I mainly wanted to read this book because of the book cover. I am a bit disappointed about the book because it didn’t live up to my expectations. Did I think the book would be a 5 star? No, but I expected a good book for me to enjoy. The world building was non existent, which can work if the plot is character driven but it’s not. The synopsis of the story didn’t really match the writing which was confusing and the romance honestly felt a bit childish in the sense where, I was thinking “adults wouldn’t act like this”. The romance didn’t feel genuine and just felt rushed. I think I also wasnt able to enjoy the book either because I simply wasn’t a fan of the characters, mainly the FMC. I found her character to be empty, there wasn’t much to her besides her overthinking about her choices. By the end of the book, I became disinterested. What I will say is that I was able to finish this book within a day, so the writing is about to hold the readers.

Emelia is not only the daughter of the infamous ravens but sole heir. She's grown up very sheltered due to her unique condition, she's the human daughter of vampire parents. She meets Kyle her new bodyguard and quickly realizing that the world is not what she thought it was. Emelia has to decide whether she wants to leave everything she knows and loves or stay. I had fun reading this book. I will say there was no buildup to the romance though, one chapter they didn't like each other and then the next chapter they're making out. I also could not stop thinking about how his name was Kyle, I just do not think that name fit with the vibes. I did skim so of the middle of. the book but I was hooked on the last few pages. Overall, it was a fun easy read but I will not continue reading the series. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I truly wanted to love this because it has everything I could ever want in a romantasy read, but I sadly feel like I’m not the target audience for this one. But for those who are looking for a book that reads on the younger side of YA, that’s easy to get into and is fast paced then I’d recommend this one!

Thank you so much to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and Helen Glynn Jones for my ARC, I truly appreciate it!

2.75/5

The Last Raven is book one in the brand new series The Ravens by Helen Glynn Jones.
A fun forbidden romance vampire story that was utterly addicting.
The world building here is done very well, totally easy to follow and has you captured from the beginning.

Thanks to One More Chapter and NetGalley for a galley of this guide for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 23%

Nope nope nope. I tried and was determined to read this simply because it’s not a long book, but the writing and the characters were too much for me to handle.

The dialogue was so clunky, the narration was repetitive and very much tell instead of show. And the characters, I didn’t realize I could despise the 2 main characters so much in such a short period of time, but turns out I can!

Emelia and Kyle might as well have the personalities of cardboard and about the same amount of chemistry too. And somehow they still have their first kiss at 22% despite the lack of chemistry? And yes that was the final straw to my DNF because this book is clearly a romance first and a fantasy second, and if the romance is that boring, I don’t care how it ends.

Read if you want I guess, but this was not for me.

I think if this was marketed a bit differently it would be great because then readers would know more of what to expect. I did like the story and I enjoyed it but I went into it expecting some great, intense, vampire/human romance and it read more like twilight. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that it was just not what I was expecting! I did enjoy this read and I would recommend it to people!

⭐️ 3/5

This unfortunately not what I expected.
It felt immature, juvenile, predictable and cliche.

This does not mean it is a 'BAD' book... it just means I was expecting some Jude/Cardan level of fantasy and above.

This felt more like a bad version of movie-Twilight. Which is exactly the way I saw characters in my mind.

It did feel hard to get through mostly because I was unable to feel much depth or emotion from the characters and plot.

Many of you will love this, so still give it a chance .

The Last Raven is an "enemies to lovers" vampire romance between the human heir to the Raven and her bodyguard. I really wanted to like this book because the writing style is incredibly consumable but it just fell short. Our main characters are only enemies for about 2 paragraphs and then basically together, very rushed in my opinion. I wanted the story to pull me in a bit more but just didn't keep my attention.
Thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollinsUK for the ARC in exchange for an honest content review.

Screw some of the other reviews—I really liked this! I think it deserves more credit than some of these reviews are giving. A lot of people complained about the world-building, but I found it perfectly adequate. The story is set in a world where vampires have taken over the world with the US and UK under the Raven rule, and the other regions controlled by different vampire families. Humans are now confined to Safe Zones like livestock. This isn’t a high fantasy with a complex magic system, and I didn't expect it to be. The setup was clear enough for me, and I appreciated the dark, dystopian vibe.

Now, I get the critiques of Emelia, the FMC. She definitely came off as bratty and petulant, especially in the beginning. Honestly, around the 18% mark, I thought about not finishing the book because she was grating on my nerves. But at about 20%, she started to grow as a character, and by the end, I was a fan. It’s a slow burn in terms of character development, but it definitely pays off.

As for the MMC—yes, he's got red flags. A lot of people complained that they didn't like him. That the insta love was too quick. That he was condescending...but maybe they didn't consider that it was because he was indeed condescending? First loves are tricky....

At its core, The Last Raven is a story about the quality of life, human slavery, and fighting for the meek and helpless. It has deeper themes that I think some readers overlooked. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the author does with the next book!

The Last Raven takes you on a thrilling ride from page one. This book was so good; the fast-paced narrative had me gripped right at the start. The twists and turns kept my heart racing, and the characters were vividly brought to life.

ARC Read - Releasing in January 2025 - thank you NetGalley for the chance to get a sneak peek! This was a perfect book for a fall read - gothic, vampire vibes. Emelia is the Heir to the Vampire throne of Raven. Child to the current vampire leaders, she is unique as she is a human. An anomaly, an abomination. Unsure why and a rarity, her parents hid her away and kept her from society to protect her. Now, with her time to take the throne and lead Raven approaching, Emelia realizes all she wants is to lead a normal, human, life. But has she been fantasizing and seeing human life through rose coloured glasses? In this world, humans are cattle, they are the stock for vampire consumption. Emella also gets a new handsome guard, Kyle, who is tempting her to stay and showing her a new side of her sheltered life. When the time comes, will she run or will she rule?

Unfortunately DNF at 30%. I gate it a good go, I really did.

Unfortunately I think thus book was way too rushed from the get go. I'm 30% in and the MMC and FMC "enemies to lovers" are already lovers. There was absolutely no build up of romance and the relationship just feels shallow and unbelievable.

The premise is brilliant and I was looking forwards to the story unfolding but the world building is nearly non-existent other than the odd tidbit of lore here and there. 5* story idea with poor execution.

I found Emilia shallow and a little stupid and tbh I just didn't care what happened next and I knew it was time to DNF when I just didn't want to reach for it.

This was an okay read, but it wasn't great. I couldn't really connect to any of the characters and the story felt rushed. For a minute there was a hint we might go for a love triangle, so glad it didn't went there. Having instant-love is bad enough. I probably won't continue the series.

I loved the new world this book has built. The theme of humans being secondary to vampires and the issues that brings was great. The twists were good. Not a bad start.

This was a good beginning for a series, and I believe I would have liked it more if I could have read another book immediately after. However, it wasn't very successful as a stand-alone book or the first in a series. It felt unfinished because it was only setting the stage for the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harpercollins UK for the E-ARC of The Last Raven. I love romance, fantasy and vampires so I thought this would be a home run for me. The love connection felt very insta love and the two characters were together very early on in the story. The ending was pretty predictable but how it played out made it feel like a lot of the story line was wasted.
Overall it was an okay book.

“Blood borne, because my parents are both vampires, yet not a vampire at all”

Not bad at all. Did I enjoy this book? Yes, I absolutely did. Did I think it was the best. Not necessarily but I had a great time getting through Emelia’s story and her struggles. A vampire fantasy book with a princess born of two vampire parents but still totally human. She is the heir of the Raven family. She is supposed to rule. But how can other vampire take her seriously when she has never left her home because her parents were afraid she might have been hurt? She is just a human after all. But then a guard comes by (very Hawke of him) and suddenly everything she thought she knew is turned upside down. Kyle is different. And I fell for him. But the rebellion and the political intrigues pushed my mind away for a bit from the romance blossoming and the human/vampire dynamics were so interesting, I couldn’t stop reading !!! Plus, it is a pretty flowing book two read so it doesn’t come as a surprise that I read it in one sitting !!! And after those last 30 pages … I’m pretty sure I’m in need to read more about this world and what is waiting right there on the horizon for Emelia Raven!!!

“Can you help me do it? I counter. He smiles. “For you, anything”

Emilia, a human girl born to vampires. Heir to raven, heir to half the world. Then she meets a handsome vampire and the trajectory of her life changes.

This reads as a young adult novel and that wasn't what I was expecting. The spice is almost non existent, just one small scene. I would recommend it to a bit older young adults.
That being said the writing was fine, just as the books was fine. There were really interesting and fun plot points. But at the same time a lot of plot points didn't make sense. Furthermore the behavior of the characters in the beginning of the book didn't make sense.
Besides that I called the big plot twist. The way it was resolved on the other hand I have almost never read and I loved it! Something else I really loved was the fact the parents of the main character are prominent in the book and they truly love their daughter. A big change from a lot of other books in this genre.

This book is a real mixed batch for me. I do recommend it to people who like powerless and the romance in that book. You will love this one.

This book is a Rollercoaster.

I had high hopes when I saw this book first pop up - vampires!? Yes! I've not read a vampire book in a while, perfect for Halloween.
This book was definitely enjoyable and entertaining enough - there wasn't the most in-depth lore and world building which I did find lacking. But it was fun. I think there's so much potential for more in the setting and depth of the story - more tension, darkness, romance, more about a vampire kingdom!
I definitely recommend this as a read if you want a fun and enjoyable vampire read for the October/Halloween season. But other than that, it was lacking world building for an in-depth fantasy, and a bit bland in the romance for that to draw you in alone.

I had such high hopes for this book. It has everything I love but I felt like it fell incredibly flat for me