Hush Money

by Susan Bischoff

[Kim Deister]

Hush Money is the first novel in a new series, The Talent Chronicles. It is set in a world people with supernatural abilities, known as "Talents", are taken and forced into government prisons. These prisons are vaguely veiled as state-run schools that are supposed to help teach the Talented to control their abilities. Being an unregistered Talent is illegal, so those with them live in a constant state of fear, not knowing who to trust. Because of that, Joss has spent her entire life having to guard herself against anything and anyone that might expose her family's secrets.

I really liked the premise of this book, teenage heroes with superhero-style powers. The characters were extremely well-developed, completely three-dimensional in their believability and relatibility. Thanks to her lifelong habit of distancing herself from her peers, Joss was socially awkward and the internal dialogue the author used for her only helped to further that trait. As a reader, I could feel her angst over normal teen girl issues, her stress about being different and having to hide so much of herself. Dylan, the bad boy with a heart, was the perfect counterpoint to Joss. He was a little dark and brooding, with a penchant for trouble. But he was also a good person at heart, one who was caught up in something bigger than he was, not noticing until it had gone too far. Too many times, the supporting characters tend to get a little neglected in character development, but this was definately not the case in this book. As the story unfoded, the reader gets to know each of them, understanding them and how they got to the place that they are within the plot.

The plot was decently paced, never dragging for me or going so fast as to become confusing. The unexpected twists and turns, and the occasional dark drama here and there, kept me intrigued. I enjoyed the entire novel, with only the ending causing me any pause. It was good ending, with the proper amount of questions answered and left unanswered. But it felt a little rushed, a little abrupt, but that could also very well have been my complete interest in the story and what happens next to Joss, Dylan, and their friends!