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Need (Need #1)

by Carrie Jones (Goodreads Author)

3.72 · rating details · 16,947 ratings · 2,105 reviews

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 cou...more

Hardcover, 306 pages

Published December 23rd 2008 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

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Aug 19, 2011

The Holy Terror rated it

Recommended to The Holy Terror by: Moonlighthaven2004

Shelves: dark-fantasy, borrowed, shifters, werewolves, fairies, young-adult, paranormal, hate-this-series

I'd give this book 2.5 stars if I could. The beginning starts off a little strange. We're not given much description and we pretty much live inside Zara's head. There's a lot of dialogue and inner monologue, and while it's quick to read, it's just not as engaging as it could have been. Plus, Zara's obsessions with phobias is a little odd and it's never really explained why or how she remembers them all.

At first I was thinking that this was going to turn out to be a typical teen book wi...moreI'd give this book 2.5 stars if I could. The beginning starts off a little strange. We're not given much description and we pretty much live inside Zara's head. There's a lot of dialogue and inner monologue, and while it's quick to read, it's just not as engaging as it could have been. Plus, Zara's obsessions with phobias is a little odd and it's never really explained why or how she remembers them all.

At first I was thinking that this was going to turn out to be a typical teen book with all the cliches, but there were enough surprises along the way that I could look past the shortcomings of the novel. The characters are developed well enough, even though most are pretty much standard-fare for any teen novel; the mean blond pretty popular girl, the hot mysterious guy that falls for the awkward girl, awkward girl's slightly more awkward friend with bonus handicapped boyfriend. I was a little disappointed that the author stuck to these less than creative roles, but it didn't kill my interest in the story.

Zara's step dad dies and her Mom sends her to Maine to live with her Grandmother, Betty. Zara is used to North Carolina weather so she constantly complains about the snow, ice, and cold temperatures. Since I live in Michigan I can sympathize, but Zara whines about it excessively.

Zara is being stalked by a man and her friends set out to find out who or what he is. With one day of research they come upon the idea that he's the Pixie King. I'm not sure how they come up with this, I don't know if you can do a Google search for "stalker, man, following, pointing, fast" and come up with Pixie King as a result, but they did it somehow. Zara doesn't even mention the gold dust that she sees, which would have been a valuable search keyword, so I'm not sure how they arrive at this conclusion.

Once Zara figures out what's going on in the town and about who's following her, the story really picks up. In fact, it picks up so fast that it's over before you know it. The fight between Zara and the Pixie King is anti-climatic and pretty much the first plan she comes up with works on the first try. Zara accepts the fact that pixies are real and comes up with the plan to defeat them so quickly that it's kind of absurd. Plus, the way she defeats them is so hypocritical since she's constantly spouting off about Amnesty International and how people that are falsely imprisoned need the help of letter-writing teens, which was also another weird obsession that Zara had.

I know there's a second book coming out but I can't stand it when an author plans for that. I'm going to read it but I hope I enjoy it more than I did Need. I like the characters and the world, but I think the pixies got a raw deal in the end, and I hope we get to learn more about them!

My reviews of Captivate (Need, #2) and Entice (Need, #3).(less)

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Dec 04, 2008

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

Shelves: books-i-own, own-arc

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 10, 2011

Hannah rated it

Shelves: school-year-2009-2010, disliked

I randomly picked up this book at the library. I had seen it at Borders at least a dozen times, and I needed a book, so I decided to check it out.

Okay, let start off with the basic plot.
Zara, a once popular and happy girl living in Charleston, watches her father die of a heart attack on their kitchen floor. Feeling depressed and "dead inside," her mother forcibly sends her to Maine to live with her grandmother because somehow solitary confinement will help her cope. T...more

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Sep 10, 2009

Barky rated it

Shelves: read-needs-tags, borrowed-from-the-library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Zara White is sent to live with her grandmother in Maine after her father dies and she falls into a deep depression. Living with her grandmother and being thrown into the middle of a mystery (disappearing teenage boys, and a stalker) – not to mention the attentions of several cute boys – seems to perk her up a bit. Throw in some elements of the supernatural and you have, yet another, Twilight wanabee. With werewolves and pixies (fae) and blood-drinking, this may appeal to fans of Stephenie Me...more

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Jan 08, 2012

Sarai rated it

Shelves: read-in-2011, no-thank-you, paranormal, young-adult

Good lord almighty. Where to BEGIN. (Spoilers ahead.)

I never thought I'd say this, but I truly believe Stephenie Meyer is a better writer than Carrie Jones. I know, I know, what?! Is it possible?! Could it be?! I hate to say it but it's true, and I bring actual quotes as proof! But that's for later.

First of all, this book shouldn't be called Need, it should be called Foreshadowing Fail. Don't let the summary on GoodReads fool you. There is no suspense in this novel. It is...more

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Nov 29, 2009

Krystle Yanagihara rated it

What you see is what you get with this book. Most of what you need to know can be gotten from the cover. The story was superficial and not much on depth.

Zara was a decent character - had some spunk and some of her quirks. I felt that the idea of her being so adamant about helping the poor, saving those in need, while good in concept, it was forced and only seemed to be a method to try and make the character stand out more. I had a feeling that it was the author trying to preach me s...more

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Feb 14, 2011

Jen rated it

Shelves: received-as-gift, read-in-2010

What a fun, quick read!

I thought the incorporation of Zara's slight obsessive-compulsiveness with the phobias was interesting. It really built her character and surprisingly gave her a personality. I hate it when heroines are introduced with no intriguing traits or hobbies, and we're expected to believe it when everyone lusts after her. THANK GOD Zara has some sort of distinguishing feature.

Zara is a very likable character. She has a good head on her shoulders, for the most ...more

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Nov 29, 2008

Rachael rated it

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 d...moreSince 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.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

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Aug 04, 2009

new_user rated it

Recommends it for: Fans of The Silver Kiss, Laurie Faria Stolarz, adventure romance readers

Shelves: young-adult

Readers can find a lot of diversity across the YA spectrum. There are Gossip Girl dramas, insightful reflections, and adventure reads. Need by Carrie Jones sits between the latter two. It's a novel about junior Zara White coming to terms with the recent death of her father, a mother who deals with her husband's death and her daughter's grief by folding and sending Zara away, and rumors of a serial killer in a strange Maine backwater town.

Need can easily be dissected into two moods: ...moreReaders can find a lot of diversity across the YA spectrum. There are Gossip Girl dramas, insightful reflections, and adventure reads. Need by Carrie Jones sits between the latter two. It's a novel about junior Zara White coming to terms with the recent death of her father, a mother who deals with her husband's death and her daughter's grief by folding and sending Zara away, and rumors of a serial killer in a strange Maine backwater town.

Need can easily be dissected into two moods: the first a mystery as Zara learns the disturbing depths of her town and comes to trust a few friends and finds a possible love interest. It's the Getting to Know You period.

The second mood of the novel is What Comes After. Zara has learned the truth, finds allies and enemies. Here's the action element and without this I feel the book would have been too simplistic. However, this conflict presents another layer that only improves the story, as Zara deals with X and Y and Z all at once, i.e. emotional, family, and supernatural problems.

The story's told in first person, present-tense mode from Zara's point of view in a concise, relatively simple style that really speeds the narrative along and allows us to sink ourselves into Zara's plight, especially her reconciliation with her father's death, which conflict is probably one of the most critical in the book. (For this reason, I relate the book to The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause, whose heroine meets a vampire but narrative ultimately hinges on the death of a loved one.)

Not to diminish the romance, of course. That was satisfactory for this romance reader. ;) (PG-13, FYI.) And the fight with the pixies! LOL. (They're Grimm's pixies, not Disney's, okay? Work with me here.)

However, the style does have its drawbacks. Need is pretty simple and straightforward, without the complexity, gray areas and subtext that we love. I don't want to compare every YA paranormal novel I read against Twilight, but since Need is advertised as comparable to that book, I'll say that Need's characters and plot are somewhat shallower, with the notable exception of the pixies who are a definite gray area. So this is lite.

I did like that Zara was not obnoxious. She was an intelligent teen, and I do like the themes for younger readers in this book, the encouragement to be proactively involved in the world and write, the contrast of need vs. love (particularly relevant to readers who may be struggling with the physical implications of that question, even though they may not draw blood like the pixies, LOL).

I will probably be reading the sequel, since the ending left me no choice (!) I would recommend this to readers looking for a simple, quick adventure romance. :D(less)

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Jan 19, 2009

Angie rated it

First of all. How about those gold lips? Shimmery! The color of those lips does a good job of representing the glittery-but-dangerous magic in this book. Just as the pale skin of their owner conveys the tone of the story quite well: pale, cold, and creepy. I'm pretty sure this is my first pixie urban fantasy and I wasn't sure what to expect. What I did not expect was feeling like I was back inside the world of Stephen King's It. But apparently if a book's got Maine, winter, and a town with a cur...moreFirst of all. How about those gold lips? Shimmery! The color of those lips does a good job of representing the glittery-but-dangerous magic in this book. Just as the pale skin of their owner conveys the tone of the story quite well: pale, cold, and creepy. I'm pretty sure this is my first pixie urban fantasy and I wasn't sure what to expect. What I did not expect was feeling like I was back inside the world of Stephen King's It. But apparently if a book's got Maine, winter, and a town with a curse on it, it will always evoke the same prickly, back-of-the-neck feelings in me. And Need's heroine shares my sentiments.

Zara's stepdad is dead. After watching her waste away day by day, Zara's mother puts her on a plane and sends her to her de facto grandmother--her stepdad's mom Betty. Betty lives in Maine. Maine feels like another world to Zara. A world in which the every surface is blanketed in snow and the local teenagers are all track stars or football talent or some other sort of gifted. These things combined make Carrie real nervous. As a coping mechanism, she recites phobias in the hopes that naming her fear will help her face it. Yeah, she's brave and likeable that way. And she makes a trio of truly cool, hilarious friends. The adorably scattered Issie, the kind and quiet Devyn, and the dark and looming Nick. The three of them begin giving Zara a reason to get up again. There are, of course, some kids who don't like the new girl. And there is, of course, a bit of a love triangle (but not really). And it's all very high school. That is until gold dust starts showing up everywhere and her classmates start turning out to be Not Who She Thought They Were. And it becomes clear that something wicked is definitely this way coming.

Need is a good one to stay up late at night reading. Alone. That way you can take full advantage of the awful not-pretty pixies going to eat you factor. And, really, when was the last time you did that? What I liked about Ms. Jones' writing is the way she created a truly scary world and villain with very little overt description. I have no idea what he looks like. In my head he's this huge dark form without a face and he is the scarier for it. Part of this is accounted for by the fog Zara is in when she first arrives in Maine, and part by the fear that seems to grow no matter how many names she gives it. I liked that she had such good friends and that they were actually a part of the story, not just background music. Once I met Issie and Devyn, I wanted more and more of them. Nick is definitely a good guy and could probably have used a little more conflict for my taste. But I liked him well enough. His hero complex was indeed charming. I would be happy to read more in this world. Recommended for fans of Holly Black.(less)

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Sep 17, 2011

Sam rated it

Shelves: fantasy-or-paranormal

I had a very difficult time with this novel. As hard as I tried to connect with what was happening, I just couldn't ignore the many flaws. Carrie Jones is not a bad writer, but this novel could have been improved in so many ways. What frustrated me the most was the lack of likability in the characters. I found everyone was either really bland or really annoying.

A huge let down, to be honest.

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Oct 21, 2010

Jessie rated it

I enjoyed this book, but I do have some opinions about it. I felt like there was a disconnect between the story and the reader--meaning that I felt like the author was only scratching the surface of the story and the characters rather than opening them up for the reader to really get to know. I wanted more--more information, more back story, more details, more intensity. Even in the climactic parts I felt like the author took you right to the point and then really backed off and kind of let i...more

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Mar 21, 2009

Jennifer rated it

Shelves: teen-fantasy-scifi

This book is perfect blend of Twilight and Wicked Lovely. Supernatural, dark, romance new girl at school thing going on. The main character is a bit more together (she is really into running, and human rights aka Amnesty International) then Bella from Twilight. Set in Maine (atmospheric). It is not the best written book in the world and a little formulaic at this point BUT your teens will love it and not that many folks know about it yet. I found the story was creepy and fast paced enough to ke...more

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Jan 14, 2011

Mocha ღ Latte (YA Reviewer) rated it

Nothing interests Zara White more than a good phobia or saving the world. After suffering the loss of her step-father from a fatal heart attack, Zara is sent to live with her step-grandmother, Betty, in Maine. There, she realizes that she is being stalked by a creepy looking man who constantly keeps pointing at her. Her new friends, Issie, Devyn and Nick suspect that he is a pixie and that he's here to take Zara. Zara realizes that there is more to the story than people are telling her, somethin...moreNothing interests Zara White more than a good phobia or saving the world. After suffering the loss of her step-father from a fatal heart attack, Zara is sent to live with her step-grandmother, Betty, in Maine. There, she realizes that she is being stalked by a creepy looking man who constantly keeps pointing at her. Her new friends, Issie, Devyn and Nick suspect that he is a pixie and that he's here to take Zara. Zara realizes that there is more to the story than people are telling her, something deeper, when two boys are suddenly missing and it's up to Zara to find out why.

Following may contain spoilers:

There are some books you are willing to spend money on and some that you are not. The first time i spotted/heard of Need by Carrie Jones was at work(of course). The summary, unfortunately, didn't draw me to it and i was certain i'd never spend a dime on it. Alas, 2 days ago i received Need, Captivate, and Entice for free and said "hey, what the heck, it's free right?"

My first thought when i read through the first chapter was "who in god's name gave the lifetime supply of Red Bull to Carrie Jones?". The storyline is so jumpy and jittery it started giving me whiplash. Right off the bat i'm smacked in the face with the fact that Zara is 'crazy' about phobias, she can name them off the top of her head. She loves nothing more than a good phobia, her own words. We also learn that Zara has a 'save the whole world' complex, something she shared dearly with her step-father who until recently passed away. Zara is sent to live in Maine by her mother so she can move in with her step-grandmother Betty. Zara's mother fears her safety(we don't know why yet) and fears that she's depressed. Eventually, Zara starts to notice that some creepy guy has been stalking at her from the woods, sides of the road, etc. Her new friends, Issie, Devyn and Nick obviously suspect it's a pixie who's after Zara. I mean.....really? Who in god's name would suspect that right off the bat? "Oh some guy is stalking me....must be a pixie!" I think their notion was just too stupid but alas the book is about pixies isn't it?

Nick is tall, well built and handsome. He also happens to have a 'hero complex', just like Zara. It's inevitable that they 'end up' together, obvious from the very start. Issie is a crazy hyper girl who loves Hello Kitty and also happens to have a crush on Devyn. Devyn, unfortunately, is in a wheel chair after an accident. He's smart and has a great sense of humour, but also a little blind to Issie's affections for him.

Carrie Jones' descriptions are extremely lacking in Need. Isn't it the authors job to help you imagine the world they are writing about easier? What's the point if they aren't giving you proper visualization? I've just started off Captivate, and luckily, things aren't as jumpy and jittery as they were in Need. Things are a little more evenly paced, still a little jumpy but it's definetly an improvement.

I give Need by Carrie Jones 3.5/5 stars because the plot was slightly interesting. It had so much potential, it could have been so much more if it wasn't for the lack in organization. If the ideas were sorted out properly, the transition from one event to the next would have kept it interesting. However, it is still keeping my attention and my curiosity is begging me to find out what happens in Captivate and Entice , which are currently sitting on my book shelf, so i'll have to hop right into that.
(less)

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Nov 14, 2008

Karin rated it

Shelves: youngadult, 2008-reads

Zara hasn’t been herself lately and people are starting to get worried about her. Since the death of her step-father, Zara has fallen deeper and deeper into a pit of despair. Her mother decides to send her to live with her grandmother in Maine in the hopes that a change of scenery might perk her up a bit. Zara doesn’t realize that other, more sinister, reasons are behind the move as well.

Zara begins school the day after she arrives in Maine. Her grandmother feels that getting Zar...more

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Jun 18, 2011

Alyssa rated it

Shelves: read-in-2011, books-i-own

I will admit, I was a litle cynical when I started reading this book. After I was disappointed with Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely, I've been a little hesitant to pick up a book about faeries/pixies.

Need is about a girl called Zara who is sent to Maine to stay with her grandmother after her stepfather dies. While she's there, she realises that a guy is stalking her and leaving a trail of gold dust. She finds out that there is nothing normal about the small Maine town she lives in and Z...more

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Feb 04, 2011

Claire rated it

Shelves: series, read-in-2011

I ended up giving Need 3 stars because the ending really brought the story together, was exciting and answered a lot of my questions. There are defiantly things I didn't like about this book, but I still think the ending was redeeming.
Jones has created a good idea for a story but I felt it could have been executed a lot differently. I enjoyed the concept of Weres and Pixies. I haven't yet gotten into this genre, even though it is popular right now.
There are a few things that I ...moreI ended up giving Need 3 stars because the ending really brought the story together, was exciting and answered a lot of my questions. There are defiantly things I didn't like about this book, but I still think the ending was redeeming.
Jones has created a good idea for a story but I felt it could have been executed a lot differently. I enjoyed the concept of Weres and Pixies. I haven't yet gotten into this genre, even though it is popular right now.
There are a few things that I didn't like about this book. The first, is that there isn't a lot of back story. The book is written in Zara's eyes. The reader sees and knows what she does. Although I felt Zara was very thick in the head, and needed to get a clue a lot of the time, I still felt frustrated that Jones never gave Zara the opportunity to learn more about the town.
Second, there wasn't much character development. I was confused as to who Issie and Devyn were for a while. How did they fit into the story? This too, came out in the end but I felt if Jones had taken some time, she could have told the reader more about each character.
The last complaint about this book has to do with many other reviews. I have read through some of them and it seems that a lot of people think the book is lame becuase of Jones' explanation of why Zara was sent to live with her grandmother. I agree with this, mostly becuase Jones didn't offer many explanations about things just told the reader what the answer was done with it. There seemed to be more than just this issue. It just felt like Jones didn't take the time that other authors have with their books. Overall, I feel Jones isn't the best writer. I felt like her writing was somewhat confusing. The layout of the story was frustrating. I didn't appreciate the language, especially since this is a YA novel, and up until the end I felt I had many questions that Jones would never answer.
Again, the ending of Need was the best part of the book. I did grow to like Zara more and I did enjoy reading about all different types of phobias.

Content: Language(less)

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Jan 13, 2011

Realteenreviews rated it

Recommends it for: Those Who Have Been Pixie Kissed

Shelves: dream-catchers-list

The Gist
Zara hasn’t been the same since her step-dad died right in front of her. She’s empty and cold and numb. After months of watching her daughter fade, Zara’s mother decides that she needs a change of venue. So Zara is forced to leave her home in Charlestown and go to live with her step-grandmother in a tiny, remote town in Maine. And to top it all off, someone’s stalking her. Ever since her dad died Zara’s noticed a strange man following her around, pointing at her from a distance. Za...moreThe Gist
Zara hasn’t been the same since her step-dad died right in front of her. She’s empty and cold and numb. After months of watching her daughter fade, Zara’s mother decides that she needs a change of venue. So Zara is forced to leave her home in Charlestown and go to live with her step-grandmother in a tiny, remote town in Maine. And to top it all off, someone’s stalking her. Ever since her dad died Zara’s noticed a strange man following her around, pointing at her from a distance. Zara takes being sent to Maine as an exile. The only upside: she’ll be far away from her weird psycho-stalker. But when she gets to the frozen town she feels far from safe. And at school the very next day she find out why. At lunch – out of nowhere – her stalker shows up, pointing at her from the woods outside the school. Zara’s new friends are determined to help her with her mysterious stalker troubles. Issie - Zara’s always-hyper best friend – and Devyn – a wheelchair bound genius – do some research and come up with something that sounds completely crazy: Zara’s stalker is a pixie.

What We Think

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

So I have a stack of books to-read in my room I fondly (and uncreatively) call the Bookstack. This book was fourth from the bottom because I kept putting it off. Every time I’d finish a book I’d say to myself I should read Need. But then I’d put it back at the bottom of the pile. So finally I got up the guts and decided to read it, once and for all. Why did I stall? I have no idea. No one had told me the book was bad, and I really had no reason to believe it wouldn’t be a good read. But for some reason I was hesitant. I think it was probable because the whole thing was about pixies. I don’t have anything against pixies, but the whole topic of faerie creatures never really appealed to me as much as some other topics did. But I was still willing to give it a chance.

I have decided that the most perfect words to describe it are okay, unmemorable, and lack-luster. The plot was just alright. Nothing remarkable or noteworthy. I mean, the whole thing with pixies is pretty original – when’s the last times you’ve read about a pixie stalker? – but she can’t just ride on mythical creature-ness alone. I was unimpressed. Basically the whole plot was Zara denying over and over again that pixies exist. I believe my friends, I don’t believe my friends, I believe them, I don’t, I belive them, I don’t. Over and over. Everything moved so slowly and hardly anything happened at all. The most action-packed part of the story wasn’t even action-packed. It was exactly like the rest of the story. Like the whole book was one gigantic introduction to set everything up nicely for the rest of the series. Not enough happened for people to actually say there was a plot.

The characters were also very average. Very blah. There was nothing to them, really. Zara White, the main character was always just kind of there. She was boring and lifeless (and not in an I-feel-bad-for-you-because-you’re-so-distraught-you-dad-died way).What was weird was that in addition to being monotonous and dull, she was prone to absurd panic-attacks. She was almost like a contradiction just being herself. Not a very good character and certainly not one that I find easily relatable. Issie as a character was pretty good but, again, nothing that special. She wasn’t as bad as Zara, but she was just there the whole time. Devyn was a pretty good character – like Issie - but (do I really have to say it again?) he wasn’t that great. There was character named Nick who I didn’t bother to mention in the gist because his character is just weird. Massive hottie-hear-throb from the moment Zara lays eyes on him. Half the time he’s the cliché sensitive perfect boyfriend that makes even dead-like Zara swoon (but not me, as a reader) and the other times his short-temper flares up and he’s the biggest jerk ever. He was high maintenance and annoying at best. Not cute or sweet as I’m sure he was intended to be. So overall characters were utterly mediocre.

The writing style itself was okay. It was caught in an awkward place in between intentionally-formal-sounding and ooh-it-feels-like-the-character-is-talking-to-me styles which kind of just made it seem like Zara was half-robot. But, that being said, it wasn’t bad enough that I wanted to stop reading the book altogether. What I think this author needs to work on is improving her characters and plot, while keeping the writing style like her improved-characters. She has to make it sound like it’s them talking, not someone random or unrelated. Perhaps this stiff style was purposeful and was meant to accentuate Zara’s grief over losing her father. If this was the case, it was poorly executed because the style just came out sounding OFF. One thing I actually really liked about this book was that instead of chapter titles there was a name of a certain phobia and what it was. It was really cool. I love random bits of knowledge like that. I’m not sure if that’s technically considered writing style, but I’ll put it here anyway. Makes her writing overall seem better.

The cover and title. Both are immensely important to selling the book and getting people to want to read it in the first place. The title, I think, is really good. I always lean towards one-word titles because I think they’re intriguing and dramatic, and a one-word title like Need certainly makes you stop and consider it. The cover is pretty good, if a little odd (with the pixie dust lip-gloss). It certainly isn’t the best cover I’ve ever seen, but it’s not bad.

The book as a whole was a let-down. I don’t know what I had expected, but it was something better than this. Need is a very mediocre read. Nothing truly HORRIBLE about it, but nother good either. It all balances out to something that I wouldn’t remember reading. Something boring, unremarkable and, frankly, a waste of a read. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I wouldn’t strongly advise against it if your heart’s set on reading it.

Real Teen Rating~ C : Ehhh…(less)

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Apr 16, 2010

Arya rated it

Shelves: fantasy

Three stars - one for the interesting phobias, two for the characters of Devyn and Gram Betty, who are cool! The third star is for the sheer gall of creating a world where pixies are blood-sucking, antagonists!

Zara (princess) is obsessed with phobias. Her dad (step-dad if you want to be really accurate) always insisted that if you can name something then you will not fear it. . .obviously it doesn't work because Zara knows the names of most all the phobias in the world and she is st...moreThree stars - one for the interesting phobias, two for the characters of Devyn and Gram Betty, who are cool! The third star is for the sheer gall of creating a world where pixies are blood-sucking, antagonists!

Zara (princess) is obsessed with phobias. Her dad (step-dad if you want to be really accurate) always insisted that if you can name something then you will not fear it. . .obviously it doesn't work because Zara knows the names of most all the phobias in the world and she is still scared; scared of the man who is stalking her, scared of her memories of her father's death - scared of herself.

Her mother is worried about her - so worried in fact that she ships her off to Maine to live with her grandmother (step) and rejuvenate from her dad's death. Zara is not at all happy about the move. But she makes the best of it, jumping into the new school and making friends. Unfortunately her friends are two strange kids, one who is stuck in a wheel chair after an accident. The alluring Nick Colt seems to be annoyed by her, and the sweet Ian seems obsessed.

This book was too fast paced for my taste - they should not have deduced right away that pixies were the stalkers, the ones stealing the boys. And even if, by some miracle they had figured it out that quickly then they should not have accepted it as easily as they did. I know that Devyn being a were and all he is attuned to the super-natural, but in the beginning you do not know this, and it just seems really strange that three teenagers would "believe" so easily, though it might have something to do with the paranormal trends in books these days - I suspect a lot of teens are more than happy to believe that vampires (or pixies) and werewolves are real - might just mean they can get their own personal Edward Cullen!

That brings me to another criticism of this book - it was way too similar to Twilight, in the "oh the boy hates me" - "no I love you but I might hurt you" way. Sure the phobias and the "king/queen" angle is VERY different from the (sometimes cloying) sweetness of Twilight, but they were painfully the same in the overall plot.

All in all not something I will recommend, but the phobias made it interesting enough to hold my attention.
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Jan 22, 2011

Adi (Reading in the Windowseat) rated it

Shelves: 2011-read-list, genre-romance, class-young-adult, first-in-series, genre-paranormal

If you are fans of novels about fey folk and shifters and a sweet hint of romance, young-adult style, then you should like this.

I don't know what is going on with me, but recently it gets harder and harder to find an amazing young-adult book. And I feel as if all are made into series to spin yams for money or fame. I don't know.

What I do know is that this is a really nice read. Enjoyable, interesting. Not perfect, but real good. What bugged me was Zara - her tendency to fall ...more

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Jan 29, 2009

Deborah rated it

Shelves: young-adult

I never thought I'd say a character was overdeveloped.... Zara is not only mega cause conscious and PC, but she also knows about all these phobias, which didn't add anything to the story. In fact the overkill on Zara's quirkiness detracts from a really good plot. Also, this novel has been marketed as a Twilight readalike, but (and I never thought I'd say this either) Twilight is actually better!

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Mar 16, 2010

Lydia rated it

Shelves: fantasy, need-series, pnr, faeries

I would give this book 3 1/2 stars instead of 4. It has sort of a Twilight feel to it, but instead of a hunky vampire he's a hot werewolf. I thought the main character Zara was going to be whiny and annoying, kinda like Bella, but instead she surprised me, in the sense that she was spunky and had some gumption. I like the role the pixie king played and I thought the story line was good. The book held my attention and look forward to reading the next book in the series. Overall, not a bad read ...more

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Jul 28, 2011

Donna rated it

Shelves: 2011, audiobook, fantasy, pixies, shifters

I hate when a book immediately grabs my interest with an intriguing plot and likable characters and then fails to deliver. This is exactly the problem I had with Need. [return][return]First, I listened to this on audio, and while the narrator successfully mimicked the Maine accents, when it came to the MC, Zara, the voice used for her was sometimes a southern accent and sometimes no accent at all. This is a small thing, true, but very noticeable when listening. Other than that, I think that the ...more

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Jul 25, 2011

Donna rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book-challenge, fantasy, on-my-shelf, read-in-2011

I hate when a book immediately grabs my interest with an intriguing plot and likable characters and then fails to deliver. This is exactly the problem I had with Need.

First, I listened to this on audio, and while the narrator successfully mimicked the Maine accents, when it came to the MC, Zara, the voice used for her was sometimes a southern accent and sometimes no accent at all. This is a small thing, true, but very noticeable when listening. Other than that, I think that the narration was fi...more

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Feb 05, 2009

Jennifer Wardrip rated it

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Julie M. Prince for TeensReadToo.com

Zara has been unceremoniously shipped off to Maine to stay with Grandma Betty in the middle of nowhere during a frigid winter. According to her mother, Zara just hasn't been herself since her step-father passed away, and all of this is apparently supposed to help.

Before Zara even has a chance to snap out of the depression, her attention is drawn elsewhere by a mystery surrounding a local boy's disappearance. Oh, and then th...more

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Feb 19, 2012

Bitten By Books rated it

My Review:
This book begins by introducing a 16 year old girl name Zara, who lives with her mom and stepdad. But Zara hasn't been herself lately, since her step-dad died. And her mother starts to worry about Zara the more she falls deeper and deeper into a pit of despair... Since her life has been very rough so far, her mother decides to send her to live with her grandmother in a small remote town in sleepy cold Maine..

When she arrives in Maine, she can't help to realized th...moreMy Review:
This book begins by introducing a 16 year old girl name Zara, who lives with her mom and stepdad. But Zara hasn't been herself lately, since her step-dad died. And her mother starts to worry about Zara the more she falls deeper and deeper into a pit of despair... Since her life has been very rough so far, her mother decides to send her to live with her grandmother in a small remote town in sleepy cold Maine..

When she arrives in Maine, she can't help to realized that a man is lurking in the shadows watching Zara, and leaving a trail of gold dust whenever he disappears ... Who is this man? And what does he want with Zara? When she starts school there in Maine, she meets Queen Bee- Megan, the quirky new best friend- Issy, and two boys Nick and Ian, battling for Zara's attention... Zara is not sure who to trust in this strange small town, full of secrets where ever she turns... Who can she rely on the most, and which boy can she trust her heart to tell her the truth?

Zara's hopes in the stay in Maine will help her move on with her life, but being in the town where her step-dad grew up just reminds her too much of him and also how much she misses him... But that's not her only problem, the guy that has been following Zara around everywhere is not a figment of her imagination. Turns out that he's a pixie king, and if he does not mated with a queen for an unspecified amount of time he will die. Zara learns that the pixie king demands.... young men and him and the other pixies kill them after using them for their blood hungry pleasures... But will Zara sacrifice herself to save these boys from the hands of the pixie king and his court? or...... Let him destroy everything she loves?

My Thoughts:

- I love this book. It contains so many elements and wonderful fantasy though out the whole book, with secrets, cute boys and a deadly pixie king. What more can you ask for.... Carrie Jones had me hooked on page one all the way toward the end, and left me hungry for more when I was finish...

- The characters in this book were so easy to like and love. Like Zara... I felt very sad for what she had to go though when her step-dad died.. I also enjoy Issy and Nick too, Issy was such a fun and loyal friend toward Zara. And then Nick was a hard character to understand at first, until I found out what he was hiding and why...

-And the plot was very dark and mysterious, with so many twist and turns though out the book.. I can't wait to read the second book in the series, to see what happens to Zara's character more....

-I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to enjoy a fun light read....

- And I give this book 5/5 stars...
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Jan 25, 2012

Emily rated it

Need by Carrie Jones was very easy to get into, and was also very quick at getting into the main story, which was one thing that I really liked about it.

Zara, the main character, was very likable and you really understood how she felt throughout the story. Her personality could get a bit confusing though as I said in Update #2. She can go from really kick-butt and fearless, to a wimp in a matter of a few pages or less. Two of the other main characters, Nick and Betty were very well dev...moreNeed by Carrie Jones was very easy to get into, and was also very quick at getting into the main story, which was one thing that I really liked about it.

Zara, the main character, was very likable and you really understood how she felt throughout the story. Her personality could get a bit confusing though as I said in Update #2. She can go from really kick-butt and fearless, to a wimp in a matter of a few pages or less. Two of the other main characters, Nick and Betty were very well developed and where a big part of the story, while others such as Meghan, Ian, Issie and Devyn weren’t as developed, and didn’t play as big a part of the story as expected. Also Meghan and Ian seemed to disappear for a time in the book, then reappear later.

The plot was fairly predictable, and fast-paced, again as I mentioned before. The “big reveals” weren’t as big as I feel like Jones may have wanted them to be. Although the story was original, (and nothing like Twilight, as some of the reviews on this book had said), I think that it could have been done a little better. And one more thing that it was lacking that let me down a little bit, was that there wasn’t ever a revival of the classic YA love triangle that I mentioned and hoped for, in my update. But, it was nice to not have to story focused as much on that, like many other YA novels, which made this a bit different. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book very much, but it wasn’t as scary and suspenseful as the synopsis of the book made it out to be.

There are two other books in this series by Carrie Jones, but I am still not quite sure whether I am going to read them or not, because if I hadn’t heard of these other books, I wouldn’t have any idea that there were going to be sequels, strictly based on the ending of the book.

With all that said, I think that this book would be good for fairly new YA readers, in middle school, and early teens. It is a good starter book to help them get into reading more YA books, and isn’t as deep as some. Why am I being so negative here?! Even for older YA readers, if you are looking for a fun and quick fantasy read, check this book out!(less)

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Jan 19, 2012

Sabina Kellie rated it

Recommends it for: people who aren't into the typical clique teenage book

Recommended to Sabina by: madison ridge

This book was acutally suprisingly refreshingly original. I expected it to follow the typical storyline that seem to be the bases of all the paranormal romances nowadays: the disillusioned damsel in distress moves to another state/country because of her parents' death/divorce/affair, goes to a new school and meets a hauntingly dark and handsome young man who has never shown the slightest bit of interest in anyone before her. Somehow she manages to acquire this guy, while ditching all her other n...more

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Jan 06, 2012

Misty Baker rated it

After 2 relatively disappointing paranormal books in a row, I was starting to wonder if I had lost my knack for picking them…then…the tide finally turned.

I have wanted to read “Need” for a few months now, but much to my disappointment there was no Kindle release for it. Now, I’m not sure what made the publishers change their minds…maybe they finally came to their senses and realized that ebooks had a prominent place in society now and that they were missing the boat, or maybe it was b...moreAfter 2 relatively disappointing paranormal books in a row, I was starting to wonder if I had lost my knack for picking them…then…the tide finally turned.

I have wanted to read “Need” for a few months now, but much to my disappointment there was no Kindle release for it. Now, I’m not sure what made the publishers change their minds…maybe they finally came to their senses and realized that ebooks had a prominent place in society now and that they were missing the boat, or maybe it was because they just couldn’t wait to hear my always captivating take on things, regardless of the reasons, the end result (of course) was that I finally got to read it…and I was more than pleased with what I found.

“Need” is the story of Zara, an everyday high school girl who feels “hollow” after the loss of her step-dad. Her mother, seeing the funk that she has uncharacteristically slipped into decides that she needs a change of scenery and ships her off to the very unpleasant arctic woods of Maine to live with her grandma. After a bit of a rough start (being cut off while trying to get to school and finding it hard to maneuver on ice) she meets a group of kids that soon become her best friends in the world. Zara, thinking that everything will be OK if she can just stick in out and suck it up decides to make the best of her new situation, its just to bad the town isn’t quite as sleepy and slow as she had originally thought. 2 boys go missing while another 2 start to fight over her, and in the end the world in not exactly what she thought it was. She quickly learns that some people are “literally” more than they seem and her love for animals is going to be tested in a whole new way.

“Carrie Jones” did exactly what every YA author should, she set up the scene, she explained the characters and just when you thought you finally got it all straight, she proves you wrong and everything changes. Flip! The awkward moments were masterfully executed and the “moment of truth” was spun out into a beautiful web of emotional acceptance and the inability to give up on your beliefs.

There were moments of anger management issues resulting in a trashed house, an injured puppy, a hyper boy in a wheelchair, a smart mouthed grandma, 2 very cold moments in a ditch thanks to some irresponsible driving, hundred of pointy teeth, gold dust, and 1 very VERY pissed off daddy who is tired of waiting.

Get it, Live it, Love it and pass it on….this one is a good one kiddos.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: If it walks like and duck and talks like a duck…chances are his name is Daffy.(less)

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Dec 25, 2011

Meg ♥ rated it

Shelves: z-2011-reads, e-books, favs

Need is a fun paranormal fantasy. Each chapter name was a certain phobia, since the main character Zara "collects" phobias. I thought most of the phobias were pretty interesting, but some were just stupid. Zara is a very likable character and a pretty smart girl.

The secondary characters shine in Need, particularly Zara's friends. Her quirky band of outsider pals share banter that is hilarious, breaking up intense moments of darkness and angst. Issie is an awesome friend to...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Twilight much?	34	76	Feb 16, 2012 07:27am
HELP with the characters names	7	47	Jan 07, 2012 06:15pm
Good YA Series: What do you think of Need, Captivate, and Entice??	13	49	Nov 28, 2011 06:51pm
Good YA Series: What do you think of Need?	27	82	Nov 17, 2011 08:43pm

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About Carrie Jones

Carrie Jones likes Skinny Cow fudgsicles and potatoes. She does not know how to spell fudgsicles. This has not prevented her from writing books. She lives with her cute family in Maine, but she grew up in Bedford, NH where she once had a séance with cool uber-comedian Sarah Silverman.

The Meyers brothers are from Bedford, too, so you’d think it would make Carrie funnier, coming from Bed...moreCarrie Jones likes Skinny Cow fudgsicles and potatoes. She does not know how to spell fudgsicles. This has not prevented her from writing books. She lives with her cute family in Maine, but she grew up in Bedford, NH where she once had a séance with cool uber-comedian Sarah Silverman.

The Meyers brothers are from Bedford, too, so you’d think it would make Carrie funnier, coming from Bedford N.H. Obviously, something didn’t work.

Carrie has a large, skinny white dog and a fat cat. Both like fudgicles. Only the cat likes potatoes. This may be a reason for the kitty’s weight problem (Shh… don’t tell). Carrie has always liked cowboy hats but has never owned one. This is a very wrong thing. She graduated from Vermont College’s MFA program for writing. She has edited newspapers and poetry journals and has recently won awards from the Maine Press Association and also been awarded the Martin Dibner Fellowship as well as a Maine Literary Award.

Here’s the lowdown about Carrie…

1. Carrie can not drink coffee. It makes her insane. Do not give her caffeine.
2. Carrie is very responsive to loving strokes on the hair, kind of like a puppy. However, do not do this without asking first unless you are a ridiculously handsome man or an editor who is about to offer her a trillion dollars for the first draft of her novel.
3. Carrie is secretly really, really shy even though she’s pathetically outgoing in person. She has a very hard time calling people. So, if you want to talk to her, make the first move. And, if you’re her in-Maine female best friend, Jennifer, do NOT get mad at her because she is so bad at returning emails.
4. Carrie sometimes wears mismatched socks, if you do not think this is cool, do not tell her. You will hurt her feelings.
5. Carrie really, really wants you to like her books. Please like her books. PLEEEAASSSEEEE. She’ll be your best friend forever. That is, if you want a friend who is shy about calling and emailing and who wears mismatched socks and can’t drink caffeine and likes being pet on the head. Hhmmm….
6. Carrie is not above begging.
7. Carrie, like Belle in TIPS ON HAVING A GAY (ex) BOYFRIEND drinks Postum. It’s for the same reason, too.
8. Carrie loves Great Pyrenees dogs. They are huge and white, and furry and it looks like they have white eyeliner and mascara on, which is way too cute. Do you have one? Send a picture!
9. Carrie lives in Maine. She has a hard time with this in the winter. It is bleak in Maine in the winter. Imagine everything shades of gray and brown and no green anywhere except for in people’s noses. This is Maine in Winter. Maine in summer is the best place in the world, so it’s a trade-off. Feel free to invite Carrie to your house in the winter, but not if it’s in Greenland, Canada, or anywhere north of Florida.
10. Forget that. She’d still probably come.
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Books by Carrie Jones

Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend (Belle, #1)

Love: And Other Uses for Duct Tape (Belle, #2)

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Trivia About Need

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Quotes from Need

“The secret of happiness is freedom, the secret of freedom is courage.” — 380 people liked it

“He wipes his hand on his shirt.
What? Did I drool on you?"
A little."
You're a wolf. You should be used to drool."
That's low.” — 187 people liked it

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