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Book: Crave
Synopsis:
“My whole world changed when I stepped inside the academy. Nothing is right about this place or the other students in it. Here I am, a mere mortal among gods…or monsters. I still can’t decide which of these warring factions I belong to, if I belong at all. I only know the one thing that unites them is their hatred of me.
Then there’s Jaxon Vega. A vampire with deadly secrets who hasn’t felt anything for a hundred years. But there’s something about him that calls to me, something broken in him that somehow fits with what’s broken in me.
Which could spell death for us all.
Because Jaxon walled himself off for a reason. And now someone wants to wake a sleeping monster, and I’m wondering if I was brought here intentionally – as the bait.”
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Writing:
The book is in first person perspective from the protagonist, Grace. The actions and behaviors feel more personal to read as you envision the events in her view point. The sentence structure is easy to read while maintaining the narrative of having a conversation. It’s as if the character is actually telling you, the reader, her story. Recounting each detail with inhuman consistency.
World building:
The world built in this novel feels dark, destructive, cruel, and yet captivating all the same. Black and tragic beauty. The story takes place in an ancient castle with disturbing details that somehow enrich its charm. The school is in Alaska which I believe is creative but also genius. It would be more likely that supernatural creatures such as these would want to conceal themselves in a place away from civilization and prying eyes.
Character development:
I liked aspects of Jaxon Vega’s character development, although some aspects of him felt almost pushed. He’s supposedly this dark and dangerous vampire but other than his eyes and very, very few instances, he doesn’t seem to pose any real threat. He is similar to Stephen Salvatore in the beginning of the Vampire Diaries. He’s clearly broken and ridden with shame but his reasons for it don’t match the way you’d expect them to or justify his moody dark persona.
Grace was easiest to understand given that she is the main focus and view point in the novel, it’s all in her voice. In the beginning she was completely relatable, human in every emotion and direct with her grief. She continues to be who she is throughout the novel but while also developing into what she needed to be for the book.
The biggest flaw I came to notice about the characters in this book is the lack of female characters as a whole. In total, you have Grace, Lia, and Macy. I found this decision to be strange and perhaps not the best choice given the events in the book that play out. These three females are then surrounded by males in all the different groups, making the friends around Grace and the social interactions between her and them a bit unbalanced. Honorable mention is Heather, her best friend she leaves behind in chapter one. She exists in the book but holds no real ground in the story.
Plot:
Where to begin with the plot… in the beginning it held my interest fast with Grace’s grief and mindset, it set the tone and aesthetic of the story spectacularly. After a while though, it gets tedious given Grace’s incessant obsession with Jaxon Vega. It reminded me of Bella’s need for Edward Cullen in the famous book series and movies “Twlight.” But slowly it does pick up interest again in ways that are hard to navigate and predict. The author wrote the plot twists fantastically, and it was an enthralling read that I’d highly recommend.
Final thoughts:
The inspirations for this novel were clearly Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, some minor aspects of the Wizards of Waverly Place, and The House Of Night, one of my personal favorite series. It can feel tacky at times but as a vampire romance YA novel, it is worth the time to read it. It has added twists to Vampire lore that no one else has brought to the table, combined with past vampire fiction that was a raging success. It has a gothic feel that will make you never want to put this book down.
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
PG-13
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