Lately I've been in a bit of a book rut. Nothing seems to impress me anymore- even books that I've been anticipating for months are being thrown to the floor in frustration at how little they seem to hold my interest. Need however, was the book that brought me out of all that. It was amusing, different and will have you needing to finish it in one sitting (haha yes, lame pun I know).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 surprised me as a character who I could relate to very easily. She was complex and doesn't easily fit into a description. She wasn't a pushover, but she was a pacifist in the way she tried to deal with her problems. She was strong and yet vulnerable too, especially after the death of her father. Though the way she reacted and dealt with things were not always agreeable, they were realistic, and that is what I like most about her. The story itself was also suspenseful and fast paced, though sometimes a little too much so. Some parts of the novel needed to be better explained and just built up more, however overall it was still a very entertaining read.
I know the whole pixie thing can sound like a bit of a lame rip-off of faeries, but there's a lot more to this book than meets the eye. There's depth, there's humour, there's mystery and there's some very sweet romance- pretty much everything a good YA book needs to be absolutely awesome!
Overall: ♥♥♥♥
Published: First published April 2010 (Australia) by Bloomsbury/Allen&Unwin Australia
I was in a book rut when I picked this one up, too. I'd read quite a few faerie-type books, and wasn't sure whether I was going to like it. I did enjoy it, however. Glad you did, too. Great review!
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