Book Review: Need by Carrie Jones

NEED BY CARRIE JONES
Hardover: 320 Pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Buy at: Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble


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.

Zara first notices an eerie man outside her home the day her step-dad passes away. Later on, she spots him at the airport and a third time outside her new school. As the truth begins to unfold, Zara and her friends will begin the fight of their lives, and in the process, uncover some startling deep secrets within the town as well.

It was so easy for me to be won over by Zara. She was a humorous, globally conscious teenager with the quirky habit of collecting phobias in a journal, much like other people collect stamps or coins. Her grandmother Betty was another character I really enjoyed. Betty had a sharp wit and spunky personality which added a lot of levity to darker moments within the novel.

I was greatly intrigued by Nick and his intense desire to protect Zara. He also has a few secrets of his own, though I won't spoil them here. The chemistry and bond of the pair was built believably, and I found myself eagerly reading on in the hopes that they would get together. The sparkle and pop from their budding feelings for one another was also a great contrast to the quiet menace of the small town landscape. In addition, her grandmother’s isolated home, which was located alongside a sinister dark wood, added to the intensity and suspense of the novel for me.

Carrie Jones is a tremendously talented author who writes with intense, angry electricity. The descriptions of the evil creatures, the heart pounding romance and non-stop action were vividly brought to life for me as I soared through the pages in less than a day! According to her website, the sequel to Need is scheduled for a tentative release date of January 2010. And I'm definitely anxious to get my hands on it!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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 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.

Official Carrie Jones Website
Official Carrie Jones Blog