Need (Need series book 1)

Need is a fantasy YA novel by Carrie Jones. The book is about Zara White and the recent months after her step-father's death. She sees a man outside her kitchen window, that's when her father dies. Heart attack. The man seems to be following her no matter where she goes. Her mother sends her away from Charleston to her step-grandmother Betty's house in Bedford, Maine. The man has followed her there too. He leaves a trail of gold dust. Soon before Zara arrived in Maine, a boy went missing. A week later, another one goes missing. Weird things are happening in Bedford. This is where pixies come into place. No, not the flowery Tinkerbell kind. This kind has blue skin, pointed teeth and silver eyes. The "man" turns out to be the pixie king. Without a queen, the pixie king grows weaker and more uncontrollable. The only thing that can keep him alive is the souls of young boys. He doesn't want to take the boys but he can't stop himself. It's what he is. He needs a queen or he needs the boys.

Zara herself has other things to deal with. Being the new girl, she tries to fit in but all hopes are dashed when Megan, popular-girl-supreme, decides she hates her. On top of that, She cannot stop her heart from doing a 360 every time she sees Nick Colt ("he's a special breed" said Betty). She makes a few friends, namely: Issie (a jumping girl with endless energy) and Devyn (a genius researcher in a wheelchair).

Zara knows she is connected to the pixie king somehow and makes it her responsibility to stop him from kidnapping any other young boys. Their fates are more intertwined then she originally thought. Over the course of the book, Zara discovers her heritage is richer than she thought and her biological father can completely change the whole equation.

Pixies and werewolves come to life in this magical tale. The book is full of dark turns and light humor that keeps the readers reading. The writing was done very well and the title was very appropriate to the book. Carrie writes this book in such a way that when you think you have made an amazing discovery, you realize that's exactly what she wanted you to do and you can't even get mad because she does it with such grace. A very good book and a good start to the series.

score= 9.0/10