Author: BECCA FITZPATRICK
Genre: YA FANTASY/ SUSPENSE/ PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Published: October 2010, SIMON AND SCHUSTER CHILDREN'S
This book was an unsolicited review copy, given for free in exchange for an honest review. (ARC edition)
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...
My Review
Here's the thing about the first book in Becca Fitzpatrick's series. I liked HUSH HUSH, but it didn't wow me. But still, I very much wanted to read CRESCENDO. I think Fitzpatrick has just the right mix of mystery, dialog and romance to carry a reader through. And, where I was bogged down a little in the focus on Patch and his bad-boy attitude in the first book, there is more of a focus on Nora in this one. But, perhaps I didn't expect the same amount of urgency in CRESCENDO as there was in HUSH HUSH, because now Patch and Nora are together. The mystery of Patch and Chauncey is revealed, and Nora has sacrificed for Patch. What more could happen? I'm ashamed that I didn't think that Fitzpatrick could produce another edge-of-the-seat book. Because she did, she really did.
I did have some issues with the way that Nora allowed Patch to treat her. Though, it's clear that she wants to be with him, some of the treatment that Patch affords Nora is a little insulting. He has secrets, yes. He had secrets in HUSH HUSH, but after the events that wrap the first book, I thought that their relationship would be a little less troubled. I wanted to move onto the mystery that is presented involving Nora's father. Instead, I kept being distracted by Patch's sudden attachment to Marcie Millar, Nora's seeming archenemy.
However, tension and conflict are cornerstones of Fitzpatrick's writing, and she delivers beautifully on both. Even the prologue is so captivating, that I was caught from the beginning. I had to find out how it connected to the story that had already been told, and the significance of these events in the current story. Despite my annoyance at how Nora allowed Patch to get under her skin, the fact that I engaged that deeply in the story, shows how well the writing appealed to me.
I will definitely be looking forward to the next book in this series with high expectations. What will Fitzpatrick bring to the table after HUSH HUSH and CRESCENDO? I want more. When I read the last page in any book, having that feeling in my heart, is the best thing in the world.
3.5/5 for plot
3/5 for characters
4.5/5 for language
My Rating: 11/15 Recommend
Find out more about Becca Fitzpatrick and the books she has written, at the following links:
Author's website
Blog
Facebook fan page
Bio
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