Crescendo, Silence, Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

Crescendo
Nora should know better than to think her life can return to normal after falling in love with a fallen angel. And Nora's life isn't normal - her dad was murdered, and the facts about his death just don't add up. Now Nora's own life is in imminent danger. Are she and Patch strong enough for the battle ahead?

This was very different to Hush Hush in that it wasn't so much a romance as a dark thriller. Also, Patch was so damn annoying in this one; he and Nora got into a big fight because Patch was hanging out with Marcie, evil incarnate, and he wouldn't explain why. I could completely understand why Nora blew a gasket, Marcie has been terrorising her since they were little and Patch couldn't justify him protecting her until the very end of the book. As for Nora, she acted quite stupidly, risking her life just to see if Patch would still come rescue her.

As I said, it wasn't so much of a romance in this one, not just because Nora and Patch broke up but also because the plot was much more complex now, with Nora's dad's death and old childhood friend is keeping strange secrets. Despite spending a lot of the book annoyed with both of them, I did really enjoy this; it was exciting and dramatic and full of twists. 

Silence

Nora Grey can't remember the past five months of her life. After the initial shock of waking up in a cemetery and being told that she has been missing for weeks - with no one knowing where she was or who she was with - she tried to get her life back on track. Go to school, hang out with her best friend, Vee, and dodge mom's creepy new boyfriend.

But there is this voice in the back of her head, an idea that she can almost reach out and touch. Visions of angel wings and unearthly creatures that have nothing to do with the life she knows. And this unshakable feeling that a part of her is missing.

Then Nora crosses paths with a sexy stranger, whom she feels a mesmerizing connection to. He seems to hold all the answers...and her heart. Every minute she spends with him grows more and more intense until she realizes she could be falling in love. Again.

Nora had been kidnapped and has returned five months later with no recollection of the entire summer. Most of the book was Nora chasing down leads to recover her memory. Even though there wasn't much new information, it was still an enjoyable story as we followed Nora's frustration and got to know Patch again.

The main plot of this book, apart from Nora's lack of memories, was the looming war between Nephilim and fallen angels, and the mystery of the Black Hand's army. In the process, we learned more about Hank Miller, Nora's biological dad, and my God he was horrible! He was twisted and egotistical and had no heart. 

I believe this was going to be the last book, which explains the lack of action and the whole 'one step forward, two steps back' feel with the amnesia. Again, I was a little disappointed with the romantic element but the story of the fallen angels and Hanks' army and everything was very cool, and very fun to read.

Finale
Nora is more certain than ever that she is in love with Patch. Fallen angel or no, he is the one for her. Her heritage and destiny may mean they are fated to be enemies, but there is no turning her back on him. Now Nora and Patch must gather their strength to face one last, perilous trial. Old enemies return, new enemies are made, and a friend's ultimate betrayal threatens the peace Patch and Nora so desperately want. The battle lines are drawn--but which sides are they on? And in the end, are there some obstacles even love can't conquer? 

At last, the final book! I have really enjoyed this series, despite my feelings about Nora and Patch sometimes, they do generally make a good team and their final battle was a good one. Coming out of the previous book as the Black Hand's successor, Nora is not only fighting the fallen angels but also her image within the Nephilim army. 

I finally felt like Nora and Patch have reached some sort of equal ground; they weren't fighting over every little decision and Nora did begin to understand that Patch was protecting her, while Patch stopped fighting her battles for her. And yet, because I'm still not entirely sure how old Nora is, I felt that their romance was a bit weird. And also sometimes inappropriate; like, you're currently dealing with a war to end all wars and you choose this moment to confess your true feelings and have a little make-out session? Hello, priorities! And back to the age thing, is Nora even old enough to be so completely in love with Patch? And the epilogue, three years later - is *someone* (avoiding spoilers) really getting married at 19? 

Anyway, rant over! Never mind all that confusion on my part, this was actually a pretty strong finale to the series; even though the prep for the war was dragged out, we did get the big fight scene and some death and sacrifices, and the perfect little twist to see everything work out in the end. Not the greatest dark romance but a very entertaining and enjoyable fallen angel story.