Entice by Carrie Jones

Talk about ENTICING... ok, yeah, that was cheesy.  But I started accidentally/on purpose reading Entice right in the middle of reading another book, and when I had to choose which one to finish first, Entice won -- hands down.  Entice is the third book in Carrie Jone's Need series.  Since this was book 3, I'm really hoping she's writing more than just a trilogy.  Seriously.  It. Cannot. End. Here.

For those of you who've been around this long, I posted back in June my review of the second book in the series, Captivate.  Long story short: I wasn't Captivated (until the very end).  But Entice was a whole different story.  Check out the cool trailer below to get a flavor for the book.  It's chockfull of action, romance and paranormals.  (But if you haven't read books 1 & 2, it probably won't make a whole lot of sense.  Sorry.)

Here's what I really liked:

*  As with the other books in the series, Jones has created an awesome voice for her main character.  I love her sass, the way she sometimes totally babbles (I can relate!), and her sarcastic wit.

*  For fellow authors out there, the writing is fantastic.  I'm very fussy (wear my editor hat too much, I suppose), but there were very few instances where the writing accidentally took me out of the story.

*  Astley, the new pixie King.  I know, I said that in my review of Captivate.  Maybe it's a Twilight thing, but why pick a warewolf over an inhumanly hot guy who can fly?  Especially one who will bend over backwards to ensure your happiness even if it will make him ultimately unhappy.  What could be more romantic?

*  The plot was face-paced.  I had a really hard time putting the book down and flew through it in just a couple of days.  There were also very unexpected plot twists.  Even at the second big twist, you think, "No, not this time," and then yep, it happens.

*  In the end, even though Zara's friends helped her all along the way, she could only succeed through sheer force of her own will and wits.  Although it's been awhile since I've been a YA myself, this is such a relatable theme.  Friends are so important, but in the end, you have to be able to rely on yourself.

Things I didn't love:

*  The way Zara (and everyone else for that matter) treats Astley.  He's a good guy... er, pixie.  Talk about bigotry and stereotypes.  And one of the "good guys" is a real jerk.  I didn't like the parts with him in it.

*  Someone else pointed this out, so I can't take credit for it: Why Astley is so convinced that Zara is meant to be his queen is painfully un-obvious.  Without knowing this information, he's not as strong as I'd like him to be.

*  It ends in another cliffhanger and I'm going to have to freaking wait for another book (I just peeked at her website, there is a 4th book planned - squee!)

   

Bottom line - I give this book 3.5 Greek coins; in between URA* and OMG!  If you've read and enjoyed the first two books, I'd definately recommend adding it to your TBR pile (but reading them out of order is not recommended -- I think I'd be totally lost in this one without having read Need and Captivate first).