Hush Money by Susan Bischoff Review

Reading Level:  Young Adult

Paperback: 192 pages

Publisher: CreateSpace (September 24, 2010)

ISBN-10: 1453787542

ISBN-13: 978-1453787540

                   5 Butterflies

Product Description:

They call their abilities Talents, and that's what they call themselves as well. Talents are people born with supernatural powers, feared by the population at large. Possession of an "unregistered ability" has become illegal, and those who are discovered are forcibly removed to government-run research facilities. They do not return. And so the Talents try, as best they can, to keep their abilities secret-some more successfully than others. For some, keeping that secret begins to define who they are. That's where Hush Money begins...

Be normal, invisible. Don't get close to anyone. Those are the rules to live by for seventeen-year-old Joss. She spent years as an outsider, hoping to hide what she is, until the new girl, Kat, decides she's friend material. Kat doesn't realize her mistake when she stands up for Joss against Marco, a guy who's been giving Joss a hard time since freshman year. Joss is horrified when these heroics lead to the reveal of Kat's Talent. Now she has an unasked-for best friend, who is the victim of an extortion plot by the school bully, who used to like Joss. And if that wasn't all complicated enough, Dylan, Joss's long-time crush, is finally starting to talk to her. But as Marco's best friend, can Dylan be trusted at all? Can Joss keep her secret and still save her friend? And what's more important, staying safe or doing what's right? Hush Money is recommended for readers 13 and over due to strong language.

My Thoughts:

I'm normally not one for shorter books.  I always feel that there isn't enough time to develop the characters, build the world, create relationships, ect.  Well, Susan Bischoff has blown my theory out of the water!  This book was just as amazing as any full length novel.  Each character was rich, and vibrant, and just bounced off the page.  The world she created, of talents that had to hide themselves from the world so they didn't get caught, was entertaining and very easy to relate to.  Each character was just like you or me, only they have to hide a secret bigger that the ones we might have to hide, because their freedom depends on it.

Joss was a great main character, she was scared and insecure, but also full of inner-strength, and she really grew into herself as the book progressed.  Marco was a great bully, one of the ones that you love to hate!  Kat was a quirky individual that reminded me of a few of my friends.  Dylan was a great male lead/love interest.  He wasn't the stereotypical perfect male that we see a lot in YA.  He was flawed, and struggled to be a good guy, but sometimes made some very bad mistakes.  He was also sweet and strong, and their relationship blossomed at a very realistic rate.

Overall, this was a fantastic read!  Action packed and suspenseful from the first page to the very last.  I loved all the different powers that were displayed!  I can't wait to see where Susan Bischoff takes this series next!  It's going to be an amazing ride and I plan to read it as soon as I can possibly get my hands on it!  I recommend this one to any YA, paranormal, or super-hero lover (and who doesn't love super-heroes???)!

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Where to find Susan Bischoff??

WEBSITE

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GOODREADS

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