Hush Money

I found this book while I was dinking around, procrastinating writing papers. And I'm really glad I put off writing that damn paper.

The main conflict of Hush Money reminds me of The Incredibles, or even X-Men. Those who are born with special abilities, called Talents, are feared. And when they're discovered, they're taken and no one ever sees them again. So the Talents try and keep their abilities secret as best they can. But people slip up, and then they're taken. This is why Joss is taught to be invisible. Don't get close to anyone. Always have a plan, and always have a way out. But then she makes a friend she never wanted, and gets stuck trying to protect her from the feared bully of the school, Marco. And Marco's not a normal bully. He's a scheming jerk who will do whatever it takes to get his way. As if that wasn't enough, the boy Joss has always liked, Dylan, has finally started to talk to her. Uh-oh. How's she supposed to stay invisible now?

It's been a long time since I've read a YA book and just really loved it. Though this is part of a series (The Talent Chronicles), Hush Money by Susan Bischoff did not give me some annoying cliff hanger or love triangle. Yay!

I think what made this work for me was how real the characters feel. They have depth to them. They're funny. They're idiots. They're assholes. And I love them for it. The dialogue is really great, too. It's realistic, how I'd expect teenagers nowadays to talk. So yeah, there's a lot of swearing. But that's never bothered me before.

Joss is a great main character. She's not your average girl. I love how she wears a military jacket and combat boots every day. The book switched between Joss' point of view and Dylan's, but stayed mostly with Joss.Which is fine, because I like Dylan, too. He's always wearing a leather jacket. He just screams You're going to like me, so deal with it. And so I did.

Perhaps the one thing about this book that I didn't like was how typically bad Marco was. Some of the stuff he said and did left me cringing and rolling my eyes. But if you love superheroes and want an easy, deliciously fun read, choose this.

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Speaking of The Incredibles.


Muahaha

Clockwork Prince

Gawd damn this book.

Alright, let me take a step back. Clockwork Prince is the second book in the Infernal Devices series. I read the first one, Clockwork Angel, back in March. Having never read Cassandra Clare before, I really liked it, more than I thought I would.

I did not feel the same way about Clockwork Prince. Maybe that has something to do with my overall annoyance with books in a series, and how this one ended with a major cliff hanger that won't be resolved until next year.

So this story picks up pretty much right where Clockwork Angel left off. In Victorian London, Tessa's finally found a place she feels she belongs. And she feels safe. But of course, things can't stay like that. Rogue forces in the Clave want Charlotte, the head of the Institute, thrown out. The Magister is still hell bent on getting Tessa. And as if that wasn't enough, Tessa's finding that she likes both Will and Jem.

Okay, so what I did like: the characters grew in this book, even the minor ones. I wasn't surprised with some of the betrayals that happened, but I liked watching how they played out. There were some really great scenes and moments that were beautiful. I think my overall gripe with this book was Tessa. I wanted to kick her in the shins. I understand why the whole annoying love triangle happened and it's supposed to be heart breaking, but I never got the impression that she was really in love with the other guy. It felt more like she just wanted to make certain people happy and do the right thing. Why can't people just do what they want for goodness sake? And that's what pissed me off. Is that supposed to be noble of her? I didn't buy it, not when she kept flip flopping.

And Will. Oh Will, you're such an idiot. But he's still hilarious. I think he's my favorite. He should have his own series. The revelation of his past and secret was hilarious. And I don't think it was meant to be funny.

So if you read Clockwork Angel, go ahead and read this. Most people enjoyed this book, and maybe you'll be less annoyed with certain events. I'm sure Clockwork Princess will drop some major bombs. In freaking March.

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Sometime while I was reading this book, I thought of this scene from Interview with the Vampire. I'm not sure why.



Buffoon!