Cover Image: Crave

Crave

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Member Reviews

was this a good book? certainly not
was this too long? yes
was this cringe-worthy? hell yes
was it still entertaining though? absolutely
will i read the second book? most likely

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If you're a fan of twilight this is a must read for you! Even the cover alone give me twilight vibes, even if you don't like twilight but you're a fan of vampire you should still give this a read and see if you like it, I did enjoy my time reading it however it will not be a new favourite but it was enjoyable.

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I actually ended up quite liking Crave I mean it has vampires in it so that's a big thumbs up right away for me but at times I did find myself rolling my eyes with the way these characters acted and it is quite predictable it also really does have that first book set up feel, which made it slighly more of a drag as this is one chunky book.

But I did like the setting, pretty much all of the characters and the variety of species in the academy and the plot. In the end I finished this really looking forward to picking up book 2. I definitely think it's well worth picking up, I think if you like Vampire academy you'll really like this and I can see this series getting better with each book. Also that ending left me super intrigued and I can't wait to see the direction the next book takes.

Thank you so much to the publishers at Netgalley for gifting me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

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If you are like me and love all things Vampire. If you list Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Vampire Diaries and Twilight amongst your favourite tv series/ movies then I am sure you will fall in love with Crave from Tracy Wolff.

Firmly in the Young Adult reading camp the book has all the tropes you will love. A mysterious school, an aloof tall dark stranger, a will they or won’t they romance and some other supernatural surprises along the way. It’s not boundary breaking, but not every book has to be, sometimes a book can just be a great fun read. And this book is that. Packed with popular culture references this book is ripe for its own movie or tv series, it could easily be the next Vampire Diaries or Twilight for a new generation.

Vampire and supernatural thrills a plenty ⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five

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This was an entertaining read that heavily drew inspiration from Twilight. The love interest even gives the main character a copy of Twilight as a gift! If you enjoyed Twilight, then you will definitely enjoy this. Crave varies with a paranormal school dynamic and a mystery plot element that I loved, but still upholds the teen angst and the insta lust that Twilight possessed.

During the first half of the book Grace drove me insane. She was a damsel in a lot of distress who got saved A LOT, despite often commenting on how she doesn't need saving. However as time went on I really grew to like her and her humour. Jaxon was your basic love interest; scarred but beautiful, dark but sweet, the ultimate good bad-boy. He read well and I couldn't help but swoon over him. I loved the chapters at the end from Jaxon's POV and I almost wish Crave had been a dual POV book.

The main reason that I rated this four stars instead of five is because the romance was way too rushed! It was extremely insta-love, and I felt Grace was way too obsessed with Jaxon after having only met him once. I believe we needed more time to develop the relationship, especially when you think about how the whole book is set across only a week or two. I also thought the mystery was very predictable.

Overall I found the plot very entertaining and the writing style and pace of the story kept my interest peaked throughout. While it wasn't perfect, I think this is a great start to an interesting series featuring vampires, dragons, witches, werewolves and more! I will definitely be picking up the sequel as the final cliffhanger has me very intrigued.

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I don’t know how I transported myself back to 2010 with my Twilight vampire phase yet here we are again. When I got confirmed for the arc of Crave by Tracy Wolff, I was sceptical. I haven’t read a vampire novel since I finished the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead and I never thought I would re-enter that part of my life. But here we are.
Crave was the biggest guilty pleasure book I have ever read. It had your typical clumsy high school girl meets a tall, handsome vampire who she thinks will never be interested in her. Throw in a gorgeous, funny best friend who brings together the love triangle and there you have it. This book. I ate up this book so much.
After Grace’s parents are killed in an accident, she is sent to her uncles boarding school, Katmere Academy, where she immediately notices everything is not quite as it initially seems. As she becomes the only human in a school full of vampires, witches and shape shifters her life is immediately put in danger. Especially since more than one of them are trying to kill her. When Jackson Vega, a mysterious vampire, begins to show a special interest in her Grace must figure out where she belongs in this world full of paranormal creatures.
What I loved the most about this book is how it knew how cliché it sounded yet just went with it. It makes fun of itself which had me laughing on more than one occasion because unlike other cliché vampire books (Twilight) it does not take itself too seriously.
The romance kept me wanting more the entire book. Grace and Jackson had a great chemistry that works despite the book only taking place over the space of a week. Even grace acknowledges this constantly holding her own by saying that she does not want to be one of ‘them’ girls. The back and forward of the two texting each other dad jokes. It is easy to tell why Grace falls for Jackson; his use of dad jokes and love of 90’s music makes him a perfect guy.
The only thing that let this book down for me was the world building. I feel like a lot of the characters were there just to support Jackson and Grace’s romance and I would love to see more from the shape-shifters in the second book because I found them so interesting but they were not in this as much as they should have been.
Overall, I gave this book 3.5 stars purely because of the world building and the cliché moments however I will be getting the next one because this is going to be a series and I could not be more excited. I have also heard that Universal has bought the film rights for this book and I can not wait.

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Crave is a YA cliche book revolving around a "human" girl who joins a supernatural academy following her parents death and becomes obsessed with the dark and mysterious, dangerous boy. The best way I can describe this book is as "a 13 year old's dream but a 23 year old's nightmare".
This book feels like a Twilight and Legacies fanfiction more than anything else (which is ironic considering the pop culture reference to both Legacies and Twilight throughout the book). The book leaves you and the main character in the dark about the supernatural world of the book for literally HALF of the it which means that you spend half of this book bored, and half of the book completely cringed out.
The lazy and just bad writing (including several chapters of said MC and mysterious boy texting irrelevant, boring, and cringe worthy texts) makes you feel like reading this glorified fanfiction is a waste of time.
The concept of vampire being able to be born or turned and the fact that witches can't pass on their powers to their offspring if they're not full blood is completely insane and doesn't make sense what so ever. The only reason I didn't DNF (which I did want to several times) is because I wanted to find out whether the protagonist was going to be an exception to this ridiculous rule which seemed like it was the case, but oh no, that's not the weirdest part - it's the supernatural creature she turns out to be, that's the weirdest part.
Overall, this book had a very weak main protagonist who could not see beyond her morally grey counterpart and was quite frankly, obsessed with being bitten.
I don't want to compare this to other vampire related books, but this does seem like a rip off from the main vampire book culprits (Twilight, Legacies, Vampire Academy, etc.).
I want to say that if this book was written from Jaxon's POV or a mixture of both then I would not have hated it as much but as it stands, it's not an easily likeable novel.

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Interesting if a little drawn out, I have only read Erotica and contemp romance from this author before, she definitely fits well in the na/ya pnr cam well too.Looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

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Crave was okay. Predictable, and exactly what you expect it to be, especially if you have already read the synopsis. Dive into the first 50 pages, and you'll know what to expect. A lot of drama, tantrums, complicated romance and cringy inner monologues. Characters keep secrets from each other even when lives of other people are at stake.

The plot itself was okay. What I enjoyed most was the epic fight towards the end.

I adored the setting. The majestic castle the boarding school is set in. Beautiful, snowy Alaska. Intricate architecture of the school itself. I would have liked more of that.

The focus fell mainly on on the love story between Grace and Jaxon, which is fine. I liked Jaxon's character, buy my favourites were Macy and Flint. It did feel like a very childish romance, or young love, if I'm to be more specific.

Grace, on the other hand, was not the type of character I gravitate towards. It was difficult to read and understand Grace. Yes, she is young and has went through something traumatic and deeply scarring, but she is also very self-centered, a bit spoiled, and a lot of the time unnecessarily dramatic. Too much of her inner monologue made me want to skip paragraphs.

While her uncle and Macy, and in fact, everyone around her gave their best to make her welcome, she came off ungrateful and bratty. Throughout the novel, she remained the same. I didn't see her evolve or change at all. She was impatient with people, rude, dismissive, and frankly a bad friend. For example, the way she ditched Lia the moment Jaxon sent her a text to come over? She was also overly obsessed with Jaxon, which put everyone else in second place.

''A fallen angel with a bad-boy vibe for miles...and a million stories to back that vibe up.'' - Just one of the ways she describes Jaxon... Besides that he's hot and sexy, sexy and hot.

On another note, I did love the names of paragraphs, as they were clever and witty. There are plenty of chapters, so they are not too long or drawn out.

Unfortunately, this isn't my cup of tea, even if the weather is freezing and I'm in desperate need of something warm to drink.

I can see so many reasons why someone would love it. And I thought I would love it, because I love stories with supernatural creatures and elements. However, it lacked originality. And as much as I didn't want to, it did remind me of other popular reads in this genre.

Who would like this? Fans of Twilight, drama, vampires, relationships, love, magical schools set in castles set in Alaska.

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I haven’t read many books from the YA vampire genre and so I was quite excited to read this one. (I’ve always steered clear of them for fear they might be too teenage and angsty for me). As such I read this book with fresh eyes and, as I haven’t read Twilight either, I couldn’t make any of the comparisons which almost every reviewer seems determined to do - there is actually a reference to Twilight in the book which really made me chuckle. Crave surprised me in a way I was not expecting and I’m not ashamed to say I enjoyed it immensely.

Whilst Crave isn’t a literary masterpiece, and the use of popular acronyms scattered throughout the book did in fact reinforce this point, I still feel that the writing style is good, it flows nicely and is easy to follow. The plot is engaging and this coupled with the good story pacing held my interest from start to finish. There are many twists and turns and also the added intrigue and mystery of who is trying to kill Grace. It is set in a gothic castle in snow bound Alaska, the author describes the scenery and setting beautifully and I could sense the atmosphere and feel the sub zero temperatures.

The two main characters are well portrayed. Jaxon is the stereotypical bad boy, dark, secretive and very protective and with a hidden dangerous side. Grace is forthright and says exactly how she feels and there is no holding her back. She is also coming to terms with the death of her parents and dealing with re-locating to new surroundings, the polar opposite of where she originated from. The romance is very good, I loved the interactions between Jaxon and Grace, there is some seriously intense chemistry going on between them and although there is an instant connection when they first meet, there is a gradual build up to them realising their true feeling for one another. There are some fabulous well developed characters in the story, with great personalities. I really enjoyed the extra chapters at the end, it was so interesting seeing things from Jaxon’s point of view. I also loved the comical little chapter headings.

Crave is a long book, but it positively flew by and it’s incredibly addictive. Some of the plot is a little predictable, but with a whole host of creatures and characters, a great romance and lots of plot twists and turns, overall it is an immersive, entertaining read and lots of fun. The ending was not what I expected and left me excited to find out what will happen in the next instalment.

Thank you so much to the publisher via Netgalley for my copy of this book (requested after publication).

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Absolutely brilliant book slightly reminiscent of Twilight but the plot was amazing, writing style really good

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Unfortunately I couldn’t make it through this one. I was never a fan of Twilight and I feel like if you were this would bring back some nostalgia for you. I just couldn’t invest in the one dimensional characters and the insta love was awful for me. I can see this being a favourite for some but even the writing was not my kind of thing either. DNF at 40%.

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I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this book! As an avid fan of Twilight, I've never found another vampire story that interested me like Twilight did, until Crave.

This book Is pure fun, and I enjoyed every second of it. For me, the setting is what really made the story it's own. I loved the school, the dorms, the architecture, the weather and all of the cliches that came with it. And that plot twist! That plot twist at the end! Wow, I need the next book now!

Crave is a promising start to a fun, YA, paranormal romance, and I can't wait to read the other books in this series.

Thank you #netgalley for providing me with this book to read and review

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A huge thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll be honest, if you have read Twilight, be ready for a lot of deja vu. Crave is the first book in a series that has a lot in common with Twilight - the steamy, hot, broody vampire live interest, Jaxon. The plucky, but stubborn and determined girl, who only wants to save him, Grace.

But Wolff takes that on the chin, in one scene before Grace knows that Jaxon is a vampire, he gives her a copy of Twilight! You gotta love that!

Set in a supernatural boarding school in Alaska, this first book brings to life serious sexual tension against a gothic castle background and a society armed and ready for battle. Tracy Wolff delivers sexual content that is managed well for a YA audience and tailors the story to being the castle and all the on going politics between Vampires, Dragons & Witches to life! Did I mention that there are dragons?!?

As for the relationships, there are definitely no displays of balanced, healthy and mutual respect. There is a lot of possessiveness, angst, anger and full on stalking, plus a fair share of stabbings, exsanguination, supernatural fights and death in this book, so if these are triggers you avoid - definitely not the book for you.

If you’re looking for a decent, reasonably well paced story and in the mood to resurrect those Twilight feelings...Enjoy. For me, it was a good fun read and definitely apt for October.

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If 2020 is going to be remembered for anything (aside from the obvious) it’s going to be the year Grace (thats me) started to miss Twilight - and pesky angsty vampires.

In comes Crave, this book had all the components it needed to have 25 year old Grace feeling all types of 15 again.

After being suddenly orphaned, Grace (not me) moves from California to a boarding school in Alaska who’s headmaster is her Uncle and who’s attendants are all beautiful and all a little bit… different with some secret.

Amongst these attendants are two boys, two very different boys one light and one dark. Seem familiar? Hooked yet? Because I was.

I don’t think talking about what is actually stated in the blurb can be counted as a spoiler. But there are vampires and there are dragons. In fact the whole school is full of those who are supernatural. All except Grace, and someone has it in for her.

It’s a very stereotypical you can call almost every turn - but isn’t that normally the case? If you want to escape into an angst driven plot full of brooding men - this is for you.

I will say this, as YA Paranormal romances go this is long, nearly 600 pages. But it flows quickly and addictively. I loved it and I’ve just ordered the sequel - so no one call me for a few days.

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When Grace's parents die her whole life changes. She swaps sunny San Diego for frozen Alaska and boarding school. But the Academy is nothing like Grace expected because it's full of witches, werewolves, vampires and dragons. Then there's Jaxon Vega a vampire with deadly secrets, but there's something about him that prevents Grace from staying away. Grace has only been at the Academy for a week but it already looks like someone is out to kill her, but who?

I appear to be in a "It was OK, but not great" slump. There were definitely elements of this book that I enjoyed. The dragon thing is kind of cool, Alaska as a setting is nice. I noticed that this has been called a more modern Twilight and yeah it's more modern but I don't really see much Twilight in it at all. Just because there's vampires it doesn't automatically make it the new Twilight.

The characters are pretty decent, if not incredibly cliché. There are a lot of over-used tropes and most characters don't really have any individual character traits. There's the heroin (Grace), the bad boy love interest with a tragic past (Jaxon), the friend (Macy), the father figure/only adult (Finn). It never really goes deeper than that, but I couldn't help but find myself invested for some reason.

The pace was rather sluggish. The first 50% is literally building to Grace finding out about all the supernatural that surrounds her and honestly the fact that it takes her that long is painful. Especially considering she does live in a modern world where Twilight and The Vampire Diaries exists. If I saw people outside in the frigid Alaskan weather in just a shirt the first thing I would think is vampire or werewolf. It's so obvious! The rest of the book is spent establishing Grace and Jaxon's relationship, figuring out who is trying to kill her and setting up for the next book. It's a bit of a mess really. There's no way this needed to be nearly 600 pages half of it isn't important and adds nothing to the story and the half that is important is a series of incredibly obvious hints setting up the big "twist" at the end. Bit of advice, if you want something to be a surprise, don't talk about it so much before it happens.

Overall, I don't really know. It was investing and easy to read, but it was very obvious and full of clichés and even though that isn't always a bad thing, I'm not sure how memorable this book is as a whole.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.

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If Twillight and the TV show Legacies had a baby, then it would deffently be this book.

It's mysterious, romantic, action and it has some twist and turns that are insane.

The author did a great job on making the reader keep reading, by not telling everything right away but letting some things being a secret. So you has to keep reading to find out what the secret is.
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But I allso like the modern and very realistic writing it has. The characters are teenagers that act and talk like that, and not like a forced politeness.

And OMG to that cliff hanger and the twist, I did not see that coming. And I freaking love it. Sorry super excited over this book.

But all in all I had a hard time to lay this book away, I felt captured, spellbound and dragged into this story. And I'm a sucker for a difficult romance story. So 5 stars from me, and I can't wait to get my hands in book 2.

I got my hands in this book by netgalley

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I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

This is so out of my comfort zone and don't usually read this genre but I chose it to challenge myself as I need to broaden my reading horizons a little

I really enjoyed this
It reminded me of discovery of witches type vibe - in a good way

I enjoyed the writing style, the story telling and even though a long book feel this is also a good thing as I felt engrossed and totally immersed

Can't wait for more

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Thanks to the publisher Hodder & Stoughton for the e-arc of the book. This was pitched to me as something familiar to Twilight. And this is partly right as they have similar themes throughout the book. One being that a mortal falls into a world that she did not exist. But this book was more. This had the paranormal themes that I still love and adore now more than ever. You have the classic witches, vampires and werewolves, but you have other magical creatures too. The story was an enjoyable fast read. I thought the characters were interesting. I enjoyed the plotline and the boarding school aspect. I enjoyed this so much that I ordered book two straight away. If you're looking for a light and fun read, then I would recommend this book. I cant wait to dive into book two.

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This was such a fun read, based on a school setting with vampires, witches and all things romance!
I got all the twilight vibes from this book and the friendships in it were amazing! I really enjoyed the plot, and despite this being quite a long book, I loved every second of it! The writing is easy to read and the angst between our characters was AMAZING! I can't wait for the next one!

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