Title: Captivate
Author: Carrie Jones
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pub. Date: 1/5/10
Genre: YA
Main Themes: Pixies, Shapeshifters, Love, Friendship, Family, Phobias
Pages: 336
Plot (from back of arc):
“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 pixies gets weaker. So when a new, younger pixie king shows up, war is imminent. The new king, Astley, claims he’s not evil, that his pixies can coexist peacefully with humans and weres. Zara’s boyfriend, Nick, isn’t buying it; no pixie could possibly be a good guy. But Zara is half pixie herself, ans he is just starting to think Astley could be right when he lets her in on a another secret: he believes Zara’s relationship with Nick is about to come to an end – and that she is fated to be his queen…”
CAPTIVATE was a strong second novel and had me laughing aloud at parts. Fans of NEED are sure to fall hard for CAPTIVATE as well.
One of my favorite characteristics of Jones’ books is the dialogue and humor. There is something so real and comforting about the characters’ interaction, whether they are concerned about another or joking around. The language used in the book reminds me of playing around with my siblings and the types of things we would say to one another.
I really enjoyed Jones’ use of pixie tips as chapter names. They were fun and a nice change from the phobias in the last novel. In ways, it also set the theme of the novel. In the first book, Zara was mostly just afraid and trying to figure out what was happening. In the second book, she knows what she’s dealing with and now the focus is learning about pixies and pixie lore.
However, I’m still not a huge fan of Zara. I love all her friends and family (especially Issie!), but I just don’t love Zara. I think it may be her tendency to try to be a hero, which usually fails and just causes a lot of trouble that really gets to me. I don’t like that. I would prefer that, at least most of the time, she think her actions through a bit more. That said, Zara has many, many fans, which leads me to believe that my dislike of her character is purely just a preference.
Overall, I liked CAPTIVATE. It isn’t really the supernatural elements that pull me Carrie Jones’ books though, it is the characters and the humor. While I like this particular series, I’m really excited to see what Jones will write next as well.
Ratings (out of 10):
Plot: 9
Characters: 8
Writing: 10
Romance: 9
Originality: 10
Total: 46/50 (A-)
If you loved NEED, you must read CAPTIVATE. Carrie Jones has written a funny and action packed sequel that is definitely worth checking out!
The Hiding Spot 
I'm definitely interested in reading this one. I read Need over the summer, and from what I've heard so far, it seems like Captivate is just as good or better. Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I want to read Need, it is very high up on my TBR. I think I will read them both back to back. Wonderful review. ♥ http://twitter.com/parajunkee/statuses/7535588550
I still haven't read Need, but Captivate sounds amazing! I love your detailed review, it mentions everything I need to know. I love the plot summary, it sounds juicy, just my type of story 😀
Humor is a great part of a book for me. A book needs to make me have these emotions: fall in love, laugh, be sad, for me to completely like it. Ahem, yeah, aka, emotional roller coaster. :)Great review!
It's been so long since I've read Need that I keep telling myself I'm going to read it again before Captivate. We shall see. Humour is big for me as well. And I love how you put that it's like talking to your siblings. Very accurate I think. *whispers* I wasn't a huge fan of Zara's either.Also, this phobia always makes me laugh, I have known some people with it, podophobia, it's the fear of feet. The people I knew, it was a fear of others feet near them, or seeing them. But I just think it's funny because what do you do if you have a fear of your own?
Great review! I am dying to read this one!
I Have Not Read Need But Captivate Does Sound Good. I Have Not Read Many Books About Pixies But This One Does Sound Intriguing. Although Zara Is Not To Your Liking She Does Sound Like A Familiar Type Of Heroine Plus I Love Books That Make Me Laugh Unexpectedly Or Are Made To Feel Like Something I Might Feel Hanging Out With My Sister's. Thanks For The Great Review.
I loved Need and I am glad that this book is finally out, even though I dont have it yet..boo! I am glad this book has some humor in it..I love it when I suprise myself by LOL :)Can't wait to read it, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
sister just started this and kept asking me how to pronounce the phobias.
After reading your review I'm sad to say that I have not read NEED nor have I ever heard of it. But this books sounds really good. And I'll admit that I haven't read many books with humor AND supernatural elements with them and this book sounds like something I'd like to read!
I've heard good things about this and I can't wait to read it 🙂 Great review!
I am so glad you enjoyed Captivate. I loved reading Need and I can't wait to read this one
So glad to hear you liked this! I haven't read either book yet but I've heard all good things. I really like that the author has incorporated humor into the story. That's always a favorite element for me. Thanks for a great review!
I haven't read Need yet, but this looks awesome! It's interesting that the more mundane things are the ones that draw you instead of the supernatural elements. 🙂
Oh good! I just read a bad review for this earlier today so I'm so glad that you really enjoyed it. I've really got to see about picking up Need sometime this month.
Since I've yet to read NEED yet, with a great deal of effort I refrained from reading -is a spoiler addict- But your rating and comment afterward makes me think I definitely need to start this series!
great review.I'm looking forward to reading it.
Great review! I can't wait to read it.
This looks like an interesting book. I've never heard of it before. I'm definitely going to have to start reading this series. Great review!
Sounds good. I've heard some great things about this series.
Great review. I loved Need and cant wait to read Captivate. Cool use of chapter names for this one too.
I haven't read Need or Captivate yet. Looking forward to both.
I just recently picked up NEED and though I've yet to read it yet, all the things I've heard about Carrie Jones' writing has hooked me.
I have been waiting for Captivate to come out before I read Need. I am glad to hear it is worth the wait. Thanks for the review.
It's great that the character and the storyline has evolved from the last novel, and that the relationships seem real. I've been waiting to pick up Need and Captivate, and now I really want to go get them.
You did a great job on your Review and I agree, humor is nice and I do love humor in my books. It never hurts to laugh..LOLI also like reading your blog. Just found you and have been enjoying your reviews and comments.