I wanted to start off by saying it wasn’t the worst book ever. I think with some fine tuning, this authors story telling could be great. It hooked me enough to keep reading. However, I found myself intrigued more by Layla. I think this book does itself a great disservice by making it dual pov. For one, Elise is completely boring, I’m sorry. All her chapters is her repeating the same inner turmoil and never learning from it. But she still expects Layla to abandon every trauma or connections she’s made outside of Elise, without doing the same in return. I feel like that was on purpose to then come up with a sequel, but no offensive but I wouldn’t read it. Now second, from her personality to her motivations were inconsistent and not in a fun way. She kept doing damaging things to Layla thinking this was her moment of being strong or standing up for herself when it wasn’t. For example, (spoiler alert) her killing Valeriya, and saying “whoever threatens her sister dies” and yet letting both Stephen Wayne and her father live. Then there was her little breakdown in the rain trying to confess her feelings like girl… this is manipulation not love. You are just as abusive as your father but more in a glasslighting sort of way. Elise just wanted Layla to have nothing and be all about her while she kept her vices (her father and her hatred of reapers). I high key wanted her to become one and repent for all the damage she caused Layla. All in all, just know I hated Layla soooooo much.

Next, I didn’t feel the chemistry, I am so sorry. I felt it more between Elise and Sterling. It was so angsty at times that I was wondering if they were gonna be a thriple. I think that might have helped in terms of the story of them all growing up together. I understand (kinda, not really) why Elise and Layla hated each other. But Sterling hating Layla didn’t make sense. I’m not saying he had to be in love with her but, he would have bonded over how they both had no parents and were obsessed and reliant on the Saints for validation of their lives. They would make more sense than all these scenes of Sterling and Elise crying and saying how much they love each other. One scene of that fine but like 3 is unnessesary. As for Layla and Elise, it was just toxic and not a fun toxic but in a “send help” sort of way. Elise refused to under Layla. Layla believed she had no sympathy but at every turn she left room to understand and left Elise feel and Elise did not reciprocate that same courtesy.

This book just left me frustrated. It’s 480 and I wish it would have allowed itself to change and evolve and not rely on the same plot and action scenes to hold up for the whole book. If it wanted to be outlandish and crazy then it has to really take it there. Not start crazy storylines and chicken out at the last minute with a rushed and chaotic ending. Overall, not my favorite. I think I would have dnf’d had it not been a netgalley arc. If the author is able to make real changes, I might read something from her in the future.

This was a really fun one. Looking at the change in reapers, the vampires roaming the streets of Harlem, the hunters are having to adapt their methods. When a strong of murders is pinned on one of Elise's old friends, they end up investigating together.

As they search for information, they rekindle their friendship, but neither can be sure if it's enough to mend what's been broken. More importantly, can they figure out what's going on and keep the people of Harlem safe?

4.25 stars

Black Sapphic vampire x human in 1920s New York with an enemies-to-lovers arc trying to figure out a mystery is an amazing premise!

This book is a dark fantasy journey, and Layla is an incredible character to read. Her conflict over her reaperhood (vampirism) and her love-hate relationship with Elise were stunning. Elise did so many things that made zero sense, though. She doesn't think things through, and she alienates all her allies at every turn even when she knows better.

The pacing is very long throughout the middle and then rushes at the end, and the ending left several questions which is good setup for a sequel but not very satisfactory for reading. There would have been some benefit in condensing or rearranging some scenes throughout.

There were some parts I really loved, and I hope the sequel delivers on the setup.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

The renaissance of vampires, with the addition of sapphic vampires, makes my little queer heart so happy.

This book was so good? The Queer black vampires just kept you intrigued and held throughout the story. The relationship between Elise and Layla was just so cute. I also loved the underpinnings of female rage.

I need a physical copy for my vampire sapphic shelf like right now.

This book was not at all what I went in expecting, but I ended up loving it!! The 1920s setting was amazing and I felt so immersed in the time period. It had vampires and action and mystery to keep you on your toes. Very well done romance.

I gotta say I didn't like Elise. The amount of times she betrayed Layla after everything they went through! At first I was like "ok, she is being manipulated" but at the end the truth was in front of her. It just didn't sit right with me how Layla kept going back after all even though I understand the love they have for each other and the circumstances of Layla's existence. Because of the ending I understand there is a 2nd book which I'm looking forward to read, I wanna know more about reaperhood, the beginning of it and see if they find a cure.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

The author is quite talented, I applaud her for it. The characterizations and the plot were so beautiful. It’s rare to see characters this raw and polished. I’m not the biggest fan of fantasy in modern world, but this one was great that I didn’t question it.

I’ve been seeing the author on my social medias way before the cover reveal and it’s great to see someone so passionate and talented getting their work out in the world. You can feel the effort and enthusiasm that was put into this work.

However, it was hard to follow. I kept getting distracted and losing the track of the story. I believe that it’s more of an editing issue than a writing issue. I understand that this is an ARC so it may be changed later in the future before the official release. It made it hard to follow and I found myself frustrated rather than enjoying the story. I also think that the mystery part was poorly done, which took out a lot of enjoyment from the book in my opinion since it’s a huge part of the plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Hayley Dennings' debut novel is a compelling read and a wonderful addition to the historical fantasy genre. The chilling atmosphere, engaging prose and interesting characters made for a great read. Occasionally the plot meandered and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the pacing, but overall this was a solid debut novel that will be enjoyed by many.

This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings is a sapphic vampire romance and the start of a duology. This is Elise and Layla‘s story.
 
I absolutely love how this book is a refreshing take on vampire diaries with poc protagonists and it being sapphic. The romance between a vampire and hunter creates the perfect enemies-to-lovers situation. And that in combination with the stunning historical setting in the 1920s Harlem Jazz Age gives you this stunning story.
 
Elsie Saint comes from a family of vampire hunters and after coming back from Paris, she starts her training. At first, she is a bit reluctant but gives in to fulfill her family‘s obligations. Layla lost everything the night she was turned into a vampire and has since done everything to survive. But there is something weird coming on with the vampires and Layla is framed for some mysterious and brutal killings that she didn’t commit. That however brings her back on the radar of the Saint family. Both characters are lovely and looking to find a place in this world. Their relationship develops beautifully from enemies to friends to lovers. I loved how they finally got together but there are obviously a lot of obstacles in their way, and I can’t wait to see how the story continues.
 
Overall, I highly recommend checking out This Ravenous Fate and I can’t wait for the next installment. 4,5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

“I still feel you under all of my scars. It still hurts.”

“This Ravenous Fate,” by Hayley Dennings

1926 in New York and the city is dealing with reapers, once-human vampires, who are a danger to the people because of their ravenous hunger. The Saint family is running a successful reaper-hunting enterprise, and after five long years Elise is back from Paris to join them in the family business. The Harlem reapers wanted her dead for all these years. Layla is a reaper that was once best friends with Elise. She holds a lot of hatred towards her once best friend but now that there’s been strange killings, they join up to find the culprits.

This book wasn’t for me. I felt a lot of things just dragged on and I got bored. I liked the concept and the scenery though. 2 out of 5 stars.

-Multi POV
-Reapers
-Friends To Enemies

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

I loved this book so much. From the beginning, it was really interesting and gorgeously written. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the tension. A lot of times, the dynamics between enemies don't quite hit right, but this one definitely did. Layla and Elise had so much history fueling the tension between them, it was palpable from their first interaction well into their last. Their chemistry was undeniable and I loved them. The two were amazing and I absolutely adored reading this book as much as I did partially because of them. And then of course there was the story itself, with a plot that really kept propelling the story forward and sucking me in the further I read. The setting of this book is 1920s Harlem, and that setting made this all the more fun to read. The world we're drawn into felt lively and electric. There were a lot of side characters, but the ones who stood out were great additions to the story.

Really, the only reason I didn't give this a firm 5 stars was just because the middle was a little slow in some spots and some scenes went on a little longer than I thought it needed. Also, sometimes the main antagonists slipped into Disney-villain mode and it took me out for a bit. But honestly these are minor gripes as this story was so fun and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel!

I enjoyed this book so much! It is such a fast read. I think the author did an amazing job bringing this world and characters to life. I was so invested in the plotline, it was hard to stop reading. Looking forward to book two!

3.75 stars rounded up!

This Ravenous Fate was one of my anticipated releases for this year. The premise of vampires, a sapphic enemies to lovers, all set under 1920s Harlem had me absolutely hooked. That being said, I went into it with really high hopes, which is always a little dangerous. I’m a little bummed that I didn’t end up loving this book, however I see the potential in the story.

My biggest issue with this novel is the pacing. There’s an element of mystery—Elise and Layla are meant to find why some reapers are seemingly human once dead. Given the mystery and Layla’s life and freedom on the line, I thought the plot would be more fast paced but there were various moments where the story felt stilled. As for the mystery itself, it was easy to predict who our villains were since there were really only a few options. When the big reveal came to fruition, it didn’t feel like much of a shock at all.

Another aspect I was looking forward to was the sapphic romance. Elise and Layla were friends before they turned enemies after Layla and her family were attacked, resulting in Layla becoming a reaper (vampire). The romance was a little lack-luster, I wanted to believe in their romance but it felt a little rushed at the end. Given that they were best friends when younger, I also wish we could have gotten flashbacks or memories of them being friends, so that the ‘enemies’ part hit harder.

That being said, I still enjoyed the premise of the book and the plot, I was invested and I’m excited to see what happens in the next book. I loved the idea of the reapers, I found Layla to be a compelling character. As for Elise, she had her moments where her rich upbringing clouded her judgement (I think that was the point), but overall I found her to be a strong character.

Spoiler ahead! Sterling is a constant character throughout the story. From my perspective, I think he is the embodiment of a soldier. He thinks of the Saints as his all or nothing so duty is everything to him. Sterling is also Elise’s best friend. They constantly talk about how much they mean to each other. I know that there’s a point where Sterling begins to disagree with Elise’s actions but I found it to be quite wild and chaotic for Elise to inject her best friend with a serum that she has no certainty of its effects. I had to read that scene twice to make sure I was grasping it correctly. It felt so weird.

I was very excited to read this one because hello sapphic vampires, angst, and enemies to lovers.

While I didn’t completely hate it, I also wasn’t very invested. I’d have wanted more backstory about the enemies part of the story (flashbacks maybe?) and sometimes the relationship seemed forced and unauthentic.

Overall, a decent read though with a unique story about vampires.

DNF at 41%. I really wanted to like this one but I just absolutely hated one of the two main characters, and not in a "love to hate" way. She was so privileged - and ignorant to her own privilege - that I simply could not muster sympathy for her or the murder empire she inherited. The romance didn't work for me either, because I cannot understand what Layla saw in her. However, the concept of queer Black vampires ("reapers") navigating class and racism in the 1920's is so good that I'd recommend giving it a try to see if you can get past Elise.

Back sapphic vampires with an elaborate plot filled with action, political intrigue, hierarchy struggles and angst-filled banter that kept me FED. A well thought out and complex world with poetic writing, and I’d love to read what this author releases next!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the eARC!

The devastation I feel after finishing this book and realizing that it was just ok hurts me to my core. I follow the author on socials and was psyched when t I learned she was writing this book. The premise is SO GOOD (Sapphic Black Vampire Book set in the 1920s? YES PLEASE) but the execution falls flat.

One of my biggest problems was that I kept being pulled out of the story thanks to the dialogue. A lot of it was clunky and felt too modern. I let a lot of things go because I was very into this book up until around the 60% mark. That’s when the plot began to drag. I found myself skimming towards the end only to feel unsatisfied by the ending.

Anyway, I adored Layla and I hope her back is ok from carrying this book. She’s the reason I’ll be picking up the sequel.

This book was not at all what I expected but I ended up loving it!! The 1920s setting was amazing and I felt so immersed in the time period. It had vampires and action and mystery to keep you on your toes. Plus some super well done romance (sapphic one at that)! Will be adding to my personal library and our library!

This book had everything I didn’t know I needed in a fantasy book. An intriguing setting, black vampires, and a sapphic romance!

One of the things I loved about this book was the setting! The way the author described the setting was masterful and made me feel like I was actually in 1920s Harlem.

For the cons of this book, my main problem with was the romance. Something about the how the romance developed fell slightly flat for me. Also, the investigation that Layla and Elise were conducting bored me to tears at some points. There was no urgency for them. But this was overall a solid debut and I can’t wait to read next books in this series!

Thanks @netgalley for the ARC!

I think this is one of those books where the potential exceeded the execution. I think the main selling points are vampires and the jazz age Harlem setting. I think these elements both fell short. If you pluck out a few vampire and setting related moments in the story, we’d be left with just a regular mystery. I wish the setting was stronger and that the vampire presence and behaviors were more prevalent.

I was also disappointed by the friends to enemies to lovers aspect. They both felt so strongly about wanting to kill each other. They didn’t just dislike each other. They literally wanted the other dead. For one, I think it took too long to understand why. Then, they worked together way too easily imo. It was just all too neatly wrapped. I think there could’ve been more tension, drama, and action with their partnership.

I also struggled with the writing. Some of the sentences didn’t make sense. In addition, I found the scene changes to be abrupt. I wish there was more of a flow with transitions. This is also a dual pov book, but they don’t have separate chapters. Within a chapter, pov sometimes changed between Elise and Layla. As a result, I found it difficult at times to determine whose pov I was reading.

Overall, I just found myself confused as to what was going on, who was the “bad guy,” who was on whose side…etc. I’m not a fan of the pacing, world building, or character arcs which is unfortunate because I’ve been following Hayley on socials for a long time and have enjoyed how she has talked about her book. I don’t think the actual story measures up to how she has promoted it. Maybe this book could’ve used some more time in the oven before pulling it out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advanced eARC.