Endure [Paperback]

Endure. is. FANTASTIC! This is by far the best book of the series. Jones' writing has grown right along with her characters. Everything is done perfectly. I could not put this book down! It's intense, emotional, suspenseful, and action-packed. Endure is a thrill-ride that you cannot miss.

Zara grows so much as a character in this novel. She really becomes comfortable with her pixie half, and I was glad that she did. Also, she's sad about Nick's rejection, that was touched on in the last novel, but she's not completely shattered. She knows that's not the most important thing in the world. That is an extremely refreshing outlook from a YA heroine. It made me like Zara and this series that much more. Astley was wonderful, and I loved him a billion times more in this book than I did in the last one. He is just terrific. Nick got on my nerves again. When he was told how bratty he was, I wholeheartedly agreed. The character development and growth throughout this series has been amazing. I've really enjoyed getting to know these characters and all of their quirks.

The plot is intense, and the pacing is perfect. There is a lot of action, and the romance gets complicated, builds, and changes throughout the course of the novel. I read this book all in one sitting because I had to know whether or not Zara and company were able to save the world. Were they able to, you ask? Well you'll have to pick up the book and find out. In an effort not to spoil anything, I'm going to keep this part of my review kind of vague. There are new creatures introduced, as well as new dimensions/worlds/whatever you want to call them. Things get a whole lot more complicated. People die. There is a lot going on. Things get ugly. You'll be gripping your book/e-reader so hard by the end of this novel that you'll have lost feeling in your hands. It'll all be worth it, though.

Overall, I'd recommend this book and this series to anyone. Jones offers a unique twist on pixies and incorporates a lot of Norse mythology, which I like. All of the books are super quick reads, and they just get better as the series progresses. Endure is one of the best books I've read so far this year. Well done, Carrie, well done.

Ahhhh yes! It has been about eighteen months since Entice, the third book of the Need series by Carrie Jones, was releaed. It was a long time to wait to see if Astley could find a way to win the heart of his queen Zara. And after the long wait, what can I say? Endure, the final book in the series, was a very satisfying read to a good series that has gotten more interesting with each succeeding book. I thought that the relationship between Nick and Zara that began the series was nice enough, but once Astley entered the picture in book two I was hooked and have been Team Astley ever since. I was eagerly waiting to see how Jones would write this final book. How would Zara come to terms with her new identity and deal with her growing attachment to the pixie king, Astley? This is the book that pulls every loose end together, and Jones finds a way to wonderfully bring this series to a close.

First of all, Astley. Ahhhh Astley! How I have come to love this character! He is the pixie king who fights against his essential nature to be good, even when it might be easier to give in to his needs and create havoc in the world. He has Zara as his queen, but instead of manipulating her and forcing her to do his will, he gives her space to make her own choices. He doesn't push for a romantic relationship with her, even though it is apparent that he has very strong feelings for her. He works hard to help Zara rescue "her Nick" from the halls of Valhalla despite his love for her. He constantly puts her desires above his own. There is a chemistry between Zara and Astley that does not exist between Zara and Nick. I was rooting for Astley to find a way to make this work. And in this final book of the series Astley does not disappoint. He is every bit the regal king and devoted friend to Zara that he has always been. But in this book Zara finally begins to notice her evolving feelings for him, and it was wonderful to read this.

Zara is still working through her identity issues in this book, but she has come to embrace her pixiness and uses the advantages of that species to assist her as she fights against the evil pixies that threaten to bring about the end of the world. There are some major events in this regard that really force Zara to think about her humanity and her pixie side, and some of that struggle was heartbreakingly beautiful to read about. After struggling for so long with her pixie existence Zara has to discover how she might feel without it, and I found that very interesting. It truly was a case of not knowing what she had until it was gone, and as Zara struggled I almost could feel the emptiness inside of her. Very well written.

The Nick and Zara story was very interesting as well. Zara gave up her humanity in order to rescue Nick from Valhalla, knowing that there was a possibility that he would hate her once he had been rescued. As this book begins, that is exactly the case. Nick has come to see all pixies as evil and without souls. That goes for Zara now as well, and no matter what he sees her do or what he hears her say, Nick cannot overcome that natural prejudice against all things pixie. This really is the most deep and resounding theme of this entire series. What makes us who we are? Are we defined by our actions and thoughts or our particular race/gender/etc.? Nick could not see past the pixie in Zara to recognize her true character, and this puts a serious damper on their relationship. The evolution of this situation throughout this book was thought provoking and well done so that it was natural and unrushed.

The ending of this book was full of plot twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. Things would happen, and I would lose my breath in disbelief, refusiing to believe the things I was reading. I found myself racing through the pages so that I could find the end of the crisis. There were heartstopping moments mixed in with tragic and poignant moments. It was an enjoyable ending to read. But more importantly, it was satisfying. I held my breath that this book would find a way to bring Astley the desires of his heart without making Zara into a selfish heroine, and Jones finds a way to write the circumstances of this story so that this can happen. The Nick and Zara story finds a natural ending, and the Astley and Zara story finds one as well. Thank goodness.

This story has some interesting ties to Norse mythology that make me want to further explore these stories later. It is a mythology that I was not very familiar with, and it is always a good thing when a book makes me want to expand my knowledge and do some additional research once a book is finished. Fascinating.

This book was very close to a five star for me. I'm kind of stingy with my five star ratings, and this didn't quite reach that mark for me. I felt as if the relationships, the drama, the suspense, and the finale were all very good, but they didn't quite hit a homerun for me. But it was still absolutely wonderful, and I highly recommend it as a satisfying series to read. This is a series that I will probably read again in the future, mostly because I just can't forget the wonderful character of Astley, what he represents, and how he helped Zara to navigate the crazy world she had been thrown in by allowing her to discover for herself the inner beauty and strength that she already possessed. Loved it!

Originally on Fiction Freak
*Complimentary copy provided. This does NOT affect my review in any way.*

Yet another eARC from NetGalley! I swear, I am addicted to NetGalley now!
Endure is the fourth book in the Need series, and I read the rest of the series about two years ago, I guess. I loved it...until the third book. Entice was a kind of disappointment, I have to admit. Sure, it was supposed to be one of the biggest parts of the series, where Zara finally becomes a pixie to save Nick (and succeeds), but I don't know...it lacked the action, the anticipation, of Need and Captivate. At least, that's how it seemed. Endure definitely made up for that missing part, though.

Nick seems to loathe Zara now that she's a pixie, despite the fact that she changed to save him. He denies it over and over, but when he leaves, Zara doesn't know what to think. She's more isolated than ever. Betty has run off, Nick has gone away, her mom is in another state, and Mrs. Nix is dead. Her mother-in-law, I guess, is helping an evil pixie king capture Zara for their own gains. Her only comfort now is found in Astley, her pixie king, the one who turned her, and one of the only "good pixie kings" and her best friend, Issie. To make matters worse, she now has to deal with Loki, a volcano god that is now after her. How does she know this? An ice giant told her with his dying breath. As a quote from Zara, it was "Twilight Zone creepy". Zara feels like she's being stalked. Others find out about pixies. Astley is poisoned. That's only the first 75 pages. She's afraid, confused, and has every right to be.

I am completely Team Astley. At first, it was Nick, yeah, but by the middle of Entice, I switched sides. Astley is Zara's rock. He's always there for her and always makes sure she's safe. He's willing to do almost anything for her, and yet, she still pines for Nick. Zara's still a bit weak and wimpy, but she's a lot stronger than when she first was introduced as a character. Not only do I, the reader, think so, Astley, Nick, Issie, Devyn, Astley, and everyone else does too! Nick just lost his glory in my eyes. He's hurt Zara over and over again. When he found out she was the daughter of a pixie king, when he found out that she might become a pixie queen, and when he found out that she turned pixie. Pixie, pixie, pixie! Nick has an old prejudice, and it definitely gets annoying.

I don't know exactly what's different for me in the writing of Endure compared to Entice, but Endure seems more...real? I guess? I think the genre of the book changing is what did it. Instead of all the foolish fun I sensed in books 1, 2, and 3, Endure is more of a post-apocalypse book than just a plain-old fantasy/paranormal. Entice was where Zara went and got changed into a pixie, went to Valhalla, and rescued Nick, but Endure is where things hit home. Of course, there are still some parts where everyone still seems to take it as a joke. For example: "Somebody fake screams. Someone else shouts, `Die, you pixie scum!'" It just made me loathe those people. I mean, they know they're on the verge of the end of the world, but they're joking about this? Really? No. Just no. I admit that some got me laughing, but others were just plain no-at-this-time-jokes. But you can still feel the danger, see their fear and desperation. At one point I seriously panicked. It was impossible! Carrie Jones could absolutely not do that!

I had a lot of suspicions about a few characters in this book. Such as the mysterious woman who (minor spoiler) attacks Zara in the snow. I'm a major geek on legends, whether it's Greek, Latin, Norse, or just superstition. I guess that was one of the reasons I got clued in, but I'm not saying anything else!

Anyways, as an overview, the plot is original, which we all know is pretty hard to do these days with all these great books coming in, but that's how it's been for all books in the Need series. There's still the love triangle, and more than once Nick and Astley are on the verge of literally fighting for a girl, but the Need series has Norse mythology, Valhalla, and were-tigers and were-eagles! How cool is that! And it has pixies. Ok, so maybe the "pixies" are actually faeries (I mean, iron? Invitation to come in? Flying?), but they're different because of the king needing a queen, the link between the pixies in one...kingdom. These are what makes the Need series so unique and completely lovable! And the ending? Well...it scared me half to death (for those of you who've read Endure, excuse the pun), but the epilogue...it was exactly what I expected from this book! And that is absolutely not a bad thing

Quick Summary: I loved Endure! Entice ruined the series for me, but Endure redeemed it! It was fun, dangerous, humorous, and deliciously so. Hurt, passion, love, sacrifices, and betrayal are gathered in this one book. Many of the main characters are as lovable as always, if not more so! As the fourth book in the series, it ends in a heartbreaking fall (Quite literally). I was a bit confused as to what happened, but after about 5 minutes pondering that section, I finally got it. Call me slow. But Endure was one of the best ending sequels I've ever read.