Crave: An Epic Dark Academia Vampire Romance of Forbidden Love

Really 3.5. I’m intrigued to read book 2.

This was definitely Twilight-esk. It was entertaining. The story isn’t complex & there are a lot of references to the boys being “Sexy AF” which got annoying real quick but the last 40% made up for it. If you’re looking for something fun & entertaining than this fast-paced YA fantasy about vampires & other supernatural creatures than you’ll enjoy this.

Crave walks straight into a familiar young adult vampire romance fantasy and never tries to step out of its shadow. A new girl lands at an isolated academy, meets a brooding vampire with a dangerous pull, and suddenly she is caught in a world of supernatural politics and forbidden attraction. It has all the right ingredients for a bingeable young adult fantasy. It just never feels like its own recipe. Grace arrives at the academy grieving and out of place. She is surrounded by students who are far more dangerous than they appear. Jaxon Vega stands at the center of it all as the cold and untouchable love interest. Of course, Jaxon is immediately drawn to her in a way that sets off every alarm bell, but then they fall quickly for each other into a forbidden romance. Their connection follows such a recognizable pattern that it starts to feel predictable instead of addictive. The biggest struggle here is how closely the plot mirrors Twilight. The plot lines up in ways that are hard to ignore. From the irresistible vampire dynamic to the looming external threat that feels eerily familiar. The story circles the same ideas without adding enough depth or originality to make them feel new again. The narrators of the audiobook do a lot of heavy lifting. Their performance adds life to scenes that might otherwise feel repetitive. They bring emotional nuance and energy that kept me listening long after I would have put the physical book down. Crave will work for readers who want a nostalgic return to young adult vampire romance with high school drama and a brooding love interest. This may not be the one to reach for if you are looking for something that pushes the genre forward or surprises you.

Painfully Wattpad. I like what the book was TRYING to do in terms of fantasy and a dark academia atmosphere but it just fell so so so short.

This book was amazing! I love the intensity between Jaxon and Grace as they discover their love for one another. Some people are saying it’s like Twilight. I don’t see it. Number 1: Bella was so dependent on Edward and couldn’t bare to be without him. Grace on the other hand is not dependent on Jaxon and can live a minute without him. Number 2: Grace just has more depth than Bella did. Number 3: Grace is confident in herself where Bella isn’t.