Book Review: Silence

Silence (Hush, Hush #3) 

By: Becca Fitzpatrick

Narrated By: Caitlin Greer

Published By: Simon & Schuster Audio

Audio Length: 9 hours, 39 minutes

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: Library

Audience: Young Adult - Fantasy, Paranormal

On the Writing & Story:

I have to admit that I was pretty disappointed by Silence. This series is just not holding my interest any longer. I loved Hush, Hush and Crescendo, but something just fizzled with this one. I no longer found Patch to be as appealing and Nora drove me insane. Furthermore, the plot did not hold my interest. The last five chapters were really what redeemed this one for me, but it was too little, too late. Those chapters held the intensity and appeal that I loved in the previous books.

I really liked Nora in the previous books, but in this one she was just whiny and temperamental. She also did some stupid things that made me shake my head and wonder about her sanity. Never before have I wanted Patch to end up with someone else, but for most of this book I thought he deserved better. Perhaps the memory loss caused Nora to forget her personality as well. She just seemed off until the very end of the book, but that was too little too late for me. Furthermore, I'm just not feeling Patch anymore. He's lost his luster and his crossing into the land of creepy. I am so tired of hearing him call Nora "Angel". That element of the book annoyed me more than everything else. The romance in this one is unrealistic. I didn't find either of them to sympathetic characters in any way.

In addition, I just didn't find the plot of this one to be that riveting. It was the same old song and dance between the Nephilim and the Fallen Angels. There was additional information about Archangels that was interesting, but since it didn't drive most of the story I was slightly bored. The ending was interesting and probably my favorite element of this book, but it also was lacking when I think of other books I have read recently. The writing didn't flow well and the plot seemed to jump around abruptly. I also was overwhelmed with the info dumps that happened at several intervals in the book.

Writing this review was quite the challenge because I wanted to love this book and I tried really hard to make that happen but in the end it just didn't work out that way. I found myself zoning out during this one and just wishing that things would move along quicker. I have never felt that way when reading Fitzpatrick's work before. She always creates a world that I want to spend time in - but this time I wanted to get out of the world and into the next audiobook on my TBR list as quickly as possible. I know I am probably in the minority concerning this book, but it just didn't meet my expectations. I don't think I will read the fourth book. I will just end my journey with Patch and Nora with this installment.

On the Audio:

I was not a fan of Caitlin Greer's narration. She did an admirable job with Nora, but I felt her portrayal of the other characters was severely lacking. There was no emotion or life behind them. Furthermore, since Nora annoyed me in this one I attached those feeling to Greer's voice - hence why I probably didn't enjoy this one more. However, I will say that if I had been reading this on my own I might not have finished it at all. The middle seemed to drag for me and listening on audio I could zone out and pick back up with things when the plot hit interesting moments.

One Last Gripe: Nora and her mom's relationship in this one is appalling. I was so disappointed in them both.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: There is nothing that stands out for me that wasn't already mentioned in the review. I really do feel just kind of blah about this one.

First Sentence: The sleek black Audi rolled to stop in the parking lot overlooking the cemetery, but none of the three men inside had any intention of paying respects to the dead.

Favorite Character: I didn't have one

Least Favorite Character: Nora

Summary:

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.