Bibliography: Jones, Carrie. (2010). Captivate. New York: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books. ISBN: 978-1599903422
Plot Summary: The pixies Zara and her friends imprisoned at the end of Need (including pixie king, Zara’s father) were not the only ones to worry about. Rival pixie kings are after his territory–and his daughter. Astley is one of them, but he is not like any pixie Zara has known, challenges her preconceptions, promising she will be his pixie queen, but only when she wants it. Zara’s friends are less convinced, but when boyfriend and were Nick is injured, will Zara do anything to save him, even turn pixie?
Critical Analysis: First, the good. Again, Jones has created a quick moving plot featuring the genuine friendship of an unlikely group of teens. Some of the best parts of the book deal with Devyn and Issie and the possibility that Devyn might like someone else, will they please get together already? The scenes with Zara reacting to being near pixie king Astley are also on point. Imagine being a teen, with hormones and physical changes and acne and more. Then imagine being half pixie, skin turning blue, passing out around iron, and more embarrassing changes you can’t control. I also enjoyed the friends banding together to research what is happening and trying to work out what to do. These relationships and scenes play off the conventions of high school and being a teen in a tongue in cheek kind of way. I would have loved even more of these scenes.
But the book is taken up with Zara and Nick. Somewhere between book 1 and book 2 Zara lost her spark and her spunk. What happened to the girl who listed phobias and wrote letters for Amnesty International? She seems to have been swallowed up by her relationship with Nick, and her whole identity and being are now tied to him. I don’t want to spoil the plot, so I won’t go into details, but I was disappointed with the way things played out.
I also felt like the Norse addition to the plot was one thing too many. Pixies and weres and witches are not enough? Okay, well how about Valeryies and Norse Gods and warriors and Valhalla? It matters little, fans of the first book will gobble this up and ask for the sequel.
Review Excerpts: “Readers will enjoy the fast-moving plot, action scenes, and lots of Zara’s inner dialogue as she tries to come to terms with what she must do if she is to save Nick, while staying true to her own self.”–Children’s Literature
“Funny dialogue, lots of action and suspense, and an unexpected ending will leave readers clamoring for the next installment.”–VOYA
“The best aspect is Zara’s band of loyal friends: hottie Nick, sometimes wolf; pal Devyn, sometimes eagle; zippy Issie, altogether human; grandma Betty, kickass EMT and occasional tiger….Neither the best nor worst of supernatural romance, but the fusion of self-sacrifice and burning love will fully slake the thirst of eager Need fans.”–Kirkus Reviews
“This entry successfully delivers expected characters, tensions, and romance. Norse lore adds a new dimension, but feels extraneous rather than integrated into the story. Still, fans will rejoice in the familiar.”–Booklist
Reviewed from public library audio book. Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.
