4 Stars

Firstly, thank you to Hayley, the Sourcebooks Fire team, and NetGalley for gifting me an arc copy in exchange for an honest review!

To begin, the atmosphere of Jazz Age Harlem rampant with vampires, called reapers, was dark and gritty with dazzling moments of glitter and high society events. I loved how Hayley set up the world's politics and characters, depicting the underground and aboveground societies clashing. Though, perhaps they were never so far apart to begin with.

Elise and Layla were also interesting characters with their own arcs and flaws. While the mystery itself was fairly obvious, the fun was in reading how Elise and Layla navigated it and their own feelings. Though there were a couple, less obvious, smaller twists that made it more enjoyable. That said, if you're here for the mystery, this probably isn't the book for you as the plot is more focused on proving who the culprit is (and the romance lol) than actually solving it.

I will say the end felt a little rushed to me. There were times when I lost track of characters, who were formerly sitting side by side with one of our MCs and then completely disappeared. Some main moments were brushed over, and one twist (along with its following effects), seemed to have very little backing.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and recommend it for people who are more focused on a black sapphic romantasy than a mystery!

This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings

Childhood best friends turned enemies! This book is full of tropes and that’s either your thing or it isn’t. Personally, I roll my eyes every time a mascarade ball is thrown, but I’ll still eat it up every single time. I think that’s part of the fun. Like we’re here for the biting, getting drunk on venom, and confessions of love! I do, however, think the enemy aspect could’ve gone harder.

I loved the mystery that surrounded the girls’ relationship and what happened the night it all went wrong. The details were slowly fed to us, but I do wish we got more of a reveal. While reading I caught myself thinking “Oh that’s all that happened? We’re not getting more?” I also had a similar feeling surrounding what happened to Layla in the alleyway. I was excited for a grand revelation but found the reveal fell a little short.

With the caveat that I don’t read much YA fiction, one thing I couldn’t wrap my head around is why Elise would be put in charge of a murder investigation. When the adults in the room complained about her progress I couldn’t help but think “Why are we all pretending a pair of traumatised teens are Sherlock and Watson?” The writing style also wasn’t my favourite, and again, I feel the need to chalk this up to me not reading much YA.

I love a bloody mess and adored the beginning fights. I did find the final conflict happened too fast, people seemed to materialise out of nowhere to save the day or escalate the situation. This final fight could’ve worked well on screen, but in a book, I found it all very convenient. At the same time, I also found the events after the fight too slow. We lost a lot of momentum and spent the last few pages tying up loose ends and setting up the sequel. In that rush, I found it difficult to follow the logic behind a lot of the characters’ decisions.

All that to say I did have a lot of fun reading this. It’s probably the teen inside me who’s still sitting on Tumblr and watching Camilla on YouTube.

I was drawn in by the cover art and the synopsis of the book. This is my first time reading a book by Hayley Dennings. Unfortunately, I had to DNF the book after a few chapters. The story wasn't holding my attention and I couldn't stick with the story to see what would happen next or what happened in the past to the main character to find out the next part. It reminded me a bit of supernatural themed tv shows based on vampires and the undead along with some kind of "hunter". When I started reading the book it felt like I was missing a chunk of the story, and this started in the middle, so I felt pretty lost.

Thanks to NetGalley & SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun read! Vampires in 1920s Harlem...solving a murder mystery with vampire hunters! (They're called Reapers but they're just vampires)

It got a bit convoluted with the solving of the mystery at the end but I still really enjoyed the book. Elise and Layla were compelling protagonists--though I preferred Layla a bit more, given her vampiric nature. I liked the twists and turns and how their growing relationship pushed the story along. I wish we had a chapter or two highlighting Layla pre-vampire and how close they used to be.

I really did enjoy this book but the writing wasn't something to, ha, write home about. It's still a strong debut in my opinion, though! I'd like to read more in this series if Dennings ever considers rejoining the world.

I was really intrigued by this book based on the premise. I'm not too familiar with many urban fantasies, but I was most excited to see that it was set in 1920s Harlem and feature black vampires living amongst humans. I think for a debut this book was okay. There were times I didn't find that I cared about the characters and what was going on. I think a big part of that was the pacing for me, but I was still interested enough to finish. This book was find objectively, but I just felt kind of bored.

This one just was not for me unfortunately. I was really looking forward to it. I couldnt connect to the characters and the mystery was not mysterious enough for me. I felt the side characters were very unforgettable. It felt like they would appear and disappear just like that with no real connection.

<i>Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC?</i>

Who edited this?

It seems like this publisher is generally pretty well regarded but I have to wonder if the editor was put on a time crunch, new, or just doing their job with their eyes closed because this is some of the most godawful editing I’ve ever seen in a traditionally published book, period. Typos, poor sentence structure, clunky dialogue, cardboard characters, vacuum of chemistry, underdeveloped worldbuilding, and poorly paced plot are all things a team of editors would pick up and revise on their own or with the author. Here though, its like the first draft was just sent through immediately to all ARC readers. I get that this is an ARC and changes will likely (hopefully) be made, but the author is preparing to be published in a couple of months and this needs at least another year worth of work. It’s that bad.

I follow the author on social media and she seems like a smart and talented creative but her writing is at the very least amateurish. Prose is basic, general plot developments are poorly constructed, and the dialogue…is something to behold alright. I think she really should’ve spent more time developing her craft and style before putting this out in the world. This book in general needed more time in the oven.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked that this story was set in 1920’s Harlem.
There’s just something about vampires in the Roaring ‘20s!


With that being said, this novel wasn’t terrible, but it just didn’t keep my attention or make me want to keep reading. I liked the themes and concept of the story, it just lacked better execution. It just isn’t for me!

This Ravenous Fate is a solid debut for Hayley Dennings. I was initially drawn in by the premise and the Harlem Renaissance setting.

Layla was my favorite character so I wish we could have gotten more insight on her family and her passion for dance, life before becoming a reaper, etc. This book could have benefited from a bit of cleaning up of repetitive phrases/dialogue and the ending could have been fleshed out a bit more as it seemed rushed in comparison to the earlier pacing of the book. Also, this was the definition of a slow burn but understandable since there was a lot of history and healing to be done by the main characters so I didn’t mind too much. I would have loved more flashbacks on Layla and Elise’s childhood bond and a full flashback of the event that eventually severed their friendship as we only got bits and pieces of that. Hopefully book two delves into it more as I am definitely looking forward to see how Layla and Elise navigate their new relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was a very unique take on vampires and very different from what I would typically read in the sense that I don't like stories that read like historical fiction but this was so well written that I didn't even notice.

Set in an alternate United States in the 1920's, where vampires (called reapers) and humans live. The story follows Elisa, a human, and her relationship with Layla, who turned into a reaper 5 years ago. Elise's father is extremely rich business man who wants nothing more than to kill all reapers. So there was political machinations as well as a weak murder mystery. The story was ok, but lacked excitement. I didn't care for the characters. All were self absorbed and didn't have much empathy. All the politicians were evil. The last few pages were also confusing to me.

the only thing i really loved about this book was that the characters were lesbian. and that's kind of it. which isn't to say i hated it—i didn't. elise and layla were well fleshed out characters, and the "mystery" was intriguing. mystery is in quotes because anyone with functioning eyes could immediately tell you who/what the culprit was, but apparently, elise and layla have a monopoly on all the world's delusions. (the second half of the book is just elise walking in circles so she doesn't have to confront a certain someone. like this could have been 200 pages shorter.) but it was written in a way that had me invested in how they would solve what was happening despite me already guessing the culprit. while i was mostly neutral throughout the book, the ending annoyed me so much. there's a very important death shoehorned into maybe the last five pages, and we barely get to see how it impacts anything. yes, i know how cliffhangers work, and yes, this is a series, but there was no buildup, no anything, and it felt so random. this was the death of one of the most powerful characters in this universe, so??? and #her being the one to commit the murder just annoyed me even more.

and also, i really, truly hate the supernatural with self-hatred trope, and layla did not change my mind at all. especially with mei's death scene, like hello?? she knew damn well that cure wouldn't work? stand up???

10/10 for lesbian yearning. 6/10 for everything else. thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This Ravenous Fate: 3.5/5

Synopsis: This Ravenous Fate is set in the 1920s and centers around 2 teenage former best friends, Layla Quinn being a reaper (vampire) and the other, Elise Saint coming from an empire of reaper hunters. When all of a sudden some reapers are turning human again and vicious murders start piling up, all eyes turn to Layla and to clear her name she must partner with her former best friend and current enemy Elise and together they investigate who and or what is behind these killings and the mystery of these reapers turning human again all while also navigating their complex feelings for each other.


Review: I gave this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the story and I think it had and still does have a lot of potential to be great especially now knowing that it's going to be a duology. Black lesbian vampires/vampire hunters is RIGHT UP MY ALLEY and I was so excited going into this because there is such few representation of these kinds of stories including black people. With that being said, I had quite a bit of issues with it. The first thing being the setting and the language of the book. I feel that a lot of the dialogue in the book was a little too modern for the time period that it's supposed to be set in and it honestly took me out of the book quite a bit because of it. The characters and their history together wasn't as fleshed out as I would have liked them to be, I cared about them individually and together as a romantic pairing and the tension was AMAZING but I really wish we would have gotten more backstory or more flashback scenes between them as friends when they were younger to really establish the depth of how much pain they were in when their friendship ended and how it contributed to them hating each other so much. The pacing was little too slow, and honestly before we got halfway through the book I had already figured out who the bad guy was so FOR ME it was pretty predictable but that doesn't mean that I still didn't have fun reading it. All in all this was a solid debut but a lot of the issues I had with it that I stated above were a little too glaring for me to give it a 4 or 5 but I absolutely will be picking up the second book when it comes out!

I just reviewed This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings. #NetGalley

Urban Fantasy, Sapphic, BIPOC, Vampires, 1920's

I honestly was quite disappointed in this book. I was excited to start, and just felt like it wasn't my vibe. I think that this could be a great book for a lot of people, but it wasn't for me. Writing is good and story is good.

this is a third person POV book based in 1920s Harlem with vampires, which are known as reapers. there's black and queer representation here, which i LOVE. it even mentions segregation, racism, and classism amongst humans (and reapers) that was unfortunately historically accurate of the time. i also liked the added mention of the prohibition. honestly, it almost reads like a historical fiction and i love that.

The Ravenous Fate pretty intense and bloody and suspenseful. the two FMC, one human and one reaper, have to come together to solve the mysterious deaths happening around the city. there's a lot of tension between the two, as they were former childhood friends. as you follow their journey, they unravel just as much between themselves as they do with the things happening around them.

Layla was an interesting character. she's only been a reaper for a few years. even though she's shut off many aspects of her human life to survive reaperhood, she somehow still has traces of her humanity. between her and Elise, i really liked Layla.

i enjoyed this book, BUT there were some pretty slow moments. it helped that things kept happening or being revealed. i just feel like a couple of chapters could have been shaved off and still kept the intensity of the story.

nonetheless, i'd give this a 3.5. i would still recommend this though! we need more queer, POC vampire stories!

thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. i received this book as an ARC and leave this review voluntarily.

This was what I wanted from a ya vampire book tbh (hint: gay!!!!). The setting and vibes are impeccable, the chemistry between Layla and Elise so tangible, and the murder mystery the perfect amount of intriguing to scoot you along. While I did find the pacing a bit slow at times, the relationship between our main characters and the promise of more cool vamp lore to come was always enough to sate me. For a debut this is incredibly promising for the future of Hayley's writing, but I do believe that it needed just a touch more editing, as the major plot twist of the experimentation was not super well hidden, and I feel that this book could've culled 80 pages or so and been better for it mostly to speed up the plot! I definitely plan on reading the sequel though!

Vampires are so so back!!!

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I love that vampires are getting a resurgence in YA. I love that we now get a wlw vampire book ON TOP of Black vampires.... ohhh I can't be normal about this and it will be my annoying personality until it publishes.

The premise for this was so interesting! However, upon reading the book, it fell a bit flat for me. There's so much that happens that feels like filler. I've been telling my friends that it feels like "a lot happens but simultaneously nothing happens."

I think this would be stronger (and as a result would probably be a faster paced read) if the story was focused in on one or two plot points. Focusing solely on the conflict between Elise and Layla/humans and reapers and the mystery of poison would have really benefited this book. As is, I had a difficult time focusing on the story because it felt all over the place.

While I did not love this, I also did not hate it. It's a solid 3 star read for me.

This book is BLOODY!!!

The vibes for this book were just as promised--bloody and vicious yet decadent at every turn. The fact that it was set in the 1920s in Harlem was so interesting, and it really brought this book to life.

As for the story, I kept wishing the scenes connected a little better. At times, I felt like there was a disconnect between each chapter, or even each scene within the chapters. Most of them ended abruptly, and oftentimes the plot felt too convenient. I wanted to experience trying to uncover the mystery with both Elise and Layla, but most of the times the scenes showed the aftermath of finding something or it was all done way too easily that I never got the chance to appreciate the scene. I also felt like there should've been more time to flesh out the characters. Many of them were so interesting, but I felt like their time on the page didn't do them justice.

I did adore Layla Quinn. She was definitely my favorite character, and I hope all the best for her because she deserves it. She was so nuanced and it was so interesting to see her dealing with her reaper hood while also craving to get her human life back.

Overall, I thought the book was cool, but I really wish it had been fleshed out better

THIS BOOK WAS PHENOMENAL! set in the heart during the Harlem Renaissance it features two black girls, awful share Ruby twisted in dark past and have found themselves in a bind when one is a vampire and the other is the daughter of a renowned vampire hunting family. Its is a sapphic, love story that has you hooked from being to end. Elise is a well rounded character who has decide between love and duty