Review: Need

Need by Carrie Jones

Book Rating: 4/5 Stars

Cover Rating: 4/5 Stars

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books; Reprint edition (December 8, 2009)

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.

 INTRO & SETTING: I really enjoyed reading this book. In fact, I got yelled at in science class because I wouldn't put it down. I loved the phobias listed as chapter titles, too. Very creative.  I like the setting, and it add a certain creepy chill to the book, although I agree with Zara: the cold is freaking awful. 

  

CHARACTERS:The characters were great, too. Zara is spunky and smart, and a really strong MC. Nick (the love interest) is smart, strong, and super sexy, with just the right amount of protectiveness. And Betty, Zara's grandma, is epic and totally kick-ass. I wish my grandma was that cool. My only problem was that Zara was often portrayed as brave, when some things she did were really just stupid. There are some other characters, but I can't really tell you about them without dishing a bunch of spoilers. 

  

PLOT: The plot was really cool. It's centered around pixies (NOT the little fluttery things) and weres of all sorts, including weretigers, werewolves, and werebears (hehe. That rhymes). But, again, I try to to keep my reviews spoiler-free, so I can't really tell you much else. It's pretty much Zara's struggle to forget her father, learn to love again, be brave, and find out what she really is. Big whirlpool of wonderful, right? (That was sarcasm, for those of you who didn't guess).

 RANT SPACE: Honestly, I don't have anything to rant about. The only thing is that it had a few dull scenes and some plot holes that weren't very major. That's about it. Overall, it was a really good book. There were no spelling errors or anything like that, which always makes me happy. So you should definitely give this book a go!