I delved into this blindly, intrigued by the blend of Black Mirror and Eyes Wide Shut in the blurb. The illustrations were stunning; although I'm not an avid graphic novel reader, I found them to complement the narrative beautifully, bursting with intricate details and vibrant colors that truly brought the characters to life. The stories were intelligently crafted, fast-paced, and easy to follow, making the overall experience very enjoyable. I believe this graphic novel is exceptionally well done!

When a new app 'Crave' offers the students of David's school the opportunity to satisfy their cravings, the school jumps on it with dire and potentially fatal results.

I absolutely loved the art style in 'Crave' and Charlotte, Albert and Sofia in particular felt like such visceral characters. The premise is fascinating and the execution gripping.

admittedly it did feel a little fast-paced and the stakes didn't feel as high as they could've. Overall I enjoyed 'Crave' and would read again.

2.5 ⭐️⭐️



Thank you Image Comics and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As soon as I saw the cover to this I wanted to read it, I think the individual covers for every issue are really awesome. The premise had a lot of potential, a hook up app that helps you get your desires, sounds pretty cool!

Unfortunately this flopped for me,I wish this comic went further into details about the actual app and storyline but it just felt like it was made to be a quick light read. Which of course is totally fine but since it was so quick i didn’t have time to care for the characters, I did think the “steamy” scenes were really good.

I would recommend this for anyone looking for a quick somewhat steamy read!

An incredibly cerebral erotic thriller. A story about the dangers of trusting technology, mixed with an analogy for honesty with yourself and with the world around you and a helping heap of sexual tension and action make for a thrilling read. Six volumes go by in a blink and leave you, for lack of a more suitable word, craving more. An absolute must read.

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Image Comics for letting me experience the advanced digital copy of the first 6 issues of Crave. This was my first adult graphic novel and I went in open minded. I was very intrigued by the concept of an app that could grant the user whatever they “craved”. I was disappointed that the read was so short. The story and characters could have used a bit more development before diving into the meat of the story. That being said- I enjoyed the time I spent reading this. For those out off because it is labeled as erotica- it is not. Adult imagery and definitely 18+ but I would not class this as erotica.

I thought this was a great quick read. The story was fast paced, nothing felt dragged, and the imagery was beautiful. I would definitely look forward to reading more by Maria Llovet because of this graphic novel. The only downside, I wish it had been a little longer, I read it in one sitting and felt like it was lacking some meat inside.

read it the same day I got it, and five stars!

the horror of dating, dating apps, young people hormones, and the power of social media is the plot of the comic. this makes me feel like I was reading a future script of black mirror. the characters were hot, the characters were interesting too, without knowing them too much. the sexiness of the characters and the sex, itself moves the plot instead of being placed randomly in the comic, which I liked a lot.

the cliff hanger makes me excited to see where this series continues.

thank you Maria, Image Comics, and Netgalley for this arc.

I went into this graphic novel blind, and was pleasantly surprised!
Normally I like a more slow paced story, with character and plot building, but the fast paced narrative really gets in your face about its social media concept, the whole point being do we use social media too much and what could be the consequences of it?
Obviously what happened in this graphic novel wouldn't, or I hope it wouldn't! Happen in real life, but none the less, it really got me thinking.
The art sryle was really cute and I loved the use of colour through out, it leveled out the lack of background detailing and just really worked for the characters, which although you don't get to know well, hold their own.
I really enjoyed this, and think it would do really well as an actual novel.

While I don’t think this graphic novel was for me, I bet others will most definitely enjoy it!
I really love all the art/graphics and I did love the concept of the plot! However I did learn that don’t think graphic novels are for me personally but I’d love to see this in a novel format. But for those of you who loved graphic novels, read this! It was great and a quick read with good visuals! Most definitely for a mature audience. I can’t get over how much I loved the art style!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me this eArc to review.

Oh this was a good graphic novel. It was fast paced and unique with lovely art and an unhinged storyline. This is definitely for adults as it has nudity, sex and heavy themes such as suicide but it is really good and I hope for a volume two!

A fun, flirty graphic novel with the perfect horror edge. Llovet builds a rich, colourful portrait of the friend group struggles created by Crave through both through illustration and words. I will undoubtedly be hand selling this and look forward to seeing the graphic novel in the flesh!

Hi Again!

The other night I needed something quick to read and I decided that something quick would be a graphic novel on my Netgalley list! So while sitting in my favorite cozy reading spot, I opened my Netgalley app. I found the Crave Volume 1 graphic novel and I was super intrigued by the cover so I decided I wanted to give it a try. (Thank you so much to the publishers for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions). I was able to devour this graphic novel from my favorite cozy spot in one sitting. So without further ado, let’s jump into the story.

SPOILERS AHEAD

On a university campus, a new app has popped up called Crave. The app is becoming insanely popular among the population on campus, insanely quickly. Essentially people who use the Crave app are able to ask for one thing you crave and if the percent chance of that Craving happening is high the app will tell you how to achieve your craving. If the chance is under ten percent the app tells you that and shuts down that craving. As you can imagine things with this app are getting wild across campus from violence to relationship escapades to people having hookups all over campus. Things are very very quickly getting out of hand and some students leave campus, only to find out that the app was created on campus and can only be stopped from the on-campus servers. Will they be able to get to them? Can they resist using Crave?

I knew almost nothing going into this graphic novel but I ended up enjoying my time with it. The story had a thin layer of mystery (why is the app created? What is the original goal or purpose?). The characters were all very interesting to follow and see how they either resisted or gave in to Crave. Also for the people who gave in to Crave, it was wild to see the range of different asks and what the app said back to them. I will definitely be on the lookout for volume two. Before I wrap up this post, I do want to say that this is definitely an adult graphic novel, please keep that in mind before picking it up! Crave hits shelves on September 17th, 2024!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

***Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Wasn't my cup of tea personally. Cover art is very cute and graphic was nice. I definitely see someone enjoying it but personally i did not!

A hook-up app goes wild amongst the university students at an elite school, but it’s much more than just a hook-up app. Students start acting out of character, some start making dangerous decisions, and the school’s technology appears weirdly tied to the app. Crave centers on one group of friends and the relationships that begin and end because of the app.

With unhinged university students, a mysterious hook-up app, and a university full of technological dangers, Crave is what modern dark academia dreams are made of. It’s thrilling, sexy, and unique in the comic/graphic novel space. The characters aren’t really likable, but that’s par for the course in dark academia. Crave is erotic, but at its core, it’s a mystery. I promise there’s a plot past the spicy scenes! Llovet’s art is incredibly detailed and gorgeous, and that alone would have kept me moving through the story to the end.

As for what I didn’t like, there isn’t much. I didn’t like a couple of the side storylines, but I didn’t dislike them enough to mar my view of the story. Crave gets quite deep and dark near the end, which feels like a departure from the rest of the story. See my content warnings below my rating at the bottom of the post for more information.

Final Thoughts:
Crave is an excellent example of how dark academia can work in modern comics and graphic novels. I think those who enjoy New Adult stories, mysteries, and complicated college relationships will fall in love with Crave.

Content Warnings:
Suicidal Thoughts
Leaking of Personal (Explicit) Photos/Videos (of an adult)
Outing of an LGBTQ individual
Assault
Death
Bondage Photos (done with consent) (of an adult)

I had a lot of fun reading this; the artwork reminded me of an old school comic book in a way, and I really liked an early scene in the story that talks about how we feel with social media. It sort of felt like some of the relationships moved a bit too quick based on the way the app worked, but I think for the purpose of the storyline it works really well. Overall it was a enjoyable novel!

Timely, thought-provoking, dark. 18+. I'm not usually one for graphic novels, but this was bite sized and fun, I think it could have gone deeper into the relationships and darker aspects, more character development would make me care about them more when things go wrong.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this with high expectations and unfortunately was disappointed by this graphic novel. I thought the illustrations were gorgeous and the story easy to follow. However, I was hoping for a more complex story and maybe even a new comic series to follow. Unfortunately, since there is a neatly wrapped up ending, I do believe this is a standalone. For the most part, I did enjoy the steamy scenes. However, I hoped they would have been more of a catalyst for the plot and characterization, where as I do believe it was more just for the entertainment factor. I did enjoy reading this overall, but feel it is better suited for someone who comes in with matched expectations. This is a great palette cleanser for readers wanting something fun and not so serious.

Thank you to Image Comics, and NetGalley for giving me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

. A social media app that makes all your cravings possible is unleashed on a college campus and things escalate quickly as hidden desires are made public and relationships shift. Inhibitions are gone and nothing will be the same after you’ve used Crave.
This graphic novel isn’t for everyone. It’s very explicit however it raises some very interesting questions about social media and how that is becoming increasingly connected to all facets of our lives. I enjoyed this exploration of these ideas and would recommend it to readers comfortable with explicit sex content as an interesting read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

3.75 stars is the actual rating. I honestly enjoyed my time reading this. Very quick paced and entertaining. The plot of the story was not like anything i have seen before. i really had a good time would consider a re read in the future.

It is an Image Comics standalone, and usually I stand by those with a loyalty that rivals peanut butter and jelly...

This one didn’t do it for me. I could see fans of Riverdale enjoying this, and if it weren’t for the 🌶️spice level🌶️I would categorize this as a YA comic. it is not.

Its just not for me.