(Blog Tour) Book Review and Giveaway: Entice

Entice by Carrie Jones
Book description and cover art courtesy of Goodreads.

I received an ARC of Entice from the publisher, Bloomsbury, as part of the Entice Blog Tour.

Publication Date: 3 January 2011


Description
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.


MY THOUGHTS

The Tweet
An action packed story, Entice follows Zara and her new king, Astley, as they try to find a way to save Zara's boyfriend, Nick, from death.

What Worked (for me)
Entice, the third novel in the Need series is an action packed read that captured my attention from start to finish. The book picks up right where Captivate, the previous book, ends. Zara's boyfriend, Nick, has been killed and carried off to Valhalla by the Valkyrie, Thruth. In order to save Nick, Zara allows Astley to pixie kiss her, thus turning her into a pixie and making her Astley's queen. (I'll refrain from explaining more because I don't want to ruin the previous novels for those who have not read them.)

What I liked best about Entice was the development of Astley's character. Astley becomes a major part of the plot in Entice. And not just because he is helping Zara to find Valhalla and Nick. Parts of Astley's past are revealed through interactions with his mother. Jones really made Astley's character more relatable by showing his emotions towards his mother and the way he was raised as a child. Astley's very human feelings towards his mother endeared me more to his character, despite him being a pixie and technically a "bad guy." The development of Astley's character also made me more willing to accept Zara's changing feelings towards him. I'm not a big fan of the romance triangle that seems to be the formulaic trend in paranormal young adult novels recently. But, in Entice, this is well played and really brings another dimension to the book.

Entice also introduces more Norse myth and lore about the pixies themselves. I really enjoyed this inclusion. One of the reasons I love reading so much is learning about cultures, peoples and practices I am not familiar with. Despite this being a fantasy novel, the obvious research Jones put into writing Entice makes it more believable and realistic.

Overall
Entice is a great addition to the Need series. Carrie Jones has written a great fantasy novel that captured this reader's attention and didn't let go until the last page. I am very much looking forward to reading the final novel and to finding out how Zara, Nick and Astley's stories end.

MY RATING IS 4 STARS


ENTICE GIVEAWAY
Post an insightful comment below about my review and/or your own thoughts on Entice and you will be entered into a drawing to win your own copy of the book. Please include your email address in your comment. Drawing is open to those with a US MAILING ADDRESS only. Contest will close on 3 January 2011 and the winner will be announced here, on the blog, on 5 January 2011. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. Winner will receive prize directly from the publisher. GOOD LUCK!


For more information on Entice and the other books in the Need series, check out these Facebook pages:

NeedPixies
Bloomsbury Teens