July 7, 2011

A Need So Beautiful - Suzanne Young






A Need So Beautiful
Young Adult
Pages: 272
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: June 21, 2011

Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.

Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.

This is the first angel book I have actually enjoyed. If you read my blog you know that I'm a skeptical paranormal reader. Specially when it comes to angels. This is not like the typical paranormal book. In fact, it felt more along the lines of magical realism. Everything is realistic and contemporary, except the one supernatural touch. It's a truly original concept that evolves beyond just a regular supernatural romance. That's probably what I liked the most, that when the book starts, the pair is already in love and together. That made it unusual in a way that kept me interested. Though to be honest, when I first realized we wouldn't have a typical love story developing, it made me even more skeptical. So that fact that I ended up enjoying it a lot, means that paranormal readers will most likely love it.

The writing was easy going, and the plot kept rushing forward with a thrilling pressure every time Charlotte's needs manifested. Slowly the reader starts uncovering truths and feeling the pressure of everything. It never says Charlotte is an angel, the needs are just described as beautiful deeds in which she affects and helps other people's lives. Suzanne did a wonderful job of writing about a very faith-related issue without being religious about it.

Overall, it was very fast paced, breathtaking and heartfelt, and tied in with a beautiful message.


5 comments:

  1. Sounds interesting. I'm always a skeptical angel book reader to the point that I generally avoid them, but that sounds well done.

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  2. I'm really excited for this book. I usually like paranormals but they must be outside the box and this one seems to have that. Thanks for the review!

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  3. This sounds like a great book. It's hard to respect faith and religion and include it in your book without being too obvious and turning readers away. I know that from experience, being a YA fantasy author myself. Writing about vampires and witches and respecting the dark side of that subject while also bringing faith and positive messages into the picture is not an easy task. Thanks for the review. I wouldn't have thought to read this without it.

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  4. Great review! I've heard so many amazing things about this book. I haven't read about angels yet but I feel like this would be the book to start with.

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  5. Love this review! I love that she was able to mesh the contemporary and paranormal genre together. Most of the time I forgot I was reading an angel type of book, lol

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