I finished this book in ONE day! As someone who grew up loving Twilight, this book was perfect for me lol. Super intriguing characters and plot line with a huge twist at the end. I actually reread the entire book again after finishing it so I could approach it from the new perspective. I enjoyed Bitten so much and can’t wait for the next book to come out in the series!!

This reminded me of the Crave serious, but I think it's better written and I appreciated the word-building that happened. I think this might have been more successful as a adult novel, to be honest. But I see it's place in current YA publishing and I think it will be popular with my readers. I will be purchasing and recommending this title.

Dark, romantic, and utterly addictive, Bitten is a fierce debut that blends deadly politics, magical courts, and werewolf intrigue with a vengeance-fueled heroine at its heart. Vanessa’s journey from victim to power player is gripping, and the love triangle sizzles with tension. Think Fourth Wing meets Crescent City with bite. A few tropes feel familiar, but the lush world and high-stakes drama make it impossible to put down.

Bitten is a lush romance that turns typical ‘finding your prince’ stories on their heads. Young Vanessa attends a beach party with her closest friend. At the party they are harassed to the point of a physical fight by several wealthy kids so they leave, but on their way home they realize they’re being stalked.. The stalkers are wolves and they attack, killing Vanessa’s friend and injuring her severely. She manages to call her father, a police captain who arrives, but then realizes some of the wealthy kids from the party have also shown up, and her father is allowing them to take her away.. Vanessa passes out but when she finally wakes up she finds herself in a kingdom she never knew existed.

3.5 Stars/5 stars

There were many aspects of this book I enjoyed. The prologue immediately drew me into the story and made me want to know what would happen next. Vanessa's rage and emotions in general were palpable through the pages, and I wanted nothing more than for her to get revenge. I couldn't help but cheer for her, and the ending was excellent and was definitely a rollercoaster!

With those things being said, the middle part of the story didn't capture my attention as much, and I found myself having to push through it, and due to the manner in which this book is written, I believe Vanessa should've at least been 18 years old and this story should've been classified as New Adult rather than young adult (14 years+), which is the main reason I couldn't give this book a higher rating. Especially with some of the other characters being 19. I wasn't aware it was a young adult read until I'd read the first couple of pages.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Little Brown Young Readers for sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Vanessa is bitten by a werewolf and is thrown into a hidden world dealing with family drama and power dynamics. The two MMCs are cousins, Sin is a flirty Prince while Calix is a mysterious grump.

The story started a bit slow for me and I am not sure how I feel about the age of the FMC (couldn’t she have turned 18 instead of 17?) but once I got into the hidden world I was hooked. Can’t wait to see what the next book holds for Vanessa and the guys.

Thank you Jordan Stephanie Gray and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing this ARC via NetGalley. Comments and opinions above are my own.

#Bitten #NetGalley

Twilight for the girls who prefered Jacob 👀 loved this I hope we get more books in the series! The characters felt authentic, immersive world building and pacy plot! Loved it!

Let me start by saying that the comp for Bitten — Fourth Wing meets Crescent City is all wrong, honestly I have no idea how they came up with that, I guess it depends on what elements you pick from those books. I wouldn't say that Bitten is like either of those things actually it didn't give me vibes or remind me of either one. The comp I'd give you is The Cruel Prince meets Throne of Glass because Bitten gave me vibes for both.

Vanessa, our FMC, is a human girl who gets bitten against her will after her best friend gets murdered before her eyes and is stolen and imprisoned in a magical castle in the F̶a̶e̶r̶i̶e̶ Realm of Superiority. She doesn't get along with anyone (her classmates literally bully her every chance they get, I'm looking at you N̶i̶c̶a̶s̶i̶a̶ Evie) but the wolf Prince and his guard. The prince is arrogant, sarcastic, beautiful and kind and his guard is his complete opposite—dark, brooding, most of the time an asshole in love with the law and following the rules to a T. There may not be a deadly competition (as in ToG) per se but all of the nobility's children are preparing for the Ascension which means every day they go to class study and train to get smarter and stronger. Their world is vicious and deadly and Vanessa has no choice but to try and follow their rules in order to survive while investigating the death of her closest person looking for a way to bring justice to her murderer.

Don't get me wrong, Bitten is not exactly like either of those books i mentioned, you won't read it and think it's the same at all but if you tell me that all of this doesn't give you vibes for TCP and Throne of Glass you'll be lying... or you simply need to read the book and see for yourself.

I absolutely adored Bitten!! There was something so... nostalgic about it, it brought me back 15 years ago when all I was devouring was paranormal romance.

Vanessa was so relatable, she's someone every girl can see herself in and her rage, MY GODS. Talk about female rage, now this is how you do it right. It was raw and powerful, you can feel yourself getting angry with her and for her. My heart broke for her, I raged for her, the way Jordan wrote those vulnerable scenes was so, so real, I can't tell you how many times I was choked up or cried.

Sinclair was my favorite. He's exactly the type of love interest I fall for—charming, arrogant, cunning, sarcastic and still very much deadly.

Calix was Sin's personal guard and his best friend, they grew up as brothers and there's a powerful magic connecting them. I was very intrigued by him and even though I didn't love the way he acted like an asshole half of the time I understand why he did it. There are still a lot of mysteries surrounding both Sin and Calix and boy am I excited to learn more about them and especially Calix in the next book.

I don't think I can talk much about the plot without spoiling it but what I can say is that while the first half of the book sets everything up—characters, relationships, the mystery, the world and the rules, the second half of the book gets absolutely crazy. Like holy shit. When you reach the last chapter you realize that the whole time Jordan was giving us just enough to keep us hooked and there is just so much more you don't know and you couldn't have expected 🤯 I was absolutely mind blown by the twists and I'm usually the type of reader to pick up on things very early on, and even though there were some things I briefly suspected and then dismissed nothing could've prepared me for how the puzzle pieces will connect at the end. I literally have no words for everything that went down in the last 3 chapters—betrayals, reveals, violence. The ending was explosive and nothing like I was expecting.

I'm so, SO, excited for book 2, i'm already on my knees begging for it. I have SO many questions and i cannot wait to see what's gonna happen next. Bitten is a new all time favorite.

eternal gratitude to netgalley and the publisher for the arc

I heard about this book months (and months) ago, and it immediately shot to the top of my TBR. It became one of my most anticipated reads of 2025—and that’s saying a lot, because this is a ridiculously strong year for books.

It more than delivered.

Bitten is seriously impressive, especially for a debut. (Though honestly, it feels unfair to call it just a “great debut”—this book stands tall beside seasoned authors. Talent is talent, full stop.)

Jordan Stephanie Gray is a force. They manage to breathe fresh, wildly addictive life into a trope that’s often been run into the ground—werewolves.

The characters? Unforgettable. In a landscape where main characters often blur together or come off insufferable, Vanessa stood out with her kindness, loyalty, and entirely justified feminine rage. I adored her.
Sin and Calix? Equally enthralling. Nuanced, layered, and—let’s be real—sexy.

It goes without saying that I loved this book. The plot was fast-paced, the mystery had me fully hooked (I had to know what happened next), and the romance? The romance was romancing like nobody’s business.
So. Much. Yearning.
👏🏻 Fellow writers, take notes: this is how you build and execute a subtle love triangle. 👏🏻

And the ending? I’m still recovering. It wrecked me in the best possible way—and left me absolutely desperate for book two.
Feral doesn’t even begin to cover it.

No notes. Just pure, unfiltered praise. Completely obsessed—and already dying for more.

The premise of this book (a girl gets bitten by a werewolf and drama ensues) was very exciting and reminded of some of my favorite books growing up in the best way. We need more werewolf books.

The delivery was okay. The end was a nice twist, did it intrigue me enough to read the second? Probably not. At the end of the day this just did not have enough layers to it to make it interesting. Why should I care? You never really find out.

My main problem with this book was the main character. She felt like the epitome of a "Mary Sue" character. Overall the characters and stories seemed to have little depth and read very young. I understand this is a YA book but the characters felt more younger than 17 to me. I also don’t think a book technically being YA is an excuse for weak writing, which I would say is the case here.

I wouldn't recommend this one to friends. All in all, a great synopsis with poor follow through unfortunately. This does not stand out to me in any way. So here I will sit, waiting for the werewolf book of my dreams.

I absolutely loved Bitten by Jordan Stephanie Gray! From the first page, I was drawn in by the fast-paced story, the gripping tension, and the incredible characters. The mix of romance, danger, and mystery kept me hooked—I just couldn’t put it down!
Vanessa is such a strong and compelling character, and I loved following her journey
The world-building was so immersive, and I felt every moment of excitement, suspense, and emotion. The twists kept me on my toes, and the chemistry between the characters was so well done. I was completely lost in the story and already can't wait for the next book!

If you love books that pull you in and don’t let go, a must-read. Highly recommend!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I really did want to love this. It felt at first a lot like a twilight version, only with werewolves instead of vampires. And I was a huge twilight girl back in the day. But in the end, it felt very unoriginal, and i struggled to feel engaged. I didn't feel any connection to any of the characters, so it couldn't keep my attention.

Once I started reading, I couldn't put this book down! Vanessa showed so much growth throughout the book, and is not anything but fiercely loyal. I'm really hop9ng this turns into a series because I need to know what happens next!!

Werewolves are back, baby!!!! I have been following Jordan for years now and just YEARNING for exactly her energy in a book and when I tell you I actually cried reading this because of how good it was! I am truly just smitten with the romance, in awe of the world building and cannot wait for more from her! You never know if they people you follow will write great books, but man, Jordan is insanely talented and I already know this book is going to be the next booktok sensation!

This book was a wild ride for me! This is a werewolf book and is top notch. This is in the young adult genre. It left me feeling surprised! This book has twists and it’s a very fast paced read. What initially caught my attention was this book cover, but I had no idea how much I would enjoy reading it! It is action packed, exciting, entertaining and twisty. You really have no idea what comes next, after the girl is bitten! It is a dark forbidden romance.

The book Bitten is about a teenaged girl who gets bitten by a werewolf! This girl is named Vanessa. She just lost almost everything before the werewolf attack happened. She then turns into a werewolf herself and is out to seek vengeance! As this dark werewolf story unfolds, it will leave you in shock and wanting more! Please read the content warnings before reading this book. I give this a 5 out of 5 stars rating!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Jordan Stephanie Gray and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is set to be published on September 30, 2025!

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this book, purely based on the fact that I’ve never been much of a werewolf lore kind of person, but Jordan Stephanie Gray made me reconsider that. BITTEN is the kind of read that leaves you riveted and wanting more. I loved it, and I can’t wait for the sequel!

If you want a dark paranormal academia with werewolves, steamy romance and alll the twists and turns, then this is the book for you!

YA paranormal is SO BACK with this nonstop-action story from debut author Jordan Gray!

Run to pick up this one!!!

Thank you to Little Brown Books and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC.

FIRSTLY -- This book is a weird blend of YA and NA, I'm not sure it knows what demographic its trying to target. I would say that you should be about 17+ to really enjoy this book. I wouldn't consider it smut because for the most part its fade to black, but it does occasionally get a bit descriptive before it finally fades out. Which is where the majority of my confusion about its "rating" is coming into play. I feel like this falls on the publisher to clarify as much as the author. This book should NOT be read by anyone under the age of 15 in my opinion as an almost 30 year old.

As far as the story goes, I love the murder mystery, fish out of water that we get in this book. Our FMC, Vanessa, is enjoying life as a burgeoning 17 year old, just trying to make it day by day. Her best friend, or "soul sister" is murdered in front of her by a werewolf and she is subsequently bitten and whisked away from her life to live with the "Born" Wolves. What follows is a topsy-turvey story that has you second guessing even your own understanding as it keeps you on the edge of your toes.

Vanessa struggles to accept her place in the world, knowing that someone in the castle is responsible for her being bitten and the death of her best friend. She overcomes her emotions, her plans and dreams for her life and eventually accepts her place in this new world. The death of her friend drives her to try to uncover the secret that is looming behind the walls of the castle.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the love triangle? If you can even call it that. The book tries to shove you back and forth between Sin, the Wolf Prince and his broody guardian cousin, Calix. I'm not sure if this is a love triangle because aside from some heated glances and the occasional touch, Calix very much doesn't like Vanessa and wants nothing to do with her. Sin on the other hand, makes his feelings very well known and actively tries to court Vanessa. Regardless, the ending of the book blows everything out of the water as you have to reorganize all of your thoughts.

This was unfortunately not for me. It was YA attempting to be New Adult and New Adult written as YA. I honestly do not know who to recommend this to, as it doesn’t seem sure of itself.

I honestly devoured this book, and I'm still reeling from the experience. This YA read is an awesome blend of action, treachery, romance, and supernatural intrigue, set in a super-detailed world of werewolves and their complex courts. At the story's heart is Vanessa, who was strong and relatable and who finds herself thrust into a world of magic and monsters after losing her best friend and being bitten by a werewolf. As she deals with this new reality, Vanessa has to confront treachery, secrets, and her destiny. Something that stood out to me in Bitten is its intricate plot which was full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.
Jordan's writing kept me engaged which made it impossible to put the book down (literally finished in a few hours). The romance was a big highlight, with Vanessa being torn between two love interests: Sinclair and his cousin Calix. I loved them both but honestly, I'm thoroughly Team Calix – his brooding intensity and wit had me hooked from the start. Overall, this was a fantastic debut from Jordan, and I'm eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series. If you're a fan of supernatural YA fiction, complex world-building, and slow-burn romance, do yourself a favor and sink your teeth into Bitten ASAP. Thank you so much for this arc!