Reviews with content warning for Violence - Crave

This book started really slow and did seem cliche at many different points. I did have to step back and remind myself that I was not the intended audience for this book as a woman in her 30s. There were some pacing issues and different aspect of the book that I think I would have adored as a younger reader.

Yes there were elements of Twilight and the Vampire Diaries in this formula, but there is a reason those series did so well in the end. I wouldn't say this was my favorite, but I will for sure be reading more of this series.

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sirquedusoleil's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

this story was all over the place in the best way possible

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bashsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

I would probably not call this a "good" book, but it definitely has given me some serious entertainment & a lot to think about, including:

This author's fixation with being over-the-top tongue-in-cheek about the genre in which she is writing. I have over a dozen quotes noted down where she has the MC mention this is "just like a romance novel" or "just like a horror movie". The worst offender is when the vampire love interest LITERALLY gives the MC a copy of Twilight. I will say, it is funny but perhaps not in the way the author intended.
Dialogue is poorly-written, this is sometimes also very funny in an unintentional way.
There is no rhyme or reason to lore, Twilight lore is more internally consistent than this.
Going off of point #3, the outright fact that vampires are mammals in this universe and that born-vampires exist, but they cannot drink milk. Curious as to what baby vampires subsist on and how they get the mammal classification if their mothers don't feed them with milk.
I don't want to spoil it but the Plot Twist Reveal about the MC made me cry I laughed so hard. I would call it brave, groundbreaking even, but my friend told me not to.

I am compelled by "bad" art that is supremely interesting and I am having a lot of fun liveblogging this series to my friends, so I will be reading the rest of them... but I don't want to recommend them unless that's the kind of thing you're into.

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takarakei's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Is this book good? Objectively no.
Is the writing good? Absolutely not.
Did I have a good time? An unhinged one, yes.
Will I be continuing the series? Yes for the absurdity factor alone.

I listened to the audiobook. It reads like an early 2000-2010s YA high school vampire series even though its from 2022??? The parallels to Twilight are stark and literally mentioned?! Nothing makes sense. There is no plot. It's insta-lovey in all the worst/best ways. The dialogue is cringe worthy. If you are here for a trashy good time then sure, it's maybe for you.

1.5/5 🌶️

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jmeyers888's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-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? Yes

2.5

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ix37lexi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Definitely entertaining but the writing seemed a bit juvenile at points and predictable. I will continue reading the series because it has kept me intrigued and reading despite those points.

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kokopeach's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad 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? No

3.5

I almost dnf’d a few chapters in but I’m glad I stayed along for the ride. It’s like Riverdale and Twilight wrapped up in one. A little silly and ridiculous at times but the action and romance make it worth it in the end. The characters are loveable and the school setting is intriguing and makes the reader want to know more about the world beyond. Only criticisms are the author tried too hard to sound like a teen (a lot of “omigod”s and “FML”s) and get a little too meta for my taste with lines like “it’s like I’m in a fantasy novel” etc. Cringe.

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cady_sass's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

4.0

Twilight but make it gen z. That’s it, that’s the review.

Just kidding.
As someone who was a teenager when twilight hit the shelves, no YA vampire love story is going to touch it. But I can fully appreciate the audience this was written for and know that it’s successful in its execution. The issues for me lie specifically with just how painfully, cringing-ly (this is a word now) Gen Z it is. I don’t enjoy dialogue that includes “AF” unironically (and all the time). The characters are dumb, lovable but dumb, and i think that’s a disservice to all of them. The fact that Twilight, as a book, exists in this universe and it is GIVEN to the protagonist as a very obvious gift/clue and she still can’t figure what’s going on? The reader is never going to believe that. But someone could easily have similar gripes about Twilight, and I refuse to reconsider the 5 star the rating my teen heart gave those books. So, I get it. This is definitely that for some swooning teens out there

I devoured this and thoroughly enjoyed it. Will definitely continue the series!

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