"But strength doesn't always mean force. You don't have to kick ass to be a fighter. Violence doesn't equal strength." (Patch Cipriano)
There are things that I dislike and things that annoy the hell out of me in the Hush, Hush series, but there's some unknown force that keeps me invested. As much as the characters annoy me, they are able to evoke emotion from me such as making me as happy as the sunshine or as mad as hell. I support the heroes and I want them to succeed and I loathe the villains with the fire of a thousand suns.
Nora is now a Nephilim and the leader of the Nephilim army. In the beginning of Finale, Nora doesn't care about the Nephilim and their grievances or the war. All she cares about is her relationship with Patch, because without her relationship, she is nothing. If I was a Nephilim, I would be pissed that Nora Grey is my leader. In Finale, Nora is a much stronger protagonist because she's immortal and is able to fight for herself, but she's still extremely trustful and after three books, she hasn't realised that she unnecessarily puts herself in harms way. There are plenty of things that Nora does in Finale, that I couldn't understand. Fortunately, Nora's thoughts in Finale aren't as disjointed and confusing in comparison to the previous books in the Hush, Hush series.
I also appreciate that Nora and Patch's relationship in Finale isn't the back-and-forth mess that it was in Crescendo. In Finale, Nora and Patch's relationship is a hurdle because the leader of the Nephilim can't be seen fraternizing with the enemy, fallen angels. Patch and Nora don't hurt or lie to each other, nor do they hide things from each other in order to protect or do what's best for the other. They communicate and find a way to make their relationship work by pretending to break-up.
There are however, a few things that bother me. In Finale, I feel that Patch and Nora are not on the same level when it comes to their relationship. Patch would literally do anything for Nora and we constantly see proof of this. However, Nora's feelings for Patch don't go beyond physical attraction. I also hate reading about Nora's insecurities and jealousy when she hears about Dabria. She keeps on suspecting Dabria's involvement in every single thing that goes wrong. I also hate when Nora mind-tricks Patch into thinking that she took the antidote. If she had just told Patch that she had drunk devilcraft, he could have monitored her and helped her through her withdrawal symptoms until she could take the antidote. Instead, she has to deal with her devilcraft addiction on her own.
In Finale, Scott really redeems himself and becomes such a great character. Vee is also still an amazing best friend. Vee and Scott become close and it makes me so happy. When Scott died, I felt so bad for Vee, because she doesn't deserve to be unhappy. I didn't want Vee to end up miserable and I'm extremely glad that she got her happiness. I was also extremely suspicious of Dante, the Blank Hand's first lieutenant and I hate that Nora trusts him so easily.Also, Vee's a Nephilim and Detective Basso is an archangel. Is there anyone in Coldwater who's human?
The best part of Finale is definitely the events leading up to the war between the Nephilim and the fallen angels. It was everything that I wanted to be: suspenseful, bloody, chaotic, explosive and deadly. There are, however, some things that I wish I could have seen, that aren't in Finale such as, Patch actually playing a role in the final battle and what happens to everyone else after the battle is over.
There are many things about the Hush, Hush series that annoys me, but it's fun and entertaining. I really like the way Finale ends. The last line is extremely cheesy, but it fits the personality of the character who says it.
"Some people go their entire lives never feeling the emotions you've given me." (Patch Cipriano)