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...

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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.

"The Last Raven" by Helen Glynn Jones is a fast-paced young adult romance with a touch of fantasy and paranormal elements, reminding me a lot of the 2010s YA paranormal romance wave. It's a quick and easy read, perfect for when you need something light and entertaining.

I think the pacing could have benefited from slowing down a bit, especially before Emelia meets the male lead. Given her sheltered upbringing, a more gradual unfolding of their romance would have added a touch more depth. I also think the book's marketing as an adult paranormal romance might have contributed to some of the harsher reviews. I believe it would have been more accurately positioned as a young adult novel.

Despite these minor observations, I enjoyed it. It felt more like a prequel, leaving me eager to see where the story goes next.

Thank you to the Helen Glynn Jones, Harper360, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

It had a lot of potential, and I enjoyed the banter, but it was a DNF for me about 40% into the book. I wasn't a fan of the FMC, and her internal monologue wasn't my thing. I did enjoy Kyle, though! I would have loved to hear more of his thoughts, and the book often felt like it was telling more than showing.

I’m just love the human-in-a-vampire-world trope!

Emelia, heir to the powerful House of Raven, seems to have it all except her freedom. She’s stuck in a life she doesn’t want, but everything changes when a new guard shows up.

The twists in this story totally caught me off guard, I couldn’t predict it!

It gave me major Twilight vibes.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper 360 for the ARC!

emelia raven is a human born to vampires. if not for her important family name, her human status would have subjected her to a very different fate. still, hidden away from others, she can’t help but want more. when a new bodyguard is assigned to her, she believes she’s finally found her way out. she has to decide, though, if leaving everyone she loves behind is worth being able to live her own life.

i was interested in this book because i always love reading about vampires. i also thought it was interesting that this book made the vampires/humans dynamic different than normal. in this world, vampires are the dominant group. when emelia’s vampire parents realized she was a human upon her birth, her own father almost killed her. this is just the first of many reasons emelia wants to get out of the vampire sphere. she begins to wonder, where would she be had she not been born a raven? i liked how this was explored throughout the book.

the romance aspect was interesting, but don’t go in expecting it to be a typical romance. i don’t want to spoil anything, so i’ll leave it at that for now!

overall, this was a quick and interesting vampire book. i’d be interested in reading book two!

No attractive MMC is named KYLE


In all seriousness, great and fun concept that just needed to go back to the editing and plotting board.

The plot absolutely sold me on this, and I couldn't wait to dive in. But it didn't work for me. I didn't mind that the FMC was only 17 years old, but it just didn't work for a book marketed as an adult book. And seeing what's transpiring between Emelia and Kyle, it just wasn't feeling right to me. It did read like a young adult fantasy.

I wished this one worked out for me, thank you for the opportunity to read!

The whole premise of this book was really interesting. A human child born to vampires and will one day be the one to rule them all.

This was a unique take on a vampire fantasy world, with prose definitely written for a YA audience. The pace was steady through, but I felt there was a bit more potential in a novel about a vampire born human set to inherit the vampire crown. I am interested to see where the second book in this duology goes, however, the ending to the first in this series is a little bit anticlimactic.
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Thank you Harper360 & NetGalley for this complimentary ARC - all thoughts are my own! 📚
Publishers release date 1/14/2025

3.5 stars! This was overall a good and I enjoyed the story, I espically enjoyed the twists. I wish there was more world building, and a little less instalove. What world building in the story felt rushed and not in depth enough and there relationship seemed to turn to love a little too early on. Overall I enjoyed reading this, and would recommend it.

I loved this book. I couldn’t believe the twist towards the end. I loved Emelia and Kyle, until I didn’t. This story takes a different turn with vampires. Emelia is the sole heir of the Raven vampire clan, but she’s human. Her parents are pure blooded vampires and she has vampire blood but she is human, and her parents keep her hidden until it’s close to time for her to take over. There is betrayal and a surprising ending. I can’t wait for the next in the series.

The Last Raven was a fun vampire story. Emelia Raven is the human daughter of the most powerful vampire clan. Never really fitting in with humans or vampires, she doesn’t want to be coronated when she turns 18. She wants to live in the human safe-zones. But in order to do that, she needs to convince her new personal guard to take her there. He’s handsome and charming, and a vampire who seems to have some sympathy for humans. But can Emelia trust him?

This book was ok - the writing was really simple and very conversational, so it was a quick read. The premise was interesting, a human heir to a vampire clan. But the story and writing skewed very young for me, even though some of the themes seemed more mature. This made it challenging for me to get into the story fully. There is lots of action though, and lots of character growth as Emelia figures out her place in this world.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper 360 for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.