Review: Need by Carrie Jones
Need by Carrie JonesSeries: Need #1
Pages: 306
Genres: Paranormal YA, Young Adult
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Rating:
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.
Need is a book about pixies – but there is also a lot more supernatural stuff going on in it. I don’t want to spoil the surprise (although Jones gives plenty of hints along the way.) Unlike Evernight, the surprise just made me love the book more. I literally jumped on my bed squeeing “I knew it!” when it came around!
Need has been compared to Twilight in many reviews. While I can see the similarity – new girl in a small, cold town discovers there is more to the world than what she sees – the difference is it the protagonist Zara. Although Zara is far from perfect. Her father’s death traumatised her into becoming pretty darn terrified of everything. She is extremely compassionate – she takes action to stop suffering, writes letters for Amnesty International, and genuinely cares about those suffering around the world.
The reason Need didn’t get 5 stars from me? The mechanical climax. Some of the characters veered too far out of character in order to get the plot moving. Even though Jones came up with a fascinating way to wrap up the plot, I wish she had been able to keep all the characters in tune with their previous behaviour. It was a bit of a let down.
Bottom line? Need is a beautiful book – classy writing, a stunning setting and believable characters. Need is a definite must for all YA fans!