A Need so Beautiful by Suzanne Young
Age Group: Young Adult (M*)
Pages (Hardcover): 276
Series: A Need So Beautiful (Book 1)
Read Next: A Want So Wicked
Source: Library
ISBN-13: 9780062008244
Genre: Urban Fantasy
*This book contains mature themes
We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten...
Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.
But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.
Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.
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Overview:
I'm at a loss of what to actually rate this book. I liked it, there were definite parts I didn't like, but it was in fact beautiful. When I finished this book, it stayed with me, lingering in my thoughts and it pretty rare that a book reaches me like that. But there was something about this book that didn't reach my expectations yet I'm not disappointed.
Review:
If the overview of my thoughts is anything to go by, this book left me confused on whether or not I actually enjoyed it. In the beginning, we are introduced to Charlotte and her extremely unique situation. Charlotte has a beautiful gift that she refers to as The Need; this need compels her to people who need to be saved. In powerful ways, this gift changes lives but it also changes Charlotte because this is her destiny. Every time Charlotte pours herself into this need, she loses herself as part of the Forgotten.
Essentially, Charlotte is an angel in this breathtaking and unique spin on what it actually means to be an angel. Charlotte is a strongly defined and created character. She is loving, empathic, compassionate, and a teenager who wishes only to live. She doesn't have to be strong enough to fight wars or evil incarnate trying to take over the world, she only has be to be strong enough to live her life and fulfill her destiny and I think a lot of times we, as readers, struggle to do that very same thing.
I believe the aspects of this book that I didn't like stem from the note of mature content that I have included. I understand that the bond between Charlotte and Harlin is unique and special and that it requires illustration of just how powerful it is, but I felt this book was too focused around that illustration being sex. For all its beauty, this book was a incredibly sex driven. I believe it is strongly for this reason that it doesn't get a better overall "rating" because I was that distracted by the content and it honestly takes a lot for me to say that.
In the end, I was left with the perfect amount of closure but with a heartbreaking desire to read A Want so Wicked. I was also left with a hint of sadness for this could have been a beautiful and gripping stand-alone for it ended in such glory. It would have left readers with a rare ending not typically found in YA literature and with a radiant story, but alas our journey with Charlotte continues and I can't wait to embark upon it.
Rating out of 5:
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