September 12, 2022
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
The basics
Title: Crescendo
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Hush, Hush #2
- Hush, Hush (2009) - Crescendo (2010) - Silence (2011) - Finale (2012)
Add it: Goodreads
Goodreads Summary:
Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but at least she got a guardian angel out of it. A mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He's more elusive than ever (if that's possible) and what's worse, he seems to be spending time with Nora's archenemy, Marcie Millar. Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadn't been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude, Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feelings that he is hiding something. If that weren't enough, Nora is haunted by images of her murdered father, and comes to question whether her Nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death. Desperate to figure out what happened, she puts herself in increasingly dangerous situations to get the answer. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts.
Read a full summary of Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick below. If you can’t remember what happened in Crescendo and you need a refresher, then you’re in the right place.
What happened in Crescendo?
- The book begins with Harrison Grey receiving a phone call from his old roommate from college. He goes to meet him, and is told to take his family and run. Harrison goes to leave and hears gunshots. He turns back to help his friend, but is killed himself.
- Six months after this event, Patch and Nora are watching fireworks at the beach. they bump into Marcie, who isn’t very nice to them as usual. Patch drives Nora home, and Nora tells him she loves him. Patch leaves and it’s all very awkward.
- Marcie tells Nora that Patch was outside her window last night. Nora confronts Patch and he refuses to tell her the truth because of the archangels, so they break up.
- Nora’s mother has a friend who’s moving back to town. Their children, Nora and Scott, were friends when they were younger. Nora chats to them and thinks Scott may be a Nephil.
- Nora follows Scott as he’s sus. She thinks she spots her dad. Scott confronts Nora and they argue a little, but Nora is really thrown by seeing her dad.
- Scott and Nora go to the pool hall together. Scott seems to have a gambling addiction. Not good.
- Patch is also at the pool hall. Also not good. He’s there with Marcie. TRIPLE NOT GOOD.
- Patch tells Nora she should leave, and then a fight breaks out. Patch gives Nora the keys to his car so she can drive home.
- Nora waits for Patch in the driveway. She tells him she has been dreaming about Marcie’s dad, Hank Millar. She thinks he might be a Nephil.
- Marcie invites Nora to a party that she doesn’t want to go to.
- Scott invites Nora to a battle of the bands event.
- Vee gives Nora a ring with the Black Hand emblem on it, as well as a note that says Black Hand killed Nora’s father.
- Scott and Nora go to the battle of the bands. Scott gives Nora a fake ID.
- Nora thinks she hears her dad, and follows the sound of his voice. She is attacked but gets away.
- Patch and Marcie show up together. Marcie is horrible to Nora and Vee, as usual. Nora and Marcie get into a fight and Patch breaks it up.
- That night, Patch visits Nora in her dream. They fight, then kiss, then fight again. Nora sees a memory of Patch kissing Marcie, and she gives him back the jewellery that he gifted her.
- Nora is studying in the library when Vee brings along a card from Patch. It’s an apology note. Nora smells something strange and passes out.
- Nora wakes up in a computer lab. She breaks a window to escape. She makes it to Vee’s car and drives to Vee’s house. She is pulled over and fined for speeding.
- Nora and Vee head to Marcie’s diary to steal her diary. Nora grabs the diary, Patch’s jeep key, and his hat. She tries to jump out of the window but Patch has to save heer. Awkard. She gives him his hat back.
- Nora and Scott go to a party together. It rains, and so Scott invites people back to his house. Scott kisses Nora, and she allows it in order to make Patch jealous. Nora and Scott head to his room, but Patch stops them.
- Patch leaves the two of them alone together again. Nora asks Scott about the brand on his chest. Scott doesn’t like this question.
- Vee and Nora go to the beach to see Rixon, Vee’s boyfriend. Nora takes the opportunity to ask Rixon about the Black Hand, which turns out to be a nickname of Patch’s from years ago. Rixon is actually quite useful, as he also tells Nora where Patch lives.
- On the way to Patch’s apartment, Nora stops by Marcie’s house. She plans to return the diary, but Marcie catches her. Marcie tells Nora that she wrote about her mother having an affair with Hank Millar.
- Nora heads home and goes to sleep. Patch visits her through her dreams, and tells her someone is after the person who killed Chauncey. It was Nora in the first book who did that, but hopefully no one knows.
- Nora heads to Scott’s place and searches his room. She finds his Black Hand ring. She steals it, and Scott tracks her down to get it back. He attacks Nora for the ring. Rixon saves her and ties up Scott so the police can deal with him.
- Nora goes to the amusement park with Vee and Rixon. The cops call her up and tell her Scott has escaped from jail. Nora heads home, but is intercepted by Scott.
- Rixon shoots Scott, and leads Nora away through the tunnels under the park. Nora sees her father again, who tells her to touch Rixon’s wings scars. She does so, and realises that Rixon killed her father.
- In a surprising twist, it turns out that Hank Millar is Nora’s biological father and also Rixon’s vessel. If Rixon kills Nora, he can become human.
- Nora manages to escape from Rixon and finds Scott again. She tells Scott what’s going on, and that he’s a Nephil. Rixon knocks Scott out and chases Nora. Patch finally arrives to help out.
- Patch tells Nora he has now gone rogue and is on the run. He takes Nora back to the amusement park, as the archangels won’t step foot in it. They unfortunately bump into a group of Nephilim, with Hank Millar in the lead.
This is a full plot summary of what happened in Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick. Check out our recap list for more recaps. If you can’t find what you need, you can request a recap from us!
