The book is very interesting and the world is very reflective of current world politics and status but with vampires.
I enjoyed the background story and relationship between Elise and Layla.

I think what ruined the experience for this book was the narration. The narrator did a GREAT job, but there was no difference between the change of POVs apart from the narration changing. So it would take a few sentences for me to understand the change of POV, similarly time changes (in books usually with a small illustration on the page between the paragraphs to show a change of location or time) in the audiobook there was no bigger pause, it just kept narrating which again caused some confusion to the listening experience.

I am interested in continuing this series but I will probably swap to reading it rather than listening.

Format: audiobook

Overall, this book wasn’t for me. While the premise of the novel was intriguing and different from anything on the market, everything fell short. Super short. I barely made it to ~50% without DNFing this audiobook, but at that point, I decided to push through in the hopes it would get better. It did, thankfully.

Our story begins with two main protagonists, Elise (human) and Layla (reaper/vampire) in the 1920s era. Elise’s father runs a vampire-hunting empire and has lost her sister to a vampire attack. Both protagonists used to be best friends but now hate each other. In the community, there is a vampire attack by a former vampire who is now a dead human. Elise and Layla are forced to work together to solve what happened during the attack and if a potential rumor about a cure holds any truth. Readers follow Elise and Layla as they confront their past hurts and their feelings for each other.

**Highlights:**
⭐️ The ambiance and world-building. We all love the 1920s New York era.
⭐️ Dual POVs between Elise and Layla
⭐️ The twists. The twists are what save this book in my opinion but also seem put together last minute, almost as if things worked out by happenstance and we went with it.

**Pitfalls:**
❌ No background context to add to the world-building. I listened to 7 hours (50%) of Elise getting bullied by her father for every possible thing and being yelled at by Layla. We don’t even know why Elise and Layla hate each other or why Layla is a vampire.
❌ Unanswered questions. What happened to Layla’s parents? Why does Elise’s father run a vampire-hunting empire but have a contract with a vampire clan? Why aren’t Elise or her sister trained to fight vampires? Why is Layla a vampire? What happened to Sterling’s parents? Why did Sterling believe Elise’s father over her best friend?
❌ Poor side characters. The father character makes no sense. There were multiple times where Elise and her father would have conversations that made no sense. She would say one thing, and he would respond with something completely different. I realized later he is supposed to be portrayed as emotionally abusive. Elise’s childhood best friend, Sterling, just randomly betrays her. He mentioned being jealous she had other best friends but then, in an instant, betrays her.
❌ Toxic characters/toxic relationships all around. While Elise’s father belittles her at every opportunity, everyone around her encourages her to believe that he is doing it to protect her or because he loves her. What a load of garbage!
❌ Forced ending. The two chapters made no sense to the plot and seemed extra to extend the book into a series.

I’m sure there were more issues, but I don’t want to go into them further. I was disappointed in this book and will not be continuing the series.

Thank you, NetGalley and RBMedia, for an early copy of this audiobook for my honest feedback.

A complex fantasy that touches on sensitive topics such as racism, segregation, <spoiler>political scheming/corrupt politicians, human experimentation, and biowarfare </spoiler>. These topics are delved into with perspective and insight and seamlessly woven into the storyline.

Obviously, we have beautiful representation present with both race and sexuality (sapphic).

I went into this one blind and was pleasantly surprised, the writing was well done and the plot was rather complex. Especially with the dual POVs to give us a full picture.

One thing I never quite understood was the need to call the vampires "reapers" like they are just vampires. All the lore points to vampirism, and even the summary says vampires but in the book they're called reapers which have their own lore and I found that confusing...but that's a picky nerdism I have.

Although there is romance in this, it is a minor substory, the main story focuses on the vampire versus human dispute.

I'd recommend this to those who appreciate a story that entwines real-world issues into fantasy worlds.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this in audiobook format.

Listen, I love the premise of this book and a lot of the ideas in it - sapphic Black vampires set in 1920's Harlem is right up my alley. But I'm going to echo another reviewer in saying this felt like it needed another round of editing. I really don't fault the author because it's not the only time I've seen this publisher push books out too quickly rather than giving them the developmental time they need. This feels like a book with a whole lot of potential that just needed more time to polish things like dialogue, the twists of the plot, and character motivations.

Thematically it's playing with some interesting ideas about the complexities of racism, class, and wealth. The themes are a little on the nose at times in execution, but again that's something that could have been smoothed out in the editing process. And to be fair, YA books are sometimes more didactic (though they don't have to be). I still think plenty of readers will read and enjoy this, but I feel like the publisher could have done a better job with this. The audio narration also could be better. There's not much vocal differentiation between which character perspective you're in, so I had to guess based on context clues and that was confusing at times. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This was on my radar as soon as I heard it was Black sapphic vampires. I didn’t need anymore info than that. It sounded like everything I wanted in a vampire book. (Some of you may know I’m not usually a fan of them lol) And although this one wasn’t perfect, I did enjoy reading it.

Ok so what I didn’t care for was the world-building. For this to be promoted as a 1920’s book, it just didn’t FEEL like one. I know there was some piano playing and some talk of the club, but besides that I just didn’t feel like it was set during the Harlem Renaissance. And as someone whose blog was partly made because of her love for settings, i just wanted more.

The main characters were cool tho. To me they never felt like REAL enemies. I did think that Layla was the better character tho. Because she was more believable. She wasn’t taking no shit from Elise and wasn’t letting her forget what she did. It took her a lot to trust Elise and I don’t blame her at all. I would have been the same way. Elise on the other hand was the sheltered person I thought she was. I was surprised by her actions in the very end tho. I was not expecting her to choose that.

The vampire thing was cool, but I also thought it could be more here too. We see a lot from Layla’s POV, but I think I wanted more from Elise’s. She wasn’t nearly as scared of them as she should have been. AND THEN, it was like they didn’t even really show up while they were trying to find out what was going on. It felt too convenient. I guess i wanted more of the scary ones and more times when Elise had to show that she wouldn’t hesitate and that she would shoot/fight them if need be. I didn’t understand how this was a vampire book but they were barely around to create that fear. I guess this goes with the world-building too. The prologue had me all set up ready for some weird ass vampires that were powerful, but we only saw one powerful vampire and she doesn’t even really fight them until the ending. I think I wanted the same energy from the prologue.

This wasn’t bad, but I think it could have been better if there was some more editing and tighter amount pf pages. I don’t think it should have been this long. On the plus side I was very entertained so I won’t say that aspect was too upsetting. I will still be on pins and needles for when the next one comes out.

Calling all the sapphic lovers! This Ravenous Fate is for you!

Harlem Nights meets First Kill in this enchanting paranormal debut that is filled glamour, glitz, murder, betrayal, and best friends to enemies to…complicated.

I loved the fiery tension between Elise Saint, daughter of the Saint empire, and Layla Quinn, the reaper who lost her humanity thanks to Elise’s betrayal. One minute they would be at each other’s throats and the next they would each remember what they meant to each other.

Dennings did a fantastic job of recreating the dichotomous lifestyle of 1920s Harlem by showcasing the exuberant indulgences of the wealthy coupled with the darkness of racial injustice and mafia led crime.

And with that ending…I need book two immediately.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was well-written. Congratulations to Hayley Dennings on your debut book!

This story follows Elise Saint, a Black 18-year-old living in New York during the Harlem Renaissance. Her family is powerful and Elise’s father wants to pass along the empire to her one day, but she has to prove she is ready. This story also follows Layla Quinn, another Black girl who was once a human, but is now a reaper (vampire). A string of murders has been occurring and Layla has been pegged as an out-of-control reaper who is responsible.

There has been a lot of betrayal, hurt, and trauma from both sides. Both girls reluctantly team up to solve these murders and end up hashing out their issues and falling (back) in love. But they don’t get there without a few obstacles in their way…

I loved that this story featured two Black girls and was sapphic! You don’t see a lot of that in books and the author mentioned on her Instagram that she essentially wrote this book for her younger self. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley, RBmedia | Recorded Books, and Hayley Dennings for the opportunity to listen to an Advanced Listener’s Copy (ALC) in exchange for my honest opinion/review. Although I originally received this as an ALC, it is now published and available to read and/or listen to!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read This Ravenous Fate. This book was one of most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. Everyone knows how I love sapphic vampires and this ones live in 1920's Harlem, they are childhood best friends to enemies to lovers and they are forced to work together to solve some murders that have shaken the community.

I loved the characters so much and they felt like they were real people and i loved the relationship betweeen the two main characters and how it evolved. IT had themes of girlhood and female rage that were incredibly well done. The ending left me wishing for more and i can't wait until the next one comes out !!

I loved the concept behind this book— vampires, jazz, gender and race politics, sapphic romance. The author brought the world to life in a way I enjoyed. The Reapers felt different from the vampires of other stories and, as a die hard Dracula fan, missed some of more traditional pieces of these creatures. I did enjoy how the author created a complex web of relationships, emotion, politics and history.

3.75 stars

Blood, vampires, dancers, jazz clubs, danger, vampire hunters. This Ravenous fate is a black vampire x vampire hunter story set in the Harlem Renaissance. If you love female rage and forbidden romance you will want to sink your teeth into this one.

Elise is back home from Paris while she is excited to see her family she isn’t at the same time. She is the heiress to her family vampire killing business. Also the vampires in Harlem want her dead especially Layla her old friend. She quickly finds herself working with her old friend who is a vampire and her enemy. There are mysterious killings happening around the city and investigating if the cure for vampires are true.

This story is fast paced and does at times keeps you at the edge of your seat. Some of the chapters did drag a little bit i felt like something was missing. I think the audiobook would have been better if it was dual pov. And I felt like the ending had an abrupt end. I do wish we got more of an enemies vibes between Elise and Layla. I absolutely love Layla she carried the book for me! Layla stood on business and she deserves all the happiness in the world

𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 .𐦍༘⋆

A sapphic vampire story set in the 1920’s? Sign me up!
I think I was definitely expecting a lot from this book and it definitely delivered to an extent.

𐙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙:
I loved the world building and the way Hayley Dennings set up the politics and her ability to really make you feel like you’re a part of this world.

This book was so easy to follow along with and I really love when a fantasy book, even though it’s set in the real world, can make you feel like you already understand this world and how it works. I didn’t find myself confused with why certain characters were doing certain things etc.

The narrator Tamika Katon-Donegal did such a great job on this audiobook with helping bring the story to life. I didn’t have a problem adjusting my listening speed with her reading at all, which is always something I appreciate.

𐙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
Our main characters went from enemies, like rip your throat out enemies to easily working together and being friendly a bit too soon in my opinion. I wanted to see more of them still being enemies forced to work together and eventually getting along.

The overall plot of the book was a bit predictable, which in itself isn’t a bad thing but I don’t think it was done the strongest here. I wish we got more in the ending, which I’m assuming was the point but it felt a bit rushed idk.

Character development wise, I didn’t really connect with any of the characters except for maybe Layla, she was by far my favourite. Outside of her and Elise the other characters just felt a bit flat.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this book, I loved this book and I loved the storyline. It captured my attention right from the beginning. I’m not normally a YA reader but I’m glad I rolled the dice and took a chance on this. The narrator was amazing, I wouldn’t change a thing. She’s part of the reason I was so captivated from the beginning.

The dynamic between Elise and Layla is complex and compelling, adding depth to the story.

The plot is fast-paced and keeps you guessing until the very end. The mystery of the mysterious killings keeps you on the edge of your seat, and the stakes feel high as the threat of a new kind of evil looms over the characters.

The writing is engaging and evocative, drawing you into the dark and dangerous world of the reapers. The action scenes are well-paced and thrilling, and the emotional moments between the characters are poignant and well-written.

I was so excited to start reading this book as the premise sounded so interesting and totally up my alley but unfortunately it just fell a short for me.

The beginning was pretty engaging as I was hooked right away but it just lagged so much around the 40-50% mark and it got difficult for me to want to pick it back up to read.

I really liked the relationship between Layla and Elise but I wished there was more of enemies part of their relationship to establish a more sturdy “enemies to lovers” troupe. I was glad that at least wasn’t instant love and there was a bit of a slow burn and angst

There were a lot of side characters that added nothing to the story. I didn’t understand why they were even there.

The author did a good job touching upon the themes of segregation, racism, white privilege, classism but sometimes I just want a book that provides an escape from those problems that so many minorities face.

Overall, there wasn’t anything unique to this book and it didn’t bring anything new to the table. It was enjoyable but forgettable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

I had gotten this as an ARC and ALC from Netgalley. Thank you to RBmedia, SOURCEBOOKS Fire, and Netgalley for letting me receive an E-ARC and Audio.

I really liked this book so much! I loved the characters Elise Saint and Layla Quinn. Elise Saint is a human and Layla Quinn is a reaper(Vampire). I hated Tobias Saint, he is Elise’s father; with a whole ass passion. I don’t know how to feel about Sterling and Valeriya.

I did not like the fact that the vampires are called reapers but it is what it is.

I absolutely loved the narrator Tamika Keaton-Donegal. She did amazing with all of the characters. She brought all of them to life.

I remember when the author first posted about this book on TikTok and I was so stoked to read it. This was definitely worth the wait.

Thank you to NetGalley, RBmedia, and Sourcefire Books for this advanced copy! You can pick up This Ravenous Fate now.

I really thought this book would get me out of my reading slump -- black queer vampires in the 1920s?! What's not to love? But I found that while listening to this book, it felt more like background noise than a story I was actively invested in. I didn't connect with the characters and their emotional journeys the way I would've liked, and while the stakes seemed high, they weren't propelling me through the story effectively.

Maybe this is one I'll pick back up when I'm in a better headspace, but for now, it's a DNF for me.

Narrator: 4/5
Story: 4.5/5
Spice: 1

This story! The reapers are a fun take on vampires and the science behind it all... This world drew me in. I wasn't super shocked by the twists. I am disappointed in several characters, not how they were written but the characters themselves. Elise will have you rooting for her and all she is dealing with. There isn't much spice which is absolutely perfect for this story. What spice there is is perfect for the characters. I don't want to give any spoilers, but if you are remotely interested in this book, TRY IT. If you can do the audiobook, even better.

3.5 stars! Very enjoyable ya book with an interesting setting. I do however feel like it could've used another round of editing. Curious how it will continue and I definitely need more Black sapphic vampires in my life.

I really enjoyed this book. I had a hard copy ARC and received the audio ALC as well. The narration was not my favorite, there were some points where I felt that it did not flow quite right, which pulled me out of the story a little bit. I’m not going to let that affect my overall rating. The writing style was very good. The story started very strong, a few parts fell a little flat, which is why this was not a five star. Definitely a great new take on the vampire story.