Need is a series of young-adult urban fantasy

Urban fantasy

Urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods...

 novels by American author Carrie Jones

Carrie Jones

Carrie Jones is an American author, known for her work in young-adult fiction. She has written books in both the fantasy and non-fantasy genres, including the paranormal novel series Need. Jones has received multiple awards and appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.-Personal life and...

, beginning with the inaugural entry of the same name. The focus of the story is a teenage girl named Zara, who joins a struggle against a society of malicious pixie

Pixie

Pixies are mythical creatures of folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall, suggesting some Celtic origin for the belief and name.They are usually depicted with pointed ears, and often wearing a green outfit and pointed...

s. As the books progress, Zara encounters a series of personal challenges, and bonds with new friends and romantic interests.

Overview

The series follows Zara White, a strong-willed girl who is prone to helping others. Following the death of her stepfather, she is sent to live with her step-grandmother in Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

 as part of her recovery. Zara discovers that her new town is home to a slew of vicious pixies, headed by a king, and becomes a prominent figure in the opposition. Amidst the conflict, she meets several new friends and allies, including paranormal romantic interests named Nick and Astley. She also comes to face her own father, the king of the pixies, and the pixies in his kingdom desperately wish to turn her (into a pixie), as whoever makes Zara, whose name means princess, into their queen, will ultimately rule the kingdom. Zara deals both with the evil pixies and her school and social lives. At the end of book two, she's turned into a pixie in order to save Nick, who was captured.

Story development

Author Carrie Jones has claimed that she was inspired to write the story upon seeing a peculiarly dressed person at a fair, after which she began to envision certain images and scenarios within the tale. The author was particularly interested in writing about pixies, believing them to be a largely unexplored subject in folklore.

An audio book for the first novel began production in 2009, with actress Julia Whelan

Julia Whelan

Julia May Whelan is an American television actress. She is best known for her role as Grace Manning on the TV drama series Once and Again , and her co-starring role in the 2002 Lifetime Television movie, The Secret Life of Zoey...

 providing the voice of Zara. In a 2010 interview with The Hiding Spot, Jones stated that the series would likely run for at least four books, and that she had researched Norse mythology and pixie mythology while developing the second novel, Captivate.

Character creations

During a 2009 interview, Jones discussed her motivations in creating and developing the character of Zara.
According to the author, many of the male characters were inspired by actual people in her life, which facilitated her efforts to make them three-dimensional.

Characters

Zara

Zara is a strong-willed girl with a tendency to help others. She has an interest in Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

, and often takes note of various phobias which she discovers around her. At the beginning of the story, she moves to Maine to live with her grandmother while recovering from the loss of her stepfather. She states that before coming to Maine, she wouldn't really have cared if she had died. Soon afterward, she meets several new friends, and learns of a struggle against violent pixies within her town. Zara is most notable for her various quirks, such as being part pixie, wearing vintage band concert t-shirt the vast majority of the time, her short stature and running ability, and even her unusual name, which means 'princess'.

Nick

A boy who Zara meets upon moving, Nick is a werewolf who becomes deeply engaged in the struggle against the pixies. He is something of a loner, but shares a romantic relationship and a close bond with Zara amidst the conflict. Despite his slight loner nature, he protects others, but to a different degree than Zara. He is described as tall and attractive. His dad is also a werewolf, and his parents are traveling nature photographers who are largely absent from his life. He has a major temper and an even more major tendency to do reckless things in order to save others.

Grandma Betty

Betty is the family member who Zara lives with upon her arrival in Maine. She possesses an unusual array of talents for her age, and supports those who oppose the pixies. She is also a "were" who can turn into a tiger. She is the town paramedic, so is constantly being called away in a medical state of emergency. She is a terrible cook. She usually wears plaid flanell shirts, despite being a grandmother. Despite these various quirks, she is also a strong grandmother to Zara.

Issie

A friend of Zara's, Issie is a pleasant and cheerful presence within the story. She is known at school as the "hyper girl", and Zara thinks she's very childishly cute. She has wild brownish hair, and a bright style. She has a love of bunny rabbits. She also has a romantic interest in her friend Devyn. While being a human without any notable abilities, she provides aid to all of her friends in the fight against the pixies.

Devyn

A brainy boy who researches the pixies, Devyn provides the group with intellectual assistance. Devyn, also like Nick, is part were. He was paralyzed from the waist down when an arrow lodged into his spine. But because of a were's healing abilities, he recovers rather quickly from the injury. Devyn can transform into an eagle. He is described as being cute, but with a large nose, though it suits him. Issie likes him, and he may like her back.

Astley

Astley is a pixie king, and romantic interest of Zara's, with ambiguous intentions: he wishes to turn Zara so he can rule- at the end of book 2, he succeeds.

Cassidy

She is part elf because of her great great grandfather. She can sense things. She's introduced in the second book as being Devyn's ex-girlfriend, and therefore makes Issie jealous, especially since Cassidy is more glamorous. She becomes a strong friend of Issie, Zara, Nick, and Devyn.

Book releases

Book #	Title	US release
1	Need	December 23, 2008
Need introduces a teenager named Zara White, who moves to Maine and discovers that a group of violent pixies populate her town. Amidst the ensuing conflict, Zara makes several new friends, including a romantic interest named Nick.
2	Captivate	January 5, 2010
Captivate focuses on the aftermath of the battle in Need. The story finds a slew of new pixies arriving in Maine, including a new king named Astley, who becomes an ally of Zara's.
3	Entice	December 14 , 2010
Entice It focus on Zara being Astley's Pixie Queen,and the gang trying to bring back Nick from Valhalla.

The next book in the series will be relasesd in 2012

Reception

"Though the novel is entitled Need, it is more a meditation on how fear can create the illusion of need, how it can distort one’s values."

—M.C. Wood of buzzine.com

The Compulsive Reader called Need an "imaginative and smart paranormal read," labeling Zara "a clever and likable character with backbone." The article went on to praise the supporting cast, as well as Jones' style, claiming that the author "writes with wonderful clarity, making for some super-creepy scenes." Manga Maniac Cafe, which also interviewed Jones, stated that Need "has a little bit of everything, and it manages to blend all of these wonderful elements together in a reading experience that makes you remember why you starting reading in the first place." The review also called the book's narrative "firm and steady and unyielding, driving events from one crescendo of excitement to the next." The Story Siren commended Jones' work with the characters, calling them "wonderfully developed and three-dimensional." In a review for teenreads.com, author Chris Stanley-Dillman applauded the novel for its "nail-biting action and heart-pounding romance," and lauded Jones for having "cleverly planned a prolific plot, building suspense and conflict, and revealing many hidden surprises and twists at just the right moment."

Need was listed as one of VOYA's best speculative fiction books of 2008. In 2009, the novel was nominated for the Young Adult Library Services Association

Young Adult Library Services Association

The Young Adult Library Services Association , established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. The mission of YALSA is to advocate, promote and strengthen service to young adults as part of the continuum of total library service, and to support those who provide service to...

's "Best Books" listing.

Captivate debuted at #7 on the New York Times Best Seller list. Manga Maniac Cafe gave the novel a positive review, but claimed that the ending, which was altered in production to accommodate the series, felt unsatisfying. The article gave particular attention to Zara's inner conflict as the series progressed, stating that "part of what makes her such an interesting character is that she has to deal with her guilt and her self-recrimination when she is forced to do things that go against her belief system." The Compulsive Reader labeled Captivate "witty, suspenseful, and absorbing," also applauding its love triangle for a tendency to provide "plenty of tension that propels Captivate’s plot." The article declared the novel a less-complete story than Need, but remarked that the "surprising turn of events and the cliffhanger ending will have everyone eager for a sequel." While discussing Zara, the review stated that she remained "a strong, admirable heroine," citing her desire to help others. By contrast, The Hiding Spot criticized the character's headstrong nature, expressing a desire for Zara to "think her actions through a bit more." The review praised Jones' dialogue and humor, stating that, "There is something so real and comforting about the characters' interaction, whether they are concerned about another or joking around." Children's author Kelly Fineman proclaimed, "Each character shines (and a few leave behind shiny things) in Captivate," commending Jones' use of Norse mythology as well.