wellreadandhalfdead's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Cursing
bibliorama's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Enjoyment - 3
Perfectly fine, middle of the road story that I mostly used as background noise at work. This could have been closer to a 4 star if we got more of the world and more from some of the side characters. We don't even get a final scene with Macy at the end after everything goes down. I would think after everything it would be important to get Grace's actual family's feelings about the aftermath.
Start - 4
I was down for the beginning. The introduction to the world was interesting and since Grace didn't know the truth of the world going in, it was kind of funny to see her try and rationalize the unhinged parts. I also really liked the descriptions of the school and the cold environment of Alaska.
Characters - 2.5
I like the premise of the characters, but for being over 500 pages, I still feel like these characters are mostly strangers. I feel like they would have benefited from more plot where they could interact more with each other rather all of them mostly interacting with Grace by themselves. Also since most of the time the characters were trying to hide pieces of information from Grace, it was hard to guage who these people really were. I mean for over half the book I was suspicious about Macy (who I still kind of am tbh) even though the surface level interactions we get she's perfectly nice and I quite like her. This is a similar phenomenon that I had with every character outside of Grace.
Atmosphere - 3
Again, I like cold weather. However, there wasn't enough of the school. I mean come on Grace's favorite subject was art and we never even see her in class? What was that about? There was a ton of potential for the school subjects to be wild and unhinged, but it never happens. I also wanted more interactions between the cliques that were setup at the beginning.
Plot - 1.5
Needed less insta-love and more plot. It would have helped everything and built the world up more. I think this story would have been better as a slow burn.
Ending - 3
Interesting for the most part and made sense. It didn't come out of left field which was nice, but the wrap-up was missing a lot of the consequences for what happened. I'm still not over the fact that Grace is almost sacrificed and we don't see her cousin or uncle's reaction to that??? I don't understand.
Style - 3
I really didn't mind Grace's narration. She had a lot of repetitive sentences but it didn't bug me here as it has with some books in the past. Maybe it was because I wasn't super invested and just wanted some entertainment.
Overall - 2.5
Some missed opportunities, that left me wanting more. I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series as where it ends isn't the most intriguing. I wish it would have setup the Vampire Queen for the second (I'm sure she'll come up later, but she needed to be teased here more)
Perfectly fine, middle of the road story that I mostly used as background noise at work. This could have been closer to a 4 star if we got more of the world and more from some of the side characters. We don't even get a final scene with Macy at the end after everything goes down. I would think after everything it would be important to get Grace's actual family's feelings about the aftermath.
Start - 4
I was down for the beginning. The introduction to the world was interesting and since Grace didn't know the truth of the world going in, it was kind of funny to see her try and rationalize the unhinged parts. I also really liked the descriptions of the school and the cold environment of Alaska.
Characters - 2.5
I like the premise of the characters, but for being over 500 pages, I still feel like these characters are mostly strangers. I feel like they would have benefited from more plot where they could interact more with each other rather all of them mostly interacting with Grace by themselves. Also since most of the time the characters were trying to hide pieces of information from Grace, it was hard to guage who these people really were. I mean for over half the book I was suspicious about Macy (who I still kind of am tbh) even though the surface level interactions we get she's perfectly nice and I quite like her. This is a similar phenomenon that I had with every character outside of Grace.
Atmosphere - 3
Again, I like cold weather. However, there wasn't enough of the school. I mean come on Grace's favorite subject was art and we never even see her in class? What was that about? There was a ton of potential for the school subjects to be wild and unhinged, but it never happens. I also wanted more interactions between the cliques that were setup at the beginning.
Plot - 1.5
Needed less insta-love and more plot. It would have helped everything and built the world up more. I think this story would have been better as a slow burn.
Ending - 3
Interesting for the most part and made sense. It didn't come out of left field which was nice, but the wrap-up was missing a lot of the consequences for what happened. I'm still not over the fact that Grace is almost sacrificed and we don't see her cousin or uncle's reaction to that??? I don't understand.
Style - 3
I really didn't mind Grace's narration. She had a lot of repetitive sentences but it didn't bug me here as it has with some books in the past. Maybe it was because I wasn't super invested and just wanted some entertainment.
Overall - 2.5
Some missed opportunities, that left me wanting more. I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series as where it ends isn't the most intriguing. I wish it would have setup the Vampire Queen for the second (I'm sure she'll come up later, but she needed to be teased here more)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Grief, and Medical content
mermaidmomma's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book started really slow and did seem cliche at many different points. I did have to step back and remind myself that I was not the intended audience for this book as a woman in her 30s. There were some pacing issues and different aspect of the book that I think I would have adored as a younger reader.
Yes there were elements of Twilight and the Vampire Diaries in this formula, but there is a reason those series did so well in the end. I wouldn't say this was my favorite, but I will for sure be reading more of this series.
Yes there were elements of Twilight and the Vampire Diaries in this formula, but there is a reason those series did so well in the end. I wouldn't say this was my favorite, but I will for sure be reading more of this series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Violence
bashsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I would probably not call this a "good" book, but it definitely has given me some serious entertainment & a lot to think about, including:
- This author's fixation with being over-the-top tongue-in-cheek about the genre in which she is writing. I have over a dozen quotes noted down where she has the MC mention this is "just like a romance novel" or "just like a horror movie". The worst offender is when the vampire love interest LITERALLY gives the MC a copy of Twilight. I will say, it is funny but perhaps not in the way the author intended.
- Dialogue is poorly-written, this is sometimes also very funny in an unintentional way.
- There is no rhyme or reason to lore, Twilight lore is more internally consistent than this.
- Going off of point #3, the outright fact that vampires are mammals in this universe and that born-vampires exist, but they cannot drink milk. Curious as to what baby vampires subsist on and how they get the mammal classification if their mothers don't feed them with milk.
- I don't want to spoil it but the Plot Twist Reveal about the MC made me cry I laughed so hard. I would call it brave, groundbreaking even, but my friend told me not to.
I am compelled by "bad" art that is supremely interesting and I am having a lot of fun liveblogging this series to my friends, so I will be reading the rest of them... but I don't want to recommend them unless that's the kind of thing you're into.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Grief, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Murder, Cursing, Stalking, Medical content, and Car accident
Minor: War and Vomit
takarakei's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Is this book good? Objectively no.
Is the writing good? Absolutely not.
Did I have a good time? An unhinged one, yes.
Will I be continuing the series? Yes for the absurdity factor alone.
I listened to the audiobook. It reads like an early 2000-2010s YA high school vampire series even though its from 2022??? The parallels to Twilight are stark and literally mentioned?! Nothing makes sense. There is no plot. It's insta-lovey in all the worst/best ways. The dialogue is cringe worthy. If you are here for a trashy good time then sure, it's maybe for you.
1.5/5 🌶️
Is the writing good? Absolutely not.
Did I have a good time? An unhinged one, yes.
Will I be continuing the series? Yes for the absurdity factor alone.
I listened to the audiobook. It reads like an early 2000-2010s YA high school vampire series even though its from 2022??? The parallels to Twilight are stark and literally mentioned?! Nothing makes sense. There is no plot. It's insta-lovey in all the worst/best ways. The dialogue is cringe worthy. If you are here for a trashy good time then sure, it's maybe for you.
1.5/5 🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Murder, Car accident, and Cursing
stagemanaginger's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
pritenpink2's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I liked the book well enough and I would recommend it to people who like fantasy and vampire books. The reviews for this book often compare it to Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight. Part of me likes Crave better than Twilight. While cringey moments are bound to happen, the moments in Crave were sweeter and kept me turning the pages while Twilight occasionally had me putting the book down from secondhand embarrassment. That is part of the reason why I like Crave better. I was not a fan of the ending though. There was a lot of buildup to that point, and the ending was not what I was hoping for. Having said that, I can look back and see a bit of foreshadowing throughout the book that hints at the ending. There were also a couple of times where details were incorrect or forgotten and it happens on occasion, but when I noticed the errors it made me pause, go back, and reread which is something we are hoping to avoid as readers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail
tiak143's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Spoiler
Overall, a good book! It was almost a bit “insta-love” to me, and I didn’t love the abbreviations for slang read aloud (FML, AF, etc.), but aside from that I really enjoyed it.I was reallllyyy not expecting the ending; not sure how a gargoyle will play out, but I’m excited for something new!
I thought the characters were all really flushed out well, and the storyline made sense. It was well written! It’s a 3 star read for me simply because 1) I probably won’t be reading it again, 2) not sure it’s at the top of my recommendations list, and 3) it just didn’t grab me by the throat so I couldn’t stop reading.
Absolutely nothing wrong with it, just not a 5 star for me 😊
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
josbooknook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was such a blast! I wish I had been able to read this at the age of 14, it would have changed my life 🤣. The dark, brooding, sexy, I hate everybody but you and touch her and you’ll die vampire love interest and the sweet, naive, romantic, traumatized human falling for each other is a trope that I will fall for time and again. Don’t get me wrong. Some parts were so cheesy (like the constant reminder of how smoking hot and sexy Jaxon was to Grace). BUT!!!! I loved it. I love paranormal stories, especially ones with vampires. And I love how each vampire story follows slightly different lore, so you get to rediscover vampire lore each time you get it from a different source.
What’s more is the mysterious ancient Alaskan castle boarding school that Grace ends up attending (Katmere academy) is like the combo Skyrim and Harry Potter and Old French palace of my dreams.
As I suspected, this book left us on quite a cliff hanger, so I will for sure we picking up the next book soon.
What’s more is the mysterious ancient Alaskan castle boarding school that Grace ends up attending (Katmere academy) is like the combo Skyrim and Harry Potter and Old French palace of my dreams.
As I suspected, this book left us on quite a cliff hanger, so I will for sure we picking up the next book soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
_hsquared_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was what i wanted twilight to be. It was a 3.5/5 for me because it was pretty slow in the world building and telling of what happened but I enjoyed the chapters from Jaxon’s POV at the end. I will definitely read the second book because I enjoyed the story line and am excited to see what happens!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Death, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Blood