Book Review: A Want So Wicked (A Need So Beautiful #2) by Suzanne Young

Release Date: June 26, 2012
(Thank you to ATWT for allowing me to participate in this tour!)
Published by: Balzer + Bray

A Want So Wicked (A Need So Beautiful #2) by Suzanne Young

Elise is a normal seventeen-year-old girl until the day she wakes up in a desert park, with no idea who she is. 

After that episode, her life takes a bizarre turn. She’s experiencing unexpected flashes of insight into people’s lives—people she’s never met before. Strangers frighten her with warnings about the approaching Shadows. And although Elise has never had a boyfriend, she suddenly finds herself torn between two handsome but very different young men: Abe, the charming bad boy whose affect on her both seduces and frightens her, and the mysterious Harlin, who’s new to town but with whom Elise feels an urgent, elemental connection—almost as if they are soul mates. 

Now Elise begins to question everything about her life. Why do these guys both want her so desperately? What are the Shadows? Why does the name Charlotte inspire a terrifying familiarity? And who is Elise, really? 

Ten Likes/Dislikes:

1. (+/-) Elise, the protagonist - I liked her but I felt distant from her, because I didn't really feel like I knew her character. She's a preacher's daughter, works at a Mexican restaurant, loves her family/protects them, but what does she like? As in she seems like the typical sweet, easy to like girl, but what are her quirks?  It was easier to identify, I think, with Charlotte in the first book based on the way she acts, her relationship with her friends, and the tragedy there, but Elise doesn't have many friends and spends a bit of time confused over what's happening to her. And to be honest, I'm still a little confused about how I feel on this issue because of the book's twist. Also, I can tell that Elise values integrity based on her actions, but sometimes I wanted to scream at her for the things she was doing.
2. (+/-) World-building - You still get the perspective of a Forgotten, but this time there's more on the Shadows and what that means and more about the characters. Other than that, there's not much world-building, mostly because this novel works best if you've read the first book--it assumes you already know about some of the details, though it provides other parts.
3. (+) Heart-warming - I know that's kind of weird to say, but in a genre so filled with dark and mysterious guys and happenings, this stands out. It stands out because it's the tale of centuries, a good Samaritan, someone who changes the world in a not so typical way with her sacrifice. Paranormal romance is full of dark mystery and forces separating lovers, but these two books are about so much more than that.
4. (+) Character Cast - The main characters from the first book are back and get more developed, especially a certain villain, and you get some new characters, like Abe, his friends, Elise's family, and Harlin's quirky mentor.
5. (--) Need for Sequel? - All that being said, I wonder if there was a need for a sequel. I really liked A Need So Beautiful, and I think I would've liked it better if it were a stand-alone. This novel is good but not as great as its predecessor, and the information you learn in it isn't essential, at least in my opinion.
6. (+) The Romance - Harlin's back! I loved that guy. Him and his motorcycle and the tortured past. The sensitive flirt and artist who's haunted now by his girlfriend's absence. You see how Charlotte's actions in the first book have affected him, and he kind of acts like a jerk but not so much that you're too upset with him. There's also some romance with Abe, but I'm not Abe's biggest fan, and despite his choice at the end, well, he's just too creepy.
7. (+) Thriller-ness - Success on this ground--I didn't know what was going to happen next, and it's dark and chilling and the tone a bit scarier than what happened with Charlotte in the first book, mostly because you see the power of the Shadows at work... though it does take a while to get the story off the ground.
8. (+) Writing - First person present tense worked wonders for this novel. I'm not sure it would work as a thriller otherwise.
9. (+/-) Pacing - A tad uneven. As I mentioned before, the beginning was kind of slow, but once it got going, it was better, and I appreciated that it didn't drag past what the book needed to be. If it was more than 300 pages, I might've gotten bored with it.
10. (+/-) The Cover - This book is darker than A Need So Beautiful, and I like that they've reflected that with the colors, but it still tells you nothing about the novel.

Fans of A Need So Beautiful will enjoy this dark sequel.