This book is decent but it does this thing that drives me to distraction which is over and over pull a Paris Hilton 'She Knows What She Did' so much and for so long that it barely makes a dent when you get to the meat of it. It's an interesting take on the vampire/reaper kore but needed a little more grit to have it claim it's stake in an overcrowded genre.

This one took me a little longer to get through. The premise was intriguing - vampires or reapers in Harlem during prohibition. However I felt it moved a bit slowly and dragged on in places. Unfortunately it did not hold my attention. I made it 66% of the way through.

I loved the world building in this book the world felt lived in. The world Elise inhabits is dark, her tragedy is so sharp, but the world that Layla inhabits is also dark her tragedy also deep and cutting. Elise is human an heiress to a family legacy that compels her to give up her dreams to ensure that her sister whose innocence she wants to help her hold on to propels her into the dark. Layla inhabits the dark loss of her parents, her life with them, her humanity she's a reaper and that means that she's cut off from the part of the life that she held dearest to her. Once the dearest of friends Elise and Layla have to work together to find a killer, where once there was trust there's distrust, can they find their killer can they both survive the nights and the monsters that inhabit them?
I loved this story my only complaint I was unaware that this book was going to be one in a series which might be a trilogy or a duology and now I have to wait for the next book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the world it’s set in felt really immersive. I loved getting to know the characters of Elise and Layla and how the two of them interact with each other. I think the strong point of this book is the writing style and the way the author makes us feel so connected with the characters.
My one critique would be the pacing, I thought that it was well paced to begin with, although I was never quite sure of the timelines given some things that happen in the story, but the last 100 pages or so were quite chaotic and felt slightly unresolved.
Would definitely recommend this book, and keen to see where the story goes!

Loved the premise here, I'm a big fan of The Originals TV show and this had similar vibes. Unfortunately, the execution let me down, particularly in terms of prose (maybe needed another edit?) and the romance. Nonetheless, I do think THIS RAVENOUS FATE will resonate with the target audience (teens). And the BIPOC and queer rep is appreciated.

Thank you Sourcebooks fire for the arc of This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings.

In this book we follow Elise and Layla, childhood friends with a brutal separation in their past turned reluctant allies as they work together to search for a rumored end to reaperhood. Through the glaring disruption in their friendship, the fact that Layla has become a reaper due to Elise Saint’s involvement, the two take on enemies from all sides as well as the embers of their feelings for each other that dance around them like ghosts.

What a bloody and vibrant book! I felt like I was going on a journey with Elise and Layla and just barely made it out to live to tell the tale. So many aspects of the book from the setting to the descriptions made this really enjoyable. The characters were great and kept the story progressing, especially after the middle of the book.

I love Layla. She had me smirking at the comments she made, highlighting lines that struck something in me, and getting enraged when she felt angry. Her rage rose off the page like smoke.
🩸“I will not allow anyone to tell me how to grieve the life that I should be living.” 🩸

Elise was a flawed character that I rooted for until the bitter end because I genuinely wanted to see her get things right. She’s a Mirrorball, this is me trying, kind of girl and I felt that deeply. I miss her more than I thought I would now that I finished the book.
🕊️ “Elise could not imagine having that level of confidence. To speak, knowing everyone listened, to act, knowing those who watched were judging not his appearance, but the content of his character. To exist as the sole owner of his freedom.”🕊️

Sterling, no comment for you sir.

I love how Layla’s nickname for Elise was Saint (yes that’s her last name but just the duality that comes with the meaning of the word and how it parallels to the reapers and all the intentional ways Layla uses it ugh Hayley you are simply a genius). I love that Elise plays music and Layla longs to dance to it. I love that familial ties are a big theme in this book and even though it seems that blood runs thicker than water, there is so much blood on these pages family lines are blurred beneath it. I love so much I could go on and on.

Overall, the book was a unique and fresh story that I hope readers fall head first in love with.

The blood-soaked streets of Harlem await, so if you haven’t yet, don’t be afraid to dive in to This Ravenous Fate.

Hayley, I told you before but I’ll shout it forever- you shine so bright, friend. Congratulations on your debut, it is exquisite.

3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)

i found this book to stay on my mind every second i wasn’t reading it. i loved the setting of it, the characters were well written, the diversity of the characters was beautifully done. i loved how tougher topics were covered and talked about. also really appreciated reading a sapphic book that wasn’t done based on stereotypes! i genuinely adored the book up until about the last 25%, after that it felt like a fever dream. a lot what happened in that section, especially the ending, felt very out of left field and rushed regarding plot. i think more build up and draw outs of what happened would’ve been way better. i also think the romance aspect at the end went a bit too rushed considering how elise and layla’s relationship was before that last chunk.

overall i did enjoy the book and would definitely recommend to friends! i can’t wait to see where this goes in the sequel and i’m excited to see more from the author.

Sapphic 👭🏾 & Vampires 🧛🏾‍♀️

I dragged a lil reading this but I feel like it was a me problem and nothing to do with the book. I enjoyed this I can’t wait to see what happens with Layla and Elise that hot and cold love story had me hooked cause what is about to happen next! Getting your bestfriend killed that you’re in love with is insane even if you thought you were saving her! I guess true love conquers all lol I’m kidding. I truly loved this story and I can’t wait for book 2.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. Because oh my god, This Ravenous Fate was a freaking masterpiece. Queer Black girls?? Vampires?? 1920s New York?? Check. Check. Check. From the moment I read the first page, I knew this would be a book I would enjoy. Hayley Dennings' writing is stunning and the way she writes is so engaging, you will literally not want to put down the book. I had to force myself to take a break, even though I didn't want to.

The amazing writing style was the perfect way to get lost in the dazzling darkness of 1920s New York, as portrayed in this book. I think this book would make such a great TV series, especially if it was animated, Castlevania-style. And it is in this city that we find our main characters, Elise and Layla, former friends turned enemies on the opposite sides of a secret war plaguing New York. The two are forced to work together, investigating a series of brutal killings. Their reluctance plus the burning intensity of their chemistry as they work together was just incredible.

Both their personalities really shine on page and it was so interesting to see their opinions of each other shift at the same time. Elise and Layla are both complex characters, with conflicting motivations and they play out on page wonderful well. Truly, I think this book is a stunningly crafted debut.

And that ending....just....wow....I'm speechless in a good way. This Ravenous Fate was an incredible read and I enjoyed it a lot. Now, I will wait (I'm)patiently to get my hands on book 2 because I need to know what happens.

Oof… This was extremely boring. I’m not the target audience for this, but the premise was intriguing and I still do enjoy picking up a fast-paced YA fantasy on occasion. Unfortunately, the plot and characters were underwhelming. I was expecting a more unique, less tropey read, but nothing about this felt fresh or well executed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved this book and I am obsessed with it. And I just want to thank net gally for this arc and I love it. I love this book because of the way the characters interact and how they have growth and I think has to be one of the reason for why this book is a five star for me. It would be a six. But anyway I love how every detail and description was written. It made me feel even more attached to this story. And it also just makes the story feel like I was in it. This might be controversial but I love how the story was in third person. I know and I think this is perfect for people who love sapphic vampires.

i was super excited to read this book because it had all the ingredients to make a banger for me. unfortunately, the execution wasn't exactly what i hoped and fell a bit short of my expectations. i saw a couple reviews discuss how the pacing was an issue and i totally agree. it was too slow-paced for a mystery which made the middle a bit daunting to get through. obviously in fantasy books, it can be a bit slow because of the world building but there wasn't much world building here so the slowness for me is mostly because of the plot and elise's feelings.

Review will be released to Goodreads on release.

A black sapphic, dark vampire book set in the 1920’s Harlem. Childhood friends, to enemies, back to lovers, mystery, BIPOC characters, and of course, vampires is what this book promises and delivers!

The premise of this book was really great, however I don’t think the writing style of the author is quite my cup of tea. Nothing is terribly wrong with it, just a bit too much information being handed to us that felt a bit spoon-fed, so it hinders the depth of the issues the author wanted to highlight in this book. Or my issue with the current trends of easy to digest, super marketable books instead of a thoughtful in depth piece. I definitely think some of the wording choice could’ve gotten shaken up, as there was times it felt repetitive to me. But that’s just a small, personal nitpick.

But since the information felt very obvious, I was very confused on the shock of the characters when they finally guessed the villain, who I immediately knew.

None of this is a slight to the author, I know she is super talented and I encourage everyone to pick up this book and feel your own opinion out. The book is definitely worth at least a read! I’m very excited for Hayley’s future in writing!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the arc for my honest review!

So, before I get into the meat of my review, I'd like to say that I think Hayley Dennings shows a lot of promise as an author. There were multiple moments throughout the book where the writing really shined. I feel like both the premise and the setting were very interesting, plus I liked the exploration of race, class, and privilege.

That being said, I had a really rough time with this one. It started out pretty promising, but ultimately this was a very uneven and frustrating reading experience. There were multiple reasons for this. This biggest, however, was within the chapters themselves. The story follows two POVs--Layla and Elise. This would be fine normally, but these POV switches happen within the same chapter. There are times when this can work. Usually that would be when the author wants to show a particular moment that happens in the same chapter from two different POVs. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite what happened in this book. The POV switches within each chapter often felt random and confusing. This had the unfortunate effect of affecting the pacing. Poignant moments between characters never really felt like they had a chance to make an impact. A moment with Elise would then switch to a moment with Layla that didn't really seem to have anything to do with Elise, then the POV would switch back to Elise and characters in that POV that had previously seemed like they'd been in a good mood suddenly switched to angry and hostile. It was jarring. It made it seem like I'd missed out on a good chunk of what happened in the interim by switching to Layla's POV.

The bulk of this could've been avoided by making each chapter contained to a single POV, rather than hopping around. It would've made the story feel slightly more cohesive, too, though I still think this book would suffer a little from pacing issues--especially towards the end.

I also think that some of the world-building needed to be delivered through a different means rather than info-dumping in conversations between characters. It would've made the world feel more exploratory and given the reader a little trust from the author to piece things together themselves.

Again, I do think there's potential here, but it's not really enough to get me interested in continuing on with the story. Unfortunately, I never really got fully invested in the world or the characters. However, I do think if you're interested, it's worth picking up to get a different view on vampires or if you enjoy queer friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I personally have never been a big fantasy person this book though was wild. It feels so unreal. I just cannot describe how I feel. It is amazing.

I love the take on vampires, or as they're known here, reapers. The last 3rd of the book had me on the edge of my seat & absolutely stressed out. I'm glad I found this on booktok ♥!

This Ravenous Fate

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review. 

Set im the 1920’s in Harlem. Reapers have become a problem and the Saint family is trying to find a solution. Elise and Layla were best friends until Elise betrayed Leyla. Leyla lost her family and turned into a reaper.

I wanted to live it but parts of the story just didn’t flow for me. The characters lacked something, maybe some chemistry.

“For Black girls everywhere- you are enough. “

“Politicians claim to hate us because we break their laws, but they hire us to break their laws. “

“The more money, the less morals. “

“Look at history.. It’s not made by great men and great minds, but rather selfish motivations.”

This was a highly anticipated release between the premise and the setting, but after finishing it I’m sitting here unsure how I feel about it.

Layla Quinn and Elise Saint were best friends until several years ago with Layla’s parents were killed and she was turned into a reaper. She especially blames the Saints and most especially Elise, because Elise betrayed her trust by telling her father, Tobias Saint, about Layla’s parents’ plan to help the reapers and meet with the Harlem clan. Because of the danger to her from the reapers, Elise was sent to France to study piano, and the story opens with her return to the city for a Saint event. When a friend of Elise’s is murdered by a young man who appears human in death but Layla remembers him as a fresh reaper, the girls are forced to team up to figure out what really happened and what’s going on with the reapers of Harlem, while also trying to clear Layla’s name.

This story definitely has a lot of potential and I think I would continue the series to see what happens next, especially with the grim reveal in the last few chapters, but also I’m feeling very eh about the whole thing. The setting was great - it’s hard to go wrong with 1920s Harlem - and I did love the reaper element of world building. The idea that vampires are a result of human experimentation of enslaved Black people (especially Black women) is a perfect starting point in so many ways, and I loved Valeria’s character a lot between her rage and trauma and history.

I think overall I loved a lot of elements of this book and the world, but I don’t know that I can root for Elise and Layla as a couple and I don’t know that all of the choices worked for me. I think I would still recommend the book, and I am curious about continuation of Layla and Elise’s story, but I also overall feel eh and conflicted on how I feel about the book. Maybe I wasn’t the right reader for this book, after all.

[Cannonball Read review will post August 2, 2024]

This book was written so perfectly. I felt like I was there. I just loved it so much!! Definitely 10/10. Recommend to read

I was sucked into this book. I spent most of today reading it because I couldn't put it down for too long before going back to it. But when I did finish, I had to sit and reflect for a bit because I felt mixed about some things.

Firstly, the positive: Elise and Layla are both intriguing protagonists with distinct voices/POVs. Dennings did a wonderful job portraying both girls' strengths and flaws. I kept floundering between which of the girls' hatred was more justified against the other, because both of their POVs garnered a lot of emotional weight and made me feel for both of them. Plus, the building of their romance was nearly perfect - and this is coming from someone who typically can't stand an enemies-to-lovers romance.

The writing is also really great. Lots of vivid scenery description and dialogue exchanges between characters, but I think my favorite aspects were whenever music was involved. Elise plays the piano, and she uses music as an outlet of whatever emotion she needs to let out. I absolutely adore musical metaphors when they're done right like this.

There are a couple things that hold me back from loving this, such as the rushed ending. I don't wanna get into it too deeply here, but the romantic tension is rushed through at the end and left me in a confused state on where Elise and Layla's relationship stands. The worldbuilding also felt incomplete at some parts, with Dennings focus being on Elise or Layla's emotional turmoil repeatedly rather than painting a clearer picture of the world they inhabited. There was also a twist with Elise's sister and Layla's mom-figure that came out of nowhere at the last minute? I kinda figured there was something weird going on there, but that reveal still was weird for me.

Overall, this is a good book, and I very much hope any issue I have here will be expanded upon and/or resolved in the next book.