Crescendo

Reader: Briana G
Age: 17
Title: Crescendo
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pub Date: 10/19/10
Galley: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Compelling Aspect of the Book: I have yet to place what the exact hypnotic quality of this book is, but I don't think it's any one aspect alone. The author does a fantastic job of keeping you guessing throughout the book, and a lot of times my predictions were happily let down in terms of the plot. The setting is vivid enough to picture yourself there, but it isn't overdeveloped. The characters are enthralling, fantasy aside they're very realistic in terms of personality. They're really consistent and even though you might not *want* a character to be the villain, the explanations she gives are quite reasonable. The characters developed according to what happened to them in the first book, and I really appreciated that. One of the things I appreciated most, especially so because this was a sequel, was the author was able to keep you in the dark enough to be unsure if Nora's life was actually in danger. Though in the back of my mind I know it’s unrealistic for the author to kill her main character, I always appreciate the illusion, and few authors have managed to pull it off well in my experience as a reader. She also managed to wonderfully surprise me by the villain. Most authors would've made Scott the villain, and I was certain it was going to be him, but she switched it up on me, and I'm glad. It made the story a lot better. I also loved the title. Succinct, and a great word besides. Simple titles really appeal to me as a reader, especially when they manage to captivate the essence of the book.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: The hardest push for me was the first three chapters, they seemed cliche and didn't motivate me to read the rest of the book, I'm glad I did continue reading, but the set-up in the first part of the book was lacking. I also don't care much for cliffhanger endings. It was *more* acceptable in this story than it would have been in Hush, Hush but I still believe it’s better to end on a note where the author doesn't appear to be forcing the reader into the next book in the series.
Comments: deathly captivating. Thank you. (and the book took me away from my school work...it was that good, which is both awesome and annoying)
Cover: I thought the cover was merely 'okay'. I believe the red feather ruined the effect for me, on the cover of Hush, Hush the feathers looked far more realistic. Here it looked like bad computer stickers screened onto a photograph. The rest was great, and I was pleased at how similar it looked to the first cover. I can't wait to see what the next cover looks like.
Age Range: 14-17
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal