➸ 3.75 stars

“It’s easy to do anything when you love someone. Even if it’s the hardest choose you’ve ever made.”

— thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review! full, in depth review is posted on my goodreads: @lizveless

🩸childhood friends to enemies to reluctant allies to lovers
🩸sapphic
🩸vampire hunter x vampire
🩸female rage
🩸1920s harlem renaissance setting
🩸slowburn
🩸touch her and you die
🩸mystery

I had such a fun time reading this one! I was immediately engaged into this story from the first chapter and could not put this one down! the main characters were definitely my favorite part about this book! as I’m writing this I’m still a bit conflicted on how to rate the book and if it will be my final rating, I definitely enjoyed it and liked but but it did have some things I think could have been better!

one thing I would’ve loved to see more of was layla and elise being enemies, I felt like it was too short! at the very beginning they were trying to kill each other and it set up an interesting story I was excited for but I felt like that scene at the beginning was the only one where they truly seemed like enemies! around 20% they became reluctant allies and I was just confused on where that desire to kill each other went.

this next one might be just me not understanding; the mystery… it felt like it was all over the place and I’m not sure I liked the execution of it, I’m still kind of confused on everything that happened if I’m being honest but I think that just might be me!

the last thing was the ending; it felt very abrupt if I’m being honest and I immediately went to check the authors page to see if there would be a sequel and then sighed of relief when I saw that there was! I am definitely going to read it since there were things left unfinished and I want to see more of elise and layla!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing a free copy for an honest review.

This debut novel takes us to Jazz Age Harlem of 1920s. The Saint family dominates the reaper-hunting business, keeping New York's reapers—once-human vampires—at bay. Elise Saint returns from Paris to inherit the family empire, but the Harlem reapers' threat looms over her. Layla Quinn, a reaper created by a tragic past and former best friend betrayed by Elise, is framed for one killing and becomes entangled in a series of mysterious reaper murders, forced to team up together. Elise and Layla uncover a potential reaper cure and navigate the dangerous underworld while also confronting their past and intense emotions along the way.

With a thrilling mix of queer black girls, enemies-to-lovers, vampires vs. vampire hunters, and forbidden love. The story is also fueled by family conflict and complex emotions.

While the plot isn't particularly unique and could use more action and fighting, the evolving relationship between the two main characters kept me hooked. If you love queer vampire romance, this book is worth checking out!

It’s 1926, during the height of the Harlem Renaissance and Elise Saint is returning home. Home to the place she was forced to flee after tragedy happened. The heir to the Saint Families reaper hunting business she’s feeling the pressure to gain her fathers approval. Then she runs into her childhood best friend! The childhood best friend that tried killing her after she got turned into a reaper.
Layla has no love for the Saint family especially her ex childhood best friend! She blames the family for her getting turned into a reaper. But when strange things start happening Layla and Elise are forced to work together to figure out what’s happening.

This was one of my anticipated reads for this year and it did not disappoint! Hayley wrote a compelling and thrilling book that grabs your attention from page one! With complex characters and relationships, sapphic vampires, friends to enemies to lovers???, and all set in 1926 Harlem, this is a killer debut! I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in this series! A very happy publication day to Hayley and This Ravenous Fate! I highly recommend going and picking this one up!

I got roped in by the premise of the book. It is a vampire sapphic set in 1950’s Harlem. Layla is a vampire (vampires are called reapers in the book) and is the childhood best friend/lover of Elise whose family built an empire on annihilating reapers. Their enemies to lovers relationship was depicted quite well and it lived up to the trope of them being enemies.

For me, the book was just ok. I enjoyed it and it was a quick read but I do not think I will be continuing on with the series. I think the pacing of the book was off and there were a lot of parts that dragged for me. The book is quite long and I think a good chunk could be cut out with one more round of editing. Some scenes got a bit confusing as it was hard to keep track of who was talking and who was doing what. Also the big mystery Elise and Layla are trying to solve the whole book was not much of a mystery. Especially since I don’t think their effort in solving it really reflected the high stakes.

If you love vampires and mystery I still think you would enjoy the book. There were lots of scenes I loved in this book as well as the overall themes of friends and family that are portrayed.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this book as an audiobook & for an honest review.

The main reason I asked for this book was because it was based on Vampires which are one of my favourite creatures to read about.

This story is based on Elise Saint a reaper, the once-human turned vampire with a terrifying affliction, & through the book, we are taken on an adventure in 1920s Harlem the Era of Jazz & secret clubs where things are not as they seem. Elise comes back from France deciding to take on the responsibility of being the Era to the Saint family Reapers who are thriving with power, but murders have started happening throughout the city that's been blamed on her with no one believing that more is going on than expected, Elise is trying to discover herself with the world she has chosen to live now she gave up her dreams to save her sister but stepping into these new responsibilities comes at a price & who was once her best friend becomes her enemy. As time goes by in this book we see some particular tropes laid out ( Enemies to Lovers, vampires bad, F4F. Romance, Slow Burn. Worldbuilding, Fantasy. Poc) which I think go together very well & I never felt that any character was not drawn out enough nor too little but giving up a steady paced progression into the goings on that unravel the more you progress. These characters have heart and strength which is seen in the situations that occur & through the actions they do in trying to get to the bottom of what's happening but with a Reaper (vampire) & a hunter nothing goes according to plan and chaos follows no matter where they go. The love story that you see happen is not thrown in your face but takes more of a backseat in certain scenes giving the action and the main Base of the story drawing you into wanting to find out about what's happening as much as Elise Saint on her mission to do what's right no matter the cost, you feel that she doesn't think it's right what's happening to people who are turning up dead who where once reapers but now die human & The complexity of her torn emotions of the life she had before she was a Reaper.

This book is very character-based, slow-burn and World-building book and I do not see this working for everyone, but for the ones it does, I think you will have quite a ride... I am highly looking forward to the second instalment and I also plan to do a book review on my upcoming channel Crimson's Whispering Books 📚

I really enjoy a good vampire story! This is book #1 of a duology set in 1920's Harlem. At 480 pages, it read quickly. I read it in a weekend. I am always interested in the rules in each vampire story and this one is unique! The origin of the reapers is truly horrific and added a lot of tension to the story. The story centers around childhood bestfriends who are now on opposite sides of the reaper/reaper-hunter divide. The combination of these two camps mixed with politicians, gagsters, prohibition and the medical profession really drew me in and kept me reading. I was not able to predict what would happen next.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys vampires stories, people that enjoy lush settings and historical fiction and those that enjoy romances.
Excitedly waiting for book #2!

I fell in absolute love with this book! The story was new, the characters were well written, and I just had an overall good time reading this book. Hayley did her big thing with this book and I will now pick up any and very thing from her. Pick up your copy!

Thank you to Source Books for giving me the great pleasure of reading this book early. Here’s my honest thoughts!!

Set in Harlem during the 1920’s, This Ravenous Fate is a sapphic vampire fantasy made to make you feel every emotion while reading it. The journey I went on while reading this book was emotional and lovely.

The world building and pacing of this story were incredible. I was immersed in their world from the first page. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, trying to see where the story would go. I found myself so enthralled in this world and the journey these characters go on.

Elise and Layla are two complicated, complex, amazing characters who I am both afraid of and also want to wrap up in a blanket and make sure they’re okay. I loved watching them build their bond back after their initial falling out. I loved seeing them grow vulnerable with each other and find out how to trust each other again.

I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here, and I will be impatiently waiting for the next book. (Source Books, if you’re reading this, I NEED IT ASAP!!!)

I was so excited to read this book vampires, enemies-to-lovers, romance… what could be bad? Unfortunately, this book did not live up to the hype I was expecting.

Overall, the concept was a good idea blending politics with the fantasy, but I found the writing clunky. The writing itself felt like there were too many questions unanswered, and at the same time, it felt overly descriptive. What really hurt this story was the lack of character development. I did not care about the characters and the trials they had to endure to reach the conclusion. I thought the setting was something fresh and establishing this was something the author did well.

Rating: 2⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I tried multiple times to get into this book and finish, especially when the description sounded so good. It just was not capturing my attention. The pacing was far too slow and I was not connecting to the characters. I kept going to other ARCs ahead of it and coming back. Now at release I must admit it's just not going to ever capture attention for. Knowing it was a series as well and already not enjoying it, I knew it had to be a DNF book. If I didn't enjoy it this far in, I would never want to see where the characters went for another book and there was no point pushing forward when the story would not pick up possibly. Maybe if this was a one-off book it would have been faster paced to capture attention or draw me in. This however wasn't for me.

2.5⭐️ I was highly anticipating this book it was historical, there were vampires and it was sapphic!!! But even with all those aspects this fell flat for me. My favorite things about this book was the concept and Layla’s character. The writing was clunky and the pacing was slow I was bored at certain times. I needed more explanations of the world building and it would’ve been nice to have flashbacks of the MC’s past together. I really wanted to love this but I just couldn’t get invested in it.

Oh my god, where should I start?

Dennings deserves all the stars ever. The setting was so lush and atmospheric, it was part of the reason why this book is so thrilling. Add to the vampires and gangs and the delicious sapphic romance we got, I was reeled in immediately.

I see some people compare this to a Tempest of Tea, but honestly, that book didn't do it for me much. This Ravenous Fate on the otherhand? This was everything I expected a book featuring 1920s harlem with gangs, vampires (reapers), vampire hunters.

5 stars, this was an incredible debut and I wish nothing but the best for Dennings.

In jazz age Harlem, reapers, once-human vampires, are on the rise. Luckily for the Saint family, this helps their reaper-hunting business, giving them even more power. Elise Saint is returning home after five years in Paris as the business’s reluctant heir. Layla Quinn is a young reaper haunted by her past. The night she was turned five years ago is also the night she lost her parents and the Saints’ protection. When Layla is framed for a reaper attack, she works with Elise to investigate the murders and how they might be linked to a reaper cure.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this e-arc.*

Easily a 5 star book. Hayley Dennings has such a great writing style that immediately grabbed my attention and held it the entire time! Apologies in advance for my messy thoughts because I cannot articulate how great this book was to me.

Black sapphics, feminine rage, masquerade ball, and set in 1926 Harlem…what more could you ask for?

This book perfectly captures childhood best friends-to-enemies-to-lovers-to-???? and does it EXTREMELY WELL!!! The yearning, the angry love confession, and reluctance to work together!!!! Elise and Layla are both written excellently and have their own backgrounds that are fleshed out. The side characters offered so much enjoyment while being important to the story, especially Jaime and his son!! Loved whenever they showed up!

The plot was so interesting and I did not want to put this book down. This take on reapers/vampires might just be my favorite. The hopes of a cure for the reapers hurt so much, especially with Layla’s wanting to be human again. I just wanted to hug her every time. The ending??? I need more and I can’t wait to see what Hayley Dennings does with the next book!

Overall, I fell in love with this book and its beautiful writing. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the arc! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The storyline was interesting and was mostly easy to follow. The reaper dynamic did confuse my brain up until about 60% when my brain stopped overthinking that. Whenever I hear the word reaper I think of the beings that claim souls and bring you to the afterlife or the giant dinosaurs in ARK that are really fun to jump around on; I do not think vampires. It took some adjusting.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters made you have such a live hate relationship for them. It makes you want to root for them but also yell at them for their decisions. Lol. I can’t wait to read book two

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I really enjoyed This Ravenous Fate, though I did have a couple of hiccups with the pacing at first. Once I got into it however, I was HOOKED. I love the entire premise, it was so unique and mixed so many new things into a classic theme, which I feel like revives the entire vampire genre. This was a fantastic debut book, and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy! I'll be keeping an eye out for Ms. Denning's future works!

This was a fun, sapphic vampire book set in 1920’s Harlem. The main characters, Layla and Elise, gave me what I want from a YA enemies to lovers book and left me wanting to see how their relationship would develop. I loved the themes that were represented surrounding systemic racism and the book was still very enjoyable to read, especially for a younger audience. However, I did not find this to be very mysterious, and the investigation part seemed to drag on for me because I was uninterested. Overall, an enjoyable time, and I will continue to check out what this author writes in the future.

There was so much about this book that I wanted to love- vampires, hunters,, enemies to lovers sapphic romance, 1920s Harlem- but unfortunately, most of it fell really flat.

I think the author had a great premise but there needed to be more editing. I could never really get into the flow of the story and it often felt very clunky and jarring to move from one POV to the next. I struggled with the dialogue as well.

I also really struggled with this being set during the Harlem Renaissance because everything about the way the world was set up just felt so surface level? Like, with just a few adjustments this could have taken place in any timeline. I WANTED to love it because it being set in 1920s Harlem was a huge selling point for me but it just didn't feel fully grounded in that world.

Overall, I struggled to get through this one :(

I admit that I heard a lot about this book before I started it. The author was determined to write a good book about black vampires. Like most authors, she was nervous about how it’d be received.

She doesn’t need to worry.

As some of you may know, I’ve been reading vampire books voraciously since I was a pre-teen (blame ‘Dracula’), and have seen all the ups and downs in the genre during the past decades. This genuinely feels like something new and innovative, while building on past foundations to craft characters and a world that the reader is drawn into. It does not stop moving until the very last page.

Yes, there’s aspects of a queer Romeo & Juliet, or ‘enemies to lovers’ - but the relationship between the protagonists is allowed to breathe (heheh) so that the genuine life-or-death challenges these girls face can be worked through.

I found myself thinking of a book I’d read recently that suffered from the ‘post it note effect’ - where if a character simply left a note explaining things, half the problems in the book wouldn’t happen. This is the opposite of that! Because these girls talk. They argue. They make up and fall out again. Their world is messy, confusing, and most of the adults and authority figures are lying or misleading them. There aren’t enough post-it notes to cover it, and that makes for an intense story that unfolds beautifully. It’s never clear what’ll happen next because nobody has all the information, with clues only appearing after major disasters. The ground is constantly shifting and I genuinely did wonder - after a character I really liked was killed - if either or both Elise and Layla would survive (Romeo & Juliet, remember?).

So we have a messy queer relationship. Add vampires. Racism. Family politics. And Harlem gangs in the 1920s, so Prohibition too. Drink can poison or kill you. Existing with a certain skin colour makes someone a target. Is there a cure for being a reaper, or is that akin to a solution (yup) for being black or poor?

If anything, there’s so much going on that it’s sometimes a little hard to figure out. It’s a growing jigsaw puzzle where new pieces appear and others don’t quite fit where you expected… I found it best to not try and solve the mystery, but go along with the ride. It certainly reflects the basic confusion of being a teen, let alone with all the above issues that must be dealt with in order to survive.

This Ravenous Fate stands on its own, but the ending hints at more to come in this dark world, and I’ll be here for it. I’m certain this book will find its audience and hope that this generation of women (whatever their colour or orientation) will see the strength and perseverance of the heroines and hold them in their hearts.

I’m so glad that Hayley Dennings was determined to get her words out into the world. This white middle-aged British woman is certainly cheering her on!