Need (Need #1)

Reader reviewed by AyeCaptain Reviews

If you can name your fear, then you can overcome it. At least that's what Zara tells herself. But when her dad dies, her mother sends her up to no-man's-land in Maine to recuperate with her grandmother, and a creepy guy starts stalking her... She's not sure that tactic is going to work.School in Maine turns out to be not so bad, though, excluding the snowy drive. Issie is sweet, and then there's Nick and Ian, both equally gorgeous. Just as things get a little better, stalker-guy steps it up. Which is probably normal for a stalker... but what's with the gold dust?
I've wanted to read Need ever since I saw the reviews of the arc's. So, here's my train of thought as I read:

Reader reviewed by EmilyRuth

If you can name your fear, then you can overcome it. At least that's what Zara tells herself. But when her dad dies, her mother sends her up to no-man's-land in Maine to recuperate with her grandmother, and a creepy guy starts stalking her... She's not sure that tactic is going to work.

School in Maine turns out to be not so bad, though, excluding the snowy drive. Issie is sweet, and then there's Nick and Ian, both equally gorgeous. 

Just as things get a little better, stalker-guy steps it up. 

Which is probably normal for a stalker... but what's with the gold dust?

I've wanted to read Need ever since I saw the reviews of the arc's. So, here's my train of thought as I read:

-Beginning. Is this a knock-off of Twilight? Beautiful girl, who doesn't think she's beautiful, moves to cold lonely city. Is sad. Finds charming boy.

-Middle. It's different enough now from Twilight that it's not annoying at all. And the humor makes  up for it all.

-Middle-end/End. *flips pages furiously to ending*

So yes, Need is a itty bit like Twilight. But it wasn't so close as to be annoying, as I said. There are stark differences and it's a different writing style that I honestly forgot I had compared it to Twilight until the end. In fact, it actually is more realistic than twilight because: Zara has a reason for being unhappy. Her dad, who was really close, died. That kind of bugged me about Bella in Twilight, she seemed too depressed for her circumstances. Also, Zara is coordinated, and a good runner. I'm glad Carrie Jones had the spunk to give her depressed protagonist a talent--it makes her more real. But enough about twilight.

Need was actually one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. The humor was sarcastic, but I actually laughed out loud. You know how normally when you read something funny you're like... 'ha-ha. That was clever'. This is more like a your-stomach-contracts-and-you-almost-can't-keep-the-laugh-from-coming-up laugh. And there were so many good lines, and Betty was so realistic. Honestly, I mean Need had a "horror" labeling sticker on the spine (library copy), but... no. It's not horror. It's fantasy, and it's really funny. But all the descriptions of the beautiful boys get almost sickening. 

(But at least we aren't hearing about their "marble chests" over and over and over.)

The plot arc was perfect. It is highly climactic, from almost 150 pages from the end. 

So, I highly reccommend Need to Twilight lovers and non-Twilight lovers. I think it's a book everyone can enjoy. 

Rating: 4 Stars
Clean?: Brief language, mention of sex

Length: 306 pages

Most Like: Twilight

Reader reviewed by Lauren

Need by Carrie Jones is a fantasy story that any Twilight lover will enjoy. It's about a teenage girl named Zara who moves to Maine to live with her grandmother after her stepfather dies. Her new home is different, always covered in snow and cold, with a small school. Suffering from depression of her stepfather's death and feeling abandoned by her mother, she tries to cope with the new.

She meets Isabel, Devyn, Nick, and Ian. Isabel is a sweet girl who's almost always happy, and becomes Zara's instant friend. Devyn is in a wheelchair, and Zara is instantly attracted to his best friend Nick. Ian seems to be on the other end, not liking any of these people Zara befriends, and vice versa. It's probably just some regular high school rivalry, right?

When Zara sees this guy stalking her, leaving a trail of gold dust, she tells her new friends about him. Devyn checks an Internet site and believes that this stalker is a pixie, and that he's dangerous. Zara soon discovers that her new home is anything but ordinary, and her life is at stake.

Reader reviewed by sammyjones57

This will probably be the most bi-polar review I've done so far. I was very interested in this book - not just for the cover alone, but the story sounded very mysterious like and something that I would love. From the beginning it didn't grab me like I expected it too. Zara's character wasn't one that I really cared for at first. And yes, I get it, you're in Maine and it's cold. The writing structure of the book was another thing that I really didn't care for. One moment things would flow together and then everything got super choppy.

Reader reviewed by stephanie

Reader reviewed by melissa

this book was confusing ,great, and intense al at the same time. is that possible? the beginning is preety slow until we see Zara at school. with all the drama that is high school, it's crazy to see a small town in maine go through all these weird and eerie events. i loved nick and his macho hero complex as well as her crazy best friend who despite being "normal" still gave the book a little something. the only confusing part is the whole blood line father mother family story which if not read nice and slow can be a problem to understand. i enjoyed reading the book and all it's love, action and humor. it's high school but with supernatural craetures that can run super fast. now if only i could do that good during spring track...

Reader reviewed by Victoria

OMG! this book was sooooo good! i finished it the day after i got it! It has great charecters, a good plot, and an awesome setting! the only thing i didn't like about this book was that the action in the book only lasted like a chapter (or like three/four pages). I recommend this book to all my friends. It's GREAT! (my friends and i are 13/14 years old.)

Reader reviewed by the book muncher

Since the recent death of her beloved stepfather, Zara has been accumulating phobias like some people collect stamps. Shes pretty much afraid of everything. Zaras 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, theres also that mysterious guy that Zara keeps seeing everywhere, the one that leaves nothing but glittery gold dust behind. It turns out that hes realand a threat. Hes a pixie, and not one of those cute little things that flit around flowery gardens, but one whos controlled by his horrible needsneeds that are causing boys to disappear, needs that are haunting Zaras new home once again, needs that are causing Zaras 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 Zaras 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 werent just flat and uniform; Nick and Zaras 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 didnt 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 Ive read Need, I have to agree. Fans of the paranormal, from Meyers Twilight and Marrs Wicked Lovely to Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith and The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong, we well as most reluctant readers, wont be able to set Need down.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com