Need by Carrie Jones

Genre: YA Fantasy
Series: Need book 1
Copyright: 2008
Pages: 306
Book Source: Allen & Unwin Australia

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.

I really enjoyed the uniqueness of Need and while not a lot seemed to happen in the first half of the book there was an undercurrent of suspense that compelled me to keep turning the pages. I would suggest abandoning any pre-conceived ideas you may have of pixies before picking up the book because the pixies of Need aren't cute Disney pixies; (no tinkerbell in these woods) they're evil, they have teeth and they bite!

Need has a bit of something for everyone; emotion, fantasy, suspense, humour, mystery, and romance but the winner for me is the character development and there's a whole lot more to some of these characters than meets the eye. I found Zara extremely likeable and her struggle to deal with the recent death of her stepfather felt honest and real. Her unusual coping strategy of naming and definining phobias to control her fears appealed to me in a weirdly interesting kind of way. I adored Zara's new found friends, Issie and Devyn, and Zara's Grandma, Betty and the mysterious and moody Nick. The romance is sweet and definitely suitable for the younger teen (only kissing) but not without appeal for the more mature reader.

Nick laughs. Dimples crinkle up the skin near his lips. I will not look at his lips. How can he never have used those? That's a crime against humanity right there. (page 101)

I put my hand against his skin. It is warm. It's always been warm. He smells so good, like woods and safety. I swallow my fear and move forward, and my lips meet his, angel-light, a tiny promise. His lips move beneath mine. His hands move to my shoulders and my mouth feels like it will burst with happiness. (page 181)

Need fell just a little short of a 5 star read for me, due in part to the slower build in the first half of the story but also for the bizarre use of "forks" in the ending. Don't panic it's not a spoiler but I just couldn't help thinking, come on ... forks??

All in all, the original, multi-faceted plot and well developed characters made Need a winner for me and I can't wait to continue on with the story in Captivate.

Check out Carrie Jones's website for lots of cool info about the author and her work. The pixies of Need have their very own website too, you can visit it here.

Thanks to Jess from Allen & Unwin for my copy of Need :-)