Author: Tracy Wolff
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 592
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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.
I will fully admit that Crave was not a book high on my to-read list. In fact, I had no plans to read this book that has been pitched to me as more Twilight for Twihards who miss Edward and Bella. But then the paranormal binge happened and a friend sent me a copy and now I'm hooked. Oops.
While I wouldn't call Crave another Twilight, it definitely hits the same. This story is about Grace who finds herself attending a remote boarding school in Denali, Alaska, after the death of her parents. The school is full of supernatural creatures, but she doesn't know that at first. She ends up falling for Jaxon, a vampire and the school's resident bad boy. He's a tortured hero with a dark past who goes through the "I'm not good for you" motions, but who I still ended up liking a lot.
Not much happens in this first installment. Crave is primarily about the school and its day to day (albeit dangerous) activities. Throughout the story Grace learns about vampires, witches, dragons, and werewolves, and takes it like a champ. Honestly, one of the most unrealistic parts of the book is that she doesn't bat an eye when she finds out that one of her friends is a literal dragon. Thankfully, there is a tiny bit of action towards the end, but this is truly more romance novel than anything else. Not to say I didn't enjoy it, because I definitely did!
As I'm sure you've assumed, Crave definitely has its issues. Since not much happens, some parts of this book do drag. (Thankfully book two, which I've already read, is much more action packed.) The world building is a bit suspect and the depiction of Alaska drove my Alaskan husband nuts! My main problem with Crave is the annoying slang that will age this book in a really disappointing way. Grace uses language like AF and FML constantly.
Despite its issues, Crave was a fun read and I immediately wanted to pick up Crush upon finishing it. Grace is a better heroine than Bella Swan and this book is thankfully devoid of abstinence only and pro-life propaganda. I'm desperately hoping that the success of Crave, along with From Blood and Ash, mean that publishers will finally get back to blessing us with more vampire romance!
