3 stars, I honestly enjoyed this more as the book went on but the insta love at the beginning threw me a bit. It was also very predictable like I saw a lot of the plot twists coming however I did enjoy the last few chapters.

Predictable, but entertaining.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an honest review.

🌟3.75

- Fantasy Romance
- Forced proximity
- Vampires
- Steamy with tension & banter
- Morally grey love interest
- Predictable but in a good way
- Forbidden love

I think this was a touch and go for because the tropes... or rather, the framework for the story is one that we are all quite familiar with in this genre, so predictibility can pull some readers out of the story however I found it fun, and entertaining. I wanted to see where the story was going to go so take that with a grain of salt with what your mood is, and if you find 'predictable' as also 'comforting'.

x

As someone who loves Richelle Meads Vampire Academy, I was hooked from the start with the vibes in this book being so similar to the VA series.

The story flows seamlessly but unfortunately like others, the ending felt a bit too predictable and fell a little flat.

Overall I'd definitely recommend this book if you're a fan of Twilight &/or VA.

This book really tested my patience and sanity.

First, let’s talk about the main character. I can’t remember the last time I read about someone so spoiled, entitled, and insufferable. From page one, I hated this child (because that's what she is).

<i>"I want a different life. A human life. One where I have more choices than just what to eat, or which movie to watch, or which velvet gown to put on in the evening."</i> Boo hoo

There are so many quotes that I could slap onto my review right now, but honestly, there wasn't a singular page where I felt at peace. Every time Emelia opened her mouth, it was to whine. At one point, she compares her "golden prison bars" to a boy in a literal cage. I'm sorry? Read the room, I beg.

I couldn’t bring myself to care about Emelia or her plight because I was too busy being exasperated by her constant whining and never-ending "woe is me" energy.

And then there’s her miraculous epiphany about how the world works. I mean, she’d been to these Halloween parties before—did she just… not notice the whole “people being fed on” thing? The sudden enlightenment made no sense, but sure, let’s pretend it’s a growth arc.

Don't even get me started on the romance. Kyle’s immediate hostility, and Emelia’s instant attraction to him, despite constantly complaining about how annoying he is, made no sense. Two seconds later, she’s in love with him. Chemistry? None. Emotional buildup? Also none.

Then there’s the plot. Predictable doesn’t even begin to cover it. Just boring. Honestly, I only finished this because it was an ARC. Had it not been, I’d have DNF’d at 20% without hesitation.

If you’re thinking about picking this up, maybe give it a second thought, especially if you’re looking for a main character who doesn’t inspire unbridled rage.

This book started off really strong for me. It was fast paced, and I was enjoying it so much I didn't want to put it down. I hit a wall though, and from that point on, the pace of the plot and the relationships all felt really off.

The romance developed really fast, and it would have been nice to see more little moments between Emelia and Kyle before they were in so deep with one another. There wasn't enough time to fall for them and actually root for them as a couple. I found the betrayal predictable and a little painful to watch such a naive character trust so openly.

I found it interesting that for most of the book, it was the father who was more emotional than the mother, and I thought that switch was nice to see. However, the relationship between Emelia and her parents was frustrating and annoying to read. First, with how rocky it was, and then with how quickly it was resolved. They went back and forth so drastically and so quickly, it felt unrealistic.

Overall, I liked the first part of this book, and the general idea, but it ended up falling flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Man. This was.. ok. The plot felt predictable, I didn’t have a vested interest in anyone or anything. The FMC was incredibly frustrating.

I thought I would like it more than I did.
The protagonist was to childish for me even if I understood that se was sheltered all her life, even so... there were moments that she was too immature. I liked the plot, the world building and the twist I think what didn't convince me were the characters, dialogues and sometimes the writing.
But I enjoyed and liked to read the book.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for providing me with an E-ARC!

Unfortunately this wasn't the book for me. I was hoping that I would enjoy it more once I passed the halfway mark, but sadly I didn't. It did have some of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers and forced proximity. The storyline had so much potential. I think that some more action would have done this book good!

I found The Last Raven to be a really fun read. It was definitely dark and moody and had a lot of twists and turns. It also had some really cool new ideas to add to the basic vampire genre

I had much higher hopes from this book, but the ending ruined it for me. The writing wasn’t great, and the book left a lot to be desired.

2,5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to the publisher for the earc!

First of all, somehow I completely missed the fact that it’s a vampire book! It was a nice surprise when I realized, so I’m not complaining at all. Unfortunately I did not love this book as much as I hoped for.

Emelia is the human heir of one of the biggest vampire clans, but she does not want any of it. Her parents kept her hidden and protected from the world, so she has very little knowledge of… well, basically anything that happens outside of her home.

It would be too harsh to say I liked nothing of the book, because there were 2 things I enjoyed, but overall, something felt off.

I did not like any of the characters. Emelia was a spoiled heir, she thought she knew everything. She planned to run away before her 18th birthday and live as a normal human, but when she first saw how they lived she was disappointed? Surprise, your education was short and extremely biased. I seriously don’t understand how could she think that she can live a normal life as a human in a world where vampires are the rules. She thought just because they live amongst each other they are free. Spoiler: they are not.

This book features one of my least favorite tropes, instalove. I kind of understand why Emelie had feelings for Kyle immediately upon first seeing him. Her parents kept her sheltered, she had very little interaction with people her age (well, Kyle is a vampire, so “her age” is mostly, looking like her age), but it’s still unrealistic for me and did not like it at all.

THe worldbuilding was basically nonexistent. I know it takes place in our world (somewhere in the UK to be precise), but there are a lot of questions. I mean, they have WiFi, smartphones, but petrol is scarce? How do they have electricity? More importantly, how is it possible that vampires exist? And happened that they gained power above humans all over the world? Just so many unexplained things.

Like I said there were 2 things, I did like in the book. The first one was the biggest plot twist, I knew Kyle had something to hide, but was definitely not expecting what actually happened. It was a very bold move, one we rarely see in YA books, and I’m guessing this is why I loved this move so much. The other was the ending itself, I might read the sequel after it. I know for sure, that without the last chapter, I’d never consider it.

Overall, if you want a book with vampires it’s a good story, but don’t expect too much.

Ooof okay. I found this one hard to get into.

Set in modern day England, but not written completely in a modern day style... so every time someone mentioned a car or mobile phones I was like right, okay...

The premise of the story is that the FMC (Emelia) is born 'human' to vampire parents, who also happens to be the leaders of the vampires i.e. the Ravens. And as Emelia is human, she is The Last Raven as she will eventually 💀 as she is not a vampire (Plot hole? I was not sure how this would work - assumed that her parents would take over again after??)

Her parents are prepping her to take over, but as there are some unrest with the humans that are literally farmed for their 🩸 Emelia gets her own personal guard. Enter the MMC (???) Kyle. Of course he is morally grey and seduces her. They decide to runaway together. Up until this point it was still going fine, and then the book does a complete 360. Kyle betrays her and I am not sure he is redeemable. Emelia then returns to her parents and asks to live a human life a bit before she takes over as The Last Raven.

I don't think there was enough world building at the start and then the end was a bit anti-climatic for me.

Read this if you like:
- Vampires
- Romantasy set in a modern setting
- Insta love
- Forbidden love
- Bodyguard trope

I am not sure I would pick up book 2 to be honest.

Big thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think enemies to lovers was a bit of a stretch. I would have liked more world building and the plot was predictable. I didn’t care for the characters much.

The romance is too dull to consider it as a good one and the world building is so lacking it cannot count as a good fantasy book either. I would have probably dnfed this if it wasn't for it being an arc because it was also kinda boring. I have also received this in a book box which is disappointing

This was a good read with some interesting concepts and plot twists. However, despite the improved pacing in the second half, this was no more than a solid read for me.

This book was ok, but I found the romance element quite lacklustre. The pacing in the second half picked up and made for an interesting finish, and I liked the final reveal at the end

I really enjoyed this book. I read many variations of vampire books, and I found this one to have many original ideas.
There were a few things that were predictable, but not enough to ruin the storyline for me.
I'd rate it a 4 star overall.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollinsUK, and One More Chapter for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Few Notes Before We Begin:
•This is a condensed review. I might create a more detailed video review later and post it on my socials.
•While some have referred to this book as romantasy, I’d like to clarify that it is not a romantasy.

Initial Thoughts
I was excited to dive into The Last Raven, especially after seeing glowing early reviews on Instagram. A love story between a vampire and a human? Count me in! But once I started reading, I felt like I was experiencing an entirely different book. Checking Goodreads confirmed I wasn’t alone—many reviews echoed my feelings.

Rating this book is tough. While I understand this is an uncorrected proof, it feels far from ready for publication. The story would benefit significantly from developmental editing. While some line editing (e.g., cutting repetitive “er” and “uh” phrases) would help, the larger issue lies in its structure and world-building.

The Plot
The core idea—a human destined to rule in a vampire-dominated world—is intriguing. Unfortunately, that’s where my enthusiasm ends. The plot was predictable in the least enjoyable way: boring. Familiar tropes can be comforting and fun when executed well, but this fell flat.

The story was riddled with plot holes, and critical revelations came far too late, making them feel like afterthoughts. The pacing was paradoxically both too fast and too slow, which robbed the narrative of the tension and excitement necessary to keep readers engaged.

Worldbuilding
The world had potential, but the execution left me confused. Here are just a few examples:
•The timeline is inconsistent. It’s been over 50 years since the vampire uprising, yet canonical works like Interview with the Vampire (1976) still exist. Would this book have even been published in a world ruled by vampires?
•Vampires, some of whom are over 500 years old, only decided to take over the world 50 years ago. Why wait so long?
•Vampires celebrate Halloween. Why? Wouldn’t they celebrate a harvest festival like Samhain or invent a new holiday tied to their culture? Or simply commemorate the Rising of the vampires?
•Language inconsistency: The FMC uses modern slang despite being raised in isolation. Where did she learn it? Slang evolves with new generations and specific environments, so how is it developing in this world? Does it originate from humans? If so, how does the FMC know it? The MMC’s use of slang is somewhat believable since he frequents areas where vampires and humans coexist, but for her, it doesn’t make sense given her sheltered upbringing.

The Characters
I struggled to connect with any of the characters.
•FMC: Insufferable and contradictory. Her actions and thoughts often didn’t align, leaving me frustrated. For example: “He can do anything in this moment, and I’ll let him. How would I stop him anyway?” immediately followed by “Nothing matters except his touch.” Is she into it or not?
•MMC: Equally annoying. He asks, “Don’t you trust me?” on the same day they meet. The lack of chemistry between the two made their interactions nonsensical.

The Writing
•Pacing: The book relied heavily on chapter-ending cliffhangers, which can work in fanfiction but not in this format. The tension is lost when resolutions come immediately in the beginning of the next chapter.
•Repetition: Certain words and phrases were overused to the point of distraction. How I Met Your Mother fans: remember the episode where everyone played a drinking game based on Robin saying “but, um”? That’s exactly how I felt while reading this—it became impossible to ignore.
•Tone: The writing felt more suited for a younger audience, yet it also included sexual content. This inconsistency made it difficult to determine the target audience and detracted from the overall reading experience.

Marketing (maybe spoilers ahead)
Words matter. Marketing this book as a romance (or romantasy) sets up certain expectations, and this story does not meet them. You can call it romantic, but it doesn’t fulfill the criteria of a romance novel.
Additionally, the tagline on the cover—“Her blood is all he craves”—never plays into the plot. Misleading marketing like this sets readers up for disappointment. It might help sales initially, but disappointed reviewers may sway others not to purchase the book.

Conclusion
I wanted to like this book—I’m a sucker for vampire stories—but it didn’t work for me. The worldbuilding was shaky, the plot predictable, and the characters frustrating. I doubt I’ll read the sequel.

This review might seem overly critical, but I want to explain why this book didn’t resonate with me. I tried to turn my brain off and just enjoy the ride, but it simply wasn’t enjoyable.

Rating: ⭐✨/5

Overall was an okay read. Was left a bit disappointed by the lack of enemies to lovers and felt the relationship was insta love. Did enjoy the world building and the characters though!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a unique vampire tale. A human girl is the child of the vampire rulers of the land. She struggles with her life as a royal in a world where humans are livestock. The romantic relationship in the book had me questioning the MC’s judgement for the first 2/3 of the book, then it finally got better. I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to leave a great review, but the last quarter of the book really helped make up for the rest of it for me.