*Very mild spoilery comments (I say mild because it's pretty much in the synopsis already)*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 further Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim bloodline 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?
Crescendo begins with a glimpse into the past...about a year and a half prior to where Hush Hush began and readers meet Nora's father and it sets the entire pace for the rest of the book. Who exactly was Nora's father, and how did he come to be murdered? The search for truth and answers is developed in such a way that it isn't over powering the general premise of the story which, lets face it...it's Patch and Nora that keep us coming back for more.
But be careful what you pin your hopes on...part of what kept me rabidly turning the pages was the fact that there is trouble in "paradise". I couldn't believe the turn of events and how abruptly they seemed to take place, but such is young love-one minute your exchanging promise rings and the next you're fighting and not communicating with each other...wait that pretty much goes for any passionate relationship;). Needless to say, I wanted to strangle Nora for the silly communication breakdowns here and there (even though they were very realistic) and I pretty much hated Patch through most of the book...nope, I'm not gonna tell you why:).
There are some new characters that are introduced and though they are secondary characters Ms. Fitzpatrick did an awesome job of giving them depth and layers. I wanted to dislike them from the get go, but they grew on me with each turn of the page. Vee was back to her usual self and my heart really goes out to her in this book (you'll see why). Poor Vee, I just want to see her happy and satisfied with her life. On the flip side of Vee, is Marcie Millar (grrrrr Marcie). I literally wanted to pull Marcie's hair out of her head for all the trouble she continues to cause Nora, but by the end of the story I found myself understanding her a bit more and feeling sorry for her...and hoping that she gets some serious therapy! ;)
*no more spoilery comments*
Okay, so the other awesome stuff in this book is the whole Angel vs Nephilim thing. I am so fascinated by this world and the breakdown of power and the degrees of different angels. Just when I think I have everything figured out, in comes another twist and it keeps me on my toes. Who are the good guys? Who's side should I be on? Did that really just happen?...all questions I asked myself through out the book, and I am not sure I have any solid answers.
LAYERS...this book is full of layers, and I appreciate the fact that another author is using her talent to write such thought provoking story lines for Young Adults (though I will say that my mom read it too and enjoyed it just as much as I did). This story is deeper and has more Mystery than Hush Hush. With as much as I loved Hush Hush, I LOVED Crescendo even more because it pulled me into it's pages and I was captive from start to finish guessing all the while long!
