Sunday, November 6, 2011

Crave by Melissa Darnell

Title: Crave
Author: Melissa Darnell
Release Date: October 25th, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 432
Format: Electronic Copy
Acquired: ARC; Netgalley
Interest: Series
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 5 Stars

Savannah Colbert has never known why she's so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It's as if he's a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she's destined to fail.
For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can't stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

I have to say, finding original stories these days has become a difficult tasks, because lots of authors seem to love to fall into the trap of vampires as sexy and dangerous, and fall into the same trap of the supernatural genre has, but I have to say this story surprised me in a lot of levels.

I enjoyed Melissa's book a lot. The whole witches vs. vampires vs. vampire-witch baby is this fun twisted ride. And the fact that it was the girl this time who was the vampire surprised me, because as I was reading this I thought to myself the exact opposite of what I would have originally believed.

The fact that Savannah was considered an outsider is something I can relate to, because for a long time I was an outsider as well, and even now in college people still treat others like they are not good enough, and the worst part for Savannah is that none of this was her fault to begin with. This is just some weird traditions that go back centuries and the fault of genetics. And then the way she uses fear as the fuel that drives the Brat Twins to despise Savannah is interesting and real at the same time.

The love between Savannah and Tristan is cute and some of the things they did to be together surprised me, especially Tristan. There are moments when someone can tell this boy is truly in love, I mean he goes to an extent to prove this to Savannah. I never thought the boy had so much will power, and I found myself cheering them on the whole way.

And finally the ending. It was not a complete disappointment, because it gives you something to think about and when you get the sneak peek on the next book, it's like a mouth dropper.

I can tell that this series will be one that doesn't just revolve around these two love birds, but a whole system that is being threatened here. I loved the originality of this story and how alive all the character's were. I mean, everyone had their own personality. There was Anna and Carrie and Michelle, each with distinct personality but still working well together, and then there were the guys, which I found both creepy, like Savannah did, which just makes Melissa even better because she can make me feel like Savannah felt being around them.

And what I think she did best was switching points of views. I always want to know what the other person is thinking, whether a guy or girl, because it just drives me nuts, and I was glad that Melissa had differing points of views, because it's essentially the same story but a whole different effect. So I hope the rest of the series continues that way.

There was one mistake that was made when Savannah was referred to as a junior and not a sophomore, which she was. I don't know if it's because I have an ARC, or if that's how the finished product is, but besides that there just a whole lot of goodness in there.

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