Need by Carrie Jones

Since the recent death of her beloved stepfather, Zara has been accumulating phobias like some people collect stamps. She’s pretty much afraid of everything. Zara’s mother, worried for her, sends Zara to live with her grandmother, believing that Zara will be safer in that cold and isolated state of Maine. Zara is upset, she hats the cold and misses her home in Charleston. And then, there’s also that mysterious guy that Zara keeps seeing everywhere, the one that leaves nothing but glittery gold dust behind. It turns out that he’s real—and a threat. He’s a pixie, and not one of those cute little things that flit around flowery gardens, but one who’s controlled by his horrible needs—needs that are causing boys to disappear, needs that are haunting Zara’s new home once again, needs that are causing Zara’s phobias to pile up at an unprecedented rate. And Zara is about to find out just where she fits into this dangerous pixie tale.

I know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but with one look at this one, I knew I was hooked, even before I read the summary. Zara is such an interesting character; there is something so sweet about how she wants to save the world, yet at the same time, her self-sacrificing tendencies make her vulnerable. I thought Zara’s character was extremely well-developed and realistic as well. She constantly struggled between what was imaginary versus what was actually real. I was also impressed that the other characters weren’t just flat and uniform; Nick and Zara’s Gram were characterized especially well. But, although the characters were pretty extraordinary, the plot was even better. Need has all the essential elements such as mystery, fantasy, danger, and romance to keep the story suspenseful. The only thing I didn’t really like was that the plot slowed before I felt the climax was reached. Need was an incredible book with the perfect combination of plot and characters that keep me needing to turn those pages until the very end.

I initially thought it a little ambitious for the book to say it appeals to fans of Stephenie Meyer and Melissa Marr, because they are truly phenomenal writers, but now that I’ve read Need, I have to agree. Fans of the paranormal, from Meyer’s Twilight and Marr’s Wicked Lovely to Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith and The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong, we well as most reluctant readers, won’t be able to set Need down.

Rating: 5.0

Review copy from Amazon Vine