This book!! The ending!! I need more!!

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC!

Okay, where do I even begin? I've never read a book about vampires or reapers before, I kid you not, not even twilight; and I was so not disappointed by my first experience with it. Set in the 1920's, there is a large divide between Reapers and humans, with the humans largely being fueled by the Saint family. There are whispered promises of a cure for reapers, but can it be trusted? There's been a series of strange deaths coming about, and somebody in particular is being blamed for them. Not to mention two old friends who are caught in the middle of this on either side and quite literally out for each other's blood now.

This book is quite graphic in its descriptions (and that's probably an understatement), and very heavily focuses on racism, eugenics, violence, and betrayal, among other sensitive topics.

There is a romance aspect to the book by way of forbidden love, but it's definitely not a main focus!

I'm so happy I had the privilege to read this book before it comes out. There's definitely room for a sequel, and I can't wait to see what comes next!

3.5 — i really liked to beginning of this book, but towards the end things just fell flat. there are some major things that happen towards the end that should've been given more detail and not have been gone through so quickly

Hayley Dennings’ debut novel is just utterly fantastic! I’ve been following her writing journey on social media ever since I watched a reel where she talked about her Harlem Renaissance inspired fantasy book she was writing. As a literature graduate and a lover of Harlem Renaissance literature, I was so excited to read a fantasy based in such a rich and vivid era. Then just add the vampires and sapphic ex-best friends to lovers and i was truly a goner. Everything about this book was right up my alley and Dennings did not disappoint!

Her writing style is stunning— she’s descriptive and poignant without being overly superfluous. She’s concise and builds up the exposition at the perfect pace, because it’s not too slow to make you lose interest nor does she overwhelm you with too much worldbuilding. It’s the ideal balance for the first book in a series/duet.

I loved both of our heroines, Elise and Layla, ex best friends, one human and one vampire. Their entrenched and tragic history just made for such an enthralling dynamic and eventual romance. I’m a sucker for ex best friends to lovers since it just adds an extra layer of complexity and the forced proximity of the pair having to work together was so fun. Their tension and bickering, they knew how to get under each other’s skin and I just loved everything about Elise and Layla. Both girls were vulnerable and hurt, and Dennings intelligent and poignant on not just black history but black girlhood was phenomenal. Her lived experience as well as the collective history of black women came through the pages with such poignant commentary. Truly fantastic.

She’s a new author to watch out for and I am so excited for how she ends the story in book two! I think This Ravenous Fate is perfect for fans of These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong and A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal.

Current rating 3.5✨ 3/22/24
Arc is 318 pgs including acknowledgements and titles. "Finished" is quoted at 480.

First 100-150 pages Awesome, love it, good intro (mystique, rich descriptions, wonderful small historical details) 5 star read up to this point.

The rest is *rough* and I do mean that in like a "rough draft" sense. Plot holes and jumps in logic that feel like placeholders for more to be filled in.

----- Specific thoughts on elements throughout the book, in no particular order -----

The first couple chapters have some beautiful details of the scenery, but the rest of the book lacks some of that essential immersion detail.

Older sister killed (roughly age 12?) younger sister born a year later. Elise attacked 5 years ago fled to Paris, has returned to learn the ropes of the empire.
->would have loved more detail of situation surrounding both attacks (timeline wise)

OCD rep: we get a very immediate scene where Elise is having issues controlling her OCD(the bathroom scene) but not much hint of it before that. Would have loved mention of counting or small indicators of the disorder leading to this scene

Poorly framed arguments between all of the characters, seemingly out of nowhere. No resolution of argument before another one starts on a completely different topic. And also arguments with characters that hadn't really been present much in the book prior to the argument, certainly not in the correct context for the argument. (I.e. the argument with Valeriya -> killing Valeriya) Arguments with Layla that felt like Elise and Layla have never really spoken before.

Why do authors put "Part 1" "Part 2" "Part 3" etc in a story? If there's an obvious change in narrator/pov or setting this makes more sense. But for this book it seems to not make any sense. There's no change to narrator and the story continues where we left off in the last chapter. -- Some beautiful designs for the page dividers though. "Part Titles" make almost no sense.

Black sapphic lesbian vampire / hunter forbidden romance. I am invested in this story and its characters. I loved it I can’t wait to get a physical copy when it comes out!

I enjoyed this book. It was well written and I finished it pretty quickly. The setting was very well written. I would recommend this book.

I read an eARC on NetGalley on 3/19/2024 in exchange for nothing, because I have no clout, it was just free for a minute and I love that for me! 3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4. Yes there are spoilers. Final non-spoiler remarks at the end.

<b>The short version:</b>
I like the concepts. I like the themes. I like the characters. I'm ambivalent about the plot. I don't love the execution, but that says more about the editors than it does about the author.

<b>The long version:</b>

<u>The characters:</u>
<spoiler>Elise is a character who is the personification of a fist crumbling under its own grip. I genuinely love this kind of character, I think they're very fun. However, there are many aspects about this character that don't really make sense to me. For example, she articulates and understands her father as loving her so much that it feels oppressive and that seems to be the source of most of her anxieties, particularly the ones around perfectionism. However, every time we see her father he's essentially looking down on her saying how she's such a disappointment outside of music. I get how this is her view and it can be warped but the disappointment and view of her as incompetent is so constant that I genuinely don't understand 1) why she thinks he actually loves her; 2) why he would accept her as the heir to the Saint empire in her younger sister's stead; and 3) why, if he thinks that she's so incompetent, he would allow her anywhere near the "investigation" that the plot revolves around. The perfectionist tendencies that Elise struggles with seems to be talked about more than it is demonstrated, which is a shame because for example it could have come out a bit more in the beginning during her decision to replace her sister as the heir in order to protect her, I think that would be interesting. Also, despite Elise being anxious throughout the majority of the story there were basically zero hints of her OCD until she had an episode which I'm like. The editors should have picked up on that and sprinkled at least some hints yeah? Especially if seven is her number of choice like I feel like that could've been incorporated in some way. I love the character, I wish there was just a bit better execution.

I have less thoughts about Layla, but overall I interpret Layla as a character who refuses to mourn her own death and I like that as a concept. I like this exploration of building her new self while also refusing to really process the loss of her old self until physically confronted with it via Elise (the reminders of how things used to be, how she used to be Elise's best friend instead of Sterling) and via the possibility of a reaper cure. I think her tendency to run (her avoidance of dancing, how she physically runs away from Elise at different points in the story) and wanting a cure so badly that she refuses to consider the suspicious signs makes sense for that. She definitely mourns her family but she doesn't fully mourn herself because she accepts her reaper self but doesn't really linger on how the version of herself as a reaper is distinct from her old self. She hurts because she hasn't healed which I don't know if that was intentional but I have fun regardless. With that said, I do think it could be done a bit better. I like her rage but I think she could be more violent. I also think her relationships with other characters in particular aren't as developed as they could be which is weird because she has a lot of them and on paper they work but not in execution. The main one being of course her relationship with Elise. Speaking of –

– I think the enemies-to-lovers thing between Layla and Elise could have been done better. Even though Layla is more willing to kill Elise than vice-versa (Elise could have shot Layla at a few points but did so only once, which kinda undermines the whole enemies thing). At one point towards the beginning of the book Elise <i>says</i> that she would kill Layla, but I don't actually believe her when she says that. The scene where she starts questioning Layla about blood ("so when you drink blood, do you put sugar in it?" kinda vibes) feels way too friendly and teasing for that stage of their partnership. In order to overcome the whole enemies stage they have to have reasons to like each other. I can kinda get why Elise starts liking Layla again (she had a crush on her before, Layla is being competent which is attractive, Layla is drinking blood which is also attractive, yes Layla tried to kill her when Layla first became a reaper BUT Elise was the one who got Layla's parents killed via her father so it's easier to get over) BUT I do not understand why Layla starts to like Elise again other than Elise is pretty and they used to be friends. Honestly, at this stage I think Layla could do better than Elise which I know is wild to say but I stand by it. To be fully transparent though this is also at least partially informed by my own biases towards enemies-to-lovers. I don't think it's possible to do a true enemies-to-lovers well in the span of a single book, I genuinely think that it's something that can only be done well throughout the course of a series, but that is a personal opinion.

Also I think that the entire dynamic between Layla and Mei fell flat, which unfortunately undermined the emotional impact of her death. Maybe I missed something, but Mei and Layla interact several times throughout the story and there is basically zero indication that they have any sort of more-than-friends or a FWB dynamic until literally the scene where they sleep together and we get some narration about how they kept hooking up. It's sweet that these girls were able to find some comfort in each other in a world that was hostile to them for being reapers and honestly I think that dynamic could have been explored a bit as a source of potential tension. Layla maybe could have reflected on it as she battled her attraction to Elise like "this is so different from how I feel when I'm with Mei," or maybe she could fall into bed with Mei because she's feeling conflicted/frustrated after working with Elise and she's like "I need a distraction/I'm feeling misplaced attraction, let me get with Mei and nip it in the bud," or maybe when she sees Elise at the party she can think to herself like "why do I still feel this way I <i>just</i> slept with someone a few hours ago" but it's just brought up....and then not utilized to its fullest potential.</spoiler>

<u>The plot</u>
<spoiler>I'm ambivalent towards the plot. The whole thing about the false cure and using reapers as weapons is typical fantasy, I don't love it but I don't hate it. The whole "we need to investigate this together" aspect feels a little contrived and the reasoning feels like a handwave in order to get Elise and Layla to interact with each other but I'm ok with ignoring that. The focus is on getting Elise and Layla to get into different fun scenarios as vampire wuhluhwuhs and the plot is secondary, this is a staple of all vampire media and ergo I'm not gonna harp on the plot that much because it is what it is.

I'm a bit more critical towards the ending though, largely just because it was so rushed. For example, something I noticed was that there were more monologues in the last couple chapters compares to the rest of the book, I think largely because everything needed to be summed up. I think that Valeriya's death was incredibly swift and honestly undermines the whole "oh she's one of the oldest reapers she has all this respect" thing she's got going on. She barely plays a role in the story and I know Layla is supposed to have all this respect for her and their relationship is supposed to be of mentor/mentee but it never really feels that way, which means that Elise and Layla's tense relationship at the end also feels a little off. Like y'all JUST got together? I also don't get how Elise is able to show up at her house after the final battle and have that scene where her mom walks in on her and Layla making out and it's all fine but then in the final chapter it says "Elise felt no sense of home when she returned to her family's estate" – the tone shift is weird right? I dunno. It felt rushed and flat but again, I feel largely ambivalent.</spoiler>

<u>The politics:</u>
<spoiler>I love politics in my fantasy. I love political maneuvering and power structures and institutional hierarchies, I think they’re great for worldbuilding and great for plot. Normally I would say it’s impossible to talk about politics in a historical setting like the Harlem Renaissance without talking about race and class. However, this book is not a political history and given the existence of vampires it is more in the authors discretion whether and how to incorporate these topics. The inclusion <i>and exclusion</i> (neither are neutral or less impactful than the other) of race deeply influence political worldbuilding, characterization, and plot — but these topics are used in such a particular way that I’ve dedicated and entire section to it, so here I won’t incorporate it even though normally I absolutely would.

The politics of this world are more like set dressing as opposed to being more woven into the story, which is disappointing to ME specifically but might not be an issue if you don’t care for politics in your vampire fantasy. There are many aspects of the political structures of the Saint empire that do not make much sense. We know that there are Saint soldiers who patrol, we know that Elise’s dad as the head of the empire attends parties and perhaps a political rally (which happens once and has no substantive impact on the plot or any of the character dynamics) but there is very little knowledge about what Elise, as the heir of the Saint empire, would actually be expected to do.

For example, here is a non-exhaustive list of things that are never addressed: 1) what exactly is the cooperative relationship like between the Saint soldiers and the New York police?; 2) What exactly is the manufacturing side of the Saint empire like? The Saints are the ones who created this steel, wouldn’t reapers want to find the factory and shut it down so there’s less bullets on the street that could kill them? Wouldn’t gangsters or rival companies or the state want to figure out how to make Saint steel for themselves rather than continue to let the Saints have all that power?; 3) To whom do the Saint soldiers actually respond to? Because Elise’s dad can’t be the only person making the patrol schedule and there’s no way Sterling didn’t catch any heat for skipping out on his patrol the amount of times he did or for giving away his second pistol to Elise; 4) What is the legal binding power of treaties between reapers and the Saints? Are the Saints employed by the government? Why wouldn’t the state want a representative present during any negotiations between reapers and the Saint empire; 5) What exactly is the hierarchy and power structure amongst reapers? Is Valeriya the head of all of the reapers (except rogues of course) in NYC? Just the ones in Harlem? If it’s just the ones in Harlem then why is Elise’s dad only really talking to her when there’s reapers all over the city and he wants to exterminate them? If she has power over all the reapers in NYC then why does she not have more power? Why is she not more involved with the plot? How is Layla able to defy her so often and piss off the other reapers of her clan but still remain a member of the clan living under that roof? Why is Valeriya, if she’s so powerful, able to be killed that damn easily?

I’m not saying the book HAS TO address any or all of these things. However, if it did, it would help with the immersive experience of the book. Fleshing out some of these aspects helps flesh out the world, the character motivations, and the plot, thus raising the stakes and the emotional impact of the events that transpire. The plot of this book really would benefit from fleshing out the worldbuilding, and one way to do that is to flesh out the politics.</spoiler>

<u>Race and class in the book:</u>
<spoiler>The story is set in 1926 during the Harlem Renaissance. I love this setting, I love the vibes, I wish we had more stories in this era. Going in I was curious about whether/how race or class would be addressed in this setting because there's a lot of options and I'll talk about it here in case anyone is curious. In a sentence: a little clumsy, but not the author's fault, I seriously suspect that it's just the publishing industry being the publishing industry.

Here's a straight summary of how race and class are brought up: 1) Layla brings up how she sees the Saints as sellouts (my wording), how they're ok with being "one of the good ones" (again, my wording) and that they're ok with only thinly being protected by their class as opposed to seeking actual liberation; 2) Elise brings up how spending the last 5 years in Paris meant that she experienced a culture shock at seeing Black people being allowed to perform at jazz clubs as dancers/workers but not attend those jazz clubs as patrons; 3) Elise seemingly entertains some of her father's logic that "if you play the game in a certain way that's how you can get ahead" particularly when it comes to trying to seek answers from the main villain of the story (Stephen Wayne, a rich white man and her dad's business partner), and it's kinda implied that she no longer fully believes that at the end; 4) There is a brief mention/discussion of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, wherein the main villain of this story (again, Stephen Wayne), undermines the massacre by saying it's sensationalized; 5) Sterling (side character, Elise's guy bestie, a vampire hunter) mentions how his uncle (a White man), killed his dad (a Black man) for having a child (him) with his mom (a White woman) and his mom died of grief after taking them both up north, leaving him an orphan that thus attached to Elise's family.

The above list is not itself inherently clumsy. What I do find clumsy though is <i>when</i> and <i>how</i> these things are brought up. They're mostly concentrated in the middle sections of the story but not really in the beginning or end which seems kinda weird. Race and class is also not really brought up in relation to human-reaper interactions, and Elise and Layla either just say what they think to themselves/one of them just talks AT the other, but they don't really have any discussion about any of this. There's something that seems off and I think it's publishing.

I don't say this to be like "this sapphic vampire story should be a treatise of Intro to Racism 101" and I'm also not saying "this book shouldn't have mentioned race at all hyuck hyuck colorblindness supreme" – I don't believe either of those things. This also isn't a critique towards the author at all, I seriously suspect this has to do with the editors and the publishing industry (white as it is) basically being like "yeah don't make this TOO controversial" which results in this. It's trying to thread a needle and to me it reads kinda awkward, but I'm also curious what other people think about it.</spoiler>

<u>Some final questions I have that are silly, inconsequential, non-critiques that I know I should let go but I'm a Virgo so I can't:</u>
<spoiler>1) Why would Jaime, a gangster, slip a letter under Layla's door with instructions about picking up some mysterious package for criminal activity....and write her name on it? If that's found then it incriminates her AND him because she can be tied to him. A little silly.

2) If Elise wrote a letter to the Paris Conservatory rejecting their offer, how did her dad find it? Did she just not send it, and if so, why? If he intercepted it, why would he do that, and why did he wait so long to bring it up?

3) If the people of Harlem are supposed to be on high alert re: reapers, how exactly are Layla and Elise able to travel through the city at several different points in the story while covered in blood without anybody noticing? Relatedly, when does Layla have the time to do laundry? She's covered in blood like...every other chapter. Where is she getting her clothes from?

4) If the Saint empire is known for making steel that is painful to/can actually kill reapers, why wouldn't the rings that Elise and her sister wear be made of that steel? Why wouldn't the guns used to kill reapers also be made of that steel, thus preventing a reaper from ever attaining or using that gun against a Saint soldier in a fight or anybody else? A bullet is a bullet.

5) What happened to Jaime's child? He brought up having a kid and then Layla starts living with him and we only see his cat – is that the child he was talking about?

6) Perhaps the silliest of all: Why do neither of Elise's parents ever suspect that Sterling and Elise would be dating? As a lesbian I do not support heterosexuality on principle (this is a joke), but I find it so wild that neither of her parents even suspects that might be going on when Elise and Sterling are found hugging each other after Thalia's death and after they find Sterling hiding shirtless inside Elise's bedroom.......like the audience knows it's because Sterling has blood on his shirt from having almost died but the parents don't know that! Like come on now.</spoiler>

<b>Final Remarks</b>
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading, hope this makes sense. If you are on the fence about reading the book just go ahead and do it. I think that there are things that could've been fixed through like maybe 2 more rounds of edits but I like vampires and I like wuhluhwuhs so it's a good enough time. I'm not sure if I'll read the second book in this series but I look forward to more work from this author.

So many twist and turns!!! I thought I had the ending figured out and then it twisted to something different. I loved it and could not put it down!

THANKKKK YOUUU

I will return to do a full review but right now, I love this book!!! Hayley Dennings really did her thing. I cant wait to read the second book and all her future works.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The atmosphere was impeccable, I loved the urban world set in the 1920s. In some aspects, it reminded me of These violent delights by Chloe Gong and that is definitely a praise. The plot was gripping from the start. It was also quite gruesome and grim. I loved the mystery surrounding the characters. Elise and Layla were intriguing characters, and their relationship was full of enigmas and secrets. The only thing that kept me from giving this novel a higher rating has to do with Elise’s relationship with her family — especially with her father: I did not like the weakness she showed, I found it frustrating.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcefire books for allowing me to read an early copy of this! It’s not often a book grabs me so tightly when I’m in a book slump due to…. Well. The time of year and mental exhaustion.

But This Ravenous Fate snatched at my brain strings, holding them tightly, hungry as a rogue Reaper. I devoured it on my trip to school, during my lunch, during even my prep periods when I could have ensuring my lessons for the day didn’t need tweaking.

Like many paranormal books, the common name of the beings is not necessarily given. Vampires here are called Reapers, and they’re relentlessly holding onto their morals and values as the world tries to eradicate them. What made them is known and something that comes up often- turned from torture, immense pain, racism, and experimentation on bodies that affluent society would care for the least (enslaved peoples). They care for each other, form communities for protection, and shield each other from their bloodlust to keep each other alive.

As a child, Elise heard her sister die to defend her, and the death turned her family into seeking to destroy Reapers. Their family name of Saint hints at their struggles, at Elise’s burdens— the all-too-high punishing expectations forced upon her, the weight she carries to try to protect her younger sister.

As a young adolescent, Layla’s best friend betrayed her and she and her family were killed by Reapers due to said friend’s family. Layla awoke into a new life without her parents, and swore to kill her once-friend— she knew who was truly responsible for her pain, and it remained the Saints.

Elise and Layla are thrust together to work on a strange affliction that may be causing Reapers to suffer to kill swathes of humans. If they do not, Elise cannot protect her little sister’s innocence and she would be made family heir, destroying her life and dreams. If they do not, Layla sees the Reaper communities eradicated, as no signed treaty would find in favor of the Reapers.

Together, they face not only their struggles but also each other and the betrayal and pain they caused each other. With that comes, of course, exploration of how they’ve changed, grown, and their own feelings: those of which they knew….. and those which they didn’t.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for a copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Summary of plot:
It's 1926 where reapers (also known as vampires) prowl the city. Humans have created a way to "control" the reaper population by 1) creating "peace treaties" with them and 2) the creation of special steel bullets that can kill them. Elise Saint is the daughter of the man who created these special bullets and is also a music prodigy. However, after spending years in France (due to the trauma of almost being killed by her ex-best friend who turned into a reaper), she's forced to come back home and reluctantly accept the role as heir to this empire.

Layla Quinn, the ex-best friend, is accused of murder that she did not commit. In exchange for her freedom, she is forced to work with Elise to solve the murders. There is a lot of tension between them and something political is brewing in the background...

Pros about the book:
✔️ LGBTQ+ representation in the main characters
✔️ Author does a great job weaving in a history of racial and sexual discrimination, as well as a history of unethically performing medical treatment Black people
✔️ Easy to read as this is not a high fantasy book
✔️ Gives off 1920s vibes
✔️ The romance made sense!!!

Cons about the book:
❌ Not sure why reapers weren't just called vampires
❌ I could have used more of Valeriya (the reaper clan leader) in this book since she seemed to have a deep history with the city
❌ Elise's father felt too stereotypical to me and could have used a bit more complexity (also not sure why the father would assign Elise's 10 year old sister as heir when the sister's personality is way bubbly and cute to run an empire)

Would I recommend this book? Yes

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this!

It's 1926 and reapers, the once-human vampires with a terrifying affliction, are on the rise in New York. But the Saint family's thriving reaper-hunting enterprise holds reign over the city, giving them more power than even the organized criminals who run the nightclubs. Eighteen year-old Elise Saint, home after five years in Paris, is the reluctant heir to the empire. Only one thing weighs heavier on Elise's mind than her family obligations: the knowledge that the Harlem reapers want her dead.

Don't walk, RUN to pre-order this!

When going into a book with a lot of expectations, you often set yourself up for terrible disappointment. This was the opposite. This book has met all my admittedly high expectations and far surpassed them. When I read the first page I said "This might become my top read of the year" and it is, it really is. The writing style is absolutely gorgeous and really draws you in right from the first sentence. The characters too are beautifully crafted. I really couldn't name a character that felt flat or unnecessary to me. And what is always important to me in a book that contains romance but isn't primarily a romance: The romance feels important to the plot but doesn't overshadow or take away from it. I love the way their past weaves into their present when it comes to the difficulty of their feelings for each other, and everything just develops so perfectly fitting. Last but not least, the setting of 1920s Harlem is not just beautiful but also given so much importance in the story and is just perfectly chosen.
Honestly, I was so blown away when I finished this like half an hour ago that I'm proud of myself for even writing semi-coherent sentences. It may only be March, but I am definitely calling this as my book of the year and will now go on to recommend this to everyone I know (prepare to be sick of me).

I loved everything about this! A queer black vampire in the 1920’s! It was absolutely delicious. This author’s writing style is beautiful, poetic and descriptive. I cannot wait for book 2. Please don’t make us wait long! Thank you for the opportunity to read!