Captivate by Carrie Jones

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication Date: January 2010

One Word Review: Disappointing

Author Website: www.carriejonesbooks.com

First Line: “There are these bizarre people who actually like physical education class.”

Synopsis: 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.

Kathy’s Review: I hate to write negative reviews and I really think if you enjoyed the first book, Need, then you will probably enjoy Captivate as well. Having said that, I just didn’t enjoy this book. It definitely fell in the “middle book syndrome” where not a lot happens and is more of a filler until the final book comes out. The writing was choppy, the dialog was unbelievable and I just can't relate to Zara. I didn’t really feel any real chemistry between Nick and Zara, even though it’s being shoved in our face. Like the first book, I just don’t like all of Zara’s political ideas and don’t see how any of them are relevant in a story about killer pixies. Zara's character is just okay for me, she is too wishy-washy. The ending was a joke as well; I don’t want to give spoilers so I’ll leave it at that. Again, if you enjoyed the first book you’ll probably like this one, it just wasn’t for me. I do like the covers though.

Bookworm Rating: 2

Reading Order:
Book One: Need
Book Two: Captivate