Crescendo Review

Described by Sugar magazine as “the hottest read of 2010” Crescendo, the long awaited sequel to Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick does not disappoint. Indeed, it proved difficult to get hold of an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) but thanks to my friend Emma from Asamum Booktopia she let me read it before I put it into UK Book Tours.

Crescendo had me hooked from start to finish, I could barely put it down. Case in point, one day I picked up the book “just to read a chapter” before I went out food shopping and three hours later, I was still sat on my bed reading. This book should come with a warning – DO NOT start reading if you have something important to do as it will not get done!

As you may remember at the end of Hush Hush, Patch was changed from a fallen angel into Nora’s guardian angel. This new role, together with Patch’s secretive and seemingly inexplicable behaviour brings its own set of challenges to their relationship. Add in the fact that the Archangels aren’t particularly keen on Patch and Nora’s blossoming relationship and you’re in for a whole heap of trouble.

Crescendo is certainly what I would describe an emotional rollercoaster of a read and I found the story bittersweet. Whilst I enjoyed the book, I didn’t like what I was reading because I didn’t want what was happening to be happening. Becca Fitzpatrick damn near broke my angst ridden heart for the majority of the book!

In terms of plot development, besides the romantic element, Crescendo delves deeper into the history behind the relationship between the nephilim and the fallen angels as well as allowing the reader to learn more about Nora’s past including her father’s mysterious death. I must say I did get a little confused with the mythology and it makes me want to go back and read Hush Hush again from the beginning. I think I would probably recommend that, especially if it’s been a long time since you read the first book.

Thankfully in Crescendo, all the old characters are still present. Nora is still feuding with Marcie Miller (only this time, Patch is involved) and it’s nice to see that Vee is all hooked up with a guy of her own who just happens to be Patch’s best friend Rixon. I call Vee “the incredible best friend” as she seems to come running to Nora’s aid at the drop of a hat, especially now Nora is car-less. There is also the introduction of a new character from Nora’s past who re-enters the scene with his own secretive agenda. And of course there’s Patch and we FINALLY get to find out his real name! I’ve been thinking about male literary characters that I love recently and Patch is definitely in the top ten. I love bad boys but if there is something I love even more than a bad boy, it’s a bad-boy-turned-good. That makes me weak at the knees.

If I had one criticism about the character development, it would be about Nora. She is supposed to be smart, an A grade student but it seems that in Crescendo, she lies, breaks the law on more than one occasion and ends up acting a little bratty at times. This is arguably out of character but I’m going to put it down to all the incredible, emotional turmoil she is going through and the fact that most of the time, she can’t believe what’s coming out of her own mouth or believe her own actions. And you can’t say that she has been influenced by bad-boy-turned-good Patch either as she is responsible for her own actions. I guess you could say that love makes you do crazy things ;)

Despite the fact that Nora was a little annoying at times, I still really enjoyed the book. Crescendo certainly lives up to its name and builds up to a MASSIVE climax with one major twist that I have to admit I did see coming but I certainly didn’t see what happened in the final pages. You’ll no doubt be pleased to hear that Crescendo ends on a cliffhanger – well sort of – the kind where you just HAVE to know what happens next! ARGH! If you enjoyed Hush, Hush then you are sure to enjoy Crescendo which will leave you even hungrier for more. Bring on the third book "Tempest", which reportedly may or may not be the last book in the series, although nothing is definite at the moment. Crescendo is published on 19th October by Simon & Schuster. If you are a UK book blogger and would like to read Crescendo, visit UK Book Tours and sign up to be on the tour.

You can visit Becca at her website here. She is also active on facebook and Twitter. Also, visit the official fan site FallenArchangel.