Helpful Score: 2
Need is very aptly named. Once I started reading it, I felt an overwhelming need to continue the very addictive story.
Need joins the crowded ranks of recent YA fiction written about the fae - but this novel focuses on pixies. Don't be expecting Tinkerbell. These critters are nothing like the miniature, winged pranksters that have endeared generations of little girls. These pixies are nasty, conniving, blood-thirsty creatures -- and they're after Need's heroine, 16-year-old Zara.
Zara is a very relatable character. She recently lost her stepfather, and her mother sent her away from her home in Charleston to live with her grandmother in the backwoods of Maine to try to shake her out of depression and despair. But once she arrives, strange things begin to happen. She sees a dark man staring at her from out of the woods, at home, at the airport and at school. She finds strange glittering dust everywhere she goes. And all over town, boys are disappearing without a trace -- like they did once before.
Zara also finds that her new town is steeped in superstition and legend, and although she quickly makes new friends -- including handsome and magnetic Nick, and athletic, golden boy Ian -- it seems like everyone has a secret. And Zara soon realizes that she, herself, has secrets she didn't even know about.
I didn't give Need five stars because I found certain plot points a bit predictable -- but readers not as familiar with with genre or fairy mythology might have felt differently. Overall, I really enjoyed Need. It's reminiscent of Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series, although not quite as dark. The romance is compelling, and I really liked the relationship between Zara and her grandmother. I even liked the mysterious Pixie King, who's not introduced until the very end of the book.
However, I liked Zara herself the most. Her quirky tendancy to recite phobias was an interesting device, and I liked her feelings of responsibility to others and interest in non-violence and amnesty. Although I'm sure some people will draw parallels between Need and Twilight, the heriones couldn't be more different. Zara doesn't want to be the damsel in distress in need of saving. She wants to do the saving herself -- and in the end, she does.
Need joins the crowded ranks of recent YA fiction written about the fae - but this novel focuses on pixies. Don't be expecting Tinkerbell. These critters are nothing like the miniature, winged pranksters that have endeared generations of little girls. These pixies are nasty, conniving, blood-thirsty creatures -- and they're after Need's heroine, 16-year-old Zara.
Zara is a very relatable character. She recently lost her stepfather, and her mother sent her away from her home in Charleston to live with her grandmother in the backwoods of Maine to try to shake her out of depression and despair. But once she arrives, strange things begin to happen. She sees a dark man staring at her from out of the woods, at home, at the airport and at school. She finds strange glittering dust everywhere she goes. And all over town, boys are disappearing without a trace -- like they did once before.
Zara also finds that her new town is steeped in superstition and legend, and although she quickly makes new friends -- including handsome and magnetic Nick, and athletic, golden boy Ian -- it seems like everyone has a secret. And Zara soon realizes that she, herself, has secrets she didn't even know about.
I didn't give Need five stars because I found certain plot points a bit predictable -- but readers not as familiar with with genre or fairy mythology might have felt differently. Overall, I really enjoyed Need. It's reminiscent of Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series, although not quite as dark. The romance is compelling, and I really liked the relationship between Zara and her grandmother. I even liked the mysterious Pixie King, who's not introduced until the very end of the book.
However, I liked Zara herself the most. Her quirky tendancy to recite phobias was an interesting device, and I liked her feelings of responsibility to others and interest in non-violence and amnesty. Although I'm sure some people will draw parallels between Need and Twilight, the heriones couldn't be more different. Zara doesn't want to be the damsel in distress in need of saving. She wants to do the saving herself -- and in the end, she does.
Helpful Score: 1
I gave it three stars. This was a fun story about an eleventh-grade girl in a new school, who finds herself involved with the supernatural. It is a young adult book, but there was some language, which disappointed me. I loved how each chapter was named after a different phobia (who knew there were so many out there!) How creative!! The ending seemed to conclude a bit too hasty w/o many details of what was to become of the characters. If there is a sequel I will probably end up reading it.
Helpful Score: 1
Alright novel...but if you even remotely enjoyed it I would recommend 'Tithe' by Holly Black. The plot and underlying mythology definitely was inspired by Stephenie Meyer, Melissa Marr & Holly Black, but somehow fell short in character development and pace for me. Overall an enjoyable read.
Was interesting,enjoyed it very much
Good read for an almost "Twilight" type book.
Reviewed by Julie M. Prince for TeensReadToo.com
Zara has been unceremoniously shipped off to Maine to stay with Grandma Betty in the middle of nowhere during a frigid winter. According to her mother, Zara just hasn't been herself since her step-father passed away, and all of this is apparently supposed to help.
Before Zara even has a chance to snap out of the depression, her attention is drawn elsewhere by a mystery surrounding a local boy's disappearance. Oh, and then there's the strange man who seems to be stalking Zara.
She knew Maine would be a change of pace, but she didn't know she'd be running for her life...much less running from evil pixies!
When the fantastical pixie element is introduced, the excitement is enhanced, and much like WICKED LOVELY and other books of this caliber, the introduction seems natural and believable. These elements don't seem to overrun the story, but compliment it instead.
Author Carrie Jones (GIRL, HERO and other books) has a way of creating unique characters and supplying them with strong voices that seem immediately familiar to the reader. Zara's character is no exception. This immediate familiarity helps engage readers from the very beginning and hold their attention until the very end.
Aiding the familiarity of the voice in this book is its backdrop of Jones's home state. Here, the blistering cold and the frustration at being snowed in comes through loud and clear as we suffer through the Maine winter right along with Zara.
All-in-all, this is a read you won't want to miss, especially if you're a fan of contemporary fiction with fantasy woven in.
Zara has been unceremoniously shipped off to Maine to stay with Grandma Betty in the middle of nowhere during a frigid winter. According to her mother, Zara just hasn't been herself since her step-father passed away, and all of this is apparently supposed to help.
Before Zara even has a chance to snap out of the depression, her attention is drawn elsewhere by a mystery surrounding a local boy's disappearance. Oh, and then there's the strange man who seems to be stalking Zara.
She knew Maine would be a change of pace, but she didn't know she'd be running for her life...much less running from evil pixies!
When the fantastical pixie element is introduced, the excitement is enhanced, and much like WICKED LOVELY and other books of this caliber, the introduction seems natural and believable. These elements don't seem to overrun the story, but compliment it instead.
Author Carrie Jones (GIRL, HERO and other books) has a way of creating unique characters and supplying them with strong voices that seem immediately familiar to the reader. Zara's character is no exception. This immediate familiarity helps engage readers from the very beginning and hold their attention until the very end.
Aiding the familiarity of the voice in this book is its backdrop of Jones's home state. Here, the blistering cold and the frustration at being snowed in comes through loud and clear as we suffer through the Maine winter right along with Zara.
All-in-all, this is a read you won't want to miss, especially if you're a fan of contemporary fiction with fantasy woven in.
Need is a mesmoririzing tale of fairies and shapeshifters coupled with a truly unique story of paranormal romance.
Zara was one of the most unique characters I have ever read about. She just gets weirder and more interesting with each page. First off dealing with the death of a parent, and then having her mother ship her off across the country to help her cope has to be one of the hardest things to deal with. To top it all off there is a mysterious man followig her cross country and stealing little boys from Maine. Zara finds solace from all these mishapts in her life by reciting phobias, a weird obsession of hers. Zara is a strong herorine. With all the dangers placed in front of her and all the time trying to move on with her life past her father's death. She still stands strong throughout the pages, and is willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her loved ones. Though sometimes I find myself yelling at the book for her reckless decsions, I mean who runs towards the scary voice calling your name in the woods, I know I don't.
The story pulls together very well. There is always a linkage. From discovering the true reason her mother sent her to Maine, who her stepfather real is, who her new love interest Nick real is, and the identity of the mysterious man who has been following her and leaving no trace except for gold dust. I loved the shy romance between Nick and Zara, it was so cute and dangerous at the same time as they find out the dark secrets they have been hiding from eachouther. So much mysterious creatures, new identity's, shocking discoveries, in every page.
The ending pretty much pulls the book together, but one solution leads to a new string of problems that I suspect will be the basis of the sequal. I recommend this book to all fans of paranormal, romance, and mystery books.
www.blackandblueink.blogspot.com
Zara was one of the most unique characters I have ever read about. She just gets weirder and more interesting with each page. First off dealing with the death of a parent, and then having her mother ship her off across the country to help her cope has to be one of the hardest things to deal with. To top it all off there is a mysterious man followig her cross country and stealing little boys from Maine. Zara finds solace from all these mishapts in her life by reciting phobias, a weird obsession of hers. Zara is a strong herorine. With all the dangers placed in front of her and all the time trying to move on with her life past her father's death. She still stands strong throughout the pages, and is willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her loved ones. Though sometimes I find myself yelling at the book for her reckless decsions, I mean who runs towards the scary voice calling your name in the woods, I know I don't.
The story pulls together very well. There is always a linkage. From discovering the true reason her mother sent her to Maine, who her stepfather real is, who her new love interest Nick real is, and the identity of the mysterious man who has been following her and leaving no trace except for gold dust. I loved the shy romance between Nick and Zara, it was so cute and dangerous at the same time as they find out the dark secrets they have been hiding from eachouther. So much mysterious creatures, new identity's, shocking discoveries, in every page.
The ending pretty much pulls the book together, but one solution leads to a new string of problems that I suspect will be the basis of the sequal. I recommend this book to all fans of paranormal, romance, and mystery books.
www.blackandblueink.blogspot.com
At first I wasn't very into it, but by the end, I thought this book was incredibly good. It was original, creative, fun, engrossing, and had a good plot. As far as YA fantasy goes, this is a good choice.
Reviewed by http://bibliophile-bestiary.blogspot.com
First I must say, the cover of this book is very striking. When I got this book, I did not know it was based in Maine, where I am from, so that was cool. I wasn't sure where the author was going with the supernatural part, but I was pleasantly surprised. I thought she did a great job of pulling together different type of supernatural creatures. A neat thing about the book, the main character, Zara, likes to recite different phobias in her head, so every chapter was named after a phobia. I believe the character recites other peoples phobias to try to say she doesn't have any. Throughout the book, I think she really does prove that. She becomes a strong character. There were some parts where the story slipped a little, but otherwise it was a great read. I am on to read the sequel, Captivate. 4 out of 5 stars.
First I must say, the cover of this book is very striking. When I got this book, I did not know it was based in Maine, where I am from, so that was cool. I wasn't sure where the author was going with the supernatural part, but I was pleasantly surprised. I thought she did a great job of pulling together different type of supernatural creatures. A neat thing about the book, the main character, Zara, likes to recite different phobias in her head, so every chapter was named after a phobia. I believe the character recites other peoples phobias to try to say she doesn't have any. Throughout the book, I think she really does prove that. She becomes a strong character. There were some parts where the story slipped a little, but otherwise it was a great read. I am on to read the sequel, Captivate. 4 out of 5 stars.
I thought this was a really cute teen novel regarding high school experiences as the "new girl" thrown into a fantasy situation with sentient beings (weres and pixies). There was a real twist with the Pixie beings. An interesting family dynamic as well. This was a quick read and pretty entertaining. Entertaining enough that I cannot wait for the sequal [book: Captivate].
