In all honesty, the plot of Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick was very dependent on the sole relationship of Patch Cipriano and Nora Grey. Without the relationship falling apart, the story line would have fallen flat and useless; much like Maggie Stiefvater’s Linger.

Being an obsessed fanatic of the first book (and the series), I avidly devoted myself into saving money for Crescendo. Needless to say, I was a tad bit disappointed, because it lacked the creativity by having to follow the regular sequel formula of having to pry the characters apart after struggling to be together in the first place.

Also, the strongest characters in the book (Nora & Patch) seem to be less ardent about what they want. They fail to defend themselves (Patch) in dire times and they also come to ridiculous conclusions, failing to see reason (Nora). In the book, we come to a point where we witness Nora entertain the trait of becoming the jealous girlfriend we all despise in books.

In the story, Fitzpatrick entertains a multitude amount of side plots along with the weaker main plot. We are introduced to Scott Parnell, a childhood friend of Nora’s who seem to be hiding who he truly is. He attempts to resemble certain qualities of Patch, but fails to perform them in an adequate level. We are also focused on discovering Nora’s father’s killer; whom I did not expect to be. The truth about Nora’s family is discovered, and the side plots which have twists and turns show the strongest aspect of the novel.

The ending itself was very strong and the fact that flirty, hot and steamy scenes were still present gives this book a higher rating. I enjoyed the playful scenes along with Nora and Vee’s need to sleuth around playing spy. However, it is very unlikely that a reader who disliked Hush, Hush will end up falling in love with the series through Crescendo.

3.8/5 stars