Need by Carrie Jones

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.

Stars: 5/5

Cover: A

Plot:

Zara step-dad dies, and that's difficult for Zara to get over. Not to mention, she thinks a creepy guy is stalking her. That fear is intensified when she gets sent to live with her grandma in Maine, and the man is still following her, a couple of thousand miles away from where she used to live. 

Weird things start happening, people go missing, and Zara keeps finding this gold dust everywhere. Soon, she starts unraveling the mysteries behind everything that's been happening to her, and her family, and to say the least, the end result is not what you would expect.

I didn't feel like the plot was dull at all, in any places. Itwas painful when I had to stop reading this book to go do something. Carrie Jones has an incredible talent at capturing the reader all the way from the first line of the book until the very last. 

Characters:

The characters were practically jumping out of the page! They were unique (Zara memorized and recited phobias; Devyn was in a wheelchair) and that made them more realistic than any "regular" character could ever be. 

I would have to say my favorite thing about all of the characters is that through the story, they changed, like actual humans do. What I mean is that I got to see Zara go from someone who was paranoid and a little depressed from her step-father dying, to someone who was confident in herself, and, dare I say it, happy. And the change didn't happen overnight, like they unrealistically do in some books, but instead over time. It happened so gradually that I didn't even notice the difference in her until the end of the book.

I knew from the first time I "met" Zara's grandma Betty that she was going to be my favorite character. She was everything you could ever want in a fictional grandma. She was witty, sweet, and loving. She gave great advice, and was always understanding towards Zara. I loved her.

Writing:

Carrie Jones' writing is fantastic. As I mentioned above, she just pulls you into the story, and doesn't let you go. The way she writes is great. It isn't choppy or awkward in anyway. Ahh, I just can't even put into words how much I loved this book!

Carrie is really good at building suspense. A lot of things happened in this book that I would have never guessed would and the twists and turns made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen next.

Need is addicting. I found myself saying, "Okay, one more chapter, and then I'll go to sleep." And then something crazy in the story would happen, and I'd want to know what happens next. I just couldn't put the book down.

And I LOVED that at the beginning of each chapter, there was a different phobia. I didn't even know that that many phobia's existed, and I loved the phobias that were just really odd.

Cover:

The cover to this book is beautiful. I love how the gold dust is completely connected in with the story. Also, it's shiny! Who doesn't love shiny things? I think it's cool how all the covers are tied together with the gold dust.

The Final Verdict:

Go. Buy. This. Book. Now.

Honestly, this book was great. It was so good, I had ordered the sequel, Captivate, up on Amazon before I even finished Need. 

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating (pun intended, seeing as the sequel is Captivate) read that leaves them thinking about it for days on end.

Need is one of those stories that makes you fall in love with the characters, and want to be their best friends.

I don't want Zara's story to end. EVER.

FTC: I bought this book.


Tell me how you like the new format I'm trying out! Does it make it easier for you to understand my reviews? I love your feedback.

In My Mailbox (3)

I didn't have time to do a vlog this week, because everythuing's been craaaaaazy. And I know I'm posting a day later than my usual IMM day, but I had absolutely no time yesterday.

Anyways, these are the books I got this week.

For Review:

"Listen. The Sanctuary of the Redeemers on Shotover Scarp is named after a damned lie for there is no redemption that goes on there and less sanctuary." 

The Sanctuary of the Redeemers is a vast and desolate place - a place without joy or hope. Most of its occupants were taken there as boys and for years have endured the brutal regime of the Lord Redeemers whose cruelty and violence have one singular purpose - to serve in the name of the One True Faith.

In one of the Sanctuary's vast and twisting maze of corridors stands a boy. He is perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old - he is not sure and neither is anyone else. He has long-forgotten his real name, but now they call him Thomas Cale. He is strange and secretive, witty and charming, violent and profoundly bloody-minded. He is so used to the cruelty that he seems immune, but soon he will open the wrong door at the wrong time and witness an act so terrible that he will have to leave this place, or die.

His only hope of survival is to escape across the arid Scablands to Memphis, a city the opposite of the Sanctuary in every way: breathtakingly beautiful, infinitely Godless, and deeply corrupt.

But the Redeemers want Cale back at any price… not because of the secret he now knows but because of a much more terrifying secret he does not.


This doesn't look like a book I would normally read, but I'm excited to read this. I'll be expanding my book horizons. :) It seems really interesting, too!

From Zoe:

This is a blood-pumping, white-knuckle sci-fi thriller of epic proportions. The FAYZ goes from bad to worse . . .

The darkness has been foiled once again and the resurrected Drake has been contained. But the streets of Perdido Beach are far from safe, with a growing army of mutants fighting against the humans for power in the town. In a small room of a house near the edge of town, Little Pete lies ill on a bed. In his fevered dreams, he continues his battle with the hidden evil that seeks to use his power to bring about anarchy and destruction.


Yes! I finally got this!!!!!!
I've been  wanting to read this for FOREVER.
I'm going to have to re-read the other books to refresh my memory, but AHHH! I'm so EXCITED!!! :D

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees. . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what it is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place--and out of place, at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make--between honesty and deciet, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?


I wanted this book reeeally badly. Zoe's letting me borrow the ARC, and I'm superdupertuper excited to read this. This book also got a ton of great reviews.
I'll be taking this with me to Colorado.

Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.

Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend's Run is famous for them. She's used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend's Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.

Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who's from the wrong side of town. But she can't deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste's hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend's Run.

Psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf are the perfect formula for what happens . . . once in a full moon.

I've read the first book, Vampire Kisses, in Ellen's other series, and it was pretty good. So I'm excited to read this book and see how she switches it up from her other series and writes about werewolves.

*And I also got a pretty Dark Divine bookmark!

Yaaaay, swag!

That's all I got this week. Feel free to link below what's in YOUR mailbox. :)

"Waiting On" Wednesday (4)

Trapped by Michael Northrop

 

 

The day the blizzard started, no one knew that it was going to keep snowing for a week. That for those in its path, it would become not just a matter of keeping warm, but of staying alive.

Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason are among the last seven kids at their high school waiting to get picked up that day, and they soon realize that no one is coming for them. Still, it doesn't seem so bad to spend the night at school, especially when distractingly hot Krista and Julie are sleeping just down the hall. But then the power goes out, then the heat. The pipes freeze, and the roof shudders. As the days add up, the snow piles higher, and the empty halls grow colder and darker, the mounting pressure forces a devastating decision . . .

Does this book seem extremely interesting, or what? I love books like this (I don't know what genre it would be under). Trapped seems like it will be action packed and full of internal conflict and difficult decisions, which always makes for a great story. Plus, it's getting great reviews. You'll know where to find me on January 1st --- in the bookstore, buying this book. :)

2011 Debut Author Challenge

This challenge is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It's a year-long event where you read at least twelve books from authors releasing their debuts in 2011!


I'm pretty sure I'll read more than twelve, but here are just a few of the books I plan on reading for this challenge:


XVI by Julia Karr
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer
Across The Universe by Beth Revis
Clarity by Kim Harrington
The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder
Bad Taste by Carrie Harris
Vesper by Jeff Sampson
Timeless by Alexandra Monir
Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Falling Under by Gwen Hayes




I'd love to know what you guys are reading for the Debut Author Challenge! Feel free to link your DAC posts below.

Pretty Little Devils by Nancy Holder

Hazel Stone wants nothing more than to be a part of the hottest clique in school, the Pretty Little Devils, but she's stuck at a lunch table full of high school C-listers. Hazel has resigned herself to life as a nobody—when suddenly everything changes. The PLDs invite Hazel to one of the group's famous parties, held at the site of one of their babysitting jobs. Before Hazel knows it, she's in with the in crowd—and she couldn't be more thrilled!

But nothing turns out the way she expects. Especially when one her classmates becomes jealous of her newfound status—deadly jealous.

Stars: 3.5/5

Cover: B

Hazel Stone wants nothing but to be a Pretty Little Devil --- an exclusive group of the most popular girls at school. So when the PLD leader, Sylvia, wants her in the group, Hazel gladly accepts. But she soon finds out life as a PLD isn't what she thought it would be.

The girls start receiving mysterious texts from an unknown source. Animals are hacked up mercifully, and it's not long before high school students start being murdered, too. And the girls know the culprit is someone in their group of friends --- but who?

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard and Pretty Little Devils have a lot of similarities. (PLD came out ten months before PLL.) There is the stalker sending weird and creepy notes, there's the element of not knowing who to trust, and also, in both books, the stalker could be a variety of people. 

But putting that aside, I liked this book a lot. Most of the characters were pretty well developed. But, I didn't really feel like Megan, one of the PLDs, was given enough traits. She was just kind of there.

The plot was fast-paced, and there weren't really any dull moments in the story. I actually read this a couple of years ago, and even while re-reading it I still felt the suspense. I remember that when I first read the book, and I found out who the stalker was, I was extremely shocked. I'm pretty sure I gasped out loud. 

One thing that really bugged me was the errors in this book. I know, I know, I can't expect everything to be perfect, but for whatever reasons the misspelling of characters' names made me a little irritated.

At times, the writing was a little awkward and choppy, and at other times it flowed really smoothly. One example of something that kind of took away from the suspense-fulness of the story was when there were exclamation points where I felt there shouldn't be. For example, the last sentences of Chapter Six:

"Hazel put her hand on the knob. The door burst open --- and she screamed!" (Page 113)

 But, putting all of that aside, I enjoyed Pretty Little Devils. It was a fast, fun, and entertaining read.

I actually put Posessions, another one of Nancy Holder's books, on my Christmas list, so expect some more Nancy Holder reviews.

*Don't read the last page of Pretty Little Devils --- it will give the entire book away!

FTC: I bought this book.

I Need YOUR Help!

Okay, I have a huuuuuge TBR stack. And lately, I've been having trouble deciding which book to read next.

So, it would be AWESOME if you would check out my To-Be-Read Stack on the right sidebar of my page, and comment below telling me what you want me to read next.

Also, I'm going to Colorado for the holidays, and I don't know which books to bring with me!

Thanks for your help guys.

See you soon with a review of Pretty Little Devils. :)

Mystery & Suspense Challenge for 2011

This challenge is hosted by Book Chick City. To signup, and get the full rules, click here.

Basically, the challenge is to read (minimum) twelve mystery/suspense novels in 2011. I am excited about this challenge, because though I love reading these genres of books, I tend to not read them very often. Hopefully this challenge will inspire me to pick up more mystery and suspense novels!


To see the complete list of 2011 Challenges I'm participating in, click here.