Posts Tagged "Witches"

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…

Savanahh used to be best friends with the Clann kids, until fourth grade, when they all turned against her. She doesn’t know what made them suddenly hate her, but she moved on and made new friends, doing her best to ignore the bullying of the more vicious Clann kids. The only Clann member she can’t seem to ignore, though, is Tristan Coleman. But he hasn’t even acknowledged her existence since that fateful day in the fourth grade. That is, until Savannah gets mysteriously sick for the first time in her life and returns to school after five days decidedly…different.

Boys can no longer seem to control themselves around Savannah. One look from her and it’s almost as if they’re possessed, love-stricken to the extreme. Savannah can no longer trust that any boy has real feelings for her, which is infuriating as Tristan has finally deigned to talk to her for the first time in years. Is he under the same spell as every other guy or is something different about him?

Darnell puts a really unique and interesting twist on vampire and witch legends in Crave. For those looking for a new vampire series, you should definitely pick up the first book in The Clann series. It reminds me of Twilight, except infinitely better. Darnell tells the story through both Savannah’s and Tristan’s points of view, which is an excellent decision on her part as Savannah and Tristan keep so many secrets that it would impossible to understand each characters’ motivations without the viewpoint switch. It also makes you fall in love with Tristan long before Savannah even realizes how amazing he is.

Darnell puts a lot of effort into grounding Crave in reality. The beginning starts a little slow, but this is necessary as it lets us fully slip into Savannah’s life so that later on, we experience the shock and surprise of her family’s origins just as much as she does. The somewhat slow beginning also gives dimension to Tristan, as well as all of Savannah’s close friends. Unfortunately, her friends sort of fall out of the picture for the entire middle of the book, which seems odd to me. But Savannah does lead a busy life, what with juggling after-school activities, boyfriends, and new friends. Still, I wish we’d see glimpses of her old friends throughout.

There is a lot to this book. It’s long, jam-packed with intrigue and mystery. Darnell does a good job of evenly dispensing necessary information, like Savannah’s and Tristan’s back-story, the history behind Savannah’s relationship with her dad, what the Clann really is, and so much more. There are so many things that need to be explained and Darnell does so effortlessly, never bogging down the story or forcing the issues. And all the answers to the inevitable questions are innovative and fresh, making it impossible to stop reading.

While Darnell’s superior world-building and three-dimensional characters are commendable, the highlight of Crave is the romance between Savannah and Tristan. It’s just so perfectly done — almost every scene involving the two gives me butterflies. This is probably due to how real the two characters feel, like people you might bump into at your own school. And they have history, so their relationship doesn’t spring up out of thin air. It’s almost painful in how slowly it develops, but the anticipation is so, so worth it. This is a relationship that pays off until the very last page, but be prepared for a huge cliffhanger. But this is a cliff you’re going to want to hang off of, eagerly waiting for the second book in The Clann series.

Pages: 416
Publication Date: October 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Challenge: N/A
Rating :

Teaser Quote: “No, no time for guilt right now. I had to focus on passing this test, and then we could go home. Just one test to pass. A test I was genetically destined to fail.“

In keeping with our Book of the Month promotion here for January, featured authors of the new supernatural hit, Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, chose a Young Adult book and penned a joint guest review for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Description from Goodreads:

Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns . . .

Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. Fortunately, they’ve been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.

Or not.

Astrid had always scoffed at her eccentric mother’s stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend—thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to the prom—Astrid finds herself headed to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.
However, at the cloisters all is not what it seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from the crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to—perhaps most dangerously of all—her growing attraction to a handsome art student . . . an attraction that could jeopardize everything.

From Margie:

There is a special shelf in our office – and by that I mean our hearts – for books that Kami and I feel the same way about. We don’t always agree. I tilt towards high fantasy and Kami to the urban supernatural. Because I read as fast as I drink Diet Cokes, I approach bookstores as an all you can eat buffet. Because Kami not only writes books but raises two small children and teaches reading, she’s pickier, more of an a la carte reader.

But, when the stars align, we’ll agree on a book that we trade back and forth, recommend and fight over, and alternately claim to have discovered for ourselves. This year, we felt that way about Rampant, so when YA Reads asked us to do a joint review, it leapt off our Special Collections shelf.

There will be the reader, like myself, who hears the words “Killer Unicorns” and says, “I’m in.” It sounds like a parody, but Peterfreund’s take on the mythical beast is straight and deadly serious. The result is an entirely girl-powered mythology of her own, that builds more into what I would consider an Epic than a Series.

Peterfreund’s Astrid, the virginal killer unicorn slayer, is heir to the empty throne in her unicorn-slaying convent qua dorm – with the most kickass bloodline and the most powerful warrior-jitzu that Rome has seen in years. But she’s heir to more than that. On the YA supernatural shelf, Astrid is the heir to the empty throne that Buffy Summers has left waiting after seven long seasons of absolute dominion. Though many will claim the crown, there is only one Slayer in any generation (If you don’t count The Dushku, because really, who does?) and I’m not sure if it’s Astrid or Diana, but between them, the throne is empty no longer.

I recommend this book (as I do) for every teen – or grown-up teen – girl you know, because as it turns out, we’re all a little Slayer on the inside.

From Kami:

When Margie handed me Rampant and said, “You HAVE to read this book,” I started that night. I can’t speed read like M, but I finished it fast because I literally couldn’t put it down. Rampant was the perfect storm for me – urban fantasy with a totally original premise, a completely developed universe, and, most importantly, a strong female protagonist that embraces her power. The fact is, I’m a writer, but I’m also a teacher, and I believe the books children and teens read shape their identities and influence them profoundly.  I won’t hand one of my teen students a book in which a girl defines herself in terms of a boy. Or worse, is willing to give up who she is for a boy.

I’m tired of reading about girls spending all their time pining for a boy. I want to see her face unicorns the size of elephants and slay them. I want to see her walk away from a guy who hasn’t earned the right to be with her. I want to read about a girl with supernatural powers, who isn’t afraid to use them. Because as a teacher, I watch girls hide their intelligence and skill, their capabilities and talents, all the time. Just so they can be more appealing to a boy.

How do we change this? If you’re Diana Peterfreund, you write a book with a strong female heroine, and you let her slay some pretty badass unicorns. Will this solve the problem, and make every girl feel empowered to be herself and slay her own beasts? No. But it will make SOME girls brave enough to try.

And if a book can do that, it should have a place on every girl’s Special Collections self. Or in her purse, with her wooden stake.

You can keep up with Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl at www.BeautifulCreaturestheBook.com.

Join the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES US fansite at www.CasterGirls.com.