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Crave #1
Crave
Shay could never do the things her friends could--never try out for sports, never go to parties, never fall in love. Because of the mysterious and incurable blood disorder she was born with, she can barely make it through three days of school a week.
But now, her doctor-turned-stepfather has a brand-new treatment that he thinks will change everything. And it does. As soon as the new blood starts pumping into Shay's veins, she has visions of a different life...Gabriel's life. She sees an orphanage, loss, fangs, blood, and lust that she can't explain.
Is Gabriel real? And if he is, could he really be what she thinks he is?
But now, her doctor-turned-stepfather has a brand-new treatment that he thinks will change everything. And it does. As soon as the new blood starts pumping into Shay's veins, she has visions of a different life...Gabriel's life. She sees an orphanage, loss, fangs, blood, and lust that she can't explain.
Is Gabriel real? And if he is, could he really be what she thinks he is?
278 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2003
About the author
Laura J. Burns
39 books265 followersLaura J. Burns has written more than thirty books for kids and teens, touching on topics from imaginary lake monsters to out-of-control Hollywood starlets. (Those two things have more in common than you'd think.)
With Melinda Metz, she has also written for the TV shows ROSWELL, 1-800-MISSING, and THE DEAD ZONE. Their next book is THE LOST MAP OF CHAOS, coming in 2018!
Laura lives in New York with her husband, her kids, and her exceptionally silly dogs.
With Melinda Metz, she has also written for the TV shows ROSWELL, 1-800-MISSING, and THE DEAD ZONE. Their next book is THE LOST MAP OF CHAOS, coming in 2018!
Laura lives in New York with her husband, her kids, and her exceptionally silly dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews
July 30, 2011
1.5 stars!
This is another fine example of why you should never judge a book by its covers. The cover is beautiful and that’s what got me into trouble… again!
Of all the terrible and frustrating characters on this planet, Shay McGuire is by far the worst. Sick Girl, as she likes to call herself, is incredibly selfish, self-centered, out of control and plain stupid. I’m not sure if the authors intended for her to be that way, but somehow I doubt it.
Ok, here’s the story: Shay was born with a rare, or rather unique blood disorder. Her stepfather, Martin, is an expert in leukemia who abandoned his work so he could focus all his attention on finding the cure for Shay (or so he says). One day, Martin gave Shay a transfusion that actually made her feel better. After a lifetime of feeling weak and exhausted, Shay suddenly had the strength to do whatever she wanted. So what did she choose? Drinking, acting out and risking her life every chance she gets.
Just so we’re clear here: was I supposed to sympathize with the girl who used her illness to behave like a complete brat? Was I supposed to feel sorry for this girl who kissed her best friend’s boyfriend the first chance she got, a girl who takes everyone for granted and treats people who care about her like trash? Because if I was, it SO did not work out that way. I’m one of those people who can’t like a book unless they can connect to the main character and that didn’t happen here.
And Gabriel is just so old! I’d never before been bothered by the age difference in paranormal YA, maybe because they all at least tried to behave like teenagers and it wasn’t so obvious. But Gabriel keeps pointing out that he’s more than 400 years old and he even acts like it. I kept thinking: b-b-but she is 16 and immature!!! What can you possibly see in her?!
Unfortunately, I have no choice but to read the sequel so you can expect another one of theserants reviews in the near future.
This is another fine example of why you should never judge a book by its covers. The cover is beautiful and that’s what got me into trouble… again!
Of all the terrible and frustrating characters on this planet, Shay McGuire is by far the worst. Sick Girl, as she likes to call herself, is incredibly selfish, self-centered, out of control and plain stupid. I’m not sure if the authors intended for her to be that way, but somehow I doubt it.
Ok, here’s the story: Shay was born with a rare, or rather unique blood disorder. Her stepfather, Martin, is an expert in leukemia who abandoned his work so he could focus all his attention on finding the cure for Shay (or so he says). One day, Martin gave Shay a transfusion that actually made her feel better. After a lifetime of feeling weak and exhausted, Shay suddenly had the strength to do whatever she wanted. So what did she choose? Drinking, acting out and risking her life every chance she gets.
Just so we’re clear here: was I supposed to sympathize with the girl who used her illness to behave like a complete brat? Was I supposed to feel sorry for this girl who kissed her best friend’s boyfriend the first chance she got, a girl who takes everyone for granted and treats people who care about her like trash? Because if I was, it SO did not work out that way. I’m one of those people who can’t like a book unless they can connect to the main character and that didn’t happen here.
And Gabriel is just so old! I’d never before been bothered by the age difference in paranormal YA, maybe because they all at least tried to behave like teenagers and it wasn’t so obvious. But Gabriel keeps pointing out that he’s more than 400 years old and he even acts like it. I kept thinking: b-b-but she is 16 and immature!!! What can you possibly see in her?!
Unfortunately, I have no choice but to read the sequel so you can expect another one of these
July 18, 2011
FYI, there are spoilers in this review. Wait, scratch that. There are spoilers in this rant. I don't think this even constitutes as a review.
Holy crap! Where do I even begin? This book was the biggest load of crap I’ve read in a good long time and I don’t feel I’m being overly critical. I’ve read my fair share of YA; I went through a phase where that is all I read. But what shocks me the most about this one was the outrageously positive reviews it got.
Crave is about Shay, a 17 year old (she’s 17 right? Shit. I don’t even remember.) Anyways, she has a blood disorder that of course no doctor can figure out. Shay’s step-father, Martin, gives her blood transfusions at home and at this point they are the only thing that is keeping her alive, but they only succeed in making her feel ‘fine’. That is until the day Martin gives her a transfusion and it makes her feel better than she has ever in her life. So she decides to live.
“If you get there, you’ll be famous,” Lai-wan said reverently. “Everyone will know.”
“That’s worth it,” Shay said. Worth any danger. Worth drowning. Worth trying.
And that pretty much sums up the stupidity of Shay. Once she begins to feel better, stronger, after being sick for so long she decides to “live” as she likes to call it; otherwise known as being a complete and total idiot.
She decides to take up running when she’s never run in her life. She decides to make her first kiss be with her best friend’s boyfriend. She decides that it’d be an awesome idea to swim out to the middle of a river to go carve her name on a big rock. In other words, she takes her good health for granted and acts like a total brat to anyone and everyone and ended up causing me to pretty much hate everything about her.
Oh but it gets better! There’s the instalove.
There was of course nothing funny about this instalove, but I felt I deserved some comic relief.
So Shay finds out that the blood that she was receiving was coming from the vampire that was being held hostage in her step-fathers doctor’s office! So what does she do? Well she busts him out of course and runs away into the night with him. So they spend about two days together where she spends approximately half that time as his hostage… she slowly begins falling in love with him. Mm-hmm. Slowly. Over the course of two days.
This book was so ridiculous. It was predictable, it was total cliché with the instalove, the characters were IDIOTS and I hated every single one of them (which is rare…usually you find SOMEONE to like, even a little), and then there was the dramatic cliffhanger that at first made me think that I must not have the entire book because the authors couldn’t possibly have ended the book at that point. That wasn’t an ending. That was an end to a chapter, maybe even the end to a sub-section of a chapter. Stupid.
I have the 2nd book ready for me to start reading. But you know what? I’m not going to do it. I won’t do that to myself. Book number one caused enough pain I don’t expect miracles from book number two. Shay was one of the most imperfect, ridiculous, unlikable, and ludicrous book characters ever. I won’t be reading any book that she is in in the future.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
Holy crap! Where do I even begin? This book was the biggest load of crap I’ve read in a good long time and I don’t feel I’m being overly critical. I’ve read my fair share of YA; I went through a phase where that is all I read. But what shocks me the most about this one was the outrageously positive reviews it got.
Crave is about Shay, a 17 year old (she’s 17 right? Shit. I don’t even remember.) Anyways, she has a blood disorder that of course no doctor can figure out. Shay’s step-father, Martin, gives her blood transfusions at home and at this point they are the only thing that is keeping her alive, but they only succeed in making her feel ‘fine’. That is until the day Martin gives her a transfusion and it makes her feel better than she has ever in her life. So she decides to live.
“If you get there, you’ll be famous,” Lai-wan said reverently. “Everyone will know.”
“That’s worth it,” Shay said. Worth any danger. Worth drowning. Worth trying.
And that pretty much sums up the stupidity of Shay. Once she begins to feel better, stronger, after being sick for so long she decides to “live” as she likes to call it; otherwise known as being a complete and total idiot.
She decides to take up running when she’s never run in her life. She decides to make her first kiss be with her best friend’s boyfriend. She decides that it’d be an awesome idea to swim out to the middle of a river to go carve her name on a big rock. In other words, she takes her good health for granted and acts like a total brat to anyone and everyone and ended up causing me to pretty much hate everything about her.
Oh but it gets better! There’s the instalove.
There was of course nothing funny about this instalove, but I felt I deserved some comic relief.
So Shay finds out that the blood that she was receiving was coming from the vampire that was being held hostage in her step-fathers doctor’s office! So what does she do? Well she busts him out of course and runs away into the night with him. So they spend about two days together where she spends approximately half that time as his hostage… she slowly begins falling in love with him. Mm-hmm. Slowly. Over the course of two days.
This book was so ridiculous. It was predictable, it was total cliché with the instalove, the characters were IDIOTS and I hated every single one of them (which is rare…usually you find SOMEONE to like, even a little), and then there was the dramatic cliffhanger that at first made me think that I must not have the entire book because the authors couldn’t possibly have ended the book at that point. That wasn’t an ending. That was an end to a chapter, maybe even the end to a sub-section of a chapter. Stupid.
I have the 2nd book ready for me to start reading. But you know what? I’m not going to do it. I won’t do that to myself. Book number one caused enough pain I don’t expect miracles from book number two. Shay was one of the most imperfect, ridiculous, unlikable, and ludicrous book characters ever. I won’t be reading any book that she is in in the future.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
June 6, 2010
I always find it difficult to give a less than favorable rating when I’ve received a book as a give-away, arc tour, or gift; and, I put a lot of thought into what I have to say about it before I post it for viewing because first and foremost I don’t want to sound ungrateful and secondly, I can only imagine how much work and heart authors put into their writing. So that being said, I’d like to first thank the author for taking the time to send me this book.
Now on to my review about Crave. I’m chalking up my feelings towards this books down to timing. I think it just wasn’t the right time for me to come across this story and enjoy it for what it was worth. I had a hard time connecting or feeling compassion for the main character Shay and I don’t know if she was intentionally written that way, but I’m leaning towards no. There were transitions between her transfusions and dreams that were much too abrupt and I’d find myself going back a few paragraphs to try and find what I might have missed in the flow of events.
It was tough to read about this “sick girl” and all of her ailments but I found it even harder to witness how she seemed to take her family and friends for granted with careless thoughts, actions and words. It’s purely my interpretations, but that’s how I felt. I struggled to understand her reasoning behind some of her decisions and I’d find myself just shaking my head in frustration towards her attitude and actions.
Lastly, there seemed to be some plot holes in the story and I’ll leave it to the fact that I don’t have a medical degree, but I still seem to find it odd that someone that suffers from a “mysterious blood disorder” could be subjected to multiple transfusions in a week without really knowing what was wrong with her. There was more, but that’s it for now.
So, at the end of the day, I couldn’t finish this story and I decided to save it for a later time when my sensitivity detectors are a little less heightened and raw. This is probably one of my least meaningful reviews toward a book I’ve encountered because I truly feel that my attitude toward the book is purely bad timing on my part. I will be sending this to one of my VBF’s to hopefully enjoy it more than I did because I don’t want this book to go to waste and I’ll try and make it a point of revisiting it at a later date.
Thank you to Goodreads and more importantly Laura Burns for sending me this book. I truly appreciated your thoughtfulness in taking the time to share your story and I'm sorry it didn't work for me at this time.
Now on to my review about Crave. I’m chalking up my feelings towards this books down to timing. I think it just wasn’t the right time for me to come across this story and enjoy it for what it was worth. I had a hard time connecting or feeling compassion for the main character Shay and I don’t know if she was intentionally written that way, but I’m leaning towards no. There were transitions between her transfusions and dreams that were much too abrupt and I’d find myself going back a few paragraphs to try and find what I might have missed in the flow of events.
It was tough to read about this “sick girl” and all of her ailments but I found it even harder to witness how she seemed to take her family and friends for granted with careless thoughts, actions and words. It’s purely my interpretations, but that’s how I felt. I struggled to understand her reasoning behind some of her decisions and I’d find myself just shaking my head in frustration towards her attitude and actions.
Lastly, there seemed to be some plot holes in the story and I’ll leave it to the fact that I don’t have a medical degree, but I still seem to find it odd that someone that suffers from a “mysterious blood disorder” could be subjected to multiple transfusions in a week without really knowing what was wrong with her. There was more, but that’s it for now.
So, at the end of the day, I couldn’t finish this story and I decided to save it for a later time when my sensitivity detectors are a little less heightened and raw. This is probably one of my least meaningful reviews toward a book I’ve encountered because I truly feel that my attitude toward the book is purely bad timing on my part. I will be sending this to one of my VBF’s to hopefully enjoy it more than I did because I don’t want this book to go to waste and I’ll try and make it a point of revisiting it at a later date.
Thank you to Goodreads and more importantly Laura Burns for sending me this book. I truly appreciated your thoughtfulness in taking the time to share your story and I'm sorry it didn't work for me at this time.
September 1, 2010
I really don't even know where to begin with this review. I don't feel connected to the characters at all. Shay the main heroine in the beginning was your typical "sick" teenager trying to rebel against her sick body and her overprotective parents. While I could sympathize with her at first I felt myself getting more and more annoyed with her actions and words as the story progressed. She was rude and mean to the people who loved her the most, plus that whole kissing her bf boyfriend was just cr@p in my book. I thought okay maybe there will be a triangle here with Kaz (the bf's boyfriend) and Gabriel (the vamp), but no she just kissed him to see what it would feel like. Gabriel, the designated vamp, wasn't much better. I didn't feel compassion for him at all. Olivia was the only character who I actually liked. I am not sure why but she was fun to read about even though she was a very minor character. The characters weren't the only problem I had with this book. The plot itself never pulled me in and I honestly didn't buy any of it. The big reveal in the end wasn't that much of a shocker either. I didn't know that this was a series, so if you are planning on reading this just be warned that this one does end in a cliff hanger with a lot left unexplained.
I am going to leave it at that and leave a big thank you to my favorite reading budding for lending this to me =)
I am going to leave it at that and leave a big thank you to my favorite reading budding for lending this to me =)
September 1, 2010
OMG! I am so high on this book! Like seriously! It was so amazing! Probably because the whole theme of it was like, so this generation. And the cover is sooooooo awesome(not only because the guy on it reminds me of Jesse McCartney)! It's all blackblackblack and then RED! And the guy is kinda hot but the face hair is kinda a turn-off. And the tattoo makes him hot again! And the fact that he is on the cover of a book is awesome! And I am making no sense, which proves how high and stupid I am right now. The book was so descriptive and nice and beautiful and m-a-g-i-c-a-l... And usually I get kinda annoyed by books that are written by two people for some reason but this book was soo AMAZING! And I beg on my knees to the people who wrote this to continue and make it into a series since the ending was such a cliff-hanger! It was such a cliff-hanger in which it pissed me off but then I was like. sigh... I hope these people make another book that follows up because if they don't, I will smack them silly. OK... Moving on to the actually book! Woosh.......
So here's the story: A girl named Shay is really ill of some unknown disease and she is pretty much dieing and her mother and step-father(who is her doctor) are doing whatever they can to make her better. Her best friend is Olivia but Shay thinks that Olivia is just friends with her just because she is sick. One day, her step-father comes up with a new treatment that can make her better. And it does, but only for a while and then she is back to normal. The treatment is having someone elses blood put inside of her veins. One of the side effects is that she has visions about a guy named Gabriel(this only happens when the blood is getting put inside, and only then). So yeah. The blurb really got me curious so I read it and I was so happy with the results since it was so amazing!!!! Most of the books I choose to read are amazing...Anyways...The plot was so good and shocking! I had no idea where the story was headed and was sitting on the edge of my seat while I was reading it! Literally! Moving on! Woosh.......
Shay. I felt bad for her in the beginning being "The Sick Girl" and all. How eveyone treats her like she is the weirdest/specialist/precious thing in thewhole entire world. Her character developes throughout the book in a way that you think wouldn't really happen in real life(even though the book is fiction). But people, I'm jealous of her since she has...(If you wanna know why, read the book)! She is such a well thought out character and her reactions to her visions are really priceless. Her involvement in the book was really, how do I say it, weird in a good way. Her character changes, personality wise and mentally wise. Did that last bit even make sense? I can't really imagine anyone else playing her in the book. Except maybe me of course because, ya know, what she has that I want...Moving on! Woosh.....
Gabriel. Mmm-mmm-mmm. I want me a slice of that. And the fact that I am in the early teens and he is in late-teens is kinda wrong on so many levels; but if you're a girl, and you read this book, it's hard not to like Gabriel. He is such a deep chracter that was "raised" which such different opinions from other people(if that made sense)... I'm not saying that he had such a nice life though... I'm not really gonna say anything about his inolvement in this book because, it might ruin the book for a couple of people out there so. Gabriel is funny, understanding, has a little of an anger problem and doesn't easily trust people. But, he is just so, whats the word? Scrumdidlyfulicious. Hottastic. Outofthisworldawesome! Mmmm, he is so tasty... I can see him now. Moving on! Woosh...
As for Shay's step-dad. Martin. Let me tell you all about him. He got married to Shay's mom a while back. He is a famous doctor that has been on Oprah and is very sucessful. He is Shay's doctor and he is trying to find the cure for her illness everyday, of every minute, of every waking second. Instead of being a big-shot doctor like he was before, he is helping Shay, but when he finds the cure, he plans to become a big-shot doctor again. He is serious most of the time but loves too tell puns that no one but himself laughs at. He loves Shay and her family very much. Doesn't he seem like such a nice guy? Well,hahah, the funny thing is, right when he was introduced in the book, I HATED HIS GUTS!!!!!!!!!! I still do, and always will. :D Moving on! Woosh....
This part will be for all the things that happened that I want to talk about but don't want to tell anybody about because it might ruin the book for them. Remember in the beginning, and the look on her face! And then we she saw him, and she was like huh and it was like duhduhduh dahh, duhduhduh dahhhhh. And then all the blah blah and then the faewwwband then they were off. And then in that room,and it was like awww/omg/dammit/yay/shoot/hmh/grumblegrumble. But then SURPRISE! And then "lets ditch" and all that. And then when it was like sparks and then a disappontment... and then saddd.... and then woah,slow down there. and then all gasp,gaSP, GASP! and then oh, yeah. And then you felt kinda uncomfortable but it was so nice. You are all happy and merry and happy and all that. And then you were all like, OH SHIT! Oh my effing god! And then you were like NOOOOO! And you feel like falling to the ground and crying your guts out! And then you just sigh and breathe and then smile yet frown and you wonder about things and then you do whatever you need to do after. Moving on! Woosh......
So that's my weird yet [awesome?] review on the book Crave. And I know the ratings for this book aren't all that great, I LOVED it. So for all you people who didn't like it, guess what? I LOVED IT, so nah nah nahboboo! ♥ Maybe people didn't like it because there are better books out there, or they didn't like the theme of it, or other reasons, all that matters is what you think. And I think I is in love. With cheese. Anyways, this book was awesome! And I recommend it to everyone! Including your mom. My mom. Everyone's mom! But if they can't read English, I am sorry that they have to miss out on the awesomefantabulousness of this so called book, Crave. Woosh. :(
I still think they should read it though. :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
WOOOOOOOSHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. For all you people out there who read Crave but didn't like Gabriel, SHAME ON YOU! But, if your a guy, I understand if you may be jealous of his smexiness... But if you are a guy who is into guys, and you don't like him, now, I have nothing to say to you...
So here's the story: A girl named Shay is really ill of some unknown disease and she is pretty much dieing and her mother and step-father(who is her doctor) are doing whatever they can to make her better. Her best friend is Olivia but Shay thinks that Olivia is just friends with her just because she is sick. One day, her step-father comes up with a new treatment that can make her better. And it does, but only for a while and then she is back to normal. The treatment is having someone elses blood put inside of her veins. One of the side effects is that she has visions about a guy named Gabriel(this only happens when the blood is getting put inside, and only then). So yeah. The blurb really got me curious so I read it and I was so happy with the results since it was so amazing!!!! Most of the books I choose to read are amazing...Anyways...The plot was so good and shocking! I had no idea where the story was headed and was sitting on the edge of my seat while I was reading it! Literally! Moving on! Woosh.......
Shay. I felt bad for her in the beginning being "The Sick Girl" and all. How eveyone treats her like she is the weirdest/specialist/precious thing in thewhole entire world. Her character developes throughout the book in a way that you think wouldn't really happen in real life(even though the book is fiction). But people, I'm jealous of her since she has...(If you wanna know why, read the book)! She is such a well thought out character and her reactions to her visions are really priceless. Her involvement in the book was really, how do I say it, weird in a good way. Her character changes, personality wise and mentally wise. Did that last bit even make sense? I can't really imagine anyone else playing her in the book. Except maybe me of course because, ya know, what she has that I want...Moving on! Woosh.....
Gabriel. Mmm-mmm-mmm. I want me a slice of that. And the fact that I am in the early teens and he is in late-teens is kinda wrong on so many levels; but if you're a girl, and you read this book, it's hard not to like Gabriel. He is such a deep chracter that was "raised" which such different opinions from other people(if that made sense)... I'm not saying that he had such a nice life though... I'm not really gonna say anything about his inolvement in this book because, it might ruin the book for a couple of people out there so. Gabriel is funny, understanding, has a little of an anger problem and doesn't easily trust people. But, he is just so, whats the word? Scrumdidlyfulicious. Hottastic. Outofthisworldawesome! Mmmm, he is so tasty... I can see him now. Moving on! Woosh...
As for Shay's step-dad. Martin. Let me tell you all about him. He got married to Shay's mom a while back. He is a famous doctor that has been on Oprah and is very sucessful. He is Shay's doctor and he is trying to find the cure for her illness everyday, of every minute, of every waking second. Instead of being a big-shot doctor like he was before, he is helping Shay, but when he finds the cure, he plans to become a big-shot doctor again. He is serious most of the time but loves too tell puns that no one but himself laughs at. He loves Shay and her family very much. Doesn't he seem like such a nice guy? Well,hahah, the funny thing is, right when he was introduced in the book, I HATED HIS GUTS!!!!!!!!!! I still do, and always will. :D Moving on! Woosh....
This part will be for all the things that happened that I want to talk about but don't want to tell anybody about because it might ruin the book for them. Remember in the beginning, and the look on her face! And then we she saw him, and she was like huh and it was like duhduhduh dahh, duhduhduh dahhhhh. And then all the blah blah and then the faewwwband then they were off. And then in that room,and it was like awww/omg/dammit/yay/shoot/hmh/grumblegrumble. But then SURPRISE! And then "lets ditch" and all that. And then when it was like sparks and then a disappontment... and then saddd.... and then woah,slow down there. and then all gasp,gaSP, GASP! and then oh, yeah. And then you felt kinda uncomfortable but it was so nice. You are all happy and merry and happy and all that. And then you were all like, OH SHIT! Oh my effing god! And then you were like NOOOOO! And you feel like falling to the ground and crying your guts out! And then you just sigh and breathe and then smile yet frown and you wonder about things and then you do whatever you need to do after. Moving on! Woosh......
So that's my weird yet [awesome?] review on the book Crave. And I know the ratings for this book aren't all that great, I LOVED it. So for all you people who didn't like it, guess what? I LOVED IT, so nah nah nahboboo! ♥ Maybe people didn't like it because there are better books out there, or they didn't like the theme of it, or other reasons, all that matters is what you think. And I think I is in love. With cheese. Anyways, this book was awesome! And I recommend it to everyone! Including your mom. My mom. Everyone's mom! But if they can't read English, I am sorry that they have to miss out on the awesomefantabulousness of this so called book, Crave. Woosh. :(
I still think they should read it though. :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
WOOOOOOOSHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. For all you people out there who read Crave but didn't like Gabriel, SHAME ON YOU! But, if your a guy, I understand if you may be jealous of his smexiness... But if you are a guy who is into guys, and you don't like him, now, I have nothing to say to you...
July 13, 2011
I will not writte anything about this book but this - I couldn't find decent vampire book for a while, but Crave is definitely one of the books in my "amazing" category. And ending... I'll go crazy till september and sequel!
August 7, 2010
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I picked it up, planning to read a few chapters and before I knew it, it’d devoured the entire thing. I finished it in less than one day. I thought the storyline was fun and interesting. Some parts were slow, but the others, the fast paced exciting moments kept me well entertained and interested. I liked the idea that Gabriel took her hostage after she rescued him, and yet he treated her well, and then fell for her over that timeframe--maybe I’m a strange one, but there’s something so romantic about that to me.
I really liked Shay. I thought she was sweet and brave and I loved the inner strength she held. Considering everything she’d been through in her life and all the sickness she’d faced, it’s a miracle that all that hasn’t destroyed her. I can understand why she acted out like she did after getting the transfusions—I can’t possibly understand what it would be like to be constantly sick like that and never treated normal; never living a normal life. Still, I liked the person she was and I thought it was nice of her to stick around and help Gabriel when he wasn’t able to take care of himself.
Hmmm, what can I say about Gabriel? Well, he was sexy and awesome and kind and fierce and well, a very true vampire. I admit that I couldn’t help but see similarities between the vampires in this book and with the ones in Twilight. I really hate to compare books, but they were similar there was no denying that, and yet I still liked Gabriel...no....I loved Gabriel. He is the type of male character I enjoy and I thought the way he reacted to being held prisoner was realistic and normal. Really, who wouldn’t want revenge? I thought it was very sweet that he ended up falling for Shay and that she meant more to him than his revenge against Martin.
I actually liked the end of this book. It was a great little twist to have Shay end up being Sam’s daughter and I do wonder what this means for her now. Will she have to continue feeding off Gabriel’s blood forever, or will she become a vampire herself? It would certainly be a solution to her sickness.
The fact that Gabriel’s family reacted the way they did to her was horrible, although not all too surprising considering how they feel about humans. The very ending left me hungry for more. What a way to end it--lord, I hate cliff-hangers sometimes and I can’t wait for the next book.
Bring it on!
I really liked Shay. I thought she was sweet and brave and I loved the inner strength she held. Considering everything she’d been through in her life and all the sickness she’d faced, it’s a miracle that all that hasn’t destroyed her. I can understand why she acted out like she did after getting the transfusions—I can’t possibly understand what it would be like to be constantly sick like that and never treated normal; never living a normal life. Still, I liked the person she was and I thought it was nice of her to stick around and help Gabriel when he wasn’t able to take care of himself.
Hmmm, what can I say about Gabriel? Well, he was sexy and awesome and kind and fierce and well, a very true vampire. I admit that I couldn’t help but see similarities between the vampires in this book and with the ones in Twilight. I really hate to compare books, but they were similar there was no denying that, and yet I still liked Gabriel...no....I loved Gabriel. He is the type of male character I enjoy and I thought the way he reacted to being held prisoner was realistic and normal. Really, who wouldn’t want revenge? I thought it was very sweet that he ended up falling for Shay and that she meant more to him than his revenge against Martin.
I actually liked the end of this book. It was a great little twist to have Shay end up being Sam’s daughter and I do wonder what this means for her now. Will she have to continue feeding off Gabriel’s blood forever, or will she become a vampire herself? It would certainly be a solution to her sickness.
The fact that Gabriel’s family reacted the way they did to her was horrible, although not all too surprising considering how they feel about humans. The very ending left me hungry for more. What a way to end it--lord, I hate cliff-hangers sometimes and I can’t wait for the next book.
Bring it on!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2010
I really wanted to love this book. I mean, just look at that gorgeous cover!?!? But sadly, I didn't like our main protag Shay. She's just such a negative and bitter person all around. When she was sick she thinks everyone is just nice to her cause of her illness and when she's well she almost uses it as an excuse to be a bitch. Not to mention I couldn't believe what she did to her friend. I know I know I'm suppose to sympathize with the fact that she's been held down her entire life cause her illness, blah blah blah, but she's not a very likable character, in fact, there isn't one thing positive I can say about her.
The concept was pretty cool though. It's a different take on a vamp story, I'll say that much, but other then that, I just didn't find this as entertaining as I'd hoped it would be.
The concept was pretty cool though. It's a different take on a vamp story, I'll say that much, but other then that, I just didn't find this as entertaining as I'd hoped it would be.
July 14, 2011
Oh this book is AMAZING!! I don't know where to start! Yes book is about vampire but this story is special is different! I cried so many times and i stay up till now to read it! Now i'm speechless, and i want second book NOW!!! Can't wait till September!!!! :)
And Glass thank you so much!! :) I owe you for this! :)
And Glass thank you so much!! :) I owe you for this! :)
July 24, 2010
This was a fresh and very original spin on the YA vampire genre that has saturated the market. It was very fast-paced, and in the beginning had a touch of that "what it means to be alive" storyline to it that I tend to enjoy in any book.
Seventeen-year-old Shay has pretty much accepted that fact that her life is near an end. Having lived her whole life with a rare, seemingly untreatable blood disorder, she has given in to being "the Sick Girl". She is used to being treated like fragile glass by her friends and teachers and extremely protected by her mother. Then her stepfather/doctor starts giving her a new treatment that not only gives her more energy and strength than she has ever had, but also gives her strange visions during the transfusions where she seems to be experiencing the life of vampire. She chalks the visions up to a side-effect, but begins to crave the transfusions more and more often, as the strength each one gives her is short-lived. While she has the strength, though, she finally get to live like a normal teenager, and it's quite interesting to see the things she chooses to do with that opportunity. Though some of the decisions are bad, the choices she makes give her character flaws and realism.
The real action of the book begins when she finds out exactly where this mysteriously addictive blood is coming from! She finds the vampire, Gabriel, that she has been envisioning during her transfusions chained up in her stepfather's office! She helps him escape and the adventure begins and doesn't stop until the end of the book.
I loved how the vampires were given very human traits, they were almost imagined as regular humans with different eating habits. They are scientist, and consider their group to be family. They are shown to have some compassion, never actually killing the humans they feed off of, and only take very young orphans who will remember no other life to raise into "the family" and even then they to choose whether to become vampires or not when they are old enough. They made them out to be very human and not monsters, which worked perfectly for the plotline, or else why would you care that one of them were chained up and being forced to give his blood?
The plot twists and turns throughout and the romance is heart-pounding!
The ending is the only negative I saw in this book. Although I know this story has more to come and would not have a resolution in this book, the ending was still a very abrupt and somewhat painful cliffhanger. I quite literally thought I might have been missing a few pages, I was so sure that it couldn't have ended so mid-action. But regardless, it will be a long wait for the next installment, and I will definitely be excited to read it!
Seventeen-year-old Shay has pretty much accepted that fact that her life is near an end. Having lived her whole life with a rare, seemingly untreatable blood disorder, she has given in to being "the Sick Girl". She is used to being treated like fragile glass by her friends and teachers and extremely protected by her mother. Then her stepfather/doctor starts giving her a new treatment that not only gives her more energy and strength than she has ever had, but also gives her strange visions during the transfusions where she seems to be experiencing the life of vampire. She chalks the visions up to a side-effect, but begins to crave the transfusions more and more often, as the strength each one gives her is short-lived. While she has the strength, though, she finally get to live like a normal teenager, and it's quite interesting to see the things she chooses to do with that opportunity. Though some of the decisions are bad, the choices she makes give her character flaws and realism.
The real action of the book begins when she finds out exactly where this mysteriously addictive blood is coming from! She finds the vampire, Gabriel, that she has been envisioning during her transfusions chained up in her stepfather's office! She helps him escape and the adventure begins and doesn't stop until the end of the book.
I loved how the vampires were given very human traits, they were almost imagined as regular humans with different eating habits. They are scientist, and consider their group to be family. They are shown to have some compassion, never actually killing the humans they feed off of, and only take very young orphans who will remember no other life to raise into "the family" and even then they to choose whether to become vampires or not when they are old enough. They made them out to be very human and not monsters, which worked perfectly for the plotline, or else why would you care that one of them were chained up and being forced to give his blood?
The plot twists and turns throughout and the romance is heart-pounding!
The ending is the only negative I saw in this book. Although I know this story has more to come and would not have a resolution in this book, the ending was still a very abrupt and somewhat painful cliffhanger. I quite literally thought I might have been missing a few pages, I was so sure that it couldn't have ended so mid-action. But regardless, it will be a long wait for the next installment, and I will definitely be excited to read it!
August 23, 2010
More like 4.5 stars. I was going to round up and give it five stars, but I have to admit that in the beginning of this book, I was only mildly attracted to the story and Shay as a lead character. Actually, she annoyed me quite a bit at first.
There were a few snippets in part one that peeked my interest, enough for me to keep reading. I'm really glad I did stick with this book. By the second half, I fell in love with Shay and Gabriel (okay, I admit I loved Gabriel from the start. He's of course the typical fictional boy character I'm always falling all over myself for... :P
Anyway, part two was a fast pace pager turner. I found myself flying through each word, but now I wish I hadn't. It ended with a cliffhanger, and if Laure J. Burns continues on the path she started, after I was ensnared, then I can see this being a favorite series of mine. All the the key elements for me are there...
There were a few snippets in part one that peeked my interest, enough for me to keep reading. I'm really glad I did stick with this book. By the second half, I fell in love with Shay and Gabriel (okay, I admit I loved Gabriel from the start. He's of course the typical fictional boy character I'm always falling all over myself for... :P
Anyway, part two was a fast pace pager turner. I found myself flying through each word, but now I wish I hadn't. It ended with a cliffhanger, and if Laure J. Burns continues on the path she started, after I was ensnared, then I can see this being a favorite series of mine. All the the key elements for me are there...
December 10, 2012
Realmente tengo mucho que decir de este libro... la parte 1 realmente me saco canas verdes, entiendo que la chicas esta enferma y quiere vivir pero honestamente lo que daba a entender es que queria morir no vivir y casi yo misma la golpeo.
Ahora la parte 2 mejoro bastante! Gabriel me encanto ademas la relacion que va teniendo con Shay me encanta como va evolucionando a pesar de que el romance fue un poco rapido me gusto.
Sufri con ese final... pienso que Gabriel le va a ser mas fiel a su Familia que a lo que siente por Shay! si es asi yo misma lo castro xD digo despues de tanto vivir y que pierda lo que lo hace sentir o disfrutar de nuevo las pequeñas cosas si no hace nada seria un idiota! xD pero en fin mientras no lea el 2 todavia lo seguire amando.
Un libro entretenidol, con facil ritmo, y con buenos perdonajes.
Ahora la parte 2 mejoro bastante! Gabriel me encanto ademas la relacion que va teniendo con Shay me encanta como va evolucionando a pesar de que el romance fue un poco rapido me gusto.
Sufri con ese final... pienso que Gabriel le va a ser mas fiel a su Familia que a lo que siente por Shay! si es asi yo misma lo castro xD digo despues de tanto vivir y que pierda lo que lo hace sentir o disfrutar de nuevo las pequeñas cosas si no hace nada seria un idiota! xD pero en fin mientras no lea el 2 todavia lo seguire amando.
Un libro entretenidol, con facil ritmo, y con buenos perdonajes.
February 7, 2011
Well-written with a compelling set-up and interesting characters. Would have been 4 stars if it weren't for the incredibly obvious cliffhanger at the end. It's possible to leave your reader wanting more without making them feel frustrated.
July 14, 2011
Wow! This book was just amazing!
It has one of the evilest cliffhangers ever!
And Gabriel? Mmmmm-mmmm-mmmm... I want more of him!
Can´t wait for Sacrifice!
Thank you @Glass very very much!
It has one of the evilest cliffhangers ever!
And Gabriel? Mmmmm-mmmm-mmmm... I want more of him!
Can´t wait for Sacrifice!
Thank you @Glass very very much!
September 27, 2017
I enjoyed reading this, but I felt like it took forever to get to the main point. It seemed like the major conflict didn't come in as soon as it could have and pull the readers in. I was bored throughout the first part of the book and simply reading because I felt the book had the potential to be great, although it started slowly. I plan on reading the second book in hopes it isn't as slow and gets to the point a bit quicker than this book.
October 20, 2012
Originally reviewed at www.devastatingreads.blogspot.com
So I picked up Crave this summer and it's my Random Read for the month. Crave is about a girl who is dying of a rare blood disorder. Shay, our heroine, begins to receive transfusions that make her stronger than she's ever felt in her life. She loves the feeling. She also loves seeing visions of Gabriel.
So this book is set up in two parts: the first part is called Dreams, and though it all we get to know Shay and what her life has been like. It's been pretty crappy. She's always been sick, and she hates that everyone treats her differently because of it. She never goes to gym class, she's never dated, her best friend is a mother hen and Shay has always felt weak and looked after by everyone, treated kindly by everyone because of her rare blood disorder. In Dreams, we find out all of this about her, but we also see Shay getting stronger because of the new blood transfusions, and we start to see that she wants to live so desperately. She wants to act like any normal teenager and do stupid things, and just have fun with her friends.
In Dreams, we also get to learn about Gabriel. Gabriel is the boy Shay dreams about whenever she's receiving a transfusion. We see him at various stages in life, first as a young man about to become a vampire, and then as a small child, later as a someone Shay doesn't quite recognize because he seems so unlike himself. But what we do learn about Gabriel is that he values the experience of life. He's the sort of person that drinks in every experience, every moment and really lives. And Shay loves that about him because she's never lived that way, and she enjoys being in Gabriel's body and feeling how much he loves to live.
The second part of the book, called Reality is where things get a little more interesting. We find out Gabriel is real, but we find out some really horrible things about Shay's family. We also find out why Shay is sick, and why Gabriel's blood makes her feel so much better. But this part of the book, while great, made me uncomfortable. We get to really meet Gabriel, but he's not like the Gabriel in Shay's dreams. He's angry, rightfully so, but it seems so out of character, so different that I almost didn't quite know what to make of him. And although he finally becomes the Gabriel from Shay's dreams, a thoughtful, kind man, it happens so near the end that I almost missed how great he is. I almost didn't notice that the writing style wasbeginning to do a lot of showing versus telling, which is a style I enjoy a lot more.
So, book one was great! It ended on a cliffhanger which made me want to scream, but I can pick up book two easily enough I think. I think book one was largely about set up, bringing the two characters together and setting up some back story and now that we have that foundation, I'm hoping that the rest of the series will be a lot more powerful. As it was, this book really was well paced and the story is engaging enough that I found it hard to put it down. I wish the authors had done a better job of showing instead of telling, but I started to see that at the end and I'm thinking the next book will be more polished in that regard.
4.5 glittering stars
So I picked up Crave this summer and it's my Random Read for the month. Crave is about a girl who is dying of a rare blood disorder. Shay, our heroine, begins to receive transfusions that make her stronger than she's ever felt in her life. She loves the feeling. She also loves seeing visions of Gabriel.
So this book is set up in two parts: the first part is called Dreams, and though it all we get to know Shay and what her life has been like. It's been pretty crappy. She's always been sick, and she hates that everyone treats her differently because of it. She never goes to gym class, she's never dated, her best friend is a mother hen and Shay has always felt weak and looked after by everyone, treated kindly by everyone because of her rare blood disorder. In Dreams, we find out all of this about her, but we also see Shay getting stronger because of the new blood transfusions, and we start to see that she wants to live so desperately. She wants to act like any normal teenager and do stupid things, and just have fun with her friends.
In Dreams, we also get to learn about Gabriel. Gabriel is the boy Shay dreams about whenever she's receiving a transfusion. We see him at various stages in life, first as a young man about to become a vampire, and then as a small child, later as a someone Shay doesn't quite recognize because he seems so unlike himself. But what we do learn about Gabriel is that he values the experience of life. He's the sort of person that drinks in every experience, every moment and really lives. And Shay loves that about him because she's never lived that way, and she enjoys being in Gabriel's body and feeling how much he loves to live.
The second part of the book, called Reality is where things get a little more interesting. We find out Gabriel is real, but we find out some really horrible things about Shay's family. We also find out why Shay is sick, and why Gabriel's blood makes her feel so much better. But this part of the book, while great, made me uncomfortable. We get to really meet Gabriel, but he's not like the Gabriel in Shay's dreams. He's angry, rightfully so, but it seems so out of character, so different that I almost didn't quite know what to make of him. And although he finally becomes the Gabriel from Shay's dreams, a thoughtful, kind man, it happens so near the end that I almost missed how great he is. I almost didn't notice that the writing style wasbeginning to do a lot of showing versus telling, which is a style I enjoy a lot more.
So, book one was great! It ended on a cliffhanger which made me want to scream, but I can pick up book two easily enough I think. I think book one was largely about set up, bringing the two characters together and setting up some back story and now that we have that foundation, I'm hoping that the rest of the series will be a lot more powerful. As it was, this book really was well paced and the story is engaging enough that I found it hard to put it down. I wish the authors had done a better job of showing instead of telling, but I started to see that at the end and I'm thinking the next book will be more polished in that regard.
4.5 glittering stars
September 11, 2010
http://www.theunreadreader.com/2010/0...
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.
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. :(
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.
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. :(
November 7, 2010
Original Review Date (posted on www.paperbackswap.com): 10/27/2010
Shay was always the sick girl! Her mother did everything humanly possible to keep her alive. She held down 3 different jobs at one point to try to pay the minimums of her Doctor fees, until her mother, Emma, met Martin. He was one of her Doctors. He was the only one that believed that her blood disorder was uniquely special and rare; and that he would stop at NOTHING to cure her. Her stepfather left his lucrative career and focused on curing her.
She was sick girl, special girl, the girl that everyone had labeled FRAGILE. Until one day Martin, her stepfather, changed her treatment. It was like MAGIC. She began to hallucinate during her treatments, feel alive for days after, but her treatments didn't last long. She needed them a lot, but each time compels her to do something dangerous and different from her sick girl ways. Her careful ways. In her "hallucinations" she sees visions of a young teen-aged vampire named GABRIEL. Of course he was beautiful and of course she wanted to know more and more about him. It wasn't until later, she finds that GABRIEL is real and that they both have to fight for his and her existence.
True to form, the writers Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz, teamed up to write a haunting first installment to the Crave (I don't know if that is what they will call it) series. It wasn't hard to believe that they were the writers for Roswell and Buffy as well. My heart and soul were into this book since I first opened it. Its twist and turns maneuvered the characters, Shay and Gabriel, in a exhilarating ride of love and hate and back to love all over again.
Yes it's a love story, yes it's about vampires and yes there is a reason why their love is tainted. BUT it's worth the ride, and worth every tired half open eyed moment I spent reading this book. The best thing about the book is the unique way the authors developed their character. It wasn't simply laid out like most authors do, through the eyes of the main character's own words. Shay's illness was explained in detail by her treatments and by how she interacted with people around her; and how her friends reacted to how she acted after her "new" treatments. Gabriel's life was interpreted by her hallucinations. By the time Gabriel even entered the picture, I knew him.
By the time I finished the book, I felt complete. I knew that they cared and loved each other; I knew that they both sacrificed something for each other and I knew they had a long journey ahead of them. I also knew that there will be a sequel. I just hope I don't have to wait too long.
This book is AWESOME!"
Shay was always the sick girl! Her mother did everything humanly possible to keep her alive. She held down 3 different jobs at one point to try to pay the minimums of her Doctor fees, until her mother, Emma, met Martin. He was one of her Doctors. He was the only one that believed that her blood disorder was uniquely special and rare; and that he would stop at NOTHING to cure her. Her stepfather left his lucrative career and focused on curing her.
She was sick girl, special girl, the girl that everyone had labeled FRAGILE. Until one day Martin, her stepfather, changed her treatment. It was like MAGIC. She began to hallucinate during her treatments, feel alive for days after, but her treatments didn't last long. She needed them a lot, but each time compels her to do something dangerous and different from her sick girl ways. Her careful ways. In her "hallucinations" she sees visions of a young teen-aged vampire named GABRIEL. Of course he was beautiful and of course she wanted to know more and more about him. It wasn't until later, she finds that GABRIEL is real and that they both have to fight for his and her existence.
True to form, the writers Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz, teamed up to write a haunting first installment to the Crave (I don't know if that is what they will call it) series. It wasn't hard to believe that they were the writers for Roswell and Buffy as well. My heart and soul were into this book since I first opened it. Its twist and turns maneuvered the characters, Shay and Gabriel, in a exhilarating ride of love and hate and back to love all over again.
Yes it's a love story, yes it's about vampires and yes there is a reason why their love is tainted. BUT it's worth the ride, and worth every tired half open eyed moment I spent reading this book. The best thing about the book is the unique way the authors developed their character. It wasn't simply laid out like most authors do, through the eyes of the main character's own words. Shay's illness was explained in detail by her treatments and by how she interacted with people around her; and how her friends reacted to how she acted after her "new" treatments. Gabriel's life was interpreted by her hallucinations. By the time Gabriel even entered the picture, I knew him.
By the time I finished the book, I felt complete. I knew that they cared and loved each other; I knew that they both sacrificed something for each other and I knew they had a long journey ahead of them. I also knew that there will be a sequel. I just hope I don't have to wait too long.
This book is AWESOME!"
November 3, 2013
Crave by Laura Burns is a novel about a girl named Shay, who has lived her life with an unidentified blood disorder, and has always been too weak to really “live” but just survive. Her stepfather, Martin, started giving her different blood transfusions; ones that made her feel strong, but it also gave her visions a guy named Gabriel, who’s a vampire. Shay goes to Martin’s office, so she can give herself more blood, but finds Gabriel chained in a dark room and runs away with him. They both go on a road trip, all whilst gradually falling in love with each other. Gabriel has finally come to love Shay and wanted her to meet his family, but his family saw her as just a human and took her captive in a cell away from Gabriel. A large theme in the book is “ You never know who you can trust,” because throughout the book both Shay and Gabriel went in and out of trusting the other and people closest to them, like Shay’s stepfather and Gabriel’s family’s reaction to Shay.
My favorite character in the book is Shay’s mom. Even though she’s very overprotective of Shay, she always understands Shay in other things. “Mom’s really my best friend, she thought. She’s the one who knows absolutely everything about me” (13). Shay’s mom’s over protectiveness and her constant tendency to worry about her is very familiar. There’s a time later in the book where Shay gets a voicemail from her mom, pleading for her to call her so she knows she’s okay and tells her how much she loves her. I could literally hear the sincerity and tenderness of the phone message, and it moved me. These things reminds me of my mom in the sense that my mom is always there for me, loves me unconditionally, and as much as I like to try and ignore it, she understands a lot of the things I go through as a teenager. Relating her mom to my mom gives me a very deep understanding of the love Shay feels for her, and it gives me a sense of love for Shay’s mom too.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It had all the concepts of a good story, at least in my eyes. It had action, romance, juicy conflict, and a good chunk of paranormal creatures. I’d recommend this book to Stephanie Meyer fans, and other fans of romantic conflict. The only flaw in the book is that I didn’t know it had a sequel. There was no indication that there was a second book, which made me immensely upset. I have always loved book series, but I can’t write about two books on this assignment so I didn’t want a book that was part of a series. It also made me mad that I didn’t have the sequel to continue the story. Other than that, I think the story itself was never boring, and was always deep with feeling and emotion.
My favorite character in the book is Shay’s mom. Even though she’s very overprotective of Shay, she always understands Shay in other things. “Mom’s really my best friend, she thought. She’s the one who knows absolutely everything about me” (13). Shay’s mom’s over protectiveness and her constant tendency to worry about her is very familiar. There’s a time later in the book where Shay gets a voicemail from her mom, pleading for her to call her so she knows she’s okay and tells her how much she loves her. I could literally hear the sincerity and tenderness of the phone message, and it moved me. These things reminds me of my mom in the sense that my mom is always there for me, loves me unconditionally, and as much as I like to try and ignore it, she understands a lot of the things I go through as a teenager. Relating her mom to my mom gives me a very deep understanding of the love Shay feels for her, and it gives me a sense of love for Shay’s mom too.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It had all the concepts of a good story, at least in my eyes. It had action, romance, juicy conflict, and a good chunk of paranormal creatures. I’d recommend this book to Stephanie Meyer fans, and other fans of romantic conflict. The only flaw in the book is that I didn’t know it had a sequel. There was no indication that there was a second book, which made me immensely upset. I have always loved book series, but I can’t write about two books on this assignment so I didn’t want a book that was part of a series. It also made me mad that I didn’t have the sequel to continue the story. Other than that, I think the story itself was never boring, and was always deep with feeling and emotion.
July 11, 2010
Shay isn’t an ordinary girl and her illness, a rare blood disorder, has largely identified who she is and what her capabilities have been. She is the “Sick Girl”, the one who gets a free pass in school. The one everyone feels sorry for. The one with a ticking clock, living on borrowed time.
That is until Shay’s stepfather tries something new. The blood her doctor stepfather has transfused her with is richer and more life sustaining than ever before and she is finally able to live a normal life-even if it is in short bursts. Shay revels in her newfound energy.
But what about the visions she continues to get while she is being transfused? These visions haunt her about Gabriel. Who is he? Is he a vampire? Do such things even exist? With each consecutive treatment, Shay peers into his past-of he and his family being hunted like prey and forced to hide. Shay is drawn to this enigmatic creature. She is drawn to his tortured soul. Is he a figment of her imagination?
With each red drop Shay is beginning to crave the blood even more. Where is the blood coming from? What is her stepfather putting in it? With each new transfusion she ends up needing more and more until she is completely dependant on it. This insatiable craving will lead her to hunt down its source and when she finds it, nothing will ever be the same again.
Crave doesn’t gain its momentum until midway through the book-the first part devoted to Shay’s school life and the effect of her new treatments. But there is a gaping shallowness to it, a slightly anemic “vampire-lite” feel to it. It lacks in an essential vitalness, and emotional depth that does not come later.
When Crave finally picks up, it is because its inevitable action has finally occurred. Rescuing Gabriel from his forced captivity as her blood source, Shay has broken away from her family, and is on the run. But is she Gabriel’s prisoner or his ally? This allegiance switches back and forth, as Shay and Gabriel come to feel something for one another. And a more desperate truth emerges-without Gabriel’s blood, Shay will die.
Crave is very likeable because of its slightly different take on the YA vampire genre. It strongly reminds one of The Society of S. Mid-way to the ending, where it was chock-full of action, and teeming with emotional conflict between Shay and Gabriel and there is definitely the promise of more. Crave will leave you on a cliff-hanger, desperate for an outcome that you will have to patiently wait for.
A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat)
That is until Shay’s stepfather tries something new. The blood her doctor stepfather has transfused her with is richer and more life sustaining than ever before and she is finally able to live a normal life-even if it is in short bursts. Shay revels in her newfound energy.
But what about the visions she continues to get while she is being transfused? These visions haunt her about Gabriel. Who is he? Is he a vampire? Do such things even exist? With each consecutive treatment, Shay peers into his past-of he and his family being hunted like prey and forced to hide. Shay is drawn to this enigmatic creature. She is drawn to his tortured soul. Is he a figment of her imagination?
With each red drop Shay is beginning to crave the blood even more. Where is the blood coming from? What is her stepfather putting in it? With each new transfusion she ends up needing more and more until she is completely dependant on it. This insatiable craving will lead her to hunt down its source and when she finds it, nothing will ever be the same again.
Crave doesn’t gain its momentum until midway through the book-the first part devoted to Shay’s school life and the effect of her new treatments. But there is a gaping shallowness to it, a slightly anemic “vampire-lite” feel to it. It lacks in an essential vitalness, and emotional depth that does not come later.
When Crave finally picks up, it is because its inevitable action has finally occurred. Rescuing Gabriel from his forced captivity as her blood source, Shay has broken away from her family, and is on the run. But is she Gabriel’s prisoner or his ally? This allegiance switches back and forth, as Shay and Gabriel come to feel something for one another. And a more desperate truth emerges-without Gabriel’s blood, Shay will die.
Crave is very likeable because of its slightly different take on the YA vampire genre. It strongly reminds one of The Society of S. Mid-way to the ending, where it was chock-full of action, and teeming with emotional conflict between Shay and Gabriel and there is definitely the promise of more. Crave will leave you on a cliff-hanger, desperate for an outcome that you will have to patiently wait for.
A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat)
September 21, 2010
Crave is very fast paced, and gives us a new twist on vampires, and it throws in another element that I like to read about- a girl with an illness. I felt like I could connect okay with Shay the main character, it didn't get too emotionally involved in the first part of the book, where it focused on her illness and her limitations. When she starts receiving the blood transfusions and feeling better she does some crazy stuff, and while I understand where she is coming from, she is being a bit selfish toward her mother, and her friend Olivia. Both of which have a great presence in this book.
Shay's mother is written as how I see a mother should be- making her children a priority, loving and sacrificing for them, wanting the best for them. This is a new trend that I am seeing a bit more and liking in the YA genre, rather than the absent parents. Olivia, her friend, knows her and balances (well in my opinion, but not so well in Shay's opinion at times during the book) treating her as a normal girl, and being concerned and alert enough to her condition and the signs of weakness. This really touches my heart because you have to be pretty mature to maintain a friendship like this.
The book starts picking up and adding the element of mystery when Shay gets the "tweeked new and improved" blood transfusions. She starts seeing visions, experiencing the life of a vampire named Gabriel. She sees snippets of his past while she is receiving blood.
In the second part of the book we get to actually meet Gabriel. She rescues him, and this becomes a theme of rescuing each other for the rest of the book, and it is downright sexy to read. Gabriel's character is a unique mix of traditional vampire and Burns and Metz' own ideas. They explore what it means to really live, experience, and feel.
The reasons that I could not give full 5 stars is there is a few of the more explicit curse words (at least in ARC) that really don't seem to be necessary. And the ending!! Oh my goodness, can you say CLIFF HANGER???? I wish that there was some bit of closure, but it is almost like there is about 50 pages missing and I need a bit more resolution until my next feeding (ie the next book).
However, that said, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend this to YA, paranormal romance fans. They have a good something going with this first book, and I am craving more!!
Shay's mother is written as how I see a mother should be- making her children a priority, loving and sacrificing for them, wanting the best for them. This is a new trend that I am seeing a bit more and liking in the YA genre, rather than the absent parents. Olivia, her friend, knows her and balances (well in my opinion, but not so well in Shay's opinion at times during the book) treating her as a normal girl, and being concerned and alert enough to her condition and the signs of weakness. This really touches my heart because you have to be pretty mature to maintain a friendship like this.
The book starts picking up and adding the element of mystery when Shay gets the "tweeked new and improved" blood transfusions. She starts seeing visions, experiencing the life of a vampire named Gabriel. She sees snippets of his past while she is receiving blood.
In the second part of the book we get to actually meet Gabriel. She rescues him, and this becomes a theme of rescuing each other for the rest of the book, and it is downright sexy to read. Gabriel's character is a unique mix of traditional vampire and Burns and Metz' own ideas. They explore what it means to really live, experience, and feel.
The reasons that I could not give full 5 stars is there is a few of the more explicit curse words (at least in ARC) that really don't seem to be necessary. And the ending!! Oh my goodness, can you say CLIFF HANGER???? I wish that there was some bit of closure, but it is almost like there is about 50 pages missing and I need a bit more resolution until my next feeding (ie the next book).
However, that said, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend this to YA, paranormal romance fans. They have a good something going with this first book, and I am craving more!!
June 17, 2010
I have to admit that at first I found the book a little slow. I guess I was very impatient and expected Shay to find Gabriel sooner than she did in the book.
Shay is a teenager who is sick just trying to live a normal life. She has a rare blood disorder and no one can figure out how to help her or what is truly wrong with her. Her mother gets married to a doctor named Martin who spends a lot of his time researching and trying to save Shay. Since she has been sick all her life, she sort of accepted the way things are and is not really afraid of dying, but at the same time she wants to live. Her step father begins to give Shay a new type of blood transfusion and every time she is getting these transfusions done, Shay begins to have visions of a boy named Gabriel. She can feel, see, smell, hear, everything that Gabriel does almost as if she is him.
To Shay he is just a boy she dreams about while receiving the new blood. Eventually down the line Shay becomes addicted to this blood, and to the strength and rush that it gives her. She begins to "live life" a little and doing things she would have never done before. Shay lives for those moments and the feelings that it gives her. She likes it so much, that she tries to break into Martin's office to give herself a transfusion. When she arrives at Martin's office, she finds Gabriel chained. She sets him free and things take off from there.
Shay can not believe this whole time he was real. Gabriel and Shay's relationship is one of those, "I need to stay away, but I can't" kind.
I enjoyed reading Crave a lot. It had a couple of twist in it, and some really hot kissing scenes. The book is in both point of views, so you get to read what is running in Gabriel's and Shay's mind. The story was very believable and entertaining. Crave ends in a very shocking cliffhanger and I can not wait to find out what happens in the next book. This book is set to be released (According to GoodReads.com) on September 21, 2010, and I definitely recommend it. A good read!
http://goodchoicereading.blogspot.com
Shay is a teenager who is sick just trying to live a normal life. She has a rare blood disorder and no one can figure out how to help her or what is truly wrong with her. Her mother gets married to a doctor named Martin who spends a lot of his time researching and trying to save Shay. Since she has been sick all her life, she sort of accepted the way things are and is not really afraid of dying, but at the same time she wants to live. Her step father begins to give Shay a new type of blood transfusion and every time she is getting these transfusions done, Shay begins to have visions of a boy named Gabriel. She can feel, see, smell, hear, everything that Gabriel does almost as if she is him.
To Shay he is just a boy she dreams about while receiving the new blood. Eventually down the line Shay becomes addicted to this blood, and to the strength and rush that it gives her. She begins to "live life" a little and doing things she would have never done before. Shay lives for those moments and the feelings that it gives her. She likes it so much, that she tries to break into Martin's office to give herself a transfusion. When she arrives at Martin's office, she finds Gabriel chained. She sets him free and things take off from there.
Shay can not believe this whole time he was real. Gabriel and Shay's relationship is one of those, "I need to stay away, but I can't" kind.
I enjoyed reading Crave a lot. It had a couple of twist in it, and some really hot kissing scenes. The book is in both point of views, so you get to read what is running in Gabriel's and Shay's mind. The story was very believable and entertaining. Crave ends in a very shocking cliffhanger and I can not wait to find out what happens in the next book. This book is set to be released (According to GoodReads.com) on September 21, 2010, and I definitely recommend it. A good read!
http://goodchoicereading.blogspot.com
October 16, 2010
Crave intertwines the reality of a girl who has lived in the shadows of her illness with the fantasy that a `promising' new treatment provides for her.
Shay, 17, is sick; tired of being labeled as the `sick girl' and wanting to experience life but accepting that the normal high school experiences are beyond her physical limitations. Her best friend, Olivia and her Mother are always hovering, telling her what she can't do-- reminding her more like. Everyone treats her like a porcelain doll, she's to fragile, always passing out and spending countless hours in a hospital bed.
Enter her step-father, Martin a prize-winning physician/scientist who specializes, in of all things, blood disorders. He starts treating Shay with a new type of blood transfusion and suddenly she is feeling much better, amazingly better plus there's a bonus to the transfusions; as she's receiving them, she experiences bizarre visions/dreams where she's another person named Gabriel. Each transfusion shows us more and more of Gabriel's life. Gabriel's experiences are exhilarating to Shay and the visions she experiences convince her to `seize the day' so to speak. Shay starts to CRAVE the transfusion both for the strength it gives her and for the chance to experience Gabriel's life.
When Shay meets Gabriel it's under shocking circumstances and pretty much everything she's always wanted falls right into her lap; she definitely gets more than she bargained for. Shay finds out that things aren't always as they appear and soon she's on a harrowing trip. Where it leads--you'll have to read the book!!!
I think the reason it worked so well is that Shay grows to know Gabriel through the visions and Gabriel finds compassion and courage in Shay through the risks and chances she takes for him. It's a different twist on the genre and I'm all for that. Not real big on the cliff-hanger ending! I can only hope the sequel will be out soon.
Shay, 17, is sick; tired of being labeled as the `sick girl' and wanting to experience life but accepting that the normal high school experiences are beyond her physical limitations. Her best friend, Olivia and her Mother are always hovering, telling her what she can't do-- reminding her more like. Everyone treats her like a porcelain doll, she's to fragile, always passing out and spending countless hours in a hospital bed.
Enter her step-father, Martin a prize-winning physician/scientist who specializes, in of all things, blood disorders. He starts treating Shay with a new type of blood transfusion and suddenly she is feeling much better, amazingly better plus there's a bonus to the transfusions; as she's receiving them, she experiences bizarre visions/dreams where she's another person named Gabriel. Each transfusion shows us more and more of Gabriel's life. Gabriel's experiences are exhilarating to Shay and the visions she experiences convince her to `seize the day' so to speak. Shay starts to CRAVE the transfusion both for the strength it gives her and for the chance to experience Gabriel's life.
When Shay meets Gabriel it's under shocking circumstances and pretty much everything she's always wanted falls right into her lap; she definitely gets more than she bargained for. Shay finds out that things aren't always as they appear and soon she's on a harrowing trip. Where it leads--you'll have to read the book!!!
I think the reason it worked so well is that Shay grows to know Gabriel through the visions and Gabriel finds compassion and courage in Shay through the risks and chances she takes for him. It's a different twist on the genre and I'm all for that. Not real big on the cliff-hanger ending! I can only hope the sequel will be out soon.
September 27, 2010
If you think that there are no more unique storylines left for vampires, just wait a minute because Crave by Melinda Metz and Laura J. Burns will change your mind. This cleverly written book introduces us to Shay McGuire who is a high school girl with a rare blood disorder. She struggles daily for survival all while trying to be normal. However, that is next to impossible for her because she believes her mother, friends, and schools in an effort to show compassion, overbearingly treat her like a "freak." Shay's father abandoned her and her mother when she was born. Her stepfather, Martin is a notable doctor and researcher and made it his mission to find a cure for Shay. Unfortunately, his motives are less than noble and he experimenting on Shay with blood transfusions.His latest experiments are proving to be effective,providing Shay with strength and vitality; but, she must have the treatments more often. These transfusions have the unual side effect of giving Shay visions of the life of a vampire named Gabriel. This is where the story becomes truly interesting. I do not want to spoil it for anyone so I will just say things are about to get hot and heavy, secrets will be revealed friendships will be redefined. The cliffhanger ending left me wanting for more. My only complaint is that I cannot find out the name of the next book or when it will be released. I truly enjoyed this book and you will too!
January 12, 2011
My thoughts...One word for you: CLIFFHANGER. Not your average run of the mill cliffhanger either, I am talking DROPOFF. Good thing the next book comes out in September of 2011!
Crave is an original story with an unexpected twist. The story is told from two points-of-view. First we meet Shay, a young girl with a disableling blood disorder. She spends most of her days in bed, or receiving blood transfusions to stay alive. After getting a new blood treatment, she begins having visions of a boy named Gabriel. With each transfusion, she experiences life through him. Gabriel is a strong character, he seems very complex and he is absolutely adorable too.
In the beginning of the book, some parts were are bit confusing. The transitions between reality and visions left me a bit disoriented, especially because Gabriel's story were told out of order and they were fragmented. The ending was very abrupt. While I am glad I read this book, I would recommend waiting until book two is released and reading them together. This first book in the Crave series does reveal an interesting twist and it ends in absolute turmoil, so I am sure book two is going to be great.
Overall, I really enjoyed Crave. It is original, creative, and definitely leaves you Craving more.
Crave is an original story with an unexpected twist. The story is told from two points-of-view. First we meet Shay, a young girl with a disableling blood disorder. She spends most of her days in bed, or receiving blood transfusions to stay alive. After getting a new blood treatment, she begins having visions of a boy named Gabriel. With each transfusion, she experiences life through him. Gabriel is a strong character, he seems very complex and he is absolutely adorable too.
In the beginning of the book, some parts were are bit confusing. The transitions between reality and visions left me a bit disoriented, especially because Gabriel's story were told out of order and they were fragmented. The ending was very abrupt. While I am glad I read this book, I would recommend waiting until book two is released and reading them together. This first book in the Crave series does reveal an interesting twist and it ends in absolute turmoil, so I am sure book two is going to be great.
Overall, I really enjoyed Crave. It is original, creative, and definitely leaves you Craving more.
April 7, 2011
this book is about a girl name shay and she is also known as "the sick girl"she cant go to school more than 3 days, she cant do what normal teenager would do. Her step-father who is a doctor gave her a blood transfusion and she sees visions of this boy gabriel but not only can she see the vision, she is him, she can feel his emotions, whatever he does she does it and what he thinks she thinks and she's been wondering if this boy gabriel was real or if he's just imaginary?
this book is unique and kept me turning the page i just loved it and i completely fell in love with the book and i wanted to know more about gabriel as much as shay also wanted too. you just want to know what gabriel is thinking and his feelings. i enjoyed shay as the main character she was relatable and i really enjoyed her :) and dont get me started about gabriel ;) he's just amazing and handsome,sexy i just love him to death :)
huugggee cliffhanger :( so mean...i really want to know what going to happen next..
cant wait for the next book :)
this book is unique and kept me turning the page i just loved it and i completely fell in love with the book and i wanted to know more about gabriel as much as shay also wanted too. you just want to know what gabriel is thinking and his feelings. i enjoyed shay as the main character she was relatable and i really enjoyed her :) and dont get me started about gabriel ;) he's just amazing and handsome,sexy i just love him to death :)
huugggee cliffhanger :( so mean...i really want to know what going to happen next..
cant wait for the next book :)
February 12, 2012
This was an amazing book! I loved it! (Don't read this if you haven't read the book, it'll spoil the book for you ;)
My friend suggested that I read this book and so I took her recommendation into consideration and signed it out from the library. For Part 1 of the book, I was bored. I felt sad for Shay, the girl with the blood disease. It hurt to think of a girl around my age having to go through hundreds of blood transfusions. But her "weird" behaviour also made me feel distant from her. As if I had no similarities with her.
But at the end of part 1 and in part 2, i fell in love with the book. I loved how Gabriel was a vampire but understood such modern tongue and how Shay had such honor. When he bit her and she ran away, I wanted her to go back so badly but If I were in her shoes, I'd probably drive off as far from Gabriel as possible. But no, she went back and that's when I knew I would love the book.
The ending has scared me so now I will go and read the second book, "Sacrifice"!
My friend suggested that I read this book and so I took her recommendation into consideration and signed it out from the library. For Part 1 of the book, I was bored. I felt sad for Shay, the girl with the blood disease. It hurt to think of a girl around my age having to go through hundreds of blood transfusions. But her "weird" behaviour also made me feel distant from her. As if I had no similarities with her.
But at the end of part 1 and in part 2, i fell in love with the book. I loved how Gabriel was a vampire but understood such modern tongue and how Shay had such honor. When he bit her and she ran away, I wanted her to go back so badly but If I were in her shoes, I'd probably drive off as far from Gabriel as possible. But no, she went back and that's when I knew I would love the book.
The ending has scared me so now I will go and read the second book, "Sacrifice"!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2011
De este libro me encantó el hecho de conocer a Gabriel por medio de sus recuerdo a través de Shay, pero en determinado momento me cansó tanto recuerdo (aunque reconozco que cada uno de ellos fue necesario para conocer más la historia, la aversión de Gabriel hacia los humanos, etc.) y deseaba desesperadamente que la historia avanzara y se conocieran de una vez por todas
Cuando se conocieron la historia avanzó a pasos agigantados y la verdad, me dejó queriendo saber más!!!
Odio a muerte al padre de shay, y tan solo espero que aparezca en la continuación para que reciba su merecido
Cuando se conocieron la historia avanzó a pasos agigantados y la verdad, me dejó queriendo saber más!!!
Odio a muerte al padre de shay, y tan solo espero que aparezca en la continuación para que reciba su merecido
September 12, 2012
This is such a good book. It does a good job of throwing you off and leading you back in. I am not the kind of person to get into a book, but I did. I loved this one. I am looking forward to reading the sequel. If you like the Secret Circle books, I am sure you will enjoy this book. Shay does not get out at all because her blood disorder does not allow her to do much. She spent most of her life getting blood transfusions and sleeping. She makes a facinating discovery about her life that is about to change everything.
March 30, 2013
Okay, I don't normally read vampire books, but the library was closed for Easter. I had picked this one up at a book sale a while back and needed something to read. What do you know - I liked it! It was pretty exciting, and I liked Shay a lot. She has a lot of spunk for a "sick girl." In a love-hate relationship with Gabriel right now, but that will probably change during the next book. The ending would have infuriated me if I had read it when it first came out and would have had to wait for Book 2. Fortunately, I can start it tomorrow. :)
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