Review: Crescendo

by Becca Fitzpatrick
publisher: Simon & Schuster
date published: October 29, 2010
format: hardcover
pages: 427
source: borrowed from a friend
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge; 2011 YA Reading Challenge

From Goodreads:

Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but at least she got a guardian angel out of it. A mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He's more elusive than ever (if that's possible) and what's worse, he's started spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadn't been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude, Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feelings that he is hiding something.

If that weren't enough, Nora is haunted by images of her murdered father, and comes to question whether her Nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death. Desperate to figure out what happened, she puts herself in increasingly dangerous situations to get her answer. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts.

What I Thought

If Hush, Hush was largely about choices, then Crescendo is about jealousy. That was the one theme that stood out the most in this installment of the Hush, Hush series. I was actually left feeling extremely frustrated with nearly every single character. I honestly can only think of one that did not annoy me, which wound up being extremely ironic. On top of that, the danger that Nora is supposed to be threatened by is often over-shadowed by her feelings of jealousy and her constant need to see what Patch is doing. As she makes more and more reckless decisions, the more level-headed Nora we met in Hush, Hush becomes ever more a thing of the past. Instead, we see a girl in a mindset much like Bella's in New Moon. Now, I don't make it a habit to compare books in such a manner. However, that is what immediately came to mind while I read Nora's exploits in trying to catch Patch's attention, all the while putting herself in dangerous situations to do so. Nora may not have been pining away in the same manner Bella did, but it was still frustrating to read about her dangerous ideas and schemes. I didn't like it in New Moon and I certainly didn't like it in Crescendo. It wasn't until things started heating up and Nora began concentrating more on her father's death that things began taking a turn for the better.

As I previously mentioned, the characters were a huge stumbling block for me with this book. Probably the most infuriating (aside from Nora), was Marcie Millar, who saw more face time in this book that she had in Hush, Hush. The best way to sum it up: Marcie made me feel dirty. I could not believe how horribly she acted toward Nora (and in her everyday life, when it comes right down to it). If she was meant to play the part of a minor villain, then I say, "Mission, accomplished!" She definitely provoked a lot of ire, that's for certain. As for Patch, I liked him a lot less than I had in Hush, Hush. He pretty much began living up to all of Nora's expectations of him from the previous book. His reaction to the problems surrounding his relationship with Nora was appalling, at best. It wasn't until the very end that he redeemed himself, but he is definitely a tarnished character, in my eyes.

The saving grace for this book came in the form of the spectacular plot twist that began taking shape around the middle of the book. Finally, Nora began to really think about the mysterious events surrounding her father's death, as well as some earth-shattered revelations she learns of. The story was finally able to give me something to sink my teeth into and I quickly became immersed from there on out. The most spectacular revelation of all came when a character previously thought to be good turns out to be very bad, indeed. No, I'm not going to tell you who that character is. That would ruin the best part, after all. Suffice it to say that my head was left reeling when the who, how, and why finally came to light. That part of the story was very well-constructed and I was finally happy to have read the book.

This book turned out to be very full of conflict and complication. I felt anger, frustration, and a keen sense of bafflement during the first half before I finally shifted into curiosity and wariness during the second. This book very nearly wound up on my sparsely populated 2 hoots list. However, I can definitely appreciate a well-executed plot twist and was content again by the end. Crescendo fought its way onto the 3 hoot list with its spectacular revelations and engrossing mystery sub plot.

Review: Hush, Hush

by Becca Fitzpatrick
publisher: Simon & Schuster
date published: September 14, 2010 (first published October 29, 2009)
format: paperback
pages: 391
source: purchased
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge; 2011 YA Reading Challenge

From Goodreads:

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

What I Thought

Hush, Hush is a book about choices. Sometimes the most minor decision can come with huge consequences. This concept is present in almost all of the characters. From Nora to Patch, choice plays a huge role in the progression of the plot. Throughout the story, each makes a series of decisions that ultimately influence the final outcome. I really enjoyed that aspect of this book and was prompted to think about the process of decision-making and all that it entails. Each decision had a clear impact on the conclusion, which was very interesting to look back on once the book was finished. There weren't any loose ends that bothered me, which I really appreciated. As for the rest, it serves very well as a segue into the next book. I look forward to finding out what will happen next.

I was able to get a good connection with most of the characters. The easiest for me to understand was Nora. In many ways, her mind works much like my own so it was a very easy connection to make. I appreciated her practicality, as well as her willingness to consider things that are typically outside of her realm of knowledge. Her friend Vee, however, was another matter. I could not understand how these two could be friends. Vee is impulsive, overly dramatic, and a bit of a liar, which was a huge turn-off as a side kick. Her trouble-making ways did lead to several pivotal moments in the story, I will give her that. I just felt very exhausted after reading the sections that included her. Patch was an entirely different kettle of fish. I could not for the life of me get a good read on this guy. Usually it's pretty easy to figure out male characters in novels such as this one. Not this time. Patch kept me in suspense throughout the entire book. I didn't know what he was going to do from one chapter to the next which, I have to say, I really liked. Unpredictability was displayed at its fullest extent in Patch. I can't say that he's my favorite PR male character, but he was an interesting one to read. I walked away pretty pleased with the characters I had just read about.

The plot was well laid out, in my opinion. The transitions were easy to follow and the suspense was kept up without being confusing. The hints about the hows and whys of the events in the story were subtle enough to keep the ending from being revealed too early and allowed for a nice build-up to the conclusion. The setting the story takes place in made for an interesting one. I've not read too many books set in Maine, so this one was a lot of fun to read since it provided something of a new world for me to slip into. I might have liked a little more description of Nora's surroundings, but I enjoyed it overall.

I really enjoyed Hush, Hush once I got the chance to sit down and really sink into it. The themes, characters, and air of mystery combined to make a fun read that I will look forward to re-reading someday. I am definitely glad that I picked up this book when I found it. It was a good start to the series and I look forward to reading more in the future. I give Hush, Hush 4 hoots.