DNF @ 25%

Unfortunately this was such a miss, and I was really hoping to enjoy it. The prerelease buzz for a black, sapphic enemies to lovers vampire novel had me so intrigued, but the first act of the book left me with absolutely nothing. After reading 25% and hitting act two, I realized I truly did not care about any of the characters or the central mystery. I'd rather just set this one aside instead of pushing through it.

I do hope this book is more successful with a YA audience! Maybe this was just a personal issue of me not clicking with the book, and it will reach a good fanbase.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. This is a young adult historical fantasy, set in 1920s Harlem, and follows reaper (this world’s version of vampire) Layla and heiress to a reaper-hunting legacy Elise in dual perspectives. I found the switching points between the two characters a bit confusing at first just because sometimes it jumps perspective inside the chapters, and I also had a strong preference for Layla’s perspective. I thought the setting was great, and the way vampirism was added as a historical event was a neat (and horrifying) world building detail I appreciated. This book did lean heavily into the romance angle, and while I did greatly appreciate the sapphic representation , it unfortunately felt a bit rushed. That’s another complaint that isn’t really a complaint that I have, which is that This Ravenous Fate is book one of a duology, and I think because of that it does suffer in the pacing department. I still think it’s a good read, but personally I’m going to wait to cast judgment on the story itself until the second book comes out.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the e-arc!
The way I devoured this book is unmatched! This really is just the year of vampires and I am so here for it. This Ravenous Fate is a sapphic black vampire fantasy set in old 1920s Harlem with immaculate vibes. I am honestly not going to lie; I went into this book expecting to love it, and I did. This book is right up my alley with everything that I want and I might be a bit biased because vampire lesbians is so for me.
Jennings does a fantastic job of weeding this complicated and interesting story that has romance and fantasy as well as a bunch of more important underlying themes throughout the story. The book is a little bit slower. It's a little bit more focused on the atmosphere, the writing, and the characters. Personally I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait for the second book to come out.

i struggled with this a bit, the plot was very slow to where sometimes i felt i had to feel like i had to push through to finish the book, i really wanted to complete it to give it a review. i think the writing is beautiful but the plot wasn’t something i necessarily care for and i didn’t connect with the characters. maybe would’ve been better if i had listened to it on audiobooks. i’m also just not the target audience (young adult) for this book so i absolutely would still recommend it to teens or anyone that frequently enjoys ya.

This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Denning’s is book one in the Ravenous Fate series and is Hayley’s debut novel. I’m blown away by how good this book is, Hayley did an amazing job with her debut novel!! If you love childhood friends, enemies to lovers, touch her and die, 1920s Harlem renaissance, vampires hunters, reapers, slow burn, YA books then you will love this book.

This page turning gothic vampire mystery was a fast-paced, action packed, read that I did not want to put down. The world building was done so well. Denning’s did a great job detailing how vampires were turned, how reapers were made, what it was like for them when they turned, and how they were treated in society. The main characters were so well written although I wish we learned a little more about the side characters. This book had vampires, reapers, very rich use my status to get my way business men, corrupt politicians, and gangsters. This book even tackled the racism and discrimination blacks dealt with in 1920s Harlem. You should really read this book it’s so good!! Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.



I was so excited to read This Ravenous Fate after having followed Hayley Dennings through her writing process. Her debut novel did not let me down! I was hooked from the prologue. Dennings' writing was descriptive without being too wordy and painted a perfect picture in only a few sentences. This allowed for more focus on the characters and plot without overwrought descriptions. She quickly got to the core of characters' emotions and built tension that made the story both heart-wrenching and thrilling. I generally prefer books with depth that make me further explore my thoughts and feelings on the world around me. Dennings' story prompted many thoughts on the topics of eugenics, slavery, humanity, and current affairs. I will most definitely be picking up the sequel and whatever she has coming up next.

I enjoyed this a far amount, mostly for the queer/sapphic representation, the vampires, the 1920s! It was good. My biggest issue with the story was the pacing, to be honest. I think that the core plot wasn't fast-paced enough to really keep readers in the story. It was also a pretty long book, I picked up the hardcover when we first got them in and it's not a short book. I almost think that there was definitely some room to edit the plot down and make it a bit tighter, without necessarily sacrificing much of the core part of the story.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange of a review.

Non-spoilery review first:

4.5 stars because I saw some of the twists coming, but there were SO many, that I loved to be surprised by this book. Let me begin by saying that I'm so glad vampires are finally making a comeback and Hayley's book was the right place to start with this new trend. If you love enemies to lovers relationships, vampires and 1920's settings then this book is for you :)

Now, for the spoilers:
This book and its premise immediately drew me in, and I believe it delivered what was promised in several aspects. Overall, I loved the worldbuilding, setting, characters and relationships. Although my favorite characters were Layla and Elise, Sterling and Jamie also came close.

This book has a dual POV so it's interesting to see both Layla and Elise's perspective on the politics and world of the reapers and the different characters they each interact with (also how they slowly come to accept the feelings they have for each other). I believe both of them are strong and well-developed characters that show growth throughout the story and an interesting arc. I really liked Sterling and Elise's friendship, and I was so torn when they broke apart :( I hope they somehow find their way to each other in the next book. Jamie was also a very likeable character, and I really liked his friendship with Layla from the start.

I love how the author didn't shy away from making these like the vampires from old movies where we could see how vicious they can be. There were also many interesting new takes on reapers and how they differ from every other vampire book I've ever read.

My only complaint is that I saw <spoiler>Valeriya's betrayal coming from a mile away, but there were many things I didn't see coming that it all was a nice surprise.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and I'm excited to read the sequel.

Blog review: https://www.tumblr.com/youarethefirstdreamofmysoul/759349889702543360/book-review-this-ravenous-fate-by-hayley?source=share

This Ravenous Fate is set in Harlem during the 1920s jazz age. The city has been plagued by reapers and Elise Saint’s family is leading the charge in reaper hunting. After her sister is killed by reapers and her childhood best friend, Layla, gets turned into one, Elise works to prove to her father that she can be the heir he always wanted to take over the Saint reaper hunting empire. To do this, she must work alongside Layla to figure out the mysterious uptick in reaper attacks on humans and how the supposed cure that Mr: Saint is funding actually works. Is there an actual cure to reaperhood? Can Elise and Layla work together without killing each other?
This book has the sparkly intrigue of the jazz era and prohibition, along with vampires, a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope, female rage, lesbians, and a minority rep.
Definitely check this out if you’re looking for a new vampire story

I really struggled to get through this one. I love vampire books normally, but I don’t know- there just didn’t seem to have enough going on to really hold my interest. I also felt like it was almost 200 pages too long. I really wanted to like this one but unfortunately it just fell really flat.

THIS RAVENOUS FATE is a much-needed book in the YA realm. Queer/sapphic rep! Queer black girls! Vampires! 1920s Harlem! Nefarious deeds! I had some issues with the book's pacing, but that concern is incredibly mild compared to how worthwhile and lovely THIS RAVENOUS FATE is as a whole. We need more books like this in the world. I can't wait to recommend it to students.

Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS FIRE and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review. This Revenous Fate by Hayley Dennings was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. And I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about it.

First thing first the characters. I loved Layla Quinn. The kind of characters I fall in love with. She lost everything and wants revenge. They made her a monster, so she’ll be their monster. No “I can fix her” with her, more like “I can make her worse”.
Elise Saintn was a bit too naive at some points, but she still is an interesting character. The oldest daughter of an empire with so much pressure on her shoulders, and a best friend trying to kill her. And their relationship? Hell yes!
The other characters were pretty good, but some felt rushed in their writing. Because what do you mean he just changes like that? What is this development?

I also like the metaphor between racism and being black in 1926 New York. Okay, it has been seen repeatedly, but when it’s well-made, it's not a miss. The mystery was really interesting and got me hooked up pretty easily.

But, I think this book needs a bit more editing, especially regarding the pacing. Some parts of the story made me bored, and some felt more than rushed. I went into the book thinking it was a one-shot, so you can guess my surprise when I reached the end.
Overall, a good book, with good main characters, I will read the second one, but it may need a bit more work.

2.5/5

A young adult fantasy novel about a reaper (aka vampire) and a heiress of a reaper hunter empire, solving a murder(s) mystery together. Add a childhood friendship between the two that ended tragically and the romance from their animosity. Did I mention that both of them are Black girls, and it takes place in Harlem during the 1920s?

There was so much potential in this story, so many intriguing components concerning the reaperhood and how it started in the first place, and the backstory between Layla (reaper) and Elise (heiress). Also, the time period and place made the book stand out from other ya fantasies. Unfortunately, I found the book aggressively dull, and the reading experience felt like a chore. There were too many repetitive phrases and words (take a shot every time the word "empire" is mentioned. Please don't!), which made the book feel tiring and too long for no reason. It didn't help that the mystery had nothing mysterious about it, and the characters lacked any real urgency to solve it.
As for the characters, I liked Layla way more than Elise, who annoyed me too much. I don't have much to say about their relationship; it didn't keep my interest, and the love confession was overshadowed by the backstory infodump. There were also villains, who were obviously the bad guys without any real mystery behind them.
Lastly, I would like to mention the atmosphere of the book. It was elusive; unless a speakeasy was mentioned, I kept imagining the present time. I must say that it was pretty gory, which added to the vampire vibes of the book.

Overall, better editing would have helped the story to shine and meet its potential. I highly doubt that I'll read the sequel.

**Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.**

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

✔️childhood friends to enemies
✔️queer black girls
✔️vampires
✔️political
✔️murders
✔️rival gangs
✔️vampire hunters

Hard to put my finger on this one, I didn’t dislike it but didn’t love it. It was okay.

The beginning felt the strongest, it had me hooked and immersed into the story, but the farther I got into the book it seemed to just drag around Act 2

It takes place in the 1920’s but had nothing to do with anything. This could’ve taken place at any point. Would’ve liked to see the elements from that time frame tie in the story. We unfortunately don’t get immersed into the jazz/Harlem scene. We also hardly get to see Laylas passion for dance which is sad since it was brought up several times.

The romance was VERY lack luster. One moment they’re “enemies” then Elise tells Layla she loves her?! Idk…..I think the author could’ve done a better job establishing their past relationship and give it more substance. Would’ve loved to see more longing and pining etc. This book is heavily advertised as a sapphic romance and that fell flat.

This is not a true enemies to lovers book

The investigation portion had me bored and lost, why was there no urgency to solve a murder? Why did it draaagg on?

Things are brought into the story but then never repeated, example-OCD

Predictable bad guys

Elise’s dad is a gaslighting fool
Sterling is dead to me now

Overall I do think this is a successful debut for Hayley, she has beautiful writing. There are areas of the book where I needed MORE substance and areas of the book we could’ve cut down. Curious to see where book 2 will lead us next.

I have very conflicting feelings about this one. The concept itself is good and has great potential. Still, the execution fell short of my expectations and I feel like this could have really used another pass with a developmental editor. Some things aren't fleshed out enough, which means many of the bigger twists/reveals/plot points/whatever-you-wanna-call-them don't land quite like they should.

I don't want to get into spoiler territory, but one thing that bugged me tremendously was that aside from the 2 POV characters (which I think were fairly well fleshed out), most characters were extremely one-dimensional. This is fine for characters who show up once or twice and don't have that much relevance to the plot, but that was not the case with this book.

The book had its positives, however. I liked how the book weaved in discussions surrounding race, class, and privilege, although I would have liked to see more of how certain dynamics played out in terms of the human vs reaper(vampire) population.

TL;DR: Some inconsistencies plot-wise, but I still thought this was a fine, enjoyable read overall and the romance, which is the main focus anyway, was fairly well-developed too.

Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book, but it took a bit for me to get into. The beginning part of the story felt a bit slower, but once I hit the 60% mark it was off to the races! I was on the edge of my seat as I watched the twists and turns. The story took me on an rollercoaster of emotions. There were moments of laughter and some of heartbreak. Elise and Layla were interesting MCs.. The setting of Jazz Age Harlem was a cool one. As this is a duology it ends in a cliff hanger and I look forward to see what happens next!

This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings is the book for you if you are looking for a historical fiction novel including a Jazz Age setting, vampires and LGBT romance. I found the book on TikTok so the algorithm must have known what I was looking for in a book.

The book’s setting is the nightclubs and homes of Harlem during 1926. While it is a historical fiction book, it also fits into the fantasy genre. The book has a nice balance of history and fantasy.

The book’s setting is the nightclubs and homes of Harlem during 1926. One of the main characters, Elise Saint, has returned from Paris after five years. The reader gets glimpses of why she went to live abroad. We are aware that her family was attacked by vampires or reapers. Layla Quinn, a former friend and current reaper, has been waiting to exact her revenge on Elise.

The relationship between Elise and Layla Quinn seems adversarial at first. They have a history but we won’t know until later about all of the pieces to the puzzle. Elise and Layla end up having to work together to figure out the reason for a series of attacks.

This isn't my usual YA read but I found it intriguing and captivating. I love the setting and time period, thats what originally drew me in, and really enjoyed the story. The characters were well written and the story kept me hooked. Looking forward to the next one in the series!

Well, this book is hopefully my way out of a reading slump, so my thoughts may also be a bit messy to express, but I'll do my best.

I'm one of the readers who heard about this book on Hayley's booktube videos, and I was so pleasantly surprised! For the most part, the writing was really good, I liked the world and the themes, and the whole idea of Layla and Elise's relationship.

I was a little hesitant going into TRF because it's a YA but it reads more like a new adult book. I gave this only four stars because sometimes I wasn't fully feeling the romance between Layla and Elise (I think it might just be ne struggling with a reasing slump), sometimes the scenes end a bit abruptly in my opinion, and something in the stories of Sterling and Valeriya felt a bit loose.

I think it's such a solid and good vampire book and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre.

Lastly, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an open access to this ebook.

Lush and captivating. This was a new take on vampires and vampire hunters, with a bit of star crossed love in the mix. There is plenty to still discover in the sequel.