Waiting on Wednesday -30

After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

Release Date: September 13th, 2011

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Synopsis:

Aimee and Alan have secrets. Both teens have unusual pasts and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when they meet each other, in a cold Maine town, they can't stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening lately, and they both feel that something-or someone- is haunting them. They're wrong. Despite their unusual history and powers, it's neither Aimee nor Alan who is truly haunted. It's Alan's cousin Courtney who, in a desperate plea to find her missing father, has invited a demon into her life-and into her body. Only together can Aimee and Alan exorcise the ghost. And they have to move quickly, before it devours not just Courtney but everything around her.


Filled with heart-pounding romance, paranormal activity, and rich teen characters to love-and introducing an exciting new YA voice, Steven Wedel-this novel is exactly what Carrie Jones fans have been waiting for. Meet your next obsession (Amazon).

I love the Need series and I cannot wait to read more books by Carrie Jones! This one is a must have for me! It's interesting that it has two authors and I can't wait to see how it turns out. :)

So, what did you choose for your WOW? ;)

Waiting on Wednesday is brought to us by Jill at: Breaking The Spine.

400 Followers Giveaway Winner!

And the winner is...

Ashley H.!!

Congrats!! You've won Wings, Need, and Blue Bloods! I'll be contacting you soon!

Thank you everyone who participated in my 400 Followers Giveaway!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for Holly Black's White Cat! Ends April 30th!

Eli's Weekly Post -19

Hello everyone! So, there have been quite a few new changes here at The Tainted Poet and I just wanted to put some light on them!

-I've recently reached 400+ followers! So I'm giving away 3 Books: Wings by Aprilynne Pike, Need by Carrie Jones, and Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz. Click here to enter! If I get more then 100 entries, I will throw in a 4th book and there will then be two winners! 1st place will have choice of 3 of the books and second place will receive the remaining book.

-I've cleaned up my sidebars a bit. I'm thinking about getting rid of my chatbox-- anyone agree I should?

-I've changed the way I format my reviews, hopefully making them easier to read and navigate. Let me know if you think differently! (Like, if you don't like the purple font or what not).

-I'm working on a list of Books for Boys that you can find here. If you have any suggestions, please comment! I am currently putting everything together but I would LOVE more suggestions!

I think that is everything important that has been going on here at The Tainted Poet. Please comment if any of my changes are displeasing! I REALLY want to change my header but I can't come up with a better one, so that is currently in the works! Oh, and have a fantastic St. Patrick's Day!

Entice by Carrie Jones

Rating: 4.75/5.0
Release Date: December 14, 2010
Age Level: 14+
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 272

Recommend? This is the 3rd book in the Need series. I recommend this series to anyone who loves paranormal romances.

Synopsis:

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 turned into just any pixie. . . She's Astley's queen.

My Thoughts:

Entice was amazing. The Need series has evolved into such an interesting and unique tale that just captivates you the moment you enter its reality. I read Entice in one sitting and I simply could not put it down.

In Entice, you really got to know Astley a lot better-- you find out that not only is he a great guy (Pixie) but that he is not perfect. Showing Astley's imperfections not only made him more real, but also more endearing. I would fall in love with him, if I were Zara. Zara and Astley get a lot closer in Entice and really the whole book is about how their relationship is developing. However, Zara is still in love with Nick and her driving force throughout the book is finding him, which causes a lot of confusion when it comes to her relationship with Astley. What exactly are Zara's feelings for Astley? And how have they changed about Nick? Entice left me with so many questions! And I'm definitely still team Astley!

Entice, besides being about Astley and Zara, was quite sad. I'm sorry to say quite a few people/pixies/weres lost their lives throughout the novel, which was very unexpected. I felt that at times Zara was not looking at the bigger picture-- that all she could see was what she needed to do to get Nick back, no matter the cost. In this case, I felt the cost was too high.

I cannot wait for the 4th and final installment of the Need series, coming in 2012!

Details:

Cover: 4.5

Plot: 5.0

Characters: 5.0

Writing: 4.5

Source: Purchased from store.

Entice Book Trailer

I just wanted to share this with everyone! I thought it was pretty cool. I've just finished reading Entice yesterday and my review will be posted tomorrow around noon.

Visit Carrie's website: Carrie Jones

My Review for: Need by Carrie Jones.

My Review for: Captivate by Carrie Jones.

Buy: Need, Captivate, or Entice!

Captivate by Carrie Jones

Rating: 4.5
Release Date: January 5, 2010
Age Level: 14+
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 288

Recommend? I recommend this series to anyone who loves paranormal romances! If you've read Need but are unsure if you want to continue-- I promise you-- you won't regret reading Captivate.

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.

My Thoughts:

Captivate is exactly as its name describes. I read this book in one sitting. All I can say is that I definitely underestimated this series-- Captivate went above and beyond Need. Like Need, it kind of began slow, but picked up pace really fast. The next thing you know your in this tornado that is Captivate and you just have to keep reading! Captivate was not only action packed, but emotionally enthralling.

I have to say I switched teams in Captivate. You are introduced to a new character-- Astley-- and I have to say I'm in love. Nick's character isn't as strong in this installment but the characters are all back and I love them just as much as before. There are so many secrets and lies-- even between friends-- but I feel that characters like Issie really glue everyone together. There is a particular secret that Nick has been keeping that really bothered me-- so much that I really kind of dislike Nick now. The characters in this series are so real that they really tie the story together. They make it that much more believable! Especially since there is a whole bunch of new-weird things introduced in this book.

So much happens in Captivate it is amazing that Carrie Jones was able to fit it all in! I wish it was even longer so that she could have gone more into detail during certain scenes. I can't wait to begin Entice, the third installment in the series!

**Reviewed copy was an ARC**

Details:

Cover: 4.5

Plot: 4.5

Characters: 5.0

Writing: 4.0

Source: Received from Publisher.

Need by Carrie Jones

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Re-Read? Definitely re-readable.

Recommend? I recommend this to fans of Stephenie Meyer.

Release Date: December 23, 2008
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 320

Synopsis:

Zara collects phobias the way other high school girls collect lipsticks. Little wonder, since life’s been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother’s pretty much checked out. Now Zara’s living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays “safe.” Zara doesn’t think she’s in danger; she thinks her mother can’t deal.

Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn’t a figment of her imagination. He’s a pixie—and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He’s the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he’s trailing Zara.

With suspense, romance, and paranormal themes, this exciting breakout novel has all the elements to keep teens rapidly turning the pages.

My Thoughts:

Need was an interesting book for me. When I first started reading, I had to do a double take because the beginning of the book reminded me so much of Twilight. Girl moves from warm place to cold place. Girl arrives at new home and gets a car. Girl goes to small school where she is referred to as the new girl. Superhuman-super hott boys take a liking to Girl. I think you know where I'm going with this. Instead of vampires, there are blood sucking pixies (which the Were's are the natural enemies of). The beginning of Need was VERY similar (at least to me) to Twilight. However, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy Need and the rest of the book develops very differently. Once I got past the beginning and the similarities, I really got into the story.

Need had a lot of funny moments and a ton of quotes that I wish I would have written down because they made me laugh out loud! I wish I could have posted more of them for my Teaser Tuesday! It was cute and quirky, while also being serious. I really liked the characters, which is really important to me. Nick, of course, was my favorite. I felt myself get fan-girlie quite a few times over him! Issie, also, is too cute for words. They were all just great characters and they are what really made Need that great story that it is.

There were a lot of times in Need that I became confused that the characters would trust so blindly in the internet or some website that they read-- I felt that it being online was not substantial enough evidence to believe so thoroughly. It might be just me, but it was nagging me in the back of my mind throughout the whole book. After reading back, I guess I can kind of understand how it is all pulled together-- I just wish it wasn't so vague when it came to the subject on where they are doing their research.

Despite these small issues that I had with Need, it was a fun read and its positives definitely outweigh my small issues. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

Details:

Cover: 3.5

Plot: 4.0

Characters: 5.0

Writing: 3.5

Source: Purchased from Store.

Teaser Tuesday -15

This weeks Teaser Tuesday is an exerpt from Need by Carrie Jones. Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should be Reading.

My Teaser:

"That is an excellent idea. Maybe I could do a snow dance."
She laughs. "Your dad taught you that?"
"Yep. You drop an ice cube into the toilet and dance around chanting, 'Snow. Snow. Snow'." (Page 15, Carrie Jones).

Rules:
1) Grab your current read
2) Open to a random page
3) Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4) BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

What are you reading Mondays -13

Hello everyone! These are my plans for this week:

What I Read:

-Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr
-Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

What I am Reading:



What I plan to Read:

-Need by Carrie Jones
-Captivate by Carrie Jones
-Sacred Scars by Kathleen Duey

-----------------------------------------------

So what are you reading this week? :3

This meme is brought to us by: Sheila at Book Journey.