Review: 3 stars = I liked it and it was a GOOD read
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 2, 2014
Ms. Summers's Willow Creek series is off to a good start with Craving. I liked how the epilogue set the stage not only for the book, but the entire series. Willow Creek was established 200 years ago in an area of mystical significance. The town's founders were not the first to settle in the area, but they were the first to recognize the benefit of meeting Bastian's terms...he protects them from others who would slaughter the town's residents while he and his vampires are free to walk among them, only taking one of the town's residents every 10 years to serve as his (or one of his people's) sole source of food.It is selection time and Sabine is one of the residents up to be chosen as she is turning 18 this year. She hates her parents for having her at a time that would make her an option during a selection. She hates the town because she's never been able to go anywhere. She hates the vampires because she feels like they've stolen her future. She wants nothing to do with the town, the vampires, or the selection. Interestingly enough, Remy, her vampire counterpart, shares similar feelings about the selection. Neither of them want to be involved with the selection but they have no choice. Rather than making the best of a mutually unappealing situation, they seem intent on antagonizing one another and this brings forth the entertainment.I should note that at first I found the writing to be a bit stilted. I soon realized that this was limited to Remy and was intentional to show his character and how he treated Sabine. As the book progresses and Remy's feelings towards her change and grow, the writing style for his character becomes warmer and I found myself connecting with his character as he connected with Sabine. This was an interesting use of writing styles and I feel it paid off for the author.In case you were wondering, we do not find out what it is that makes Willow Creek a mystical place in this novel. Fortunately, Ms. Summers weaves a good story, so I am looking forward to reading the sequel to learn more about Sabine & Remy, the mystery behind Willow Creek, and Bastian and his (merry) band of vampires.I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!