Review of Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Crescendo

Becca Fitzpatrick

Simon and Schuester

432 pages

Crescendo is the sequel to the best selling Hush Hush.

Ms. Fitzpatrick continues the tale of Nora Grey who’s coming of age story is more than learning to drive and her first romance she get’s an education into fallen angelology 101, where at the end of Hush Hush Nora’s love interest Patch a fallen angel gives up what he wants most in the world to save her life. So now instead of being human he’s gotten his wings back and has been assigned to Nora. Nora being a typical teenage girl with too high an IQ and too much time alone dreams up a perfect romance between she and Patch and when it seems that it will never be she decides the best thing would be to separate. What Nora doesn’t know is that Patch is convinced that she’s still in danger and not knowing who are friend and who are foe may just be deadly to Nora, it’s up to Patch to save her, but can he.

In Crescendo Ms. Fitzpatrick gives us a solid sequel to her debut novel Hush Hush with typical teenage angst mixed with otherworldly improbable and impossible to imagine complications which she delivers to her readers with believability in unbelievable situations. Her dialogue could be heard at any video arcade, high school or teen hangout and yet she gives her protagonists a certain air of maturity beyond the other kids in the story. On the subject of her characters, she gives them multi-dimensional facets which makes us want to keep turning the pages to find out more. The romance is in trouble in this instillation of her series and yet even at the height of their problems it’s still very clear to her audience that Nora and Patch share the same heart, they just don’t know how to make it beat for them (yet).

Crescendo is marketed as a Young Adult novel but this book will appeal to more than just the 14+ crowd, adults will rush to read it because it speaks to our inner teen. It has been compared to the Twilight series but any serious reader will clearly see the differences and this reader thinks that this series far out shines the other. I don’t think it would be appropriate for the teen under 14 and that is a good dividing line. Crescendo stands very well alone, but my suggestion would be to complete your education and read Hush Hush if you haven't already.