I have to be honest I made it 60% of the way before I realized I didn't really care what happened. For me, it felt like there was SO much packed into the book that it made it hard for me to really sympathize with any characters, The primary plot of trying to solve the murder mystery was great, I did like the childhood friends to enemies to lovers storyline, I thought it was set up really well and the moments of tension were there but the book as an entity just didn't grab me. I kept reading however because I really, really , REALLY wanted to love this book.

3.75 Stars

A riveting and blood-soaked vampire tale set in 1920s Jazz Age Harlem, starring two queer black women who need to overcome their fraught past to try to save those they love most.

As soon as I had read the synopsis for this book, this was INSTANTLY on my radar and I knew I had to snag a copy as soon as I could. The second I started reading this, I was hooked into the story and finished this during only two reading sessions, since I had to know where the plot was going.

We star Elise Saint, the heir to an empire dedicated to eradicating vampires (called reapers) within Harlem, and the world as a whole. And on the opposing side, we have Layla, one of those very same reapers who has sworn vengeance against Elise and her family for being the very cause of her change to a bloodthirsty creature. They have to fight through their past betrayals, current loyalties, and ongoing hatred and feuds to try to uncover a deadly plot that will have far-reaching consequences - not just for reapers, but the United States as a whole.

I loved the descriptions in this book, and really felt like you could get a real sense of the world around the characters. The placement felt real and grounded, and the worldbuilding created was in-depth and had layers. Getting a glimpse into the life of Elise Saint, who has lived her life essentially with a silver spoon in her mouth thanks to the steel her father makes that can kill reapers, and the empire he built around them. This privilege almost protects her from the racism of the world around them, as she has enough money to generally go and do whatever she wishes. On the other hand, we have Layla, who after her violent turning no longer has these same privileges - and yet, her strength as a reaper also, in a way shields her from much of the racist violence in their world. And yet, it’s Layla who is more in-tune with noticing this double-standard, since she can’t simply kill anyone she desires whenever she feels like it.

This novel had a wide array of characters within it, but as a whole I don’t think it was too difficult to keep track of them all. Each one had their own unique characterization and plot, so (as someone who gets easily confused when there’s a lot of characters to keep track of) following along to the plot and each character wasn’t difficult. Also, I was surprised by how much I loved Jamie as a character, and I really hope he continues to be a big supporting character in the next book.

The only pitfall I noticed while reading is that there were a few spots where I thought the conversations between the characters to be a bit rough, as well as a few plot points/character actions that didn’t fully make sense. There were a few times where character conversations felt too much like plot narrations, and not an actual conversation, that when I got to them I found a bit distracting. As well, there were a few times where a character would do something that I didn’t think quite made sense, or where their decision to do such a thing seemed to come out of nowhere as a plot device to move the story along. However, none of these things were overly distracting, and to be completely honest were not any worse than in any debut novel.

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Sourcebooks Fire for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank-you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the arc. Black, sapphic, enemies to lovers, set in Harlem, in the 20s. I was so excited for this and sadly it didn't measure up to my expectations. It's an interesting read overall, but it's very slow paced and it felt longer than it was because of that. The world building was also weak, something I hope will be fleshed out more in the sequel. And the ending was very rushed. Together that made the climax unsatisfying.

There is a lot of potential here, I quite liked the characters, it just didn't all come together for me. If the elements were better executed this could have been great. Given that it's a debut, I’m interested to read the sequel. My hope is to see this author grow because it's all there, it just needed more work.

I really hope that Hayley Dennings will come back and blow me out of the water with the sequel.

This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings is a lush and evocative fantasy set in Jazz Age Harlem in an alternative timeline where vampires, or Reapers as they are called here are real and on the rise. Elise Saint is eighteen, newly from school in Paris and the reluctant heir to the Saint empire which has been built on reaper hunting. Spurred on by the death pf his oldest daughter at the hands pf a reaper, Elise's father is determined to rid the city of the monsters at any cost. Of course the Harlem reapers are not going to take this lying down, especially not Layla Quinn . Before she turned five years ago she was Elise's best friend, practically another daughter to the family but now she has lost everyone she was ever close to. As rumors of a cure start to surface and bodies of reapers turned human again start to appear in the city morgues Layla and Elise are forced to work together to figure out what is going on .
I really enjoyed thisbook, I loved the setting, the author did an incredible job in transporting me as a reader to another time and place. The pacing is quite fast and there is not a lot of lore or info dumping , in fact I wish there had been just a little more of an explanation about the history of the reapers, but since this is the first book in a planned duology perhaps that will be explored more in the next book. The characters are engaging, initially I found myself connecting more with Elise but very quickly I grew to love Layla too, I enjoyed the friends to enemies to reluctant colleagues to lovers dynamics of their relationship, and I thought the author did a wonderful job of threading the needle between love and hate at times. I also really appreciated that the author gave Elise OCD and thought it was well handled and made sense in the context of her past trauma.. Race plays a key role in this book and there were several interesting allegories comparing how Reapers and Black citizens were treated. To quote Layla "I will never be grateful for being treated like a second class citizen, or barely human. "... " But there was nothing lucky about being forced to assimilate just for a chance of being given rights that you already deserved in the first place. ...there was nothing lucky about only being acknowledged while you are on your knees." I found that this really added another dimension to the story and made me think while I was reading.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

3.5⭐️ thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This Ravenous Fate is about ex best friends Elise (the daughter of an infamous vampire hunter) and Layla (a vampire turned against her will). They have to work together to uncover secrets surrounding a vampirism cure. This is a classic enemies to lovers YA book, and while the pacing was very fast, I didn’t think this book needed to be any longer. I think the story would have benefited a bit from some more world building surrounding vampirism, how they came to be, how they survive in this world where they’re hated, etc. I liked how we slowly uncovered the two FMC’s past, and how Sterling factored into their history.

There were a few plot holes that made me go “hmm that didn’t make sense” and the mystery factor was not surprising at all. I hated the father and mother, and I still don’t know what happened to Layla’s family. This felt like two
books in one, but I did enjoy the overarching plotline, and the ending seems to have set the next book up pretty well! Recommending to anyone who wants an easy-to-read sapphic enemies to lovers YA romantasy

If the movie Warm Bodies had a baby with Alberta from the show Ghosts you would probably get this book. Or something, anyway.

I am always looking for new vampire stories and chasing the high of a rare Historical Fiction book that catches my attention. The Ravenous Fate is very atmospheric and at times fast paced. It's a really unique take on vampires as well. No offense to the Interview With a Vampire show, but this book would make a (better) binge worthy show.


Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a review copy.

The premise was so good, but it missed the mark a few ways. The world building was rough to get through...between gangs and vampires and humans. there was just so much going on. I did enjoy the characters, they had depth and it was easy to root for them. i wanted to love this, but it was hard to get through.

Amongst the glitz and glam of 1920s Harlem, darker things lurk in the shadows. While Harlem is fought over by the gangs who run the glamorous jazz clubs and speakeasies in the area, even they are afraid of the reaper clans that stalk the night. Reapers are vampiric creatures who were born from cruel medical experiments conducted in the 17th century. These clans now plague America and have begun to spread across the rest of the world. The Harlem reapers are only kept in check by the Saints, a reaper-hunting empire who manufacture the only bullets that are effective against them.

When a wave of mysterious killings shocks the city, the number one suspect is Layla Quinn who was once the best friend of Elise Saint. That is until she was turned into a reaper and tried to rip open Elise’s chest. Elise, hoping to be granted the title of heir to her family’s legacy to spare her younger sister, is tasked by her father to investigate the killings and get to the bottom of Layla’s involvement. However once Elise and Layla begin working together, they uncover discrepancies around the case. And uncover a mystery around reapers turning more deadly—and possibly back into humans.
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I am a massive fan of slow burn romance, and I will say this delivered. Elise and Layla have a friends-to-enemies-to-reluctant allies-to-lovers relationship which is my favorite. There was some delicious tension and push-and-pull scenes. I also loved their dynamic being musician and dancer, I really wish we had gotten at least one scene of Layla dancing to Elise’s playing. I enjoyed Layla’s POV more than Elise’s but that might be due to have much of a sucker I am for jaded scandalous vampires. I really liked how Layla was not afraid to call of Elise’s prejudices and sheltered opinions. But the inclusion of Elise having OCD was a nice touch that helped flesh out her character.

Despite enjoying the romance, the rest of the plot really fell flat for me. The greatest weakness of this novel is a lack of descriptive imagery. Despite the glamourous and dark setting, none of the scenes truly popped off the page. It was incredibly difficult to immerse oneself into the scenes playing out and it left me wanting so much more. This lack of description paired with overly clunky writing left huge gaps in the story. It often felt as though we were skipping around and jumping over large details. It was difficult to follow along because of this and ruined any kind of flow in the story.

The entire mystery plot was lacking in suspense and buildup. Readers could generally guess what the twist was going to be early on, and the villains themselves were very one dimensional and obvious. Mr. Saint was the biggest let down. At first, the way he switches his moods and demeanor was really chilling as it denoted a level of instability. But the further we got in, the more the contradictory nature of his personality began to shift from his characterization to being clearly a product of the author’s weak writing. Elise was tasked by her father to investigate the killings with Layla and unravel her lies. However, at every turn he was incredibly hostile about their partnership and tried to shut her down constantly when she asked too many questions. It’s obvious that he did not want Elise to truly investigate the crime and simply wanted her to implicate Layla. But Layla had already been arrested for the crime at the beginning of the novel so why not just pin it all on her? There was no reason to allow Elise to begin poking around where she shouldn’t and unravel the bigger scheme around the crimes.

Also, the entire last 50 pages of this book had so many new elements and plot points thrown in out of nowhere. There was simply not enough time for readers to understand them or to set them up properly for the sequel. It was way too rushed and cramped and I felt like I couldn't quite grasp what was going on.

I wish I had loved this more as the pitch was everything I’ve ever wanted in a book. But the execution fell short of my expectations. I may tune into the sequel simply for the romance, but I hope with more experience the plot will be better developed and the world building can be expanded.

I didn't hate this book, but I didn't really like it either.

For the majority of the book, I was bored and it didn't grab my attention at all. It felt so long and I do think there could've been 100 pages less. Now the mystery wasn't that mysterious to me. This might also be the reason why I found the book a bit boring. As a reader, I wish I could've helped with solving the mystery, but there wasn't really much to solve myself.

I did love the romance. It's rare that I see something advertised as enemies to lovers and the love interests actually hate each other, and are technically enemies. I do wish they "fell" for each other earlier since they did go from enemies to lovers really quickly.

This book might be worth the read if you're into vampires (especially wlw, enemies to lovers, vampires)

Thank you, NetGalley, for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book is SUCH a vibe! The mysteries and the vampires are top tier, and I loooove all things open sexually. While this one was a bit slower, I really loved the relationship between Elyse and Layla. I am very excited to see what Hayley comes up with next!

THIS RAVENOUS FATE follows childhood-friends-to-enemies, Elise—heir to a vampire-hunting empire—and Layla—vampire—as they work together to solve a murder, and how it might be involved with a potential cure for vampirism.

This YA historical fantasy, set in an alternate 1920s Harlem that's overcome by vampires, is for readers who enjoy VIBES. The pretty prose dedicates itself to those delicious enemies to lovers moments, and the first act tension between the two alternating POVs who have very different interpretations of the same traumatic event, is where the book shines.

The short chapters comprised of micro-scenes make for a fast read, full of complex family dynamics and ethical questions.

I really wanted to love this one. I was looking forward to an enemies to lovers, vampire queer romance that’s received mostly positive reviews on NetGalley, but if this hadn’t been an ARC (making me feel obligated to finish it) I probably would have DNF’ed it at 20%.

It seemed that for every positive thing I liked about this book there were two or three things I disliked. The 1920s New York setting with jazz clubs and vampires running amok in the city made for a really interesting atmosphere. However, I felt that the writing focused a little too much on the racial disparities in the beginning chapters and then the story line contradicted what was just written about those characters’ hardships. The narrator went on and on about how unfairly the minorities were treated, but then when the double minority character was found at the scene of a crime they decided to let her work with the main character to prove her innocence? If the system was as unfair as they let on, this person would have been executed without a trial and not allowed a chance to investigate and run around unguarded in the city where she could possibly commit her crimes again. It just didn’t make a lot of sense.

I wanted to like the characters, but they seemed one dimensional and incapable of having a conversation that didn’t end in screaming, hating the other person, or running off. Even the big love declaration somehow resulted in miscommunication or downright mistreatment of one other. I really hated how these characters spoke to and treated each other, and overall refusal to consider each others’ arguments.

I think this story had massive potential and I’d love to read more historical fiction vampire fantasies, but I think this was just poorly executed.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing this ebook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is such a fresh take on a vampire story. I knew that this was sapphic after following the author prior to her being picked up but i loved the pacing and the way the story developed. As I was reading this I felt myself being consumed by the book and I love that effect. My brain loved the w ay Hayley writes. I look forward to seeing what she writes next.. I thinking writing this story in the 1920 Harlem was such a. Great choice to make.

YA, Harlem in the 1920s, Black, sapphic, vampires, someone trying to find a cure, but are they really or is something more sinister at hand? Elise and Layla are just *chefs kiss* I loved the evolution of their relationship from the beginning to the end of the story and loved seeing how they came back from everything that happened in the past. Tobias Saint, ooh I’m going to love hating him.

A perfect blend of politics and vampire elements. The discussions of race as the backdrop of this book also elevated it up above many vampire books of its kind. I did find Elise and Layla's back-and-forth fighting to be friends to fighting again a bit tiresome but that does come with the territory of enemies to lovers.

A thrilling blend of urban fantasy and mystery set in Jazz Age Harlem. Despite some slow pacing, the intricate plot, vivid world-building, and well-developed characters, particularly the complex relationship between Layla and Elise, make it compelling. The novel skillfully combines historical fiction, paranormal intrigue, and romantic tension, exploring themes of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption. Highly recommended for fans of historical fantasy with romance and suspense.

I really thought this debut was quite amazing. The story was really engaging and refreshing. I love vampire books and have been missing them dearly so this definitely brought back my love for them. The tension between Elise and Layla was perfection I love it. The cast of characters was so much fun. Even if I loathed some of them… but overall had a really fun time reading! The mystery elements were great and I loved the dynamics between the characters. The reaper lore was super fascinating and I’m very curious to see where this story will lead next.
I will say parts of this book did take me longer to get through simply cause even though it is historical fantasy it does talk on some real racial topics and history that you know really got me in my feelings. And I personally found that acts 3 & 4 had much faster pacing and engagement while reading. But I do think Dennings just did such an amazing job, not only writing a really amazing debut but talking about racial trauma and harm against Black communities. So just read with care 💕
Thank you Sourcebooks for the arc!

Reapers have been around for centuries. In the early 1900s Layla Quinn and Elise Saint become friends at an early age. At the age of 12/13, a tragic incident happened and they are no longer friends. Layla Quinn has been turned into a Reaper and Elise Saint’s family makes money off of products that kill Reapers. After 5 years apart, Layla and Elise are brought together in a strange way to figure out who is responsible for the poison that is killing Reapers. Along the way, Elise learns the truth about who her father really is.

Fun, sapphic vampire story set in 1920s Harlem. Great tension between the two Black MCs. I loved the middle of this book so much, the murder mystery was well done and the reluctant rivals plot had me hooked. Unfortunately I felt it took a while to get going and the end cliffhanger felt out of place. I wished it was a standalone, the story felt finished. Overall though, a great setting, great characters, and a fun enemies to lovers story.

Set in the evocative and dangerous 1920s New York, "This Ravenous Fate" by Hayley Dennings paints a vivid picture of a city overrun by reapers—once-human vampires plagued by a horrifying affliction. The Saint family, led by the patriarch and his reluctant heir, Elise Saint, maintains a strong grip on the city's reaper-hunting business, often overshadowing even the most notorious criminals. Elise's return from Paris is marred by the knowledge that the Harlem reapers are out for her blood, a conflict that adds depth to her character and propels the narrative forward.

The novel's most compelling dynamic is the tension between Elise and Layla Quinn, a reaper with a tragic past and a deep-seated grudge against Elise. Their forced alliance to investigate a series of brutal killings and rumors of a potential reaper cure drives the story, offering a blend of mystery and emotional intensity. However, the book's pacing and the somewhat predictable plot twists slightly dampen the overall impact. While "This Ravenous Fate" excels in its atmospheric setting and complex character relationships, it falls short of delivering a fully satisfying and cohesive narrative, making it an intriguing but ultimately middling read.