Captivate recommended for fans of Meyer, Marr

Less than one year after the debut of her paranormal romance, Need, Carrie Jones has left her readers captivated with it’s sequel.

Captivate, the second novel in Jones’ series, is the continuation of the story of Zara White, a human/pixie halfling caught in the middle of a supernatural battle she has yet to understand. Alongside her werewolf, pixie-hating boyfriend, Nick; her were-eagle friend Devyn; and her best friend, Issie, peace-loving Zara struggles to solve the pixie problem in her isolated Maine town. However, when  new pixie king comes to town, peace hangs by a thread, and Zara’s actions place those she loves in grave danger.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Captivate, I still much prefer Need to its sequel. Please don’t misunderstand. Captivate left me just that–captivated. I devoured this novel, word by word, page by page and flew from cover to cover in record time. The suspense is felt almost immediately in this sequel, and the prose flows naturally from the page. Moreover, Jones’ characters are certainly well-developed and one-of-a-kind. While this story is well-written and full of surprises, I feel that the ending to this novel is hurried and somewhat abrupt. In fact, while I devoured the rest of the story, I was left unsatisfied with the ending.  When I read the last lines of Need, I was aching to know more and wished I had read the book at a slower pace so that I could savor every word. In contrast, I felt a little indifferent during the last few pages of Captivate, as if the story ended right in the middle of the crisis.  Therefore, I think it is safe to assume Jones will bring us the conclusion to Zara’s story in another book or two, which I look forward to reading. Other than my minor issue with the ending, I give this novel two thumbs up.

In sum, Jones’ Need and Captivate are unique novels that bring together unlikely characters and mythical creatures in an action-packed, adrenaline pumping storyline that will leave you rapidly turning the pages out of your own “need” to know what happens next. While I did enjoy Need better than its sequel, I highly recommend both novels and eagerly await Jones’ next installment of this series. If you are fans of Stephenie Meyer or Melissa Marr, you are sure to love Carrie Jones.