Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

From the Publishers:

The sequel to the New York Times Best selling phenomenon, Hush, Hush!

Nora should have know her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described 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?

My Review:

Well, I have to say I liked this book better than the first novel in the series. As stated in previous entries I have never been one for really reading a lot of YA but I thought I'd give it a try and I am really enjoying what I am reading. By the end of Hush, Hush I didn't quite know what to think of some of the characters in the books. Nora seemed a bit flat at times but in Crescendo I think Fitzpatrick has developed her character a little more. I love that Fitzpatrick writes her novels in the mindset of a teen. Many novels that I read with teens in them have these unbelievably mature teens who rarely fly off the handle. I like that Nora is guided by impulse and her emotions. I have to admit I was this way in high school.

One of my critisms of the novel though is that it seems to promote unhealthy relationships. Nora and Patch's relationship is anything but stable/healthy. In a way this relationship reminds me a bit of Edward and Bella in Twilight. I know you die hard Twilight fans will disagree but if you love someone you do not continue to push them away and that being said after so many times of being pushed away a girl needs to move on. (Even if the reason for pushing the girl away is that it's for her own good.) That's just a little pet peeve of mine in some of these novels.

That being said, I still quite enjoyed the book. Fitzpatrick is quite good at drawing the readers in. I will most definitely be going out to get the next installment of this series. The book ends on quite a cliffhanger and I actually thought my Kindle didn't download the whole book for a moment. I can't wait to see what happens next. My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.