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ashleyvharris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A fun, romantic vampire story that feels inspired by some of the 2000’s most popular YA series, most obviously, Twilight.
The derivativeness of book 1 is crystal clear, but Wolff never tries to hide that or pretend otherwise. She embraces the role that Twilight has played in her writing by briefly mentioning the book and acknowledges its existence in the world she’s created. Although, I think the execution of this scene isn’t quite smooth enough, I recognize Wolf’s intention.
I enjoyed the characters in Book 1 a lot. Most of them felt well-defined and dynamic. Jaxon Vega clearly a stand out as the tortured anti-hero, the final and additional chapters from his perspective were wonderful and added extra dimension to his character and those particular scenes.
Understanding this is Book 1 of a 4-book series, I couldn’t help but be a little frustrated with the ambiguity of some details. Wolff doesn’t dive into many specifics of how the supernaturals operate within the world she’s building which leaves a lot of gray area for readers. Other details, like Amka’s note for Flint in the library or Lia and Jackson’s altercation in the gazebo , are described but never explained.
Overall, the plot isn’t the strongest, but Wolf’s characters make up for much of it with witty dialogue and believable interactions. The real star here, much like in Twilight, is the love story. Grace and Jaxon have chemistry and tension for miles and it’s easy to root for them. I’m looking forward to what plot twists throw their course off track and how they find their way back to one another.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Gore, and Medical content
Minor: Child abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Car accident, Murder, and War
leonormsousa's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Is Crave the next literary masterpiece? Clearly not. Does it deliver everything that it promises? It sure as hell does! It’s funny and addicting and I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. It’s the kind of book that keeps you hooked and entertained while maintaining a very lighthearted vibe. It almost feels like a bit of a parody on those typical vampire young adult stories and that’s exactly the kind of edge that makes it so interesting! It’s maybe not the kind of book where you’ll find the cream-of-the-top characters (and character development) or a plot that completely blows your mind but once again, that’s not what you are looking for in a book with such a comedic aspect to it (if you are, maybe it’s time to switch expectations). While I usually tend to almost “ignore” the titles of book chapters, Crave’s are so so good, that you’ll have a good laugh just scrolling through the content page. There’s not much else to say except that I’m now very upset that I decided to only read books I already own since I do not own book two in the series so I’ll have to wait to read it 😢 In the meanwhile I do recommend this book, although I think you really need to get into it with the right expectations to be able to enjoy it for what it is!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
You know that it's a good book when you literally can't put it down, fly through it, and then have the worst book hangover ever after reading it. That's how I felt about Crave.
The best way to describe this book is a throwback to 2010's YA paranormal romance - and I loved every second of it. There's no depth. There's a ton of cringe. There's teen angst. There are all of my favorite paranormals (vampires, werewolves, dragons, witches, and gargoyles). There are moments that get your heart racing and other moments that make you roll your eyes. It was fantastic.
I buddy-read this book, and if you were to go through the comments we wrote during our buddy-read, you would be cackling. We were ridiculous with the number of times we predicted things, laughed over cliches, and just fangirled throughout the book. It was so fun to read with someone else who grew up loving the same kind of books as I did because it just made the experience even more enjoyable.
Honestly, if you were a Twilight or Vampire Academy fan, you will love this book. I'm gonna even go so far as to say "love this series" because even though I haven't read the rest yet, I can't see myself being anything less than obsessed with the next few installations in the series. In fact, I have a strong desire to just toss aside my carefully planned TBR to binge them all! It's that good.
Don't go into this thinking you're going to read some profound fantasy with political intrigue and emotional depth. Look elsewhere for that. But if you want something REALLY FUN and nostalgic, this is definitely the next book you should pick up!
The best way to describe this book is a throwback to 2010's YA paranormal romance - and I loved every second of it. There's no depth. There's a ton of cringe. There's teen angst. There are all of my favorite paranormals (vampires, werewolves, dragons, witches, and gargoyles). There are moments that get your heart racing and other moments that make you roll your eyes. It was fantastic.
I buddy-read this book, and if you were to go through the comments we wrote during our buddy-read, you would be cackling. We were ridiculous with the number of times we predicted things, laughed over cliches, and just fangirled throughout the book. It was so fun to read with someone else who grew up loving the same kind of books as I did because it just made the experience even more enjoyable.
Honestly, if you were a Twilight or Vampire Academy fan, you will love this book. I'm gonna even go so far as to say "love this series" because even though I haven't read the rest yet, I can't see myself being anything less than obsessed with the next few installations in the series. In fact, I have a strong desire to just toss aside my carefully planned TBR to binge them all! It's that good.
Don't go into this thinking you're going to read some profound fantasy with political intrigue and emotional depth. Look elsewhere for that. But if you want something REALLY FUN and nostalgic, this is definitely the next book you should pick up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
criticalbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder
kinsportch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Kidnapping
adhme2714's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect with this. I had heart great things but as I mostly read new adult and adult fantasy I was a bit skeptical about reading something set in a high school. I was pleasantly surprised. I will say it dragged a little bit in the first half. But once it picked up it really picked up and I cranked through it. I can definitely see myself reading this again and recommending it to people.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Car accident, and Death of parent
sin_'s review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
amaramorgenstern's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Spannender als Twilight, allerdings ist es auch eine dreiste Twilight Kopie. Die Welt der Protagonistin dreht sich ausschließlich um Jackson. Vom Internat bekommt man keinen verbleibenden Eindruck
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Death of parent
Minor: War
maddy_sofie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Loooooved it. First half of the book hilarious! I couldn't hold my myself from laughing cause knowing about all of the paranormal species in the school and Grace has no clue was just enough to send me over the cliff and dieing of laughter (I mean Jaxon and his gifts?!). I loved how self-deprecating the book was and how knowingly clichéd (last one got on my nerves from time to time though) . The end has me just wanting for more and I'm glad that I can just order it and don't have to wait for the second part to release 💪🏼
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence and Murder
lestie4short's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and Blood
Minor: Death, Torture, Xenophobia, Grief, and Death of parent