Book Review: Captivate by Carrie Jones

Release Date: January 5, 2010
Publisher: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 288

Source: My local library.

Summary:
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. (From Amazon.com)
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Captivate is the sequel to Need which debuted in December 2008. I tried to read Need but couldn't connect with the story and put it down halfway through. I did, however, read far enough to get to know the characters and become curious about where their stories would go. For this reason--and because the cover of Captivate is SPECTACULAR--I decided to break a personal rule and read a series book out of order. I have no regrets.

Captivate is an absorbing novel; I was drawn in by Zara's (the main charater's) humorous first-person narration and stayed for the deliciously thickening plot, which involves romance, action, and a handsome, mysterious new pixie king named Astley who is convinced that Zara is meant to be his queen. Zara expresses her annoyance:

Pixies and their ridiculous queen obsession. I'm so tired of it.

Zara may not initially agree, but Astley is one of the most likeable and entertaining characters I've ever met. Author Carrie Jones gives him a unique, believable speaking voice and every scene he appeared in was my new favorite of the novel.

Jones writes beautifully, peppering Zara's descriptions with interesting, funny, and often gorgeous similes. Between the expressive prose and Astley large sections of the book are un-puttdownable. I was addicted to Captivate.

While I enjoyed Zara and her voice, though, I never connected with her: I didn't cry when she cried, feel frightened when she did, or even smile when she was happy. I liked her, but I didn't care about her, and since I knew the other characters (Astley included) through Zara, I didn't care about them either.

As the plot builds Zara deals with the potential for destruction that we're all born with, and the lack of reader-character connection is awkward. From what I read of Need, I feel confident saying that Captivate is more serious than its predecessor. Zara is confronted with awful events and makes some difficult decisions, growing up significantly in the process.

Unfortunately, not connecting with Zara didn't stop me from being annoyed and slightly nauseated when she and her main love interest, Nick, called each other "baby" on every other page. It came across as a little too cheesy and unbelievable. Moreover, I came close to ditching Captivate about eighty pages from the end when the plot begins to drag painfully. I was bored, and it was a battle to the end of the book, which--thankfully--wrapped up this installment of Zara's story perfectly.

Captivate is an enjoyable but at times tedious read. I recommended it for readers of faery stories, anyone who enjoys their stories with touches of mythology, and for anyone looking for something different--this series is nothing if not unique. Jones deftly inserts enough backstory for readers new to the series to enjoy Captivate but be curious about Need, and I intend to give the book a second chance.

The visually pleasing book trailer:

Book Review: Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani

Release Date: September 1, 2009
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 288Summary:
I'm marooned.

Abandoned.

Left to rot in boarding school . . .

Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far, far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in the sherbet-colored sweater capital of the world.

Ick.

There's no way Viola's going to survive the year—especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like it there. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera.

Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be, and soon Viola realizes she may be in for the most incredible year of her life.

But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in. (From Amazon.com)
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Viola in Reel Life is a novel that is what it sounds like--plus a little extra. As the summary suggests, Viola goes to boarding school, complains, meets people, learns Important Lessons, and spends a lot of time with her camera. But there is also a ghost, massive amounts of creativity, phenomenal friendships, a wonderful depth of emotion, a lot of laughs--and it just made me happy.

I really enjoyed listening to Viola tell her story--Adriana Trigiani crafted a good-natured, savvy, and funny narrator. Viola makes one hilarious--and true--observation about life after another. On Viola's first night at her new school she says:

I'm sure everybody will be wearing new pajamas tonight. I know I will. My mother got rid of my "Vote for Pedro" T-shirt and cupcake jam pants because they had holes in them. I'll be mad at her until the day I die for that one. This is one thing all mothers have in common. When it comes to boarding school, or sleepaway camp, or a visit with the grand-p's, a girl needs a new wardrobe from the underwear out.

That statement is so true I guffawed and got a strange look from my college roommate.

As for the plot, I enjoyed it: there are a few twists and turns, but nothing that shook my world too drastically--it's predictable in a comfortable, fuzzy slippers sort of way, and I had no serious issues with anything in the writing.

The most striking element of Viola, however, is the close friendship that develops between Viola and her roommates. It's genuine and downright heartwarming. In fact, all of the relationships in the novel are very well-drawn, as are the characters from Viola herself to Trish, the sparkly, enthusisastic resident assistant who lives on Viola's floor.

Viola in Reel Life is a feel-good book; Trigiani tells the story she chose to tell well, and I recommend reading it. I laughed, I said, "Aww," and I closed the book with a satisfied smile.

Book source: My local library.