Duuuuude a great sapphic fantasy romance!!! This book is set in the Jazz Age in Harlem which was such an interesting topic to read about!! It also has vampires which is perfect for spooky season. One of the complaints I did have was that it needed definitely another round of editing. Rated 3.5 stars

3.5 but will round up for review

I finished this book feeling a tad underwhelmed. Although I want to read the next book I don’t quite feel excited based on how things ended and I think may have something to do with the writing rather than the plot. The ending points made sense and I am genuinely curious what each girl plans to do next. I think conflict between the friends to enemies to lovers made sense and was a good breaking point for each of their developments. I think my biggest problem with the writing is that several parts of the story felt like I had to make inferences. Things weren’t explicitly stated which isn’t always bad but it did require me to stop reading to ask myself “how did we get here??” In the next story, I hope things are a little more direct.

I did enjoy the setting of this story. The use of gangsters, vampires,
Prohibition and many others elements of the 20s were cool and well done. I will say some “slang” or old language would’ve helped the story a bit more. I liked the characters especially Vex. I found myself laughing at his ridiculousness. I look forward to seeing how Elise and Layla further develop and finding out what the hell happened to Sterling.

Overall it’s a solid debut.

3.5 ⭐️

I really wanted to love this book, and while there were aspects of it I quite liked, overall it was a bit meh for me.

what I liked:
🥀 1920s New York vibes
🥀 vampires
🥀 sapphic romance

what I didn't like was the storyline overall. I know it's a series so I hope it will get better but I feel there were many plot holes in this first one, and it didn't grab my attention as it should have.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m torn on what to rate this book. I enjoyed the plot but the characters fell kind of flat for me. I would have love to see more of Layla & Elise being enemies. It felt like that was all tell not show. I also could not stand Elise. She felt like a spoiled rich girl and the author could have done so much more with her character!

With all this being said, I will be picking up the next book because sapphic Black vampires is something I will not say no to.

I did a combo read of listening to the audiobook and reading my copy. I did find the concept of this book intriguing. A sapphic vampire story set during prohibition in New York.
While I did enjoy the story, I felt so aggravated at the amount of miscommunication between Layla and Elise. Every time they would begin to get along, it would go right back to old fights. Honestly that was my main gripe.
I also didn’t realize it was going to end on a cliffhanger and was like NOOOOO…..but hey there’s a chance at redemption in the second book in the duology.
A solid 3.5/5 for me.
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

For some reason I thought I had written a review for this already and now I’m kicking myself because I can’t remember half of what I wanted to say about it.

I did like this one quite a bit…until I didn’t. First of all, I know this is set in the Jazz Age but I think sometimes the historical setting didn’t feel like its time period and I know, not something really to get hung up on considering there’s literal VAMPIRES, but sometimes I got so distracted by the setting and context of the world that I just couldn’t feel myself getting lost in the story.

And that’s another thing…the world building was good but often confusing, especially later on in the book as the author attempted to bring in twists and reveals…the whole in text historical context with characters backgrounds kept getting muddled and trying to keep track of it was a task.

The best part are the characters Layla and Elise themselves. Both are standout protagonists, unique in their own way, and I thought they had great chemistry with each other. However, I do think they got over the whole enemy thing a tad bit quickly considering everything that went on.

The ending was just messy and confusing and poorly paced which was disappointing as I think the book started off strongly. I will be picking up the sequel as I think this book has its merits and Dennings has lots of potential as a writer, but unfortunately this book didn’t meet expectations and fell quite flat for me.

4.75⭐ This book had an amazing concept and it was executed in such an enjoyable and original way. It took all the elements I love in a book and melted them together so well. The characters were diverse and very layered, it had mystery, the rules for the vampires were unique and put in a setting reflective of our world, there was angst and politics and complicated dynamics- and romance! It was sooo fun. The character growth and overall story was also satisfying yet there is still so much left to discover for the remainder of the series which I can't wait for. Overall, I'm so glad that I read this and I thoroughly recommend it too.

Thank you to net galley for the advanced reader copy.

I am conflicted with this book. I enjoyed several aspects of the book; however, I feel it could have benefited from another round of editing and maybe a few extra chapters. The premise of sapphic black vampires in the USA during the 1920s sounded incredibly fun. The book features a variety of different themes, such as race, gender, wealth, and class, and I feel that each one was handled fantastically.
Plot: Set in Harlem, New York, during the prohibition era. We follow Elise Saint, Reaper hunter heiress and her reluctant reaper ally Layla as they investigate the rise in reaper attacks and clear Layla’s name.
What I liked: I loved Elise and Layla’s relationships throughout the book. The author gave us friends to enemies to reluctant allies to lovers very well. Each scene they were in together was interesting, dynamic, and fun. I really understood both characters and their reactions to the events that took place in the book. I found that they were both quite rounded characters who didn’t revolve around just each other; they had personalities, which I liked.
Elise Saint, one of our main protagonists, is very interesting throughout the book as she continuously strives for her father’s approval and almost collapses under his intense pressure. I sympathised with her greatly and enjoyed the pacing of her finally achieving her freedom from her family and family business of hunting reapers.
Layla Quinn, Elise’s reaper ex-best friend, was an incredibly sympathetic character who I adored. From the beginning, the reader feels her pain, anger, and longing for Elise. The book drifts from both characters’ points of view seamlessly. The characters have distinct voices and stories that we can follow easily. I loved seeing both sides of the slow burn, and I hope the author does the same in the next book. I am looking forward to reading it.
What I disliked: Sadly, I think the book could benefit from another round of editing; the mystery and investigation felt slightly convoluted, and when we reached the end of the book, I didn’t find the answers to my questions. I also found that Elise’s father, Tobias Saint, was difficult to understand. I didn’t understand what his motivations were or what his end goal was as a whole. I hope this is rectified in book two.

Unfortunately this didn't work for me but it's definitely interesting and there's a lot of potential so I'm looking forward to the sequel!

The selling point definitely lies in the pitch—Black lesbian vampires in 1920s Harlem is such a unique concept, and provides such important representation for so many young readers who may not have seen themselves in this genre before. There's also depiction of mental health (anxiety/panic attacks) and complicated familial dynamics (emotional abuse and grief); with so many nuanced topics at play, Dennings still manages to write an engaging story with an interesting world and active plot. In terms of actual story, it was largely very standard YA fare, reminiscent of Chloe Gong's THESE VIOLENT DELIGHTS with simpler prose. The relationship between the characters felt a bit unearned, but the pacing is not atypical for the genre and age category. I also found the plot twist predictable and the ending a bit jumbled, but it leaves off with enough a hook for readers to look forward to book 2. Overall—not necessarily spectacular, but a fun time nonetheless!

I was hooked from the first page. I still don't fully understand what happened in the past but I'm intrigued. I enjoyed both of their characters and I'm looking forward to how they grow in the next book.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I downloaded this arc when it was free in the Read Now section of Netgalley. It was my mistake because in the moment I wanted to read this book badly and I was excited due to the author being a youtuber I had watched before. However, this book was reminiscent of These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (derogatory) meaning that the idea and thought of it was great, but the author's execution did not live up to the hype.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it exceeded all of my expectations. I loved this book so much that I genuinely don’t know how to write a review that does it justice.

I absolutely fell in love with both main characters, they are so well fleshed-out, seem so relatable and utterly human, you can’t help but root for them. Layla is so angry and bloodthirsty — and has every right to be — and I loved the theme of female rage reflected in her character and her actions throughout the book. Elise is more of an anxious and perfectionist girl that is weight down by all the expectations her parents have for her as the heiress of their family empire.

I loved the sapphic childhood best friends to enemies to lovers romance sub plot between Layla and Elise and how they have so much shared trauma that they can only really open up about with each other.
The representation of mental illness, specifically OCD, anxiety, PTSD and suicidal ideation, was done so well, I loved how the book handled each of these mental illnesses and how accurate the two main characters’ struggles felt.

The world building was so interesting and I thought it was ingenious how the author connected the origin of the “reapers” (the vampires in this world) to Black American history and how the segregation between “reapers” and humans reflected racism in America.

I also really enjoyed the whole mystery plot of this book and am glad it didn’t end on a total cliffhanger. I couldn’t be more excited for book two!!

This one was slow going at the beginning. Lots of exposition dumping mixed with some bloody vampire rage that didn’t make a whole lot of sense. The book does pick up about 1/2 way through for a while. I was able to become invested in Layla and Elsie even though I didn’t really like either of them. But things start to. fall apart again for me towards the end I think this was just too much and not for me

Thanks to the publisher and @netgalley for an e ARC for review

This Ravenous Fate | 3.75 stars!

If you are craving:

- YA
- Slow-burn sapphic romance
- Friends to Enemies to Lovers trope
- Vampire hunter x Vampire trope
- Murder mystery
- Slow/Medium pace
- Dual POV

The vampire aspect of this book feels fresh and not just a rinse and repeat of the genre. It's one of the shining stars of this book.

Then you add in the 1920s Harlem setting, the politics & organized crime, trauma, and navigating familial expectations - you've got a good plot in your hands.

Some things didn't fully work out for me within the book which is why it didn't hit 4-star territory for me. The ending felt a little weak in comparison to the pretty killer last half of the book.

A critique I have for the book is the character development. Most of the characters fell pretty flat for me and I would have loved to see more dimension added to them throughout the novel - especially since it's almost 500 pages long. I am looking forward to reading the sequel because I am hoping that it's just bigger character arcs and we will see more dimension in book 2!

Also, I loved Jaime the most out of the cast of characters we met and I'm looking forward to seeing more of his plotlines!

I tandem read this book with the ARC I got from Netgalley (thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks!) and also grabbed the audiobook! The audiobook narrator for the chapters I read via audio was great!

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this arc, in exchange to write an honest review.

I read the synopsis and thought this book was going be intriguing, but it kind of fell a little flat for me and the book definitely needed some more editing. I have to say it was a cute read for what it was.
I love vampire books and thought it being based in Harlem in the 1920's, it could of been an interesting read. It was a little slow for me to get into and couldn't really connect with the characters. I do love a good YA novel, but I feel like I'm just growing out of that category. It could of been the writing style I didn't enjoy too.
I do want to read and find out how the second book will turn out though.

If Chicago and Rebekah from Vampire Diaries combined. There’s vampires, sapphic romance, mob bosses running bootleg liquor, mad doctors, and let’s not forget the vampire hunters. Seriously everything you love about these two worlds all mixed together.

# This Ravenous Fate
# 8/23/2024 ~ 8/27/2024
# 4.0 / 5.0

Hmmmm what to say about this book.

ON PAPER
This book has it all. Black Vampires in Harlem during the 1920s?! PERFECT. The premise is golden and was bringing me back to my reading vampire YA days.

However,
Something fell flat. I had a very hard time connecting to the characters and even really understanding what was going on? Like I got it but like the pacing was just a little TOO clunky for my taste. Characters all felt a little 2D to me. Could be because it literally is a YA novel and I am in no way the target demographic but...

I. Found it really hard to get into this book. I tried multiple times and end up DNF’ing each time. Unfortunately this book is not for me

3.75/5 Stars, rounded up to 4.

I have some conflicting feelings about this book. I really loved the concept, but I feel as though the execution fell a little flat for me. I think another round of editing could have smoothed things out even more. There were several aspects that weren't very well fleshed out, which caused several of the bigger plot twists to not hit quite as hard as they could have.

I absolutely loved Elise and Layla as characters. You could really tell just how much history they shared, and how much that history hurt them both. I really enjoyed watching them grow and come to terms with their past. However, most of the other characters just seemed one-dimensional. It would have been all right if these characters didn't show up much, but they were pretty integral to the story.

Overall I enjoyed the time I spent reading this book. I think Dennings did a good job weaving in discussions of class, race, and privilege without it getting too in your face. I look forward to seeing more of Elise and Layla in book 2.