Review: Entice by Carrie Jones

After reading Need (with an ending that made me happy) and Captivate (with an ending that made me freak out) I knew I needed to read Entice ASAP. So I did :)

*DO NOT READ THIS SYNOPSIS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE SERIES! IT IS SO SUPER SPOILERY, SERIOUSLY!!!*

Entice by Carrie Jones

Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever.
But that's not quite how things have worked out.

For starters, well, Nick is dead.
Supposedly, he's been taken to a mythic place for warriors known as Valhalla, so Zara and her friends might be able to get him back. But it's taking time, and meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But how to get to Valhalla?

And even if Zara and her friends discover the way, there's that other small problem: Zara's been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to go with her? Especially since she hasn't just turned...she's Astley's queen.

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Let me tell you, folks, Carrie Jones has done the impossible. She has created a love triangle that has me absolutely stumped.

It's no secret that love triangles annoy me. There are some books that I love (The Darkest Powers series, A Beautiful Dark, Hex Hall) that have love triangles, and there are other books that I love (Matched, The Infernal Devices series, SHADE) in which love triangles are major parts of the books, but in general, I despise love triangles, because it seems to me that they are simply overdone. That's why I appreciate a good, love-triangle-less book.

When I first read Need, I was head over heels for Nick. He was the most perfect guy ever, and I loved him. I still do. That's why I was frustrated when Astley entered the picture, because I was so glad to have a book where the heroine and hero could just be together without the complication of another guy. So, throughout Captivate, I made myself hate Astley. But afterward, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if maybe he wasn't that bad after all.

Then onto Entice. Without Nick there, and WITH Astley there, I remembered that I loved Nick and why, but I also found myself starting to like Astley, too.

And there lies the problem, because for possibly the first time EVER, I can't choose between two boys in a love triangle. I have absolutely no clue which boy I like better, never mind which one I think Zara should or will end up with. 

I don't think this has ever happened before. I love Tod from Soul Screamers, Will from Infernal Devices, Ky from Matched, Zachary from SHADE, Derek from Darkest Powers. But I don't know if I like Nick or Astley better. AND THAT IS FREAKING ME OUT.

So props to you, Carrie Jones. You broke my brain! (:D)

Moving along from the love triangle for a moment, some other things I loved:

-The chapter heads. Those news reports, Twitter updates and blog posts? Hilarious.

-The reference to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels band, which is one of my favorite songs from when I was little.

-The reference to Rick Astley. Because that did not even connect in my brain, and now "Never Gonna Give You Up" is stuck in my brain for all of eternity.

Some things I didn't love:

-That this book broke my heart. That is all. It is tragic.

Altogether, I give this book <*><*><*><*><*>

(:D)

~Mag

Review: Captivate by Carrie Jones

The instant I finished reading Need, I knew I NEEDed to get my hands on Captivate, ASAP. So I did :).

 

Captivate by Carrie Jones

Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town.

A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys. Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure -- despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life -- and his. 

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Okay. I loved Need. Loved loved loved it. And while I also loved Captivate, there were a few issues I had with it. But let's start with the good stuff:

Nick. C'mon, it's NICK. I heard some people complaining that the first half of the book was too much mushy romance between Zara and Nick, but I didn't feel that way at all. But, to be fair, I adore the romance aspect of books, it's often one of my favorite parts. Nick was a little over-protective at points, but I still LOVE him so, so much.

Which is why I didn't like Astley. First off, he's a pixie. Dude. Have we learned nothing? Never trust a pixie. (Not to be confused with Will Herondale's mantra, "Never trust a duck." Totally different.) Secondly, unnecessary love triangles are one of my literary pet peeves. I can appreciate the fact that series like Twilight, Iron Fey and Matched center around the love triangles, but I feel like there were plenty of problems available for Nick and Zara to deal with without tossing another guy in there. 
 Moving along: Issie and Devyn. I LOVE THOSE GUYS. For real. Issie pretty much makes this series! Oh, and I liked the Pixie Tips at the beginnings of the chapters. I was a little disappointed the phobias weren't there anymore, but the Tips were hilarious.

*Update* Hmmm...I was just rereading a...certain extremely spoilery part of Captivate, and...Astley...hmm. Argh, things are getting so complicated! But I'm still Team Nick! Seriously. But I am very curious to see if my feelings change when I read Entice.

In any case, my overall rating for Captivate is: <*><*><*><*>

(:D)

~Mag

Review: Need by Carrie Jones

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started Need. It's one of those books that doesn't give much hint on the flap about what kind of supernatural creatures you're going to meet. Actually, I kind of prefer books like that. It's the difference between Twilight, where the back cover says "He is a vampire", and Haven by Kristi Cook where I went into it having no idea what was going to go down.

 Need by Carrie Jones

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.

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One of the very first things I noticed about this book: Zara's grandma's name is Betty White. Just thought I'd share. Anyway.

I really loved this book. I'd heard conflicting opinions on it, and wasn't sure if it would be good. In my opinion, it was.

First off, I really liked Zara's interest in phobias. I don't know many phobias by name (I'm enough of a worrier as it is), but I thought it was really cool how each chapter has a phobia (and its meaning) as its title and, when you think about it, the phobia connects with the events that occur in the chapter. Like, "Didaskaleinophobia" is the fear of going to school, and it's the chapter title of Zara's first day of school. Unfortunately, unperceptive me usually didn't connect the dots until the chapter was over. And then it was like, "Ohhh, I see what you did there!" So if you haven't read Need yet and you're going to, PAY ATTENTION TO CHAPTER TITLES! See if you can see what's coming. ;)

I also liked the supernatural aspect of the book. Like I said before, going into the book, I wasn't exactly sure what Zara was in for. One part of the supernatural is revealed relatively early on, but the other is only hinted at. I figured that one out pretty quickly, but it was nice seeing all the clues for the first time along with Zara. Plus, what it did for me was mix a popular, almost-getting-old supernatural genre with something else to make something unique. So snaps for Carrie Jones.

And now on to my favorite thing...romance. Pretty early in the book, a sorta-love triangle developed. I say "sorta" because it seemed to me like Zara, despite the fact that two boys showed interest in her, only really had interest in one of them. Honestly, though, I couldn't blame her, because I felt the same way.

Because NICK. OMGosh, I love that guy. I really love the protective guys in books, and Nick is pretty much as protective as they come. Whether he's pushing her car out of a ditch or warning her away from trouble, Nick is always looking out for Zara. And that just makes him all the more attractive.

Altogether, I give this book: <*><*><*><*><*>

(:D)

~Mag

Teaser Tuesday: Need by Carrie Jones

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play, and the rules are simple:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

For my first TT, I'm going to share a couple of lines from Need by Carrie Jones. I just finished reading Need today, and it was REALLY GOOD. Review is coming for that soon.

1.

     "I know, it's a dumb word. My mom says it all the time. My mom sent me here, you know. She said that word, woozy." 

-Page 118

2.

      My eyelids just don't want to be open and I really want them open, because Nick is so cute when he isn't bossing me around.

-Page 119

Those were my random finds, but I also wanted to share a bonus quote with you (not random).

*

     "He has a bet with all the other PE teachers in the county. If we don't have the best average time, he has to buy everyone strudel."
     "Strudel?"
     Nick raises his hands in the air. "I have no idea."

 Anyway, this book is exceedingly awesome, so if you haven't read it, check it out. Also, keep an eye out for my review of Need, coming soon!

(:D)

~Mag

Updates/Upcoming Reviews

There are several (okay, a LOT of) books sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. Several of these I intend to review, but obviously, first I need to read them. So I need to go do that. But I am easily distracted by the computer and that addictive substance known as the internet. 

But I am going to do that. RIGHT NOW. So before I go, I just wanted to give you a head's up about what's coming up on the blog.

I have four books I'm planning to review right now.

-Clarity by Kim Harrington
-The Girl In The Steel Corset by Kady Cross
-The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle
-Need by Carrie Jones
So reviews of all those are coming!

Also, while I have all of your attention, I want to thank everybody who has checked out the blog, follows me on GFC or Twitter, or is friends with me on Goodreads or Facebook. I really appreciate all of you guys listening to my insane rambling!


(:D)
~Mag