Hushed

My thoughts

Cover: A simply dark cover in my opinion. Because of it simplicity it catches your attention. Not girl ???ified. No bare chest model. Like those but their overdone. It catches your attention becuase of the the blood smears on his cheek. I ask myself what happened when I see that.

Book: When I saw it on Goodreads in August and read the synopsis I immediately added it to my wishlist and it is still there. I received a e- ARC. When I got a chance to review it after being declined a multiple number of times on Net Galley, I did not let this opportunity pass me by.

The book begins where Archer, our leading male, forces a victim to commit suicide. I started this and I thought it was like a teenage Dexter. I love that show but can???t feel compassion for Dex. In archer???s case I could. He is a soul but throughout the book I felt compassion and began to care for this character. Ok he is a serial killer, which is not good. In his mind killing the teenagers that hurt Vivian, his best friend, will undo the hurt that they put her through.

I felt compassion for Viv. I felt sorry for the crappy relationships and the poor picking of boyfriends. She is always choosing jerks and lowlifes that hurt her in the end emotionally and as a result she cries and finds support in Archer, her best friend.

But everything changes when Evan comes in to their lives. Archer first meets Evan on the college campus when he asks for directions to the administration building. He does not know what???s so alluring about him, but he makes him feel calm. They spend more and more time together and Archer starts to feel for Evan and Evan for Archer. Archer does not want to kill anymore.

But little Miss Vivian (she is not little lol, a college kid)starts to notice things and sees her Viv/Archer time dwindling. The person both Archer and myself [to me characters are real in alternative universe] thought she was, turns out to be an illusion. My compassion plummeted to ground zero.

In my opinion the baddest, most manipulative protagonist of the year belongs to her. She is the driving force of the novel.
This is one of darkest, emotional YA releases of the year. This book is a huge thriller especially near the end. Any one not comfortable with older dark YA or new adult, male-male love and some graphic scenes it may not be for you. Can???t wait what Kelly thinks up next.