This book was just really bad. Honestly if it wasn’t an ARC I would have DNF it but I was really trying to give it a chance. The plot seemed all over the place and the dialogue was very choppy. I just felt like I was reading a book that still needed another round of revisions. The concept had really intrigued me but in the end it just didn’t live up to my expectation.

2.75 stars?

Noooo I’m disappointed 😭😭. I’ve followed this author for years and have been so excited for this book, but I found myself so bored for the majority of it. About 50% of the way through it was hard for me to even want to continue. I think it had all of the right elements, but something just didn’t click. The scenes were chaotic typically, yet felt so slow and energyless. By the end I was kind of just skimming, and now I realize this wasn’t a standalone. I don’t have interest in the second, honestly. While I think a lot of the elements of this story were interesting reading this has single handedly almost put me into a reading slump. I found the experimentation plot really interesting and wanted to know more about it, which I’m sure will be a decent part of the next book, but even so I was still not grabbed by the storytelling.

I really liked Elise as a character. Layla was decent, but otherwise I didn’t really care about the other characters. I felt like they had so much tension that by the time they actually kissed it had dulled out. It would’ve been better to me if they kissed in the scene where all of the chaos ensued and Layla had to feed on Elise. There was so much passion in that scene; I was waiting for it to happen…then nothing.

All in all, I think this had the makings to be a great book, but it just didn’t hit the mark. I’m so sad, but I do think this author’s writing is beautiful and that because this is only her debut novel she has a lot of time to improve in other ways and make a story I could enjoy much more in the future. I’ll still be keeping tabs on what she puts out despite not having much interest in the next book in this series.

Unfortunately I had to dnf this book because I was not liking the writing style. I have had this problem before with new ya books were the writing style feels juvenile. I might attempt this again in the future but I’m sure someone else will enjoy this more than me!

This was such a well crafted debut and exactly what I needed in life. I feel like Hayley Dennings did an amazing job with the setting, the fantasy aspect & the characters. I was really invested from start to finish. I can't wait for the sequel & I'm going to pick up a physical edition of this book asap.

I was really excited for the release of this book as I’ve been following the promo for it for months. It has the makings of everything I’m interested in: historical fiction, sapphic, vampires, enemies to lovers, and Black. Unfortunately, it fell very flat for me.

Starting off with the setting. I was looking forward to having a vampiric fantasy set in 1920s Harlem, but the environment had no bearing on the story. To be honest, it could’ve taken place anywhere or anytime except for the occasional references to “gangsters”, jazz, and the Cotton Club. I wish the historical aspect had more of a role in the story because I was intrigued by it.

The plot itself turned out to be a basic murder mystery that I really didn’t care to see solved. The two main characters were the most fleshed out in the book, but that’s not saying much. Every other character felt like a shell of a person with no depth or nuance. I also felt no chemistry between our supposed couple. They were a friends to enemies to lovers tale which SHOULD have been intriguing, but we never explore their initial friendship enough for me to care about the rest.

Finally, the pacing was just bad. I was so bored for the first 50%, and it only just barely improved after that. I only finished because this is a buddy read. There were long stretches of absolutely nothing happening. Additionally, a lot of the dialogue felt clunky and unnatural. Quite frankly, this seems like an editor issue. This book had the bare bones of something great, but it feels like a draft that needs to be looked over another time or two.

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This follows Elise, musical prodigy and eldest living child of the Saint vampire aka reaper hunting empire. She returns home from studying piano in France to visit her family to find Harlem more dangerous than when she left. Her father has named her younger sister heir to the empire, but Elise wants nothing more than to protect her sister, so she makes him a bargain he can't resist. This puts her in harms way and back in touch with her former best friend Layla who was turned several years ago. Layla has a vendetta against the reapers, but when she is framed for a crime she didn't commit she must work with Elise to uncover what is going on in reaper territory and causing chaos on her turf. The former friends uncover more than they bargained for as they learn about what happens behind closed doors between the reapers, the Saints, and those with deep pockets to keep the city running.

I found this to be a bit too long, and while I can appreciate a longer book with a slow burn plot this didn't keep my interest. There wasn't enough action, character development, or paranormal elements to keep me invested in listening to the book. This had all of the elements of a novel I would normally be very interested in vampires, a mystery element, morally grey characters, a romance; however the execution didn't work for me. I didn't feel the chemistry between Layla and Elise, I would have preferred the repair their friendship before delving into a romance.

Overall, I think this has all of the elements to be a great book and series, however it missed the mark for me. I think younger readers will really enjoy this. I think the slower pace paired with the author trying to tackle alot of topics in one book made it hard for me to focus on what was going on. The author does tackle some heavy and important topics, but I lose track if there are too many at once. This book reminded me quite a bit of These Violent Delights as it has some similar elements and is about the same length. I really enjoyed These Violent Delights, and while there are some major differences between the two tales if you liked one of these you may enjoy the other.

I love a good mystery. Especially one that keeps me hooked for a good chunk of a book. So for a lot of this book, I had a hard time putting it down. I loved the complicated tangle that was Elise and Layla’s past. I kept reading to find out what could have happened to put such distance and pain between two best friends. And this book did a beautiful job of relaying not only what happened between their families, but also what is happening in the wider city around them. This isn’t just a sapphic vampire story.

I enjoyed the fresh take on vampires in this book. They weren’t your classic vampires you’re used to. They’re called reapers, and their affliction came about through less than natural means. I also really enjoyed the setting. I don’t get to read much historical fiction, and the 1920s is a period that has always fascinated me. I liked seeing a different side than just the glittering roaring 20s. Because that’s not what it was like for everyone.

I think my biggest complaint is that the ending fell flat for me. The pacing of the plot could have used some work so that it didn’t lose me partway through. By the time everything started coming together I was kind of over it. And it lost some of the nuance I had been enjoying for the rest of the book. And while I felt there was chemistry between the two characters in the beginning, it felt forced and like I was simply being told there was chemistry in the end.

Overall the beginning was strong, but it lost something in the middle for me. I’m still very curious about some of the plot points that were left open, so I’ll definitely be picking up the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher for my arc!


I had a horrible time trying to get through this book. I think it was just the writing style for me and how each character really just flowed into another and they all sounded the same on the page. I couldn't distinguish Elise from Layla at all.

I am a fan of vampire books and this one doesn't change that.

We follow Elise Saint and Layla Quinn. Elise is the daughter of Tobias Saint. Tobias has built his empire on killing off reapers. Elise, works hard to gain her father's approval, she is blinded by the systemics of the Empire. While Elise and Layla were best friends when they were children, Layla is turned into a reaper during an outing with her family. After two important part of the empire are killed, Elise fights to become the heir to the Saint Empire, she teams up with Layla to get to the the truth behind the murders.

This book had me in a chokehold. There were aspects that pushed me back a bit with this book, but overall I loved. Bringing in an important part of US History in this book and two best friends who lost their way finding each other again, this book deserves more than 5 stars.

This is not a fast-paced book, and it's not one that I would rush to read again. There were some great parts, but overall I found it to be slow-moving and not engaging.

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.