Monday, August 6, 2012

Review: Crave by Melissa Darnell

"Going against the flow might seem adventurous at first, but eventually you get worn out. The River always wins." P 183

For 15 years, Savannah's grandmother and mother hid away the fact that Savannah is far from human. They kept Savannah away from magic because the Clann prohibited it in order to keep the peace between the species. After the fourth grade, she was prevented from being with the only boy she's ever kissed and was once Savannah's best friend. She's also prevented from dancing by her father since it will reveal that she's different from the other kids. Savannah, as it turns out, is part vampire and part witch which is revealed after Savannah spends nearly a week with "flu" like symptoms. When Savannah returns to school, she has a near hypnotic effect on boys who look her in the eyes. She has also changed in appearance which makes the Dastardly Duo jealous and catty.  

Tristan is from the Clann, which are a group of powerful witches, and the presumed to be next leader of the Clann. Tristan was once Savannah's best friend until the Clann forbid them from being together after the fourth grade. This came after the Clann learned that Savannah's mother had a prohibited relationship with a vampire. Tristan seems to have an electric attraction to Savannah for which he is truly confused yet in the end, it's obvious that Savannah and Tristan should be together. I absolutely loved Tristan's determination to thwart his families restriction on being with Savannah. I loved the fact that he could create a dreamscape and connect with Savannah in his dreams while sleeping outdoors.

I compared this to Romeo and Juliet in that this is a forbidden romance that festers and blooms behind the backs of both families to the point where one side has to step in and stop it from continuing. Savannah has to be one of the strongest characters I've read in YA since she's all but been abandoned and treated like a second class citizen by nearly everyone in her school. She's forced to give up the one thing she loves, dancing, because her father is under strict orders to stop her from outing herself to the world. She gets constantly bullied, yet, she doesn't run off to the bathroom constantly in order to break down and cry. Yet, Savannah isn't alone. She has good friends in Annie, Michelle, and Carrie who stand by her side; mostly.

It's interesting how my tastes in literature have grown and expanded. I normally dislike alternating POV's. In this case, it worked to perfection. It was necessary to read both Tristan and Savannah's POV's so that we, as the reader, could see how the relationship has progressed against great odds.

I will be reading Coven shortly to see where this story goes from here.



Title - Crave
Author - Melissa Darnell
Publisher - Harlequin Teen
Released - October 25, 2011

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