Friday, September 2, 2011

Need by Carrie Jones

Series: Need, Book One
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Paperback
Published: 1st February 2010
Number of Pages: 320
Book: Bought
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Supernatural, Fantasy, Action Adventure, YA
Recommended Age: 12+
Contains: Violence
No Alcohol, Drug References
Author's Blog: Carrie Jones

“Panic shoots through my head.
Fireworks.  Explosions.  All inside my brain.
The white world goes dark and I know what’s about to happen.”

Zara White suspects a freaky guy is stalking her.  She memorises phobias and chants them when she’s nervous.  OK, she hasn’t exactly been herself since her stepfather died.  But moving to a freezing Maine town to stay with her grandmother is supposed to be the perfect fix – so her mum says.
Except, this plan of sending Zara away to help her stay sane?  Yeah, not working.  Turns out the stalker is not a figment of Zara’s imagination.  He’s still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust.  There’s something no right – no human – in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs are pointing to Zara.


Review:
Zara’s father died, leaving her a lifeless shell.  Her mother decides to send her to Maine, to her grandmother, to try and get her back.  But once in Maine, Zara discovers that a man is following her, leaving behind a trail of golden dust.  Is he something human, like a psycho stalker?  Or should Zara believe her new friends?  That the ‘man’ is, in fact, something otherworldly.  Something that will not stop until he has Zara…
This was a really new, inventive take on the faerie-pixie-were lore, a take I loved.  The whole Shining Ones mythology was brilliant, and I really cannot wait to see more paranormal beings in future books.  The writing was wonderful, the plot brilliant and the characters real.  I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series takes me!
Zara was a great lead!  Kind, loving, brave and a pacifist, she had this habit – a quirk, really – of reciting phobias when she got nervous – something I found totally cute and really interesting.  Plus I just loved her stubbornness, though it did make it slightly hard for to accept the blatantly obvious.  She was just an overall great, quirky, cute, funny lead, and I loved being inside her head and seeing how she thought.
Nick I also loved.  He was just sweet, protective and strong; honestly, what more do you want?  Overall amazing, and I loved his strength – I really could tell what Zara saw in him (‘cause I loved him too!).
Zara’s new best-friend Issie had to be my favourite character.  She was totally hyper, loving and just plain adorable!  Basically, she was the exact kind of girl that I would love to be friends with.  And their other friend, Devyn, was super-smart.  When him and Issie were together – well, let’s just say they were so cute I could just die. 
And finally, Zara’s step-grandmother, Betty: I loved her!  She was really strong and very protective of Zara – something I loved about her: how much she cared for Zara.  For everyone.
Now, admittedly I guessed a few of the twists, but there were others that completely befuddled me.  Also, some of the characters’ reactions to certain revelations felt rather unrealistic.  As did a few of the events leading up to those in the book…  But, honestly, that didn’t matter to me.  I was just addicted.  There were great characters, the most amazing writing – writing that made me feel what was being described – plot, facts and an incredible twist on mythology.
Addictive, descriptive, thrilling, amazing.  I was left wanting – Needing – more.  Thank goodness I have Captivate!

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5



Read this book if you liked:
Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Striefvater
The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa
Faeriewalker by Jenna Black


Challenges It's Taking Part In:
Happy Reading
Megan

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