Crave, by Melissa Darnell
Crave, by Melissa Darnell
The Clann Series, book 1
reviewed by Sue
Savannah Colbert has never known why she’s so hated by the kids of the Clann. Nor can she deny her instinct to get close to Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman. Especially when she recovers from a strange illness and the attraction becomes nearly irresistible. It’s as if he’s a magnet, pulling her gaze, her thoughts, even her dreams. Her family has warned her to have nothing to do with him, or any members of the Clann. But when Tristan is suddenly everywhere she goes, Savannah fears she’s destined to fail.
For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can’t stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences…
This review contains SPOILERS! (Don’t say I didn’t warn ye)
Crave is the first book in The Clann series, and deals with Tristan and Savannah trying to stay away from each other despite the fact that they are madly in love with each other. Tristan is not just a descendant of the Clann, he’s THE descendant of the Clann – the son of the Clann’s leader. He is being groomed to become the next leader, even though he has no desire for the title. The Clann pretty much rules the small town of Jacksonville, Texas (a town so small it doesn’t have a mall, but it has a huge resort like lake and a massive dance/drill team that is so popular that it practices a million hours a week), and makes Savannah’s life miserable.
Savannah has the misfortune to be raised by her mother and grandmother, who are both ousted members of The Clann. They know how miserable Savannah is, and they see how much the high school aged members of the Clann make her life miserable, yet they never seem to really care.
Savannah and Tristan are in love and have been since the 4th grade, but must stay away from each other because their parents told them to. To be frank, I’m a 33 year old woman and can’t figure out when I’m in love with a man or not. I have a hard time imagining a Freshman in High School knowing this. Granted these two kids are a little special, but it’s a bit difficult to believe. That’s not to say the writer doesn’t do a good job writing them in love, because she does, it’s just that I find it hard to believe they are underclassmen, not college kids.
In the first third of the book, we discover that Savannah’s jerkwad father is actually a vampire and that’s why Sav’s mom and grandma were ousted from the Clann – because they broke the rules. In order to be allowed to remain in Jacksonville, they have to agree to not teach Savannah any magic, and be okay with the fact that everyone in town treats their daughter/granddaughter like shit.
Eventually, Tristan and Savannah can’t resist their feelings for each other and to that I say good for them! High school is crappy enough without having snobby people around trying to tell you what to do and how to live your life. Unfortunately, Sav’s more vampire than witch and the Vampire Council has to intervene.
This is a very interesting book, and was a refreshing read. I enjoyed the different spin on the whole forbidden love thing. I liked the idea that these characters are both supernatural creatures and can pretty much hold their own against the other. The writing was fun and the supporting characters – while not in the book a lot – still have plenty of dimension to them. Unfortunately, it started to slow down and lose it’s way about 2/3 the way through. I found myself skimming just to finish the book.
Overall I give Crave 2 out of 5 Moons.
It was an okay book and kept me interested, but I’m not sure that I plan to read the rest of the series. It was a bit too long for me, and some of the events were a bit of a stretch. I recommend this book to it’s target demographic, which is girls in high school. If you enjoyed Twilight, you’ll really sink your teeth into this one.
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