Crave (ARC Review)

Crave by Melinda Metz and Laura J. Burns
Release Date: 9/21/10

Synopsis:
Shay has had a rare blood disorder since she was born. In fact, her mother married one of Shay’s doctors, Martin, who left his world-renowned leukemia research to try and figure out exactly what the disorder is and how to cure it.

When she turns seventeen, Martin begins to give her new blood transfusions that make her feel the strongest she has ever felt. But she also has odd visions where she sees through the eyes of a vampire. At first, she thinks she must be imagining the visions, but when she begins to see Martin’s office in them, she knows she has to check it out. That’s when she finds Gabriel, a sexy, teenaged vampire, imprisoned in Martin’s office. The connection she has built with Gabriel compels her to set him free. But when he kidnaps her in an attempt at revenge on Martin, their lives become deeply intertwined. She doesn’t know the half of it.

Review:
Evilest cliffhanger ever!

I’m so disappointed! If I had known this book would end in such an unfinished way I would have definitely held off on reading it. Nothing blows more than a book that can not stand on its own, even if the book is part of a series, and this book is a perfect example.

Yes, I did enjoy the story. In fact, it really intrigued me. Shay, the Sick Girl, struggles through her journey to evaluate what she thinks is important and what she wants to get out of life since her time is limited. Her rare blood disorder prevents her from living life to the fullest. What others normally take for granted, like running and swimming, Shay longs to do, but her body is too weak, and she must refrain from over extending herself.

In order to stay alive, Shay’s body requires blood transfusions, and her step-father, Martin, is the doctor that monitors her health. Under Martin’s careful supervision, Shay begins to receive a new type of blood, which makes her feel stronger and better than she has ever felt before. Suddenly, she is able to run and swim and hang out with her friends, just like any normal teen would.

But the new blood also bring about visions of a past life; a life that Shay knows is not hers, a life that is full of thrills and mystery and love, and soon Shay finds herself craving more blood transfusions so she can retreat into this past life and experience it through her visions.  Because in her visions she becomes Gabriel, a beautiful vampire that has captivated all her senses.  

Soon, Shay discovers that Gabriel is real. After she helps him escape, she resolves to watch over him while he recovers from his weakened condition. It is then that Shay learns the truth about her own past and about who her father really was, leading her to also find out what she really is.

Although it was intended, some parts of the story were very choppy, especially when Shay had her visions in which she was Gabriel. I really liked getting snippets of Gabriel’s earlier life, but the telling of his past never quite transitioned well. Every time Shay had some of Gabriel’s blood, she had a vision, and while describing what she was experiencing she would go back and forth too much with the whole ‘she/he’ thing. It was a bit confusing and deviated from the story.

Shay-Gabriel-was silent, trying to picture it. It was as unimaginable as life without the sun.

I really liked the brand of vampire created for this story. From Gabriel’s perceptive, it seemed like they were more traditional than other vampires I’ve been reading about recently. Valuable and cautious of humans, yet very caring within their own family unit. And while I think Shay might have suffered a bit from Stockholm Syndrome, it was sweet to see Shay and Gabriel finally give in to their feelings for one another.

I just couldn’t believe the ending! So much was left unanswered and the story finished so abruptly. I checked out the authors’ website in hopes of finding out more about the Crave series and when the next book is expected to be released, but I wasn’t able to find out anything. Now I’m a very sad panda.

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Posted at 3:49 pm  •  Labels: 2010, 3 stars, ARC, Book it Forward, Book Review, Vampires, YA