Review: Captivate by Carrie Jones

Title: Captivate
Author: Carrie Jones
Published: Bloomsbury (5th April 2010)
No. of Pages: 258
Grade Rating: B+

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.

Captivate was a thrilling second installment from Carrie Jones bursting with pixie power and danger around every corner. For lovers of Need, Captivate will satisfy that affection and supply more. A great addition to this fun, unique series.

Jones's first novel in this series Need, was enjoyable but by no means my favourite book. Many things about the story aggravated me and I was wary that those things would be back in the sequel. I put off reading this for a few weeks expecting it to be similar or maybe worse than Need. Fortunately, that wasn't true at all! Captivate was very different to Need and I can safely say I enjoyed it more. We saw a lot more of the pixies and their vicious, blood-thirsty ways which gave the book slight originality and edge. I was holding my breath at some points, waiting for the deciding revelation that kept me wanting more and more. The ending was nicely set up for the next in the series which I'm sure will be even more captivating!

In Need, it didn't go unnoticed that I didn't like Zara very much. I didn't bond well with her whilst finding her too stubborn but at the same time irritatingly immature for my liking. Before I began to read this, I told myself I would have to ignore what I found annoying and focus on the plot. In Captivate, Zara loses that quality that she possessed in Need and became almost-dare I say it?-likeable. I also found that her supporting characters became more three-dimensional whilst their personalities shone through their actions.

I loved the aspects of the Valkyries and Valhalla portrayed in this book. It just spiced up the plot and gave a surprising twist on events. It was also a refreshing aspect as I'm unfamiliar with these fae creatures but have studied Valhalla once or twice in History. It was a nice change from the obvious choice of vampires and added to the unpredictable line-up of fantasy creatures present.

Altogether, Captivate was a fast-paced, action-packed fantasy novel which I willingly devoured. I am pleased to say I am a fan of this series. I wouldn't reccomend this as a stand-alone novel and I would suggest you read Need first so you became aware of the characters and their stories.