Book: Need by Carrie Jones

Publishing Info: Published by Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books; 306 pages in hardcover

Goodreads Summary: 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.

I wasn’t sure about this book at first.  But as it went on, I started to like it more. It even made its way into my dreams, because I dreamt I was in a forest, trying to find the fairy king!

But in all seriousness, it started to creep me out, and YA books generally don’t creep me out.  I thought the plot was really interesting, with a pixie king after Zara and her mom.  Things are not what they seem to be with this book, and things seem relatively normal…until they’re not.  I knew something was up, but  it was hard to figure out what.

I really liked Zara’s thing with phobias- naming them and reciting them over and over.  It made her stand out, and it made her a lot more interesting.  And her grandma was awesome, with her sarcasm and wit.

There were definitely a few clichés in the book, like everyone wanting to get to know the new girl in town, one girl hating Zara on sight, and her realizing that there’s something special about her, which means she’s a pawn in the pixies evil plan to turn her into one of them.  And a romance in the end is pretty standard for paranormal books.  However, Zara is a likeable character, and the romance isn’t too cliche…the romance doesn’t even happen until the end, although it is hinted at throughout the book.

I give it a 4 out of 5.  It’s a fun book, and really entertaining.