Crave

Crave by Melissa Darnell
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Harlequin Teen
ISBN13: 9780373210350

1.5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
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….

My biggest problem with this book?
Nothing really happened.

I enjoyed Melissa Darnell's idea for the book and her writing. But I honestly feel that the sequel will make a far better book than Crave did, simply because Crave seemed to drag on for a while with very little plot development actually happening.

That being said, I'm trying to make "Reasons to Read" a consistent part of my reviews, even if I personally didn't love the book, because I do believe that reviews are subjective.

Reasons to Read Crave:

1. Forbidden "Romeo & Juliet" Love:At the end of my review, I mention books like Spellbound and Evermore. Crave is similar to those, in that the love story really is the biggest thing happening. For people who enjoy that, they may really like Crave. And it is a lot cooler than Romeo and Juliet with some vampires and witches mixed in. And yes, parts of their romance were very sweet.
2. Potential for the Sequel:I really believe that the sequel could be better than Crave, and I would like to read it once it comes out. There is an interesting story beneath all of this, and I'd like to hear more about that.

There was an entire paranormal world filled with creatures and magic at its disposal; but very little of it actually was brought in to the story. In fact, basically the entire plot focused on the love story. Imagine Romeo and Juliet, but with next to no secondary characters or events outside of just Romeo and Juliet desiring to be with one another and you have Crave. And it just wasn't that interesting.

And... I just couldn't fathom how little Savannah listened to what she was told. By the very last chapters, when something exciting finally happened, Savannah wanted to smack her forehead for being so dumb. And I was literally going *FACE PALM* myself.

Also, I really couldn't believe that in a world of powerful witches and vampires Tristan and Savannah's biggest problem were highschool kids. Yepp, that's right. Adult vampires and witches are all around them, but they're given the hardest time by a few bratty rich kids. And while I mean that in general in the story, there was one scene in particular where it was just blatantly ridiculous. Because at the end of it all, those powerful witches and vampires were completely useless. They barely did anything at all!

But I did like that there were a lot of gray areas; I think there's more depth to morality and people in Crave so I give it credit for that. There were flaws, but there were reasons behind actions and attitudes as well (most of the time, at least).

In that sense, Crave really reminded me of Cara Lynn Shultz's Spellbound or Alyson Noel's Evermore. Same kind of love-struck vibe, but I just couldn't enjoy this one as much as those two. However, I will be keeping my eyes open for the sequel, because I do think this story has promise.

e-galley received from publisher via netGalley in exchange for my honest review; no other compensation was received.