Endure (Need #4)

I'm going to be one of those people that bursts someone's bubble because I felt Endure lacking something special. I have said this in my reviews of the other books in the series, but Nick annoys me. I was completely put off in book 2 with his over use of the word "baby". When he called Zara baby in this book, I felt the hair on my neck stand up. Instant annoyance.


Luckily, Nick only plays a supporting role in Endure. He's there, but he isn't the center of everything. Personally, I felt like he was a big pile of poo, but I went a long with the story. The only thing that kept me reading was the mythology. It is very hard to find YA books that incorporate Norse mythology. When I discovered the twist in the series during book 3, I knew I had to see where things would go. It was the mythology that drew me in. I would dare to say that fans of mythology would enjoy this to some degree because the author did do a nice job of incorporating the myths into a story about the Fae.


Do I consider this one 4 star worthy like many on Goodreads? Heck no. I'm not even sure I would rate it at all. It was just one of those things I felt inclined to read, but didn't care if I did or not. I hate to say it, but it's one of those take it or leave it kind of series, and you wouldn't really be missing anything earth shattering if you decided to leave it.

I have loved the need series ever since the first book and each book on. In Endure, Zara goes through quiet a bit with the whole apocalypse thing and trying to get the pixies, were's ,and humans to work together,while being the pixie queen, and of course the wonderful Astley. There is a lot Zara has to go through in this last book.

I was so happy when Zara picked Astley over Nick. I never liked Nick for some reason that I don't know. In the book when Nick found out that Zara was a Pixie he wanted nothing to do with her. Then,when she was changed back into a human he wanted her back made my perspective of Nick even worse.

But, when Astley was introduced in the second book he was my favorite character in this series. When Zara was turned back into a human in this book, Astley still loved her and didn't care if she was human or pixie but, he didn't want to turn her back into a pixie again.

I have loved this whole series, and the pixies are awesome. And, I am happy that Zara is the Pixie Queen to Astley's Pixie King.

Endure by Carrie Jones
ARC received from Bloomsbury Children’s
Release Date: 5-8-2012
Reviewed by: Middle Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say: Enchanting, Endearing, and Entertaining

I read the entire Need series in the last week, and I have to say, each book gets better and better, culminating in an action-packed race to Ragnarok (aka Armageddon, aka Apocalypse, aka AH! End of the world and no more paranormal romance books)!! If you have not read this series and want something with a different species of paranormal—try the Need books by Carrie Jones. They focus on pixies (no, not Thumbelina or Tinkerbell)—evil, blue, shark teethed pixies. These creatures will keep you guessing—are they good or bad? Is it possible to be both?

For me, it was nice to see a different species in the paranormal genre mixed in with something I love even more—mythology! These books have a focus on Norse mythology which doesn’t show up much in the young adult genre; in fact, I can’t think of another book I’ve read that focuses on Norse mythology. So, it was new and exciting, seeing Carrie’s world intertwine with the gods Thor, Odin, and Hel. Carrie creates a fantastic world, rich in imagery. I felt like I could close my eyes, walk through a looking glass, and then I would right there with Zara, Nick, and Astley (mostly Astley…even the pixie thing doesn’t turn me off!)!

I really enjoyed Zara in this book. She’s struggling with the idea of being the Pixie Queen, and it’s really endearing seeing inside her head—trying to see her reconcile her past with her present and constantly contemplating the future. She’s not infallible, and that makes her struggle all the more real. I do wish she would have come into her powers a little bit more—throughout books 1 through 3, we are constantly hearing about how Zara is half-pixie, and as a result, she would be extremely powerful once turned. Although Zara did get to kick some butt, we really didn’t see her come into her own and learn to embrace her powers. The book was short, too, (less than 300 pages), so I believe there was plenty of room to add a bit more so we can see Zara grow.

Then we have the guys…Nick and Astley. No matter what team you are on, I do think you will enjoy this book, and you won’t regret who she finally chooses. Nick is his same old, were self—agitated, grumpy, and kick butt. But, we see a different side of Nick in this book. We also see his downfall—his struggle to accept Zara as a pixie. I thought his reaction was completely believable—I mean, it’s nice to see a love story where everything is not all, “Oh, I’ll love you forever, no matter if you turn crazy murderer or not.” Nick is afraid of what Zara has become, and I found the strained relationship between him and Zara to be realistic and oddly satisfying. Will they both get over their prejudices and end up together? I won’t tell, you’ll have to read for yourself!

And then there’s Astley. I love Astley. Like Zara, he struggles with who he is, but it isn’t a struggle that causes him to crumble. Instead, this struggle causes him to constantly surprise me. Zara and Astley grow closer in this book, and I loved seeing the pixie relationship progress. I do really wish there was more to the romance, though. There was no scene where I blushed because I wanted to re-read it over and over again. There was no time where I would have given my pinky finger to trade places with Zara. I wanted passion and fear and uncertainty and love all mixed into one (or two or three or four) dramatic romantic scenes, but they never came. Even so, I enjoyed being surprised over and over again by Astley. Will she choose him? I won’t tell!

There never seemed to be a dull moment in Endure. It was action-packed from the start, and whenever it seemed like all was about to settle down, some mythological creature threatening apocalypse would show up and tear down the illusion. You definitely won’t be bored with this one! There were times where I did skip over some of the description, though because I felt bogged down by it and wanted to get straight to the action.

Overall, I’m definitely glad I didn’t skip over this series. They were all very quick and fascinating reads, and although there wasn’t as much romance as I would like, I still did enjoy what we got to see between Zara and Nick and Zara and Astley. Alas (I’m speaking Astley talk), love triangles do not both me!

So, if you want to see a different kind of mythology and a different kind of species to pluck you out of your paranormal funk, this is the series to read!

Together the gang must stop the end of the world. Zara finds out that she is the key to starting and maybe stopping the end of the world. Humans are trained, feelings are realized, and lost love ones are seen.
Zara will go to Hel and back, but will it be enough?
Finally! Zara picks the right guy! Yay!

I've had a love-hate relationship with Carrie Jones over the years. Need was the first of her books I read, and I thought it was okay her writing was choppy and hard to read, but the characters were there, not to mention the whole phobia thing. How cool is that?!

Captivate, Need's sequel, took me even further into the world of Zara White and her friends, human and pixie alike, and I became infatuated with Jones's series. Entice made me love it. Imagine my heartbreak and disappointment when I found out this book was out a whole YEAR after Entice and, even then, kept getting pushed back.
Finally, a solid May release date got announced, and I just couldn't wait. I really enjoyed After Obsession, too, even though it had no ties to Jones's Need world and featured a brand-spanking-new co-author.

Endure, even though I never really liked the title (at all), was the best book in the series for me.

I feel like Carrie's writing has improved since the series started. Say goodbye to her former, choppier style of writing -- while that is warranted in some places during Endure, Carrie 2.0 has been released and is much an improvement. My favorite part of Endure is the end -- no, I'm not going to spoil it for you -- because it wrapped up the series perfectly. And -- *hint, hint* -- I always love the flash-forward-in-time epilogues. :D

The love interest in the series has always been a bit of a toss-up for me. In most series, you can usually guess who the MC will decide to end up with. Endure wasn't like that at all -- I honestly had no idea and felt like it was a flip-of-a-coin move for Jones. Either one would've benefited Zara in the long run, and I am quite happy with who she did end up with.

About those boys . . . *sigh* I feel like they were being really possessive and stupid throughout the entire book. Up until the end, I think neither of them deserved Zara and that what they really deserved was a frying pan to the face, but they redeemed themselves and stopped acting like idiots.

I loved the Norse mythology, even though I felt like a lot of it was thrown in my face. I overall just really enjoyed Endure.

One thing is for darned sure -- Carrie Jones sure can write an ending.