Hush, Hush

October 12, 2009
Fitzpatrick debuts with a gripping chiller where humans become pawns in the hands of fallen angels. Nora Grey is assigned a new partner in her sophomore biology class. Her instincts tell her Patch is trouble, and she doesn't like the way he is already inside her head (“Part of me wanted to run away from him screaming, Fire
! A more reckless part was tempted to see how close I could get without... combusting”). Soon she is questioning her sanity—she is attacked by a masked figure that smashes her car window, but later the glass is intact. And the same figure ransacks her bedroom, but everything is in place when the police arrive. The violence and danger escalate, and Nora learns that Patch is actually a fallen angel seeking to become human. Fitzpatrick regularly tweaks the tension, resulting in a fast-paced, exhilarating read. Nora's tempestuous relationship with prototypical bad boy Patch is genuinely, even unsettlingly, seductive—fans of paranormal romance should be rapt. Ages 14–up.

December 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-High school sophomore Nora Grey, a dedicated student striving for a college scholarship, lives with her widowed mother in a country farmhouse outside Portland, ME. When Patch, her new biology partner, is suddenly thrust into her life, Nora is both attracted to his charm and put off by his inexplicable awareness of her thoughts. Eventually, she learns that he is a fallen angel who wants to become human. She is susceptible to his control, but other forces are at work as well, and Nora finds herself caught in the middle of dangerous situations and unexplainable events. The premise of "Hush, Hush"that fallen angels exist and interact with humans on Earthis worthy of contemplation and appealing to teens. But stories with such supernatural themes require that the details of day-to-day life be realistic and believable. Unfortunately, most readers won't be convinced that a mother whose husband has recently been murdered would leave her daughter alone overnight in their home far from the nearest neighbor or that a school counselor would be replaced by someone whose credentials were not checked. While teens may enjoy the scenes of tension and terror, most will be disappointed by characters without dimension and the illogical sequence of events."Sue Lloyd, Franklin High School, Livonia, MI"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2009
Grades 9-12 It all starts when Nora finds herself becoming intrigued by the mysterious senior transfer student, Patch. Theres something incredibly alluring about the darkly handsome stranger and something incredibly . . . creepy, too. Is that his voice that starts invading Noras thoughts? And is he the one who starts stalking our smoky-eyed heroine? And whats up with the inverted V-shaped scar on his back? Why, it almost looks as if wings have been ripped away. Omigod, could he possibly be . . .? First-novelist Fitzpatrick spares no contrivance in her sometimes uneven but always eerie novel of supernatural suspense, which finds its inspiration in the apocryphal Book of Enoch and the legends of the Nephilim, the progeny of fallen angels and human women. Horror and romance fans who are weary of the werewolf (and vampire) next door will welcome this new take on the heart of darkness. And enough loose ends remain at novels end to suggest a sequel is surely in the works.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2010
Nora finds bad-boy Patch dangerously attractive. She suspects him of stalking her but discovers that the truth is even more frightening. As a fallen angel, Patch can either reclaim his wings by saving Nora's life--or become human by killing her. Patch's abrupt redemption foists the role of villain onto a previously marginal character, defusing an otherwise suspenseful denouement.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)