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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book! I love vampire stories and even better when there’s estranged best friends and/or enemies to lovers. I liked Elise and Layla and I’m looking forward to seeing where their story goes in book two.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unfortunately this fell flat for me. The plot felt both rushed and slow at the same time. Interesting concepts were explored, but nothing felt cemented in the reality of the plot. The point of view changed at a break neck speed, and the characters were not fleshed out enough to actually be able to distinguish who was who at times.
As much as I wanted to love this book, gay vampires is my whole thing, this was not for me. After 100 pages we finally got a little plot development, but nothing that made me want to keep reading this.
There were some moments where you could tell some lore building was supposed to happen but it got glossed over so quickly. Layla eats strawberries, the one food she can eat without feeling disgusted. Okay cool maybe we are going to learn something about this worlds vampires, nope, just brush past that without much to add to it. Layla has enhanced strength, so she can pick up a large crate of alcohol, let’s expand on that more! Nope. Nothing. Give me world building, give me something.
I’m also really not into calling vampires anything besides vampires, so calling them reapers really bugged me.
Everyone’s biting on their lower lip and no one seems to have much personality.
Wish I could have liked this.
As much as I wanted to love this book, gay vampires is my whole thing, this was not for me. After 100 pages we finally got a little plot development, but nothing that made me want to keep reading this.
There were some moments where you could tell some lore building was supposed to happen but it got glossed over so quickly. Layla eats strawberries, the one food she can eat without feeling disgusted. Okay cool maybe we are going to learn something about this worlds vampires, nope, just brush past that without much to add to it. Layla has enhanced strength, so she can pick up a large crate of alcohol, let’s expand on that more! Nope. Nothing. Give me world building, give me something.
I’m also really not into calling vampires anything besides vampires, so calling them reapers really bugged me.
Everyone’s biting on their lower lip and no one seems to have much personality.
Wish I could have liked this.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Black sapphic Harlem Renaissance vampire x heiress childhood best friends to enemies to begrudging allies to lovers. I can’t wait for book two, it’s just as good as it sounds.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to like this but it just didn’t deliver on any of the things ai wanted. The jazz age new york vibes were completely absent, the vampires were kind of strange and a little goofy almost, which was not the intent. The romance?? maybe i missed something but I just didn’t feel any development and it honestly felt like they just reconciled bc of the drug like effects of the blood sucking? Idk i’m not a vampire girly so maybe I just don’t get it.
The dialogue was really stilted, and omg the little sister? She was so freaking annoying. The whole family dynamic felt really forced and very inorganic. The mom apologizing at the end felt very forced Encanto haha
Ultimately really sad about this one, it had a lot of potential and I think that Ms Dennings also has a lot of potential! But it was not realized in this book imo
The dialogue was really stilted, and omg the little sister? She was so freaking annoying. The whole family dynamic felt really forced and very inorganic. The mom apologizing at the end felt very forced Encanto haha
Ultimately really sad about this one, it had a lot of potential and I think that Ms Dennings also has a lot of potential! But it was not realized in this book imo
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I liked the book because I'm a sucker for vampires and sapphic romances. I just felt like there was a lot missing for me and I felt like this was done before :/
I know the book is about New York in the 1920s, but it often didn't feel like that to me. Unfortunately, I like when the setting speaks to the story. What would this story have been like if it was based in the California in the 1920s? Or Georgia? Or South Carolina? The setting felt so ambiguous that it could have happened anywhere.
One of the main characters is a Black woman pianist, but we have no idea what music she is playing and what music means to her beyond using it for her anxiety or to gain praise from her parents. One character feels sad, hopeless, or angry because of the trauma that happened to her but it doesn't feel nuanced to me. I didn't feel devastation as she talked about leaving her past life to be a vampire, it just felt like "this is the past." What if the author would have given us more flashbacks to that characters life as a dancer and how balancing on her feet made her feel? I think then I would have felt more invested in her story.
The medical racism in the story, felt like more could have been added to really highlight how it has harmed Black people at the time. I really wish we had a flashback of the oldest vampire in the book's when she was changed due to scientific experiments.
I know the book is about New York in the 1920s, but it often didn't feel like that to me. Unfortunately, I like when the setting speaks to the story. What would this story have been like if it was based in the California in the 1920s? Or Georgia? Or South Carolina? The setting felt so ambiguous that it could have happened anywhere.
One of the main characters is a Black woman pianist, but we have no idea what music she is playing and what music means to her beyond using it for her anxiety or to gain praise from her parents. One character feels sad, hopeless, or angry because of the trauma that happened to her but it doesn't feel nuanced to me. I didn't feel devastation as she talked about leaving her past life to be a vampire, it just felt like "this is the past." What if the author would have given us more flashbacks to that characters life as a dancer and how balancing on her feet made her feel? I think then I would have felt more invested in her story.
The medical racism in the story, felt like more could have been added to really highlight how it has harmed Black people at the time. I really wish we had a flashback of the oldest vampire in the book's when she was changed due to scientific experiments.
I was 50% in and so bored. The book was predictable and the characters were boring. I don’t think this is a bad book, but it’s not for me.
I went into this with high hopes, but unfortunately this was not it. Boring plot and boring characters. Where was the Harlem renaissance in this??
I had very high hopes for this, but it fell short for me. The writing could have used another run-through to get rid of the repetitive words and make the world a little less shallow.
Not planning on reading the next one.
Not planning on reading the next one.
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am disappointed by this read.
I anticipated this to be much more satisfying than it was — the premise: childhood friends to enemies to lovers, vampire hunter versus vampire, all set in the Harlem renaissance intrigued me — but found that its pace was much slower than expected. Which, usually wouldn’t be a problem, however, some scenes felt repetitive and the plot within itself was not substantial enough to fully grasp my attention; the interest of how our couple would eventually come together was my sole motivating factor to finish this read.
Upon nearing the end of the story, there were a lot of attempts of shocking plot twists that, ultimately, failed to land for me and I found myself bored.
Layla and Elise’s relationship did feel authentic — considering their history — but by the time they did get together, it just wasn’t exciting enough to make the journey worth it.
While I do have my grievances with this book, I am impressed by Denning’s imagery and prose. If you are interested in giving this read a shot and assessing it for yourself, I say go ahead — it might not be my cup of tea but it may be yours.
I anticipated this to be much more satisfying than it was — the premise: childhood friends to enemies to lovers, vampire hunter versus vampire, all set in the Harlem renaissance intrigued me — but found that its pace was much slower than expected. Which, usually wouldn’t be a problem, however, some scenes felt repetitive and the plot within itself was not substantial enough to fully grasp my attention; the interest of how our couple would eventually come together was my sole motivating factor to finish this read.
Upon nearing the end of the story, there were a lot of attempts of shocking plot twists that, ultimately, failed to land for me and I found myself bored.
Layla and Elise’s relationship did feel authentic — considering their history — but by the time they did get together, it just wasn’t exciting enough to make the journey worth it.
While I do have my grievances with this book, I am impressed by Denning’s imagery and prose. If you are interested in giving this read a shot and assessing it for yourself, I say go ahead — it might not be my cup of tea but it may be yours.