Review of Need

Need by Carrie Jones

Pages: 306

Pub. Date: December 23, 2008

Genre:  YA Fantasy

My Rating:

Goodreads says, "Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now. She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara. In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you"d have to fear."

Zara moves to a desolate Maine town in order to get her life back together under the supervision of her grandmother, Betty.  Zara is trying to get over the extreme devastation she feels due to the death of her step-father.  As Zara tries to adjust to life in Maine, which is very different than Charleston, she meets an eccentric group of friends.  Meanwhile, she feels as though someone is stalking her and on top of it, there are two people that go missing from this sleepy town!  

In many of the reviews I have read for this book, people compare it to Twilight and I can see some similarities since both books fall under the same genre; however, these two books are very different.  If I had to compare this book to any novel I've read recently, I actually would say that it felt more similar to Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series, but of course, Need  is geared to young adults.  I am a HUGE fan of Harris' work so this comparison is a compliment and I didn't mind the similarities, because Carrie Jones switches it up a bit.  Jones focuses on pixies in Need, which I found to be very interesting, unique and extremely entertaining; plus, there are some plot twists. 

I did feel that Jones rushed a few parts and left a few plot fissures. I found myself having to re-read certain passages, because I felt like I missed important information. I wish Jones would have developed a few parts of the novel a bit more, which is why I gave it three out of four stars.  On a positive note, Jones writing style is compelling and very creepy. Many people feel her writing style is a hybrid of Stephanie Meyer and Stephen King. I couldn't agree more.  I found this book to be eerier than Harris and Meyer.  I was reading this book late last night and I must admit I was a bit freaked out.  Jones does a good job of using suspense effectively.  

I enjoyed the main character Zara. I thought it was nice to see a main character that cares about other people and is kind.  She is a bit weird eccentric (she chants phobias), but I really liked her point of view.  One thing I didn't like about Zara the fact that she makes stupid decisions, which I guess most main characters in a paranormal novel often do.  I found myself yelling at her ..... WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!  DON'T GO OUT THERE!

I thoroughly loved her grandmother, Betty.  Carrie Jones really created an awesome character that defied the conventional grandmothers that we normally see in YA literature.  She reminded me of Sookie Stackhouses' grandmother.  I really enjoyed watching Zara and Betty's relationship evolve.  

Lastly, I have been dying to discuss my favorite character, Nick Colt. Dear GOD.  I adored this character. I feel like such a nerd for confessing this, but I'll take my chances.  Zara's love interest, Nick, is probably one of my favorite male leads. I'd say he is tied up with Gale from Hunger Games. (Yes, I'm Team Gale.  This tends to shock people so I'm sure I'll hear about this later.) But I digress. Nick Colt......I might be his biggest fan.

All in all, this was a fun read and I will definitely be picking up the second book in the series, Captivate, and it is already out!  It was published on January 5, 2010.  I think this is a start of a brilliant series from Carrie Jones and I look forward to reading them all!

*A big thanks to Becky at The Bookette for recommending this book to me!

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