Need by Carrie Jones

Everyone has a fear, even if they don't want to admit it. I have a fear of spiders - I hate them and I think it's because of their eight little beady eyes staring back at me. They creep me out and every time I see one I jump and run screaming from the room. I then convince someone to 1)not kill it and 2) to peacefully remove it from the room and throw it outside.

Zara knows all about fears; she can list them alphabetically and even tell you what they mean. Since the death of her step-father Zara obviously hasn't been the same. Her mother is worried about her and decides to send Zara to her grandmother's (the mother of her step-father) house in Maine. Maine couldn't be any different that Charleston. Where Charleston is warm and populated Main is cold and desolate. Since leaving Charleston Zara has been seeing a strange man where ever she goes.

On her first day of school she runs into Nick Colt a hot cross-country runner and Ian or Mr. Class President. Instantly those two boys are vying for her attention but there is something not quite right about Ian but Zara can't put her finger on it. She quickly befriends Issie and Devyn and it doesn't bother her one bit that Nick hangs around them. One day at lunch she notices the same man standing outside the cafeteria pointing at her. Issie and Devyn see him too and they decide to do some research. The only explanation that makes sense is that the person stalking Zara is a pixie - but come on, everyone knows pixies don't exist. Another strange thing is happening in the town, boys have started to disappear. When Zara, Devyn, and Issie do some more research on pixies and discover that when the pixie king becomes weak boys start to disappear. But Zara is having a hard time believing in pixies, I mean come on . . . they can't exist. When another boy disappears Zara and her friends decide to uncover the mystery.

This is a wonderful book! The first thing I think when reviewing the main character is she is a self-less young teenage girl. Zara is deeply involved in the group Amnesty International constantly writing letter to free political prisoners around the world. As you first start reading this book there is no feel of fantasy of sci-fi it's just a real girl with real problems and trying to deal with the death of her father. As the book continues you slowly slip into the fantasy world where pixies and weres (were animals) exist. I think this is a wonderful book and I can't wait to read the 2nd book!

Books in this series:

1) Need

2) Captive (Hardcover release 1/5/2010)

Need by Carrie Jones. New York (c) 2009