Need by Carrie Jones (Book 1 of the Need Pixies)

Can everyone say Twilight?

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TWILIGHT!!

So I picked this up because 1. it was on sale and 2. hmm...Pixies, an interesting and welcome break from the endless book cases filled with vampires in the stores.

But oh no! There just had to be 'were' creatures in this didn't there and blood drinking pixies. SAY WHAT! And the teenage heroine being exiled from home to live in a cold, snowy climate when she was used to warmer weather - this reminding anyone else of something?

In this book I wanted so much to not like Zara'a mother who had packed her off but them by the end it was almost like I had to like her and I hate it when that happens in a book. And what is wrong with having the lead character have good screaming match? If I had just found out that a bunch of very important information had been kept from me I would be pretty miffed. Like VERY ANNOYED! But oh no she just had to take it is her stride when I was desperate for her to blow up big time at someone.

That being said I actually enjoyed this book - if I ignore the similarities to a book that shall remain nameless but I have mentioned.

I thought that Issie was adorable as Zara'a new best friend - she was so awkward and cute and totally imperfect.

I really liked Zara's little quirk with how she was always listing phobias as a dealing mechanism - I found that different and weird (in a good way).

The relationship between Zara and Nick *cough*he's a werewolf*cough* could have been built up a bit more - in my humble opinion. It seemed that I blinked and suddenly they were snogging. Don't get be wrong you could tell that there was 'something' there between them but...oh well, whatever. I had been hoping for her to go for the bad guy but since he was sort of unavailable for her (quite a wee twist there by the way guys - or maybe I am a bit dim) I suppose I can settle for Nick if I have to and continue to live in hope. There are more books to come after all.

And my one major peeve. They know that Zara is in some kind of danger and yet they still leave her alone at points - like her grandmother goes off and leaves her in the house (not even waiting for Nick to come around and pull the He-Man act). What is with these people!?

I would give this a 3.5 because of a. it's likeness to Twilight (which I think many of the books that are coming out now are falling into that trap) and b. (and this may be unfair of me) but I think that so much more could have been done with this story line and the characters - but then I suppose that this may have been done on purpose to get us back to read the next ones.

Funny little things about this book - the phrase 'So not cool' and stuff like that. Teenagers ROCK!
Zara's step-grandmother is amazing. I want a Bettie.

There I did it. I pointed out the faults and was ruthless - well not exactly ruthless but for me I was.

The next book will be Captivate since the master plan of getting us (well...me anyway) to read the rest of the books that I mentioned above actually worked and I bought the second today - for some reason I had the first and the third but not the second...weird huh.