Review: Crave by Melissa Darnell

Crave by Melissa Darnell

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Teen for allowing me to review this book.

4 out of 5

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….

Review:

So the two warring factions, Vampires and Witches (the Clann) have both agreed to a Treaty. The Vampires stay away from the Clann and vice- versa. Except a miracle happens and a vampire and witch have a child (about a billion to one probability).

Savannah has grown up in the same town all her life. In 4^th grade her best friends were the Clann’s sons and daughter’s, when suddenly, after a mock wedding between Savannah and Tristan, they’re all told by their parents to stay away from the ‘Colbert’ girl.

From here on in, Savannah makes her own life away from the Clann and leads a relatively normal life at that. Except she feels a stabbing pain in her stomach whenever Tristan is nearby. Bloodlust? Witchy charms? Or just a love connection? This is the story of Crave.

If you love a 15 year olds High School Paranormal Romance then this book is for you. If you prefer something a little older, then you’ll hate this book.

The premise of the story is great and Savannah really draws you into her world. We also get to read what happens from Tristan’s POV also which is a nice touch.

The pros of the story are these. It’s a nice, sweet story. Nothing major happens until near the end. The build up is steady and Savannah is not the kind of girl to break rules set by her family. She even gets the boy in the end but at a price.

The cons. Well, there’s a few story issues, or just issues, I can’t decide which. Firstly, the eye-gaze thing. Can you really go out with a boy for 5 months and NEVER look him in the eye? When you catch someone’s attention its eyes all the way for me. And it’s not just the guy she dated. She doesn’t look at anyone in the eye. Wouldn’t someone be trying to get you to the nearest eye specialist if you never looked at anyone properly?

This part of the story troubled me because we evolve through life learning to judge people’s actions and reactions from eye contact so if you never looked anyone in the eye how do you learn.

The second thing for me was while I enjoyed the story (and didn’t go to school in the US) the normal everyday stuff seemed to take up too much space. Just walking up stairs to set up for the Charmers, the dancing thing, and the Manager stuff. It was all a bit too much of …ordinary. Some of this could have been cut out I’m sure, but instead we’re left with reading someone’s everyday diary instead of a paranormal romance.

That being said I DID enjoy this book and would be keen to read the next one. The writing is okay but not outstanding. I wanted to feel a little more emotion from Savannah but I guess because she’s so young, maybe she doesn’t understand her own emotions yet? Especially as she’s part witch, part vampire and in love with the enemy…..cb

 Here's the book trailer! Enjoy!