Saturday, December 18, 2010

Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: Entice (Need, #3) by Carrie Jones

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books (December 14, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1599905531
ISBN-13: 978-1599905532

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.
 
Review:

Coming to terms with her new self is not something Zara is quite ready for, something that is shown repeatedly as she looks to her friends for comfort and reassurance. Being a pixie does have it's perks, she can't deny herself that. But after finding her friends time after time questioning her judgement and her sense of self, Zara still has her doubts as to if the transformation was the right answer after all. Entice has a dual duty when the theme is put into question: to save Nick--determination, and for Zara to blend being a pixie queen with her everyday life--acceptance. There's also a bigger power at work in her small town that must be dealt with in order to bring back Nick, their ultimate warrior against the ensuing battle. Will Zara succeed with Astley's help to find Nick in the mystical Valhalla? And Zara's most dreaded notion, will he choose to come back at all?

After reading Entice, you can vividly see that Zara is still the Amnesty girl who wants to save the world and have as much help as possible couldn't hurt. Astley is one of my favorite characters in Entice; if not my very favorite. He has his past and background hidden around him like a mysterious cloak, but his kindness toward Zara, his new queen, is undeniable and quite heart-warming. Dare I say, he looks after her and cares for her quite a bit more than rugged Nick ever did. I hope to see more of them as couple throughout later books if possible. Zara needs him repeatedly throughout Entice; and he's always there. They work together trying to find where Valhalla lies and for the return of Nick. The fluidity of Entice and how it flows as an installment in the Need series is put to the test when Jones throws in the difficult obstacles the characters must work through. I was anxious at first to see how their personality and loyalty to each other was tested and for some it did prove to be too much, but for others it started a revelation that showed their true colors as characters and supporters in Zara's story. The sacrifices made for Zara's benefit in gaining purchase on the Valhalla trail were crucial and cost dearly. That actually almost broke the spirits of some of the characters most loyal to Zara, but I loved seeing how they were real people who had action views on Zara's transformation and all the changes that came along with it.

I thought that Entice ended on a good note that will serve to intrigue readers into the further challenges ahead for Zara and her crew. Some rough spots were unanswered and I look forward to seeing if they will be resolved.

And of course, if you couldn't tell before, I'm Team ASTELY.

Grade: B
This ARC was sent by Bloomsbury for my uninfluenced review.

Other exciting Need series news...Check out the links below to answer polls, be a fan on Facebook and watch the trailer!

Poll on Team Nick or Team Astley: http://www.facebook.com/NeedPixies?v=app_138079047824
Be a Fan on Need Series' Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NeedPixies





Giveaway:

To enter to win your own finished copy of Entice by Carrie Jones and some new Need/Drake Chronicles bookmarks, just fill out the form below!
Giveaway ends January 2nd and only US participants may enter.


Giveaway is now closed.


LiLi

1 comment:

  1. I can't wait to read Entice to find out more about Astley. Thanks for the review and giveaway!

    ReplyDelete

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