CRESCENDO by Becca Fitzpatrick

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?

SPOILER ALERT!!!
     First off, if you haven't read Hush, Hush than you will be hopelessly confused while reading Crescendo. Though the novel provides some back story it's not nearly enough to spell the story out to new readers. That aside, I couldn't put Crescendo down! The story never dragged and there was lots of action to keep me interested. Surprises were hidden inside every single chapter.
     The romance meter is surprisingly low in Crescendo. I expected Patch to be in much more of the story. There were whole chapters where he didn't make an appearance, though when he did it was always heated between him and Nora. He says that his only desire is to protect Nora but he constantly puts her in dangerous situations.
     Scott, a new character from Nora's childhood, is so frustrating! He jumped between nice guy and bad boy too often to count. His whole mysterious facade is indestructible unless he breaks down, and even then his only motive is to manipulate. I'm still not sure whether I like him or not, though he provides a lot of comedy and mystery.
     Nora is sometimes nauseating. There, I said it. I love the character but she absolutely pines after Patch the whole novel. Every decision she makes is about Patch, whether he'll like her more or be in danger because of her. She believes that the time he spends in her company will only cause him harm, so she dumps him because of it, then spends the rest of the novel regretting her decision. Her character jumps between weak and strong between pages, sometimes unrelated to the events unfolding in the story. Despite her weaknesses, Nora is a real character. I can relate to her and I'm sure other teenage girls can as well. Her faults and good points just make her a memorable character. My hat is off to Becca for her writing. It's absolutely brilliant!
     Vee! Vee is my favorite character from the series, no doubt about it. She is sweet and funny and full of surprises. While she provides excellent comic relief, the whole plot would come crashing down without her. Nora leans on her quite a lot in Crescendo and she responds accurately. She brings moments of lightness into some rather dark situations throughout the book.
     Hands down, this is a GOOD BOOK. I recommend it to anyone who loves paranormal novels. The plot is ingenious and has enough twists and turns to keep you reading until dawn. The characters are real and funny and I just plain loved it!

4.5 stars