"Crescendo"
by Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: Oct 19, 2010
Source: ARC sent by publisher
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
My Review:
Nora Grey and her boyfriend and guardian angel, Patch, are closer than ever until one night, Nora blurts out the dreaded "I love you." Patch immediately comes up with excuses and zooms off in his Jeep. As if that's not humiliating enough, Patch goes straight to Nora's arch-nemesis, Marcie's, house. Two can play the jealousy game though, and Nora accepts her mom's urgings to get to know family friend, Scott. However, Scott may not be as perfect as he seems, he may not even be human. Will Patch still protect Nora if they aren't a couple anymore?
I haven't read Hush Hush, but I have heard so much about Patch being a nightmare of a character. After reading Crescendo, I've realized Nora isn't really a great catch herself. After so much Patch backlash, it wouldn't surprise me if the author had tried to make him a nicer person, because I didn't have a problem with him at all in this book. Nora, however, was so reckless! She continually put herself in very dangerous situations! I couldn't stand how she toyed with Patch and treated him badly by trying to make him jealous and then smugly thinking to herself-"I can put myself in danger because Patch is required to rescue me."
Even with the heroine's questionable choices, this book was addicting! I couldn't stop reading it. Through all of Nora's dangerous adventures, I was honestly scared for her, and couldn't wait to see what happened next. The author has a great way of writing exciting and suspenseful scenes.
I liked the twisted and jealous relationship that Nora had with Marcie. It was pretty typical of high school mean girls. Nora's best friend, Vee, was probably the most stable character in the book. I really liked her and it was nice to be able to see things through her perspective when Nora got too out of control.
Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 4/5 (love it)
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: I think fans of the first book will love the sequel, and those who really hated patch might be happy to see he's cleaned up his act.