Friday 15 October 2010

Book Review: Dark Readers thoughts on Crescendo! may contain spoilers!



Crescendo. I feel like I’ve waited a lifetime for this, I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve re read Hush Hush just to get that rush of Patch. So when I had it in my hands finally I threw myself right back to coldwater and got lost in Patch and Nora’s world once again. And so now I’ll rant........


I’m just going to go ahead and say this right away. Frustrating or what? Was it just me or did anyone else want to jump between the pages and throttle these characters?? The whole time reading it, I couldn’t help but wonder if any of them had ever heard of the big 3 C’s? Cooperation anyone? Consideration? And above all Communication?!! I was on the brink of explosion with frustration but I found it all completely understandable. And for this reason I have to say Becca has done an excellent job of portraying the anguish within Patch and Nora’s relationship to perfection. I didn’t feel like I was reading a story, I felt like I was watching my friends tear each other apart. The aftermath of a break up is one of the most confusing and emotionally tiring times in someone’s life and this was exposed brilliantly. I could feel my emotions automatically sympathise with Nora and of cause is typical girl style my anger at Patch was off the charts!


In noticing these feelings I had against the book I was only more convinced of how much I had invested in this story and how much I was counting on Becca to complete my world and make Patch and Nora’s relationship perfect. Then I realised you can’t build a series on perfection and for those experience stumbling blocks along the way was only to be expected. But no matter how much I prepared myself I still had the rug pulled right from under me.


Was Patch really a player? Had he seriously traded in Nora for a new model? Another notch on his bedpost? Could he really be that evil? The words more than implied this, his actions didn’t refrain from showing this and even Nora’s vision into his past upon touching his wings more than confirmed it. It seemed he really was betraying Nora in the most brutal way imaginable. But even through my anger and frustration my heart wouldn’t allow me to believe this. As much as I wanted to run him over with his own jeep, I knew there had to be more to this, I knew I still has faith in Patch, so why didn’t Nora? Stubbornness is one of the most annoying traits a person can have and Nora is as stubborn as a mule! Thus disallowing her to let Patch even attempt to explain himself; however cagy his explanations may have been.


This book is filled with many little bombs to spice up the story line. Marcie’s new admirer, Vee's new boyfriend, the mysterious return of Nora’s childhood friend Scott, Nora’s strange stalker and even the questionable reappearance of Nora’s supposed dead father. There are added twists to Patch’s powers and there are even powers beyond Patch’s reach at play. But just as you think it can’t get any worse; that you’ve heard all there is you get sucker punched! The Ultimate Bomb thrown right at you and I can honestly say I didn’t see it coming and it added more spice to this story line than I ever could have expected! Knowing that Nora was about to question everything she has ever known about herself is extremely moving. Especially when you realise the one person she needs, the only person capable of comforting her, the person she knows her heart aches for is the one person she’s pushed away, wants to hate and refuses to let them see her break. Patch.


I admire Nora’s strength and capabilities; I understand her reasoning for doing ‘the right thing’. I get that she’s nursing a broken heart and a wounded ego but I know she’ll break. I know she wants Patch back. And I know I’ll get my happy ending because for one thing we’re all sure when we read this is that we know as much as Nora does, it’s that when it comes to Patch – she’s weak. So with baited breath and fingers crossed I reached for the end. I expected a turn of events, last minute revelations (however shocking they may be) and even the predictable quest for survival. But I hung in there and I got it, I could see that sunset I’d hoped for. Becca had done me proud and Nora had got what she knew she wanted all along, the Patch she fell in love with.




I experienced the euphoria at their reunion, sensed their emotions as I read them and I was happy. Content, complete even. And then BANG!! Major bomb! Just on the brink of my sunset everything crashed, Patch and Nora torn apart. This was one of, if not THE best cliff hanger’s I’ve ever experienced. In all honesty I must have sat there open mouthed for around 3minutes. If you have read it I am sure you can empathise.


The perfection of the Hush Hush conclusion was most definitely NOT met here. The need for the next instalment is almost immediate. I want it. I want it now. In fact I want it like.....Yesterday!! I need answers, I need explanations and above all I need that sunset!


So Becca Fitzpatrick, you took me to Coldwater, you gave me patch – you tried to take him away and you gave me my sunset and then snatched it right back! I thank you and I applaud you. You’ve created a world I feel a part of and never want to leave. Congratulations on a wonderful follow up and I wait with breath that is baited from the 2rd instalment!
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Thursday 14 October 2010

Book Review: 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 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?


MAY CONTAIN SPIOLERS!


Where do I start? I have been waiting so long for this novel and I was worried it wouldn't be as good as Hush Hush but how wrong I was. After buying this book at 8am this morning and now it being 8pm here in London after just finishing it I feel like I have been on a huge emotional Roller-coaster!
From the beginning of the book it had me hooked. From Nora and Patches fantastic relationship to the twist and turns of Nora's Dads mysterious death!


The relationship between Nora and Patch again is so Love/Hate. One minute she hates him then one minute she cant get enough. Every scene they had together I was shouting at the book for Patch to just grab Nora and make it all OK so much sexual tension it was unreal.


Vee Is more mature in this book. She still has her funny moments and her Noras relationship is just as strong as ever. We didn't get to see much of Marcie in Hush Hush but now she a prominent character in Crescendo. You also find out more about her and the reasons she treats Nora the way she does (ITS A SHOCKER)


My favourite scene in Crescendo is when Vee, Nora and Marcie have a huge bust up..I couldn't help but laugh at them all fighting from Vee slapping Marcie in the face to Marcie punching Nora in the eye, I could see this in actually happening in a movie. Everyone just looking on and laughing at the girls poor attempt to fight.


The plot is fantastic! through out the book you wonder did Patch actually kill Nora's father? Are the Archangels against Patch and Nora being together? Is Patch going to be sent to hell if he says one word about how much he loves Nora? Is Marcie and Scott going to get in the way of Nora and Patches relationship? There was SO much going on in this book it was UNREAL!!


Becca introduces another character in Crescendo his name is Scott. He's Nora's friend from when they were little but he moved away with his mother. Now they are both back and he's hiding something from Nora and she is on a mission to find out. Scott and Nora's relationship at first is very hostile but then they both start to actually really like each other and you start to think is he a threat to Patch and Nora's relationship? This had me wondering through out the book and wanting to carry on reading.


It is amazingly written. I thought the idea of Patch being in Noras dreams telling her the truth instead of being awake and letting the Archangels hear was really cool, and the twists and turns in the plot kept me guessing on what was going to happen in the end. I did not see any of it coming it was SO unpredictable and had me crying every third chapter, which always makes a good book even better.


I want to say that Becca Fitzpatrick is a FANTASTIC writer and I truly hope Tempest (third book In series) comes soon! and I cannot wait to meet her at ET4 and thank her for bringing Patch in Nora into the world. :) Buy the book you will NOT be disappointed!
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Wednesday 13 October 2010

Book review : Torment By Lauren Kate

Torment by Lauren Kate. Sep. 28, 2010 Pictures, Images and Photos




In Torment, we trade the heady atmosphere of the Georgia heat for the beautiful California coast. The narrative picks us up where Fallen left off, whisks us away from the familiar and sets us down in a whole new setting. Where Fallen saw Luce resident at the oppressive Sword and Cross reform school, in Torment she's packed off to the luxurious Shoreline, where the 'gifted' - nephilim - students follow their own special curriculum, and breakfast orders are served on the terrace.




Despite the initial sense of disorientation, this relocation gives Luce - and the reader - a whole new environment to explore. There are new teachers in the form of Francesca and Simon, fallen angels from opposing factions who are also an item. And there are also new classmates for Luce, most notably her spirited tough-cookie of a roommate, Shelby, and dependable Miles, who is sweet as hell. As one half of an almost mythological love story among nephilim, Luce is not only counted among the 'gifted' and enrolled in their classes - she's also something of a curiosity, and not entirely comfortable with it.


What she's also not entirely comfortable with is Daniel's absence. Because after delivering her to Shoreline, he makes himself scarce for reasons he can't quite explain to Luce - after all, if she hears about anything relating to their past from him, she'll spontaneously combust. She has to discover the truth for herself, and that's easier said that done. As in Fallen, Luce's progress in uncovering secrets is often slow - and for me, her attempts to find out about her past lives are both the most fascinating part of Torment, and the most frustrating.




While Luce does discover her own ingenious way of looking into her history, it's also highly dangerous, and she's only ever able to uncover tiny morsels of tantalising buried past at a time. Not knowing that outside Shoreline, deadly Outcasts are gunning for her, she does seem to have developed an exasperating habit of straying into the path of trouble. But when nobody will tell her what the heck is going on, who can blame the girl?


With all this going on, it's not surprising that Luce begins to question her connection with Daniel. Unlike many YA paranormal romances, where the heroine seems ready to accept her beloved's flaws without question, Torment is a book that portrays the true complexity of relationships - despite the fact its central couple aren't exactly your regular girl and boy-next-door. Not only does she object to Daniel leaving her at Shoreline without him, but she's indignant at his assumption that he knows her better than she knows herself - especially when, as a teen in this lifetime, she's still finding out who she is herself.




Can she even trust what Daniel has told her? And is her destiny really fixed with him? While the romantically-inclined reader will probably be shouting 'yes!' at the pages as they turn them, it's refreshing to see a YA paranormal heroine endeavouring to reach her own conclusions and trying to find a balance between being with her soulmate and holding onto her own identity.


As you read Torment, it's clear that this is but one chapter in what's shaping up to be an epic story. The grand scale; the sense that even the tiniest detail may later prove to be of the utmost importance; the fact that every time one of our questions is answered we find ourselves compelled to ask another. The secondary characters lend a little quirkiness and humour to proceedings, although with a cast this large it's sometimes a little difficult to keep track of which is which - and what side of the celestial war they're fighting for.




I'd recommend this to all those dedicated fans of YA paranormal romance who appreciate a tantalising slow-burner of a storyline - this one has an explosive conclusion, and will leave readers desperate to find out what happens next.
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