Reviews - This Ravenous Fate

1.2k reviews for:

This Ravenous Fate

Hayley Dennings

3.48 AVERAGE

mommalovestoread's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring 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

bbyrose's review against another edition

2.0

Lost my review on this. Wasn’t my favorite.

alltoowellread's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous mysterious tense slow-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: Complicated

spenhl95's review against another edition

3.0

Lots of confusion. Which is so sad because the ideas this book is built on would have been worth the one or two more rounds of editing needed to eliminate that confusion.

One of the things I liked the most is that this story tried to put vampires into a real world with cultural, racial, and class tensions that intersected with vampirism. Like that alone is such an improvement over the shiny rich white blood suckers we get in most other stories. And Dennings' vampires/reapers also have a more complicated relationship with their food than, say, a Cullen vampire. Edward stays just as pretty and healthy while drinking bear blood as he would if he killed humans all the time, but Layla and her kind in this book actually grow weaker, older, uglier, and less sane if they resist human blood altogether. I think this is so much more interesting. It means that reapers who resist killing humans are being truly self-sacrificial, and also that reapers who DO kill humans are something more complicated than murderers. The scenes in the very beginning of the book where Layla wrestles with what she is are the scenes I enjoyed the most.

Unfortunately the plot and dialogue in the rest of the book were in need of serious help. I never actually understood why the two main characters end up working together, which is the MAIN plot point of the book. Nothing else happens if that doesn't happen. And idk why that happened. Elise and her father also had multiple conversations where I had no idea what her father was telling her to do. The last fifteen chapters were an absolute whirlwind of action that completely left me in the dust. I wish that action and all the reveals had been spread out in the rest of the book.

I think this author actually has some really great ideas that are worth exploring, and I hope she does that exploring with better editors in her future work.

bookreader460's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 44%

This is my first true DNF, a true intentional stop in the middle of a book. I just found it kind of boring and bad. The chemistry between the mains is Not That Good. The world building is very expository and not well integrated. The time period is not well integrated at all - the characters talk too modern. I honestly thought this was written by a British person or something because the American history stuff is done very poorly and was surprised when I found out it was written by an American. I would be surprised if the author researched the period beyond reading a few Wikipedia articles. Stuff like gangsters, the Mafia, and crime are talked about in a very shallow way. I found the way race was integrated - one of the main reasons I picked up this book and wanted to support it - was very badly done. People who would not be considered white - such as gangsters and mobsters - are considered white by the narrative & characters. The characters are in New York and do not focus on the struggles of black people in New York and instead of focus and talk about stuff happening in the south (one phrase in particular 'The Intolerant south' was a nuts phrase to pull out. The northeast was better but not great for black people at the time, so focus on the problems the characters would be facing. Show your audience that racism was done differently in different parts of the US). The Tulsa Race Riots are mentioned as though they just happened, but it seems like the author doesn't know that they happened 5 years ago according to when this book takes place. The Harlem Renaissance is barely a part of the story. I would be fine if the author decided it was like Bridgetton the TV show and racism was just magically gone, but it isn't that. This was sold as historical fiction, and it tried (and failed) to give me some history. The way reapers are used as a metaphor for the systemic issues of racism/oppression is Bad. The way reapers are integrated into history is also bad. How is America the only country with reapers? Do other countries in this timeline not have histories of oppression? How have reapers not been destroyed yet? The last witch trials in the US happened in the late 1800s and you are telling me that instead of of waging war on them and killing them that they have treaties?? You're telling me the same country that violated treaty after treaty to kill Native Americans respect a vampire treaty? That makes NO SENSE. The police know where they are! They are able to go to a reapers house and grab her for questioning. That doesn't make any sense. It would have been a better metaphor if it was instead used for queer expression or if that was the intention, if it was done better. Reapers can't be out in the open and instead have to hide themselves and blend in with humans. People know that they exist but not who they are. Boom! Fixed like 90% of the issues with the reaper world building & history right there. Maybe instead of having Layla turn at 13 - she could turn at 15/16 and Elise found out, and covered for her but didnt want her in her life anymore due to what happened to her sister. I know that would be bad in the sense that it would make one of the characters seem like an asshole but It adds stakes and in this world it feels like there are no stakes. Death happens all the time and no one cares - so why should the reader. The action scenes are also bad! And another thing, if the reapers ARE supposed to be a metaphor for queerness, Yikes!! Social contagion much. Anyway, I'm not going to be finishing it. Maybe at some point, I'll try to read it again but that will be a while from now.

flyslibrary's review against another edition

4.0

I give this book a SOLID 4.5‼️ Which means when it drops YOU GOTTA READ IT‼️‼️

It’s almost like a Romeo and Juliet, Good Vs Evil, retelling of two Brilliant Black Women. They both have to figure out who they trust more, Their family, each other, or THEIRSELVES‼️ While also fighting their feelings for each other and other people‼️

The Pace is pretty fast until Part 3, that’s where it took a dip for me. It gave some side stories of what characters were doing, that I felt didn’t really matter to the plot. (( which is also why I didn’t give 5 stars. The pace dipped ))

But even then… you don’t really realize it’s “unneeded” till you’re finished with the section because the writing is so entrancing you can’t stop reading. The BETRAYALs in this book cuts so deep and sometimes I WAS PISSED at what the Characters did.

It also doesn’t end how you think… it’s not really a HAPPY ending.. but it’s a real one. Something that I think would ACTUALLY happen in their situation. And IT KINDA pissed me off