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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence
enjoyed the vibes up until the ending, Elise just kind of got on my nerves the whole time i’m sorry!
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
I was so looking forward to this… unfortunately I was just incredibly bored the entire time
I really wanted to like this book. It took me about 10 chapters to understand what was going on and I actually had to go to my library to get the physical book to read and understand. I did love the narrator’s voice throughout the book. I normally love the whole time frame of the old jazz times but the constant reminder of the time period and the overall depth it was very hard for me to not DNF.
Sapphic, vampires, 1920s Harlem, speakeasies, and gangsters.
3.5 stars, DELICIOUS debut. The setting is off the charts and the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance actually hits. Almost the entire primary cast is black and the book discusses racism and class on top of the primarily vampire-centric plot.
This was a solid 4 star read until the last 10% where things just keep happening and happening, scenes skip to different times and locations without giving the reader a second to process what just happened. My only other complaint is that I wish the main characters were 3-5 years older than they are (18). I know this is YA, but when they talk about the feelings they had 5 years ago (13) it was hard to take seriously.
3.5 stars, DELICIOUS debut. The setting is off the charts and the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance actually hits. Almost the entire primary cast is black and the book discusses racism and class on top of the primarily vampire-centric plot.
This was a solid 4 star read until the last 10% where things just keep happening and happening, scenes skip to different times and locations without giving the reader a second to process what just happened. My only other complaint is that I wish the main characters were 3-5 years older than they are (18). I know this is YA, but when they talk about the feelings they had 5 years ago (13) it was hard to take seriously.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
slow-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
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is more of a 2.75, but I see the vision so I’m rounding up.
I’ve been waiting for this to come out since she announced it on her YouTube channel and for the most part, it was okay. I didnt hate it, but I think it definitely fell on the younger side of the YA divide which ultimately didnt work for me.
I felt like the overall plot was fine, and the setting was fine, but we spent way too much time setting the scene and getting the vibe right and it impacted the mystery which was really the main plot of the story? The mystery turned into a Scooby Doo episode halfway through the book and the character motivations made no sense. Almost every character got a personality change in the last quarter of the story which added to the scooby doo feeling.
- why is Elise’s dad so mean and nasty? I get that it was a familial relationship subplot but his reasoning for being a dick made no sense. Especially since he was trying to get her help (sort of)
- the main reveal/twist being that the white doctor isn’t actually a licensed doctor and he was experimenting on black reapers… wasn’t that the point of this? The racism themes felt over your head heavy so idk how I was supposed to be shocked that the white man was the villain
- Elise being an idiot and believing her dad was a good guy even though he overtly hated her throughout the entire story and demeaned her at every turn
- Layla believing that the cure would be helpful even though she saw with her own eyes that it turned reapers crazy and put them in a murderous rampage….then she gets mad at Elise when she tells her to not take it…DUH? She spends the whole story telling Elise her dad is evil and can’t be trusted but then trusts him in the final hour?
- Elise was sort of not smart which made her being in charge of the mystery solving questionable at best and worst
- Elise sacrificing her best friend RANDOMLY after spending the whole book praising him for being a good friend and psuedo-family member??
- the romance wasn’t really believable…they both had more chemistry with the side characters but got forced together just to be the main couple
- them being able to thwart the all powerful reaper in a paragraph long “trick” was ……..a choice.
Idk. There were so many things wrong with this to me. I felt like the story was there but there was so much extra or like back and forth between characters that could’ve been cut or more solidified to make them all not seem so ridiculous.
I’ll read the next one so I guess there’s room to improve.
I’ve been waiting for this to come out since she announced it on her YouTube channel and for the most part, it was okay. I didnt hate it, but I think it definitely fell on the younger side of the YA divide which ultimately didnt work for me.
I felt like the overall plot was fine, and the setting was fine, but we spent way too much time setting the scene and getting the vibe right and it impacted the mystery which was really the main plot of the story? The mystery turned into a Scooby Doo episode halfway through the book and the character motivations made no sense. Almost every character got a personality change in the last quarter of the story which added to the scooby doo feeling.
- why is Elise’s dad so mean and nasty? I get that it was a familial relationship subplot but his reasoning for being a dick made no sense. Especially since he was trying to get her help (sort of)
- the main reveal/twist being that the white doctor isn’t actually a licensed doctor and he was experimenting on black reapers… wasn’t that the point of this? The racism themes felt over your head heavy so idk how I was supposed to be shocked that the white man was the villain
- Elise being an idiot and believing her dad was a good guy even though he overtly hated her throughout the entire story and demeaned her at every turn
- Layla believing that the cure would be helpful even though she saw with her own eyes that it turned reapers crazy and put them in a murderous rampage….then she gets mad at Elise when she tells her to not take it…DUH? She spends the whole story telling Elise her dad is evil and can’t be trusted but then trusts him in the final hour?
- Elise was sort of not smart which made her being in charge of the mystery solving questionable at best and worst
- Elise sacrificing her best friend RANDOMLY after spending the whole book praising him for being a good friend and psuedo-family member??
- the romance wasn’t really believable…they both had more chemistry with the side characters but got forced together just to be the main couple
- them being able to thwart the all powerful reaper in a paragraph long “trick” was ……..a choice.
Idk. There were so many things wrong with this to me. I felt like the story was there but there was so much extra or like back and forth between characters that could’ve been cut or more solidified to make them all not seem so ridiculous.
I’ll read the next one so I guess there’s room to improve.
okay, so, first things first : it will be hard to rate this book with stars, so I'm just gonna review it thoroughly.
I waited a whole year to read This Ravenous Fate, and I'm beyond happy that i finally had the chance to read it! It contains everything promised : childhood best friends turned enemies due to certain circumstances, the tension between the two of them, and 1920s harlem and the racism that exists in this era + the constant struggles faced by black people. not to mention the reapers that add a LOT to the plot. all of those elements were appealing, and I really enjoyed getting to know Elise and her family's empire business ; Layla and her brutal change in nature, how she's dealing with her new identity, etc. I also liked how the author brought the elements together and tried as much as possible to get us interested and clearly invested in Layla et Elise's investigation, but that's what "lost" me.
this investigation idea isn't inherently bad at all. it kind of makes sense and helps the plot to develop further, but as it went on, it became a bit too long and a bit repetitive. also, the length of the chapters caused me to pause several times, but that's just me.
I won't say that This Ravenous Fate is an absolute favourite, but i still enjoyed it, and I think you should read it too ! (:
I waited a whole year to read This Ravenous Fate, and I'm beyond happy that i finally had the chance to read it! It contains everything promised : childhood best friends turned enemies due to certain circumstances, the tension between the two of them, and 1920s harlem and the racism that exists in this era + the constant struggles faced by black people. not to mention the reapers that add a LOT to the plot. all of those elements were appealing, and I really enjoyed getting to know Elise and her family's empire business ; Layla and her brutal change in nature, how she's dealing with her new identity, etc. I also liked how the author brought the elements together and tried as much as possible to get us interested and clearly invested in Layla et Elise's investigation, but that's what "lost" me.
this investigation idea isn't inherently bad at all. it kind of makes sense and helps the plot to develop further, but as it went on, it became a bit too long and a bit repetitive. also, the length of the chapters caused me to pause several times, but that's just me.
I won't say that This Ravenous Fate is an absolute favourite, but i still enjoyed it, and I think you should read it too ! (: