A Want So Wicked [Hardcover]

Suzanne Young (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 26, 2012

In the sequel to Suzanne Young’s A Need So Beautiful, seventeen-year-old Elise 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 effect 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.
 
Readers of the Sweet Evil trilogy will love A Want So Wicked, a wildly romantic thriller that explores the nature of good and evil.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“More action-packed and just as compelling, A Want So Wicked is a worthy sequel to last year’s gorgeous A Need So Beautiful. Led by a strong and grounded heroine, Young’s characters are caught in a destiny of loss and forgetting. Their journey will draw you in.” (Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood )

“Fans of the first and others who enjoy gothic fantasy-suspense will relish this sequel with its archetypal triangle of Forgotten, Shadows, and Seers.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) )

“Packed with mystery, unexpected plot twists, and enough romance to satisfy even the most diehard Twi-hards, this novel is just as riveting as its predecessor.” (School Library Journal )

Praise for A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL:“A clever and well-written fantasy.” (Booklist (starred review) )

“Although the message of this exquisite fantasy is deeply and spiritually profound, the author manages to convey it without sounding preachy or pretentious…The ending is beautiful, although bittersweet. A unique take on the age-old struggle of good vs. evil.” (School Library Journal )

“A gripping supernatural romance…An imaginative twist on the timeless battle between dark and light.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“A beautiful, poignant, and gripping tale of love and sacrifice.” (Carrie Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth )

“A Need So Beautiful is equal parts haunting mystery, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, and epic love story. Charlotte’s story captured me-and still hasn’t let me go!” (Kimberly Derting, author of The Body Finder )

From the Back Cover

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 effect 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?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Balzer + Bray (June 26, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062008269
• ISBN-13: 978-0062008268
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #930,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Suzanne Young currently lives in Tempe, Arizona, where she drafts novels on restaurant napkins while eating chimichangas. After earning her degree in creative writing, Suzanne spent several years teaching middle school language arts. She is also the author of A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL. You can visit her online at www.suzanne-young.blogspot.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!!! July 13, 2012

By K. Sowa

Format:Hardcover

When I finished the last line of A Need So Beautiful, I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. It has been a long wait for book two and I was not disappointed. We meet a new Forgotten, Elise, but this story is a little more complicated. Many of the same players are back, but Elise is special and much of the book involves her struggle to understand who she is and what it means for the people around her. You will feel a bit like a Seer yourself as you watch the story unfold, already knowing what is at stake. There are new threats from the Shadows, and some old ones, as well. The combination of old and new characters made this quite the page turner.

A Want So Wicked was a fantastic follow up to A Need So Beautiful. Like its predecessor, I couldn't put it down and I started and finished it in one day. (I may have stayed up pretty late that night.) I didn't think I could get as attached to someone that wasn't Charlotte, but Elise, while different, was just as engaging. Her circumstances were different, of course, but the way that she is written will draw you in. What to say about Harlin? He is the same, but a little more damaged and still recovering from his loss several months earlier. However, he is as kind and appealing as he was before, and it was so great to have him back for this book. I think one of the most appealing things about this story was the fact that we met new people, but still felt like our friends from book one were with us. Suzanne Young has written a sequel that is emotional, adventurous and highly entertaining. Don't start this book too late at night because you will want to stay up way past your bedtime just to finish it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Harlin stole my heart; & Suzanne Young's writing is brilliant! July 3, 2012

By Loretta @ Between The Pages

Format:Hardcover

Last year I read A Need So Beautiful. I was captivated by the characters and the world that Young had created. It left me with an empty tissue box and a feeling of utter joy. I was so exited about the release of A Want So Wicked. I had no idea where the book would go from the last pages of ANSB, and that was the beauty in the book. I was not let down in the least.
I fell in love with Suzanne Young's writing in A Need So Beautiful.
A Want So Wicked was amazing.. One thing is for sure. Young knows just how to create a beautifully, wicked story that also has hot swoon worthy guys!

So when I received A Want So Wicked in the mail from Suzanne herself, I was so very honored to read this book, find out what had come of A Need So Beautiful. I have to say that I am still left wanting more. So much more...I am hoping and wishing that there is a book 3 to complete this amazing series.

In A Want So Wicked we meet Elise Landon. Who lives with her sister, Lucy, who is the "wild child" always doing what she can to rebel, against her father. But there is something about Lucy that changes, her mood shifts, and she becomes way more rebellious! What is Lucy hiding? Their father is a pastor at the local church, and he is overbearing at times, but after he lost his wife, he just cannot fathom loosing his daughters as well.
They just moved to Thistle, Arizona from Colorado, and everything is just way different. They literally live in the land of nowhere, and this place includes tumbleweeds. Seriously.
Elise is really the calm one. Always tries to do the right thing. But lately there is something about Elise that is different. These dreams she has that feel so real, like she is actually living them, even though she doesn't know who or what she is dreaming about.... To the sorta Déjà vu moments, that throw her off big time. How can you have Déjà vu about something you have never did or encountered before? But maybe she has.. some way or another.
Then you meet Abe, one of her coworkers at Santo's! "Hot" coworker, but there is something about him that is off. Something that Elise cannot seem to put her finger on. Something dangerous. What is it? Whatever it is... it is unsettling.
It seems that between Abe, and the mysterious man on the motorcycle, that Elise has her hands full. There is something about the mysterious man on the motorcycle, who introduced his self as, Harlin. *sigh* & something about him is irresistible, and it feels like she knows him. But how?
It's not until Elise visits a fortune teller, her whole life is turned upside down. She will learn that no, she is not who she thinks she is. & it seems that she and Harlin are linked in more ways then she could have ever imagined.
Elise must come to terms with many things. And realize that maybe the crazy old woman with her Shadow talk.. is not just crazy.. but that there is something out there dark, mysterious & deadly.
The Shadows.
And Elise must make a choice. A choice that will save the ones she loves.

Oh SUZANNE YOUNG, how the heck do you do it.
A Want So Wicked, was so amazing. This book had me on the edge of my seat. I was in awe!! Elise was such a good character. Even though she had such a hard time understanding, I MEAN.. who wouldn't. Elise did what she needed to do for the ones she loved!! She was brave. Had a heart of gold, and I felt so very connected to her just as I did Charlotte in ANSB!
Harlin, dear sweet mother of sexy, what can I say about Harlin? Where do I even begin. Harlin is Harlin. Just this good guy with this heart that will make you melt in a puddle... and just "AWE" yourself to death.
"I'm sorry for sending you away," he says "But I'm more sorry for the fact that I can't help loving you. And I need you to love me, too."
I had so many moments while reading this book, where I just stopped, and thought "Wow, this is an amazing book"
I remember when I read the first bit, where Elise was working at Santo's and Harlin introduced himself, can I just say.. "Chills"!!
It's something special when you connect to a book so strongly. ANSB was one that I was SO connected with, and while reading AWSW I just knew, this would be one too. I love the writing style, characters, plot. Everything. To me this book was perfect. And Suzanne, I thank you for that. No matter what, never stop writing. It was beautiful, mysterious, and so captivating. Amazing. Bottom line!
"Even when I didn't know you, my soul still missed you." Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars I liked the first book,but the sequel was a dud August 1, 2012

By Ashleigh VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Also appears on my blog, The YA Kitten! My copy was an ARC I won from the publisher in a giveaway.

I liked A Need So Beautiful. Sure, it had its issues, but I had fun reading it and I was kind of looking forward to its sequel A Want So Wicked. Now I'm left wondering how a series went from decent to just plain bad in one 288-page book.

I picked up this book instead of another one because I needed to get this series finished and I wanted to divert my attention away from the other, more detestable book I was reading. One can only read a book that makes her blood boil for so long before she needs something to soothe the flames. Though I didn't enjoy A Want So Wicked, it occupied me in the one day it took me to read it and didn't make me want to scream, and that's what I wanted from it more than anything. That's the best part.

Part of the magic of A Need So Beautiful was Charlotte's conflict with what she was meant to do and her inevitable fate slowly encroaching upon her, making even her best friend and the family she'd lived with as long as she could remember forget who she was. A Want So Wicked lacks this magic and treads the exact same ground only with far less wonder because readers have already seen it play out. This book is more focused on the Shadows, how they become what they are, and what they have to do to survive, but more of the focus still is on the love triangle.

Both love interests come on too heavy and their relationships with Elise get no development; it's insta-love all the way and there is't much to get invested in with either Abe/Elise or Harlin/Elise. The development of the story isn't particularly notable, the twists are obvious from miles away, and reincarnation as this book wants it to work is not how reincarnation works.... I was rather irritated to see the solid concept of reincarnation twisted only to keep the romance in the acceptable age bracket. YA readers might not be supportive of a romance between a thirty-something Harlin and seventeen-year-old Elise, so Charlotte is somehow reincarnated into someone who has already been alive for seventeen years.

One of the male characters was even called a slut! The solution to slut-shaming is not to start using that detestable slur on men; it's to not call anyone a slut at all for any reason. (Reading so many books in a row where there is unchallenged slut-shaming is going to make me crack sooner or later...)

As far as I know, this series is only a duology and there will be no third book, though the ending is certainly open-ended enough for there to be more books if the author chooses to write them. With some assurance they will cover new ground and not be a repeat of previous books the way A Want So Wicked was, I might read them. Read more ›