"The Last Raven" was a good read. The characters are interesting, but the world building lacked just a little bit for me. Overall, a decent read!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book!
I did DNF it at 25%. I couldn't get into a fantasy book with real world elements. It didn't mesh quite well for me. I also didn't really like the MCs, with FMC whining about almost everything and I never really connected with the MMC. The world building was a little confusing for me as well. Also, the insta love that was portrayed in this book really made it not fun. It wasn't the book for me, and that is my opinion. I think others will really enjoy this book.

thanks to netgalley for providing me an e-arc of this book!

if this hadn't been an arc i had received, this may have been a book i did not finish. this was very much more YA than the description might lead you to believe, and it was almost the absence of a detailed plot. it was predictable, had a few good moments, but i saw all of those moments coming. Emelia's choices are infuriating and seem to lack basic reasoning. i'd attribute it to Emelia growing up sheltered and unaware of the world around her, but the author doesn't really seem to think that is the case, so i'm going with it for myself. pacing was awkward, ending was anticlimactic, wish i liked this more :(

Ehh. I just didn't connect very well to this book.

I feel like the characters were a little unstable and floppy in their actions vs their thoughts and words, and sometimes, they even felt a bit bipolar in their meh actions one moment and their explosion of emotion reactions the next. (Specifically Kyle and the main girl's dad.)

The main character was a bit whiny and a lot of her narrative was done in a teenage "let me tell you rather than show you" way that got on my nerves and was a little too pick-me girl. I get this is a YA novel, but I don't feel like many young adults love the stereotypical teenage view portrayed in books like this.

I think that the concept could be really cool with some more development and more stable characters but as is, it felt a lot like "my parents don't get me because I'm a human and they're powerful vampire leaders" instead of "I'm in danger because of of a choice my parents made, but I'm strong, I'll get through this, and maybe this guard could help me out...and maybe kiss me." Slight difference, yet with confidence and personality instead of stereotypical teenage melodrama.

The Last Raven
3.5 stars

The Last Raven had everything i like in a YA romantasy. The plot was well thought out. The inner dialogue was entertaining. I never once got bored. Loved the concept ! I always enjoy a good guard/princess romance. I also love a good vampire story, there isnt enough good ones out there ! The world building was easy to digest and the politics were just yummy! Can't wait to read more!

The majority of the plot was predicable but it was a really fun easy read. There was however one plot point I did not see coming and It got me excited to see her character progress and grow a back bone.

I unfortunately DNF this book at 43%. The world building wasn’t as clear for me to picture. This is an urban fantasy which I didn’t realize until elements of technology were randomly thrown into the story. The FMC was not my favorite. She came across as constantly whining about her predicaments and she couldn’t stand on her own. Even with her internal monologue she wouldn’t note that she wanted to stand up for herself. This was also advertised as an enemies to lovers and these two characters did not start off as enemies it falls more under the insta love trope. This book falls between YA and NA category.

I appreciate the author allowing me the chance to read this piece but it just wasn’t for me. Thank you NetGalley for sending me the EARC.

Emelia, the sole heir to the House of Raven in a world dominated by vampires. Despite her human nature, Emelia is destined to inherit the crown due to her lineage, setting the stage for a compelling exploration of identity and destiny. The novel delves into themes of forced proximity and forbidden love, presenting a modern twist on traditional vampire engaging drama and unexpected plot. Overall, the novel offers a fresh perspective on vampire narratives, delving in young adult and new adult romance genres. 

Imagine you’re in a fantasy world with vampires and your love interest is named Kyle.

I am not a fan of insta love, and this is being marketed as enemies to lovers when it is absolutely not the case. It’s also a forced proximity/forbidden romance, and I felt as if the author could’ve taken that and made it more compelling and appealing. Unfortunately, it fell super flat on its face and did not deliver. This felt very tropes — like it was trying to tick off popular trope boxes on an imaginary list to make it seem appealing to readers.

Emelia’s character was flat, boring, and didn’t line up with what I could tell the author wanted her to be — headstrong and fierce. Being the unwilling heir to the House of Raven, a family comprised of vampires, you would expect the stakes to be a lot higher and to be delivered that way as well. It wasn’t, and nothing really saved it or made it enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the plot was incredibly predictable and there was absolutely no chemistry between Emelia and Kyle — just banter passed off as an enemy to lovers trope.

I still can’t get over the name Kyle in a fantasy romance novel.

I really really tried to read this one. I just had such a hard time with the bland and corny plot line. I felt there was just no connection to the characters, the writing was stiff and awkward, and I just couldn’t find myself enjoying it.

Emelia Raven is set to take the crown as the ruler of Raven, one of the top families in the vampire kingdom. Both of her parents are vampires, yet she was born human and has spent her entire life in isolation in the family castle, with little to no contact with actual humans—except for those employed by her family as servants or as food. Emelia's eyes are finally opened to the disparities between humans and vampires when an uprising begins, forcing her to confront what has been happening right under her nose her entire life. Aided by her bodyguard, Kyle, who encourages her schemes, she eventually learns that you can’t trust everyone, no matter how convincing they might seem.

This was a good read with a promising new fantasy world. While I enjoyed the general plot and where things went by the end of the book I found myself putting this book down several times because homegirl was just annoying in how she was acting. Maybe it was because she is 17 and it's been awhile since I was that young and dumb but maybe a younger reader would have liked and related more. I think there was a lot of potential for this new fantasy world that wasn't quite reached even though it was easy to tune out I wanted more.
As a YA novel (because of the age of the characters) I think a younger reader would enjoy this book. I think around 17 I wasn't quite invested in world development and was gaga for insta love.

Thanks to neutrally for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Sadly, this was a DNF for me. I tried to read it multiple times, but I just couldn’t get into the writing style. I absolutely love the premise though! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc e-book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed on my own.

I loved loved loved this book.
The premise was beautiful, the writing was lovely. The scene set up felt so elegant and gothic.

I loved the world building and the characterization.

This book had me on a roller coaster and the twist at the end made my jaw drop . Definitely recommend this book if you like:
-Vampires
-forbidden romance
-Royalty
-bodyguard romance
-vampire/human relationships
-political intrigue
Cons:
-very little world building like there is only like 4 countries but that’s all we get
-insta-love

Synopsis:

The hottest forced proximity x forbidden romance vampire story to sink your fangs into this autumn! Perfect for fans of Twilight!

I'll be forced to take the crown, simply because of who my parents are. Never mind that my skin, my eyes, the way I move, everything will give me away for what l am.

Human - In a world ruled by vampires.

As sole heir to the House of Raven, there is nothing Emelia can't have. The only problem is, she doesn't want it.
But when the mysterious Kyle enters her closed-off existence, she sees a way out. As rebellion and dark forces swirl around her, Emelia has a choice to make - leave everyone she loves behind, or stay and accept her destiny...

————————————————————————————————


Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.4 (rounding down to 3)
Spice: 1/2 🌶️


While this book is billed as a “Romantasy”, I was a little disappointed to discover that it was an urban fantasy instead. Which WAIT, does not mean I don’t like urban fantasy because I absolutely love it - it’s just not what I was expecting when I dove into this.

So if you’re a fan of paranormal dystopia, political intrigue, and urban fantasy - this may be just the book for you.

It has ——

🩸Vampires
🩸Court Intrigue
🩸Political drama
🩸Dystopian Modern Society
🩸Bodyguard romance
🩸Rebellion trope

While this story has a lot of elements I enjoy, the writing style and I just didn’t vibe. It came off as a bit too YA for my personal taste and I admit I had the urge to DNF (but I didn’t, I kept on) but again that is just my personal thing. Not everyone’s style is your cup of tea, yanno?


Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this finished digital copy to NetGalley and Harper360 - given in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars.

This book is good for a quick, light read while the world building did not make sense at times for a fantasy book.

There was absolutely nothing really going on in this book.. very anticlimactic.i had very high hopes for this one and it fell way flat.

I went into this book very excited but was turned off by the insta love. The book was very easy to get through, but I didn’t love it. It didn’t feel like they were actually enemies to lovers, and the plot felt very rushed. I may not be the correct audience for this book though.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc. Beautifully written and great for fans of A Dowry of Blood.
She is a human born the 2 vampire rulers, and as she grows she watches how humans are treated as cattle. After humans attack her parents at a party and they take action and attack the human uprises, she decides to run away with her love/vampire guard he takes her to a human section to hide to that they can escape her parents search.