Fantasy Friday: Crescendo

Crescendo, by Becca Fitzpatrick

Publisher: Simon Schuster
Pages: 432
Reading Level: 14 and up
Enjoyment Level: High


I felt like I was waiting forever for this one! I wasn’t, but anticipation had me all tied up in knots for a while. I loved Hush, Hush, and was excited when I interviewed Becca Fitzpatrick (hear it on the podcast) and heard about Crescendo.

From GoodReads:

Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described as anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away, and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch, or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

These are the things I wanted to do to the book at various times during my reading:

• throw it through the window
• shred it
• set it on fire
• burn it with acid
• erase most of the words
• stomp on it…

Personally, I find my reaction a sign that this book is totally awesome. Totally frustrating, sure, but I was completely invested, hence the list of ways to destroy it.

It’s a different Nora I found in this sequel to Hush, Hush. Not different in a way that felt unnatural, but I thought she was stronger for her experiences in the last book. And maybe a little more paranoid, as well. I understood her mental lapses when it came to Patch and what was going on. Her passionate new love for him mixed with her paranoia and it made me alternately feel for her and want to smack her around.

The bad guys are brilliantly hidden throughout the novel. It felt more like a good mystery than a paranormal romance, with all the red herrings, misdirections, and hidden agendas. Avoiding spoilers as much as possible, I did not suspect the real bad guy, and yet I suspected everyone at one time or another in the course of the story.

Hush, Hush was what I considered a stand-alone book, but Crescendo has burst into the series, bringing with it a deepening of Nora’s story and many, many new questions about her life. Becca Fitzpatrick gave me characters and a plot that just about did me in. The only “bad” thing I have to say about this one is that once again, I’m left on a cliffhanger.

The anticipation might give me a stroke.

Until next time, go read something!


~ Vilate