Crescendo Review

Crescendo - Becca Fitzpatrick

*October 19th, 2010 Simon & Schuster

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 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?

Crescendo is the thrilling follow-up to Becca Fitzpatrick's New York Times Bestselling debut Hush, Hush.

Truthfully, I have rather mixed feelings about Crescendo. Back when Hush, Hush came out, there were some rather dividing opinions on it - avid supporters and avid dislikers (whose main offense came from the anti-feminist actions of Nora). Personally, I thought Hush, Hush was a pretty enjoyable read (see review).

On the whole, Crescendo is still an enjoyable read. Fitzpatrick's writing and the particular font of the novel create a magnetic atmosphere that draws the reader in. Personally, I found the climax of this novel better than its predecessor. The twist at the end was a brilliant touch, nicely executed and a pleasantly chilling surprise. Basically, the ending of the novel was great fun to read.

Alas, it took getting to the end of the novel to reach the good stuff. The first couple hundred pages were... shall we say, frustrating? In Hush, Hush, Nora was a little annoying, but still in an endearing way. In Crescendo, she was just annoying. The things she did, the words she said, the thoughts she thought... it was all very damsel-in-distress and irrational and basically very PMS. Those were not the words and actions of a person who has aspirations to attend one of the best colleges in the States. And what happened to the whole summer school plot line? It kind of just disappeared. In short, characterization - not just of Nora, but supporting characters as well - detracted from the credibility of the novel.

So while the climax and plot twists improved in this sophomore novel, characterization seems to have gone the opposite way, unfortunately.

Nevertheless, Crescendo has magnetic prose and can still be an enjoyable read and will no doubt find an attentive, adoring audience.

Goodreads / Becca Fitzpatrick / HushHushBooks / Fallen Archangel

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The winner of Hush, Hush and Crescendo was Carrie from In the Hammock. Congratulations!

Giveaway: Hush, Hush & Crescendo

Let's start October off with a bang. September was rather hush, hush in terms of posting, but hopefully this month we'll crescendo in terms of volume! And what better way to kick it off than by having a giveaway?

And so, in conjunction with Simon & Schuster, Lucid Conspiracy is pleased to announce a giveaway for copies of both Hush, Hush and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick for one extremely lucky winner. Be sure to check out the new book website at HushHushBooks.com! First, some basic background information:

Becca Fitzpatrick

Becca Fitzpatrick's first book, Hush, Hush debuted as a New York Times bestseller. She graduated college with a degree in health, which she promptly abandoned for storytelling. When not writing, she's most likely running, prowling sale racks for shoes or watching crime dramas on TV. She lives in Colorado. Find out more at beccafitzpatrick.com.

Hush, Hush - Now available in paperback!

A sacred oath, a fallen angel, a forbidden love.

Nora Grey has had a rough year. Her father was murdered and as a result, her mother had thrown herself into work, leaving Nora alone most of the time in their secluded farmhouse. Despite this, she manages to be a very good girl, never missing school, never even driving without permission.

But when the transfer student, Patch, gets assigned as her lab partner in biology, from the moment the two are together, there's an inescapable magnetism that draws Nora deeper and deeper into his dark world. When she discovers the enormous V-shaped scars on his back, she discovers that there is a battle going on between the fallen and the immortal. And she's the object.

The magnetism she feels is now more inescapable than ever.

Crescendo - Available October 19th!

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?

And now, onto the details of the giveaway. First entry is a freebie, just for name & e-mail. Additional entries are as follows:

`+1 for Twitter followers (@lucidconspiracy)
`+5 for Blog Followers
`+1 for each place you link the contest
`+1 for totaling up your entries

Contest ends October 19th, 2010. To enter, please fill out the entry form. Beyond that, good luck!

And now, I leave you off with the Crescendo book trailer:

In My Mailbox [42] + Update

So I know it's been awhile since I've been spotted around the YA blogosphere. But I have a valid reason, promise!

Basically, I've recently moved to a big city to start university. It's been a bit of an adjustment, getting used to living in a dorm room, cafe food, all the extra freedom... I've been loving it so far! But at the same time, wandering home in the wee hours of morning every night isn't exactly condusive to blogging, or homework, or even classes (which are getting steadily busier, by the way).

Nevertheless, I do miss the YA blogosphere, so I think I'm going to try and continue with it as much as possible, although it's a given that I probably won't be quite as active as I was before. It's been a few weeks now, so I'm starting to settle in and I think once I get a pattern going, things'll steady out.

So be on the lookout for posts to start up again soon, and a giveaway for copies of Hush, Hush and Crescendo shortly!

Speaking of which, that's what I got this week - Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. My first piece of mail in res. :)

Cheers!

What's been in your mailbox lately?