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.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an early copy to read and review. All thoughts are my own.

I was excited when I seen this book because it sounded so good but…it fell flat for me.

Honestly it was a so slow paced and I felt like nothing really happened. Where was the romance? Nothing even romantically happened between Elise and Layla until 200 pages in and the book is only 300 pages long. I thought they were suppose to be discovering their feelings for one another? No hint of love until like I said 200 pages and then all of a sudden they just fall for one other? 20 pages back, Layla was sleeping with Mei. It just didn’t make sense.

Also nothing even really happens or picks up in this book until 100 pages in. I felt like more should have been going on.

I mean the storyline was intriguing and the characters were likable but the plot just wasn’t there for me. I kept wanting more and waiting for something significant to happen. Maybe this book just wasn’t for me.

3 stars because it wasn’t bad but it just didn’t satisfy my vampire needs.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read this book.

I don't think her writing style was for me. I found it very flat and the story never had any excitement. Vampire books are very hit and miss for me and the concept of the book is really interesting with the mystery and vampires but the execution was lacking. I didn't care about either main character and there was not intensity within the book to create climaxes and resolution. It's a decent story but just not for me.

Vampires are so in trend right now and this one I can't recommend enough!! The world is so captivating and I couldn't put it down. It is a unique twist on vampire lore and I can see this really being popular when it comes out. For the fans of Enemies to lovers, betrayals, lies and twists and turns!

This book had one of the strongest openings I have ever read. The prologue gave me literal chills. However, the entire book was a bit dull in comparison. It was slower paced than I expected, with certain sections feeling a bit dragged on. That said, I did love the main characters. Elise is so strong and determined and kind and caring, and she loves her little sister so much it made my heart explode. Layla is much more wild and vibrant, yet similarly driven and capable of love. They compliment each other very well and I loved their tension. I also loved how it switched points of view between them. I do wish we got a bit more of their past as children, and I struggled a bit with some of the villain characters being just so horrible and feeling like Elise and Layla failed to see it. As for the rest of the book, I loved the world building of the reapers and their lore and the Saint empire, and of course I adored the 1920s Harlem setting with all its glamour and danger. So overall this book did not quite meet my expectations but I enjoyed it and recommend it.

As a follower of Hayley Dennings on social medias, I was eagerly anticipating the release of this book, and was therefore delighted to have the opportunity to read an ARC. But ultimately, this novel was lackluster to me.

While I found the premise compelling, the execution was lacking in several key areas.
The dynamic between Elise and Layla, for which I had high hopes, did not meet expectations. Despite the physical attraction between them, their emotional connection seemed underdeveloped and unconvincing. I wanted a deeper and more nuanced exploration of their relationship, but it never happened. I think flashbacks from when they were kids would have made their relationship more compelling and the book more interesting.

The pacing of the novel was another significant issue. The story moved slowly, and I often found myself disengaged and bored. I considered DNFing the book multiple times. The sluggish pace contributed to the overall feeling of the book being forgettable—neither bad enough to question its publication nor good enough to leave a lasting impression. I won’t be reading the sequel.

I am so happy that this book exists. This is the first book in a new series that is perfect for fans of vampires and still want something unique. The characters, setting, mystery and writing style is going to appeal so many people.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this arc.

2.5 stars. This sapphic vampire read unfortunately did not do it for me. It felt lackluster and in need of some big moments. The pacing needed work, and it felt like the story was stretched out too much because of a lack of plot. I felt like the MCs were infuriating and with their lack of awareness and senseless views. I liked the premise, however, that was it for me.

DNF’d at 38%

I feel awful about DNFing this, because the plot sounded so interesting! This was such an anticipated read for me, and it was the first ARC I ever got access to so I really wanted it to work.

But I just could not get into this book 😭 I started it back in March and it sat at 30% for so long because I could not bring myself to pick it up again. And I finally tried again but I barely got 8% further before I just couldn’t take it anymore 😭

The dialogue in particular is both infuriating and confusing. So many conversations made no sense and the characters were just saying things at each other with no cohesively, and the end of every conversation made me just??? Baffled about what had just happened, but the narrative would move on like “so that means-“ NO! DONT PRETEND IT MADE SENSE!

It was further confused by the character motivations which were either wishy washy unclear, or outright spoken in the middle of the WEIRD conversations.

The plot was tedious outside of that. I’m pretty sure I guessed everything and what’s worse I have no interest in seeing if I’m right because I don’t care about any of the characters or happenings.

This was a devastating DNF 😭

The first half of this book was so slow and a struggle for me to get through with. The second half redeemed it a bit but not enough for me to want to raise my rating. Transitions between scenes just did not flow at all and it felt like things were just shoved together with no explanation.

I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about this one at first. But the further I got the more I enjoyed it! I try not to give anything away in reviews because I think everything can be a spoiler in a way. But suffice it to say it was actually pretty dang good and I can’t wait for everyone else to be able to read it so I have someone to talk to about it! Haha.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC to do this review!

I've been following this author since she started writing this book and even before then. I'm so happy to have gotten an early copy so I can talk it up.

I will say I am not a huge historical fiction person so knowing this book takes place in 1920's Harlem worried me a bit, but honestly I think while there are historical references it's not like it's confusing. I also loved the talk about vampires and how the author talks about reapers or vampires in relation to how black people were treated during this time period. I think there are so many interesting talking points when it comes to this story. I also think vampires and the best friends to enemies to lovers will make it appeal to so many different types of readers. This book really has everything for every type of reader (besides maybe nonfiction)

I am only giving it 4 stars because the beginning was a bit slow for me. I do think this book is incredible and can't wait to read the second book when it's out but also can't wait to talk about this book.