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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was really digging the story at the start, but things dragging in the middle got so annoying; by the time the pace picked up, and boy did it pick up, I was conflicted on whether I liked it or not.
Definitely be careful reading this if you're sensitive to emotional abuse. A lot of this was frustrating, but I'm pretty sure it's intentional: the frustration came from the unrealistic expectations from an abusive authority figure, as well as willful ignorance from a truly awful friend.Speaking of them, I was so upset at the girls for just letting all but one of the villains survive. Of course two of them immediately started causing problems for them, the other remaining one is def getting revenge too. That was so dumb on their part, I couldn't even feel too excited for Elise sticking up for herself on the last page, since all I could think is how dumb it was she let her father survive in the first place.
I liked the romance, althoughdecisions from Elise at the very end had me baffled and I could not tell why she wouldn't think Layla would be upset with her?? I was screaming at this girl being so stupid. It felt so off. As for the mystery, I enjoyed it when it was going on... But in the middle, all plot progression comes to a grinding halt. It's like every other step the duo take in their investigation, we have to be treated to a long diatribe of everyone around them hating them for... doing what they're supposed to? Spoiler territory: Okay, so I get Elise's abusive father is blinded by his hatred and nothing she could've done would have been good enough for him. I get that part - although we got way too much of it interrupting the plot, in my opinion. But then Layla's clan in the Hotel Clarice gets kind of worse in the unreasonable department? At the start of the investigation, they want nothing to do with her and insist she clean up her own mess. But once she does, they're upset that she's not doing it in a way they have never communicated to her before? We get a lot from them about Layla's loyalties, and it's like - first of all, YOU all turned your backs first, and second, what the hell is she supposed to do then?! She can't prove her innocence without working with Elise Saint. Those were the terms. Things would get so much worse if she suddenly killed Elise Saint. And later on in the book, they get upset with her about drinking Elise's blood! And actually, they were also warning that messing with the Saints would get everyone in trouble, so what the fuck?! What do these people want?! It's like their personality and opinions is whatever would be the most antagonistic in the moment. Mei got it the worse, but she at least redeemed herself in the end. I feel like I'm missing something? Was there something with the Harlem reapers that accidentally got axed in the edits, but then the later parts related to that stayed in the book, without previous context making it make sense?
Anyway, all of the above is the reason I couldn't rate this past 4 stars, plus the pacing. The pacing gets especially bad at the end because, after having so many dragging moments in the middle, suddenly plot developments are happening at breakneck speed. More stuff happened in the last 5 chapters in the book than it did in like double the amount in the middle. I wouldn't have minded that speed, if the entire rest of the book wasn't so slow that the sudden shift in pace ended up kind of jarring. At first I was excited that stuff was finally happening, but then it was like - okay, that's a lot, and that's fast, where was all this earlier in the book?!
I haven't been burned by the book enough that I won't be picking up the next one, though.
Bonus section, ranking the friend characters in this:Unironically the gangster, Jamie Kelly, is the best friend character in this book. I was shocked he didn't turn out as a backstabber; I thought a lot of what Sterling ended up being was going to be him. Speaking of Sterling, he's in dead last! Because bro picked the fucking abuser over the victim, projecting his trauma so much he thinks his so-called best friend should just deal with and be grateful for an abusive family because "at least she still has a living one". Fuck him, fuck him so much. I wanted Elise to scream about the destruction of her piano, the physical abuse, the fear she has her father might genuinely hurt Josi, how much of her anxiety revolves around him - but her stabbing him with ultra-venom was cool too. Wish he actually died though. Mei is second last for all the inconsistent antagonism I detailed above, but at least she redeemed herself in her dying moments, choosing to destroy herself rather than Layla. Thalia wasn't in this much due to being the murder victim, but in the time she was around she was a good enough friend to be in the middle. Second best friend was Giana, in my opinion.
Definitely be careful reading this if you're sensitive to emotional abuse. A lot of this was frustrating, but I'm pretty sure it's intentional: the frustration came from the unrealistic expectations from an abusive authority figure, as well as willful ignorance from a truly awful friend.
I liked the romance, although
Anyway, all of the above is the reason I couldn't rate this past 4 stars, plus the pacing. The pacing gets especially bad at the end because, after having so many dragging moments in the middle, suddenly plot developments are happening at breakneck speed. More stuff happened in the last 5 chapters in the book than it did in like double the amount in the middle. I wouldn't have minded that speed, if the entire rest of the book wasn't so slow that the sudden shift in pace ended up kind of jarring. At first I was excited that stuff was finally happening, but then it was like - okay, that's a lot, and that's fast, where was all this earlier in the book?!
I haven't been burned by the book enough that I won't be picking up the next one, though.
Bonus section, ranking the friend characters in this:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Minor: Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, War
Genuinely loved the story as it was full of twists the whole time. The sapphic romance was a beautiful thing to read. I’m excited to see where the second book takes this story.
In “This Ravenous Fate,” Hayley Dennings spins a captivating tale set in early 20th century Harlem, where race, identity, and the supernatural collide. Dennings blends fantasy and historical fiction against the backdrop of Harlem's lively streets and jazz clubs. What really got me was how the characters, like Layla and Elise, grapple with their identities as women of color and part of the LGBTQ+ community – it added so much depth to their narrative. Layla and Elise deal with the drama between humans and reapers, which mirrors the struggles of real-life marginalized communities. The book throws in some classic tropes like enemies-to-lovers and a touch of Romeo and Juliet. It felt a tad long, but overall, it was a solid read. Shoutout to Netgalley for the ARC! 4.5 ⭐️
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
3.75 ✨rounded up
This was a very unique setting and story, it wasn’t like anything I’ve ever read before. That is what I loved about it, I also loved how the book also really spoke on certain topics that are relevant to this day such as racism.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the pacing seemed a little off to me, and the ending just felt a little unsatisfactory I guess?
It was a good book it just wasn’t amazing in my opinion!
This was a very unique setting and story, it wasn’t like anything I’ve ever read before. That is what I loved about it, I also loved how the book also really spoke on certain topics that are relevant to this day such as racism.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the pacing seemed a little off to me, and the ending just felt a little unsatisfactory I guess?
It was a good book it just wasn’t amazing in my opinion!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
beautifully painful romance that takes a unique perspective on vampirism as a product of medical experimentation on black bodies. the characters’ struggles with grief, abuse, love, and betrayal are portrayed well. overall a good pick for fans of lesbian horror that actually says something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Slavery, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes