Review: Hidden by Marianne Curley

Title: Hidden.
Series: Avena, #1.
Author: Marianne Curley.
Publication Date: March 14th, 2013.
Publisher: Bloomsbury.
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult.
Format: Paperback, 325 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:

Ebony has always known that she is different. Her violet eyes mark her out, and her protective parents have kept her in a gorgeous valley, home-schooled, safe from everything—almost as if she’s being hidden. But she’s changing: glowing, getting more and more beautiful, and stronger than anyone knows.

Ebony can’t stay hidden for ever, and when she meets complicated, intense Jordan, something explodes inside her—something that can be seen from the heavens; something that changes everything. Ebony is a stolen angel, concealed on Earth. Now the heavens have found her, they want her back.

 

Review

Ebony has always known she was different; she has violet coloured eyes, can run faster than any boy in her school and heals remarkably quickly. She’s always thought the reason her parents have kept her sheltered from the world is because they didn’t want her to draw attention – but she was wrong. Ebony is an Angel, stolen as an infant, concealed on earth and raised by her adoptive parents. Ebony soon realises she can’t stay hidden forever, and now the heavens have found her – and they want her back.

I enjoyed reading this book, I really did – It had its good points; but unfortunately the bad ones outweighed the good. Whilst reading the first half of Hidden, I was sure I was going to be rating it a 4/5 star book. However, as the action started and the book progressed further into the story, I was quite disappointed with lots of different things that played out. This has nothing to do with Marianne’s writing; I just don’t think Hidden was structured very well at all.

Hidden switches between two of the main characters perspectives; Ebony and Jordan. As I’ve mentioned many times before in my reviews, I love reading multiple perspective books, they’re incredibly interesting and I love knowing what the other characters are actually feeling, rather than what they say they’re feeling. This was no exception and I thought the chapters were cleverly divided between the two characters perspectives.

Ebony is our female protagonist. She’s sixteen years old and has led a very sheltered life by her parents, growing up in the small valley of a town. I know the author has written Ebony’s character to be very relatable and interesting, but, personally; I didn’t like her that much at all. It’s a bit of a rare occasion for me to find a main, female character that I don’t like. Usually, in the novels I’ve read, the female lead has at least two or three characteristics that will warm me to them. Ebony, however, only has one – and that is her violet coloured eyes. What I wouldn’t do to have eyes like that! Her character isn’t a very strong-willed person, nor is she particularly funny, kind or interesting in any way I had hoped. This is not to say that I hated her character, I just thought she was very bland and unexceptional.

Moving onto Jordan’s character – what can I say? I loved him – it’s as simple as that. He’s lived in the system for most of his life since his mother died and left him orphaned, and has been bounced around in foster homes ever since. Jordan is the stark opposite of Ebony; he’s funny, snarky, sarcastic, strong-willed, sweet and kind. His character was just so full of life and seemed the most realistic and interesting of the three main characters. Jordan’s character proves that Marianne can create a relatable and great character – even if I didn’t like her other characters.

Lastly, onto Thane’s character – I really didn’t like him at all. Thane reminded me of the beach hotties you see on TV, with everything down there and nothing in his head. His character was such a typical cliché; strong, muscular, handsome – someone all the girls fall head over hills for. The romance between Thane and Ebony is insta-love, and I hated it. I’m not usually a fan of insta-love, but there are some exceptions – and this was NOT it. Thane and Ebony’s relationship was way over the top, ‘I’ve just met you and this is crazy, but I can’t live without you – so call me baby’. I really disliked how Ebony suddenly disregarded what kindling feelings of romance she had towards Jordan when she met Thane. I understand that they have a ‘connection’ but it was just too much, too soon in my opinion.

Overall, I liked reading this book, but I doubt I’d read it again. Two of the three main characters were flat and disappointing, but I do believe the plotline had great potential if only the characters and world building was developed more. I felt like it was rushed in many places, where I thought more time should have been spent on. It was also very confusing at times, and I found myself lost and wondering what was happening in the story. I’d recommend Hidden to any readers who are fans of Angels; but I’d warn them not to go in with high hopes – it was a pretty good novel – but I doubt it would stand out in a crowd. I will, however, try and read more from Marianne Curley in the future.

A Fun Little Extra
I was lead on my bed reading this book, thinking I was reading Jordan’s POV chapter, until I read this paragraph:
He’s leaving, and my heart trembles. He looks down at me, curled into his chest, and he stroked my hair. His touch sets my pulse racing.
‘Come back to me,’ I whisper. ‘Please come back’.
He inhales a shuddering breath, tilts my face up with his thumb under my chin. His kiss is gentle and greedy, soft and fierce, everything and not enough.
Standing on my toes, I throw my arms around his neck, push my fingers into his hair to let him know how much I want him.

My reaction? “...I’m sorry, what?! Since when did Jordan turn gay?” *starts flipping pages frantically* “Did I miss something?!” I’m blinking at an alarming rate, giggling and very confused, until I realise I’m actually reading Ebony’s chapter. ^^;

Quotes

Nothing shimmers as bright as the connection between a Guardian and their human charge at the time of the human's death, or, as in this situation, his near death. It's what alerts the Guardian to act fast. And so the face with the Death Watchers begins. - Page 44.

The tall guy lifts his head and searches for my eyes. The joining is sudden and powerful and stronger than anything I’ve experienced before. I can’t look elsewhere and have to stop myself from running and jumping into this stranger’s arms. And he’s such a beautiful stranger! Tall, with blond hair and fair skin that appears to glow softly. There’s something about him that’s truly ethereal. - Page 186.

He’s leaving, and my heart trembles. He looks down at me, curled into his chest, and he stroked my hair. His touch sets my pulse racing.
‘Come back to me,’ I whisper. ‘Please come back’.
He inhales a shuddering breath, tilts my face up with his thumb under my chin. His kiss is gentle and greedy, soft and fierce, everything and not enough. Standing on my toes, I throw my arms around his neck, push my fingers into his hair to let him know how much I want him. – Page 298.

Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Hush, Hush.
Series: Hush, Hush, #1.
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick.
Publication Date: October 13th, 2009.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster.
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult.
Format: Paperback, 391 pages.
Source: Bought.
My Rating:

A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust.

Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

 

Review

My friend had been bugging me to read this book for a while now, probably since not long after it came out. However, I was very reluctant to do so. Why? Because I’ve never really been overly keen on the speculation of Angels in general. I don’t have a proper, detailed explanation as to my being opposed to them – however I do think it has something to do with the fact that I’m not religious - at all. It’s not that I have anything against religion; it’s just never been my cup of tea. I suppose when I think of Angels, I think of God and the pearly white gates and I couldn’t seem to separate the two. When I first started reading Hush, Hush, I didn’t have my hopes up and wasn’t expecting much. However, I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed reading it – so much so, that I read it in only three sittings.

Ever since Nora Gray’s Biology teacher re-assigned the class seating arrangements and she was placed next to Patch, the brooding new kid – things have been happening around her. Things she can’t explain. Nora is drawn to Patch from the start. It’s not just his dashing good looks – there’s something dark and mysterious about him – something Nora wants to desperately find out. As she learns more and more about Patch and his dark past – Nora can’t decide whether to fling herself into his arms, or run and hide.

Nora’s character was quite interesting. She wasn’t the most in depth character I’ve read; however, her character narrated the book very well and made it quite a pleasure to read. Nora is just your typical teenage girl; worrying about what clothes to wear, messing around with her best friend and trying to pass her exams. Although Nora’s character was generally stated as a girl who doesn’t care much about boys in general, she falls - against her better judgement - for Patch, a new student who has suddenly has become her new Biology partner.

Patch is tall, dark and mysterious – every girls dream, right? Yet Nora also finds him slightly threatening and dangerous. She does her best to stay away from him, yet finds he crops up wherever she goes. It wasn’t until I was nearing the last 70 pages of this book that I actually started liking Patch’s character. He was too rude, too arrogant and honestly; he just really irritated me. Even though I didn’t like Patch at the beginning, I found myself constantly rooting for Patch and Nora to get together – don’t ask me why...

Although most of the time Nora is pretty much petrified of Patch, and is constantly trying to figure out whether he’s starting to stalk her - her plan to keep away from him fails. This really irritated me. Yes, she felt a strong pull towards Patch, yes he’s smoking hot and you wouldn’t mind taking him for a few laps. But honestly, girl - if you think he’s dangerous, so much so that you’re getting paranoid and mentally accusing him of different crimes – you avoid him! I can’t help comparing Patch to Edward Cullen, although Patch doesn’t tell Nora to stay away from him (like Edward does), they’re both giving off dangerous vibes, yet the female characters are drawn to them. Isn’t it our natural instinct to flee from danger? Doesn’t Nora have the fight or flight button programmed into her like everyone else?

Anyway, apart from my irritations with Nora’s actions at times, I did like her character overall. Every character has its flaws and rough edges. By the time I was ending the book, I’d warmed up to Patch’s character – he didn’t make me swoon and faint on the floor, but he turned out to be a pretty likeable guy. The last two characters I’d like to introduce are Vee and Elliot. Vee is Nora’s best friend. Her BFF, they share clothes, cars and love to talk about pretty much everything. Vee’s character wasn’t that well developed in my opinion; however I don’t think it really mattered. I do think that she was too easily swayed by the good looks of a guy and would rather tell her best friend that she’s crazy than admit that Nora has a stalker – which annoyed the hell out of me. Overall, she seemed like a reasonable character and I loved her connection with Nora – it was incredible.

Moving onward to Elliot, not long after Patch became Nora’s Bio partner, he transfers from an Elite School in which he held a scholarship, to the regular high school Nora and Vee go to. Elliot starts off seeming like a stand up guy, quickly becoming friendly with the girls and hanging out with them. Nora even admits to liking him at the start until she ends up spending more time with Patch. Right from the start I never liked Elliot. He seemed like a slimy, stuck up worm that wanted to latch onto any pretty girl he could. Yet, that’s probably me being too judgemental of him in general. Pretty much wherever Elliot went, his friend from his old school, Jules followed in the background, not speaking much at all.

Overall I thought the characters were amazing and very interesting – even the ones I didn’t like were very well thought out. I loved the way Nora’s and Patch’s relationship wasn’t so cheesy and insta-love, which, if it was, would have ruined the book in my opinion. It wasn’t exaggerated and overdone and kept in balance with the plot line well. There were so many different twists and turns throughout this book, it kept me completely on edge, constantly wondering what would happen next. I debated around quite a bit about whether to give this book 4/5 stars or 5/5. In the end I settled for the 4/5 stars, mainly because I felt there were a lot of loose ends that the book didn’t tie up – and my irritations towards the characters idiocy at times. I think Becca Fitzpatrick is a great writer and I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel to this book.

Quotes

Patch grinned down at me. "I'm hard to resist."
I blinked up and him. "Leave me alone." I tried to sidestep him, but he caught me by the elbow.
"What's wrong? You look ready to throw up."
"You have that effect on me," I snapped. - Page 108.

"I can't walk in high heels."
"Good thing they're not high then."
"They look high," I said, eyeing the protruding stiletto.
"Almost five inches. They left 'high' behind at four."
Lovely, If I didn't break my neck, I just might get to humiliate myself while seducing secrets out of Patch's coworkers. - Page 168.

A car door opened and the crackle of gunfire broke out. Two shots. The car door slammed and the black sedan screeched away. I could hear my heart hammering in my chest, and it blended with the sound of running feet. I realised a moment later that they were my feet, and I was running to the mouth of the alley. I rounded the corner and came up short. - Page 278.