, Patch will relinquish his wings. Three months later Nora wakes up within a graveyard to discover that her mother is now dating Hank Millar. She has no memory of Patch but has moments of deja vu when she hears his name. Along with Scott and a boy named Jev, Nora begins researching Nephilim after her many flashbacks. In the process it's revealed that Jev is actually Patch and that Hank is the Black Hand. Nora eventually begins to regain her memories of Patch and Hank through flashback memories and is ultimately forced by Hank to make a choice between the deaths of herself and her mother or becoming a Nephilim. Unwilling to cause her mother's death, Nora agrees and becomes immortal. Hank tries to send Patch to Hell using one of his feathers, but is stopped when Nora shoots him to death. The book ends with Patch revealing that he had the chance to become human, Nora discovering that she has been made Hank's heir and the leader of his group of nephilim, and that a war between fallen angels and Nephilim is unavoidable. Yet could they jump and not be bound by the unlimited power of the only but not only devilcraft.

Finale

Cover for the final book titled Finale

Nora and her fallen angel boyfriend Patch have had a pretty rocky relationship, and now they finally get to be together. But, Nora has to deal with the fact that she is now the leader of the nephilim army, she has to deal with the raging war between them and the fallen angels. Nora and Patch are determined to do what it takes to finally just have a normal life together, but as time goes on, Nora has to figure out where her loyalties lie. Nora and Patch devise a plan to bring the two sides to peace, but as time is ticking it's getting harder for Nora to decide if peace or war is best. Nora has many nephil friends, including Scott and her new, sexy lieutenant Dante who are determined to help her become the leader she needs to be, but as Nora goes deeper into the world of her new race she finds things that could destroy her, including a dark addiction that Nora might not be able to shake. In the end all plans of peace are lost and the nephilim and the fallen angels must go to war.^[4] Dante is revealed to be the antagonist.

Adaptations

Film adaptation

In December of 2012 Entertainment Weekly announced that LD Entertainment had optioned the rights to the series with the intention of turning it into a film series.^[5] Patrick Sean Smith has been confirmed to be writing the screenplay for the first film.^[5] On July 8, 2014 Becca announced on her website that she has decided that now is not the right time to move forward with the Hush, Hush movie and has not renewed the movie option with LD Entertainment. She says that she appreciates the support but hopes that the fans respect her decision. She has said that she is not saying the movie will never happen, but it won’t be moving forward at this time.

Graphic novel

In 2011 Sea Lion Books published a graphic novel adaptation of Hush, Hush.^[6] Fitzpatrick stated that the graphic novel would consist of three volumes and that Jennyson Rosero would be drawing the series.^[6] During the book's development Fitzpatrick solicited reader reactions by posting preliminary images on her website, with Sea Lion Books altering some of the designs based on how they were received.^[7]

Reception

Critical reception for the series has been mostly positive,^[8] with Crescendo spending ten weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list and being named one of YALSA's Teens’ Top Ten for 2011.^[9][10] Kirkus Reviews praised the first entry but gave a mixed review of Crescendo, remarking that the plot was "drawn out" and shared many similarities to the first novel.^[11][12]

Bibliography

• Hush, Hush (2009)
• Crescendo (2010)
• Silence (2011)
• Finale (2012)

References