It's a good poetic story to read. The supernatural characters were mysterious and vicious at the same time.

I’m gonna classify this in the ‘not for me’ category. I spent the first portion of the book trying to figure out up from down, reality from hallucination, before I simply gave up and just went wherever the story was taking me.
The writing itself is well done, I think it was just the premise of the story that I had a hard time with.
I originally thought it was a romance, but found out later on that it’s more of a thriller. It’s just little things that came together and kept it from being something that was fantastic for me.

This book was paced really well for majority of the book. I thought that what the characters are was different then what I have read before. But I found the dialog and relationships to be lacking. I just didn't feel like any of them had chemistry while reading.

Interesting premise, definitely not your average Vampire romance, which I like, and very dark.

A few pacing issues but on the whole I really enjoyed it.

Solid debut novel from Crysta Levere

A most captivating and intriguing novel.

I was not sure what to make of it at first but by the time I got to the middles, I had to know how the book would end. I had the joy of enjoying the ride to Vitality.

The end left me a little bereft as I'm not entirely sure if the one theme in the book is mental disorders or if it's a paranormal novel.

A great read though.

Not sure where to start with this one.
This book was all over the place, was kind of confusing in the beginning. This has so much potential, it is definitely not your Average vampire romance for sure and on the darker side which is something I liked. But I feel like it needed more.
Curious about this author though so I might check out other books.

Unfortunately this book isn’t for me in its current form, it needs a lot more work to me to be ready. It’s confusing in it current form, the writing, plot and pacing are all over the place. I think the premise and characters are good, it just needs more work and editing, but for me it’s a no at the moment

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

The book has potential, but it’s really hard to get into, The characters disassociated attitude makes the beginning hard to read, alongside basic words like euphoria being defined on the page. Then the relationship develops without any build. It would do well to be fleshed out a bit more in sorry and character building. Also, trust your audience to know the words or perhaps learn them without you writing in definitions

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

This book was a fun book and just a pleasure read. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me what I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

I have to say, I hated the writing style. There was so much I didn’t like about this story, the characters were unrelatable and there wasn’t enough build up to really care for them, the plot failed to have the spark I expected for a YA fantasy romance and the whole writing style was difficult to read thus making it hard to follow at times. I had no idea what was going on half the time during Ava’s mental breakdowns, whether this was the point to expose the difficulties of mental health I don’t know but frankly I couldn’t get my head around it. I put the book down so many times that in the end I didn’t end up finishing it.

The story itself is told from both view points of Ava and the mysterious Layton who she discovers in a secret underground party. I appreciated both perspectives as it did help to bring some of the story together, and I felt some relief reading Layton’s point of view which, although his character is very detached from being an old bored emotionless vampire, at least it made sense. Sometimes the writing was beautifully written in his perspective which increased the distinction between them.

‘He remembered that since long ago, people have been mesmerised by the pure of heart and the unbent or unbroken. He’d never understood that. It was the souls painted, shattered, and broken like a million stars in a galaxy that he found mesmerising. And even more beautiful still was the quilt they managed to manufacture after it all, which wrapped it all up with the kind of softness that still produced love somehow, and in ways others didn’t know how to. They were stars that still shined to us millions of years after they’ve burnt out. She was magnificent. He’d watched her break into a million pieces every time she’d gone into her room alone, shining in the dark, and then build herself back up again.’

In comparison, whenever I read anything from Ava’s perspective I just felt lost and half the time I had no clue what was going on or why. I felt like I was reading something from Alice in Wonderland, not knowing whether or not she was living in a dream world or reality. I really tried to get inside her head and ended up re-reading quite a few parts, but I just couldn’t. It’s a shame because Ava herself had a really interesting backstory, being abandoned by her mother as a teenager, living on the streets with a group of friends. It doesn’t explain why she ended up finding the funds to suddenly have a rich roommate and going to college to start fresh and leaving her friends behind, with the flashbacks we were given, there wasn’t enough to fully understand what she had gone through – then again, I didn’t finish it so maybe it was towards the end where we discover more.
I understood her need to be alone because she doesn’t trust herself to be around others, it doesn’t help that her ‘new friends’ are incredibly needy and want to spend every waking moment with her which makes her snap and look like the bad guy often – which then only plays more on her insecurities. I appreciate all of that, but I still couldn’t bring myself to like her or follow her way of thinking.

I have to give credit when it’s due, and that is definitely the way the author was able to set the scene. The details that were created in each setting were enough to make me continuing reading for the most part, whether Ava was sitting on the back porch overlooking the landscape with a warm drink in her hand, decorating her new room full of unique furniture, sitting at the top of the library’s bell tower at night, or exploring the underground tunnels to reach Lithium. It was pleasant to read the descriptive settings around the characters that really brought the book to life for me.

‘The four of them stood at the mouth of a gigantic, cavernous space lit with thousands of candles. Changing lights shone over the people dancing below. It was a subterranean world of colour so vibrant under dark pigment it seemed electric and dangerous. It’s inhabitants moved around in over-stylised outfits, some without many clothes at all, some only in body paint, even some in masks: masquerade masks, Greek theatre masks, homemade masks. They wore wigs and patchwork makeup. An item of clothing from every era was found throughout. There was no rhyme or reason to it.
No limits. No rules.’

Overall I have to say, the book had so much potential, but it wasn’t for me. I really don’t like giving bad reviews because it’s purely on my own personal perspective, not a criticism towards the author. Other readers may truly enjoy this story and writing style and I would still tell them to give it a chance if they enjoy YA vampire romance.

This was...quite the reading experience. I didn’t finish the novel for several reasons, all of which I will explain briefly. First I have to mention that I adore paranormal romance and am an avid reader of the genre. That being said, I’ve never read a book so bizarre, badly written, and sometimes downright disturbing as this one. It was confusing to follow Ava through what are key moments between her and well, whatever that thing of man is. Because of this, I found myself rereading ever interaction between them, trying to make sense of any paranormal aspects. But there was no sense to be found. The descriptions of both people and activities were strange. There were some aspects, one being the underground club and missing girls in town, that were mysterious and intriguing. But that wasn’t enough to keep me reading through writing that I couldn’t understand/follow half the time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC
I really loved this book! Although the first couple of chapters were extremely confusing, as the story unfolded it began to make more sense and I was hooked. Ava moved to start over but those voices just wont stop haunting her until she meets Layton at an underground dance club. There is something not quite right about him but Ava cannot stop wanting to be near him. She is being warned by all those around her but the pull towards him is just too much.
This had a lot of twists and turns in it right to the end and is up there as one of my favourites for the supernatural.

** First of all thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. **

With this book, the author did a great job for her debut novel. The concept is decent with all the twists and turns. But the pace of the story fell short. Because of it, it was hard to travel with the story. As a result, I couldn't connect much with any of the characters, and also the main characters weren't well established as their backstories remained unclear.

Overall, Vitality is mysterious enough to intrigue the reader. But as the story progresses, it felt like it isn't that different from any other vampire romance I've read. I wish it could have impressed me like one.

This is about girl named Ava who had a mental breakdown and goes from being homeless and just learning to survive to going to Aberdeen college, where she finds an ad for a roommate. She quickly becomes friends with her roommate and her outcast friends. They introduce her to an underground party that seems pretty sinister in itself and there she meets Layton. He quickly invades her every waking thought as well as her dreams she quickly starts to wonder if she’s losing grip on reality again because she’s no longer sure what’s real and what’s not and so the twisted tale starts.

This has so much potential, it is definitely not your Average vampire romance for sure and on the darker side which is something I liked. Good debut and like I said so much potential.

However this was just ok for me. It’s not so much that the story is bad because I liked the atmosphere of this somewhat quaint and Erie town that has a lot of history. I think the problem for me was I wanted more character development but mostly it was just ok because I was left so confused sometimes, her train of thought could be very hard to follow and I would be left like huh and this happened to me a lot and maybe that was her intention considering her background but it just made it hard for me to get through but glad I finished it

I got this book for free from netgalley for an honest review thank you.

Vitality is the promising debut novel from author Crysta Levere. Vitality follows the story of Ava and Layton.  After suffering a mental breakdown, Ava decides she needs to move and have a fresh start. She instantly becomes friends with her roommate Dalilah. Dalilah brings Ava into her circle and gives her the friendship that Ava hopes will help her move on. Everything changes for Ava when she meets a mysterious stranger named Layton. He's beautiful yet cold. He brings out a side in Ava that she didn't know existed. Layton is everywhere, even her dreams and staying away is proving harder than Ava thought....

Overall, I thought this book was an ok read. I found the plot to be promising and original. I liked the darker tone that this book gave off. I thought this story was written well and I liked that it wasn't your typical vampire romance. I thought the characters were interesting and they definitely left you wanting more. I also appreciated the way the author dealt with the heavier subjects and the plot did hook me from the beginning.

However, there were some things that bothered me about this book. While I felt that the story was written well, there were times where I was left utterly confused. I didn't really know what was going on and that felt a bit distracting to me. Now, being left in the dark, isn't always a bad thing, but there is a big difference with being left in the dark and feeling utterly confused. My other issue, and to some, it might seem like a silly one, was that Ava kept going to her locker. Now, if she was in high school, this wouldn't even be an issue, but she's in college--there are no lockers in college. And that little aspect just drove me nuts. My last issue was that when it came to the characters, I wanted more. Don't get me wrong, I found all of the characters enjoyable and I liked what we got from them, I just wanted a little more depth and connection, especially with Ava and Layton.

Overall, I thought this book was an ok read. It wasn't a hit or miss for me, just somewhere in between. I think that this book wasn't bad for a debut novel and I do feel that the author has a ton of potential. Vitality is an intriguing story with a different twist on vampire romance. While I did find some aspects of the story confusing, I will say that Vitality does deliver with the unexpected twists and turns, and an ending that I certainly didn't see coming. So, even though this book wasn't a 100% hit for me, I will say that the ending left me intrigued enough that I'd like to see what happens in the next book.

Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]
Well this is my first review for Netgalley, and I must say I did not like it at all.
I didn't feel any empathy for Ava, or any of the people which this books tells about. I don't understand why she does what she does, and be in her head it's very difficult. I can't follow her thinkings.
I don't like the plot or the way it is written. I am honest and I am sorry. I am sure there are people who will love it. But I am not one of them.
Blessings!!

Dangerous secrets churn beneath the veneer of small-town charm in Aberdeen, Massachusetts. Nineteen-year-old Ava has pulled herself up from abandonment and homelessness into being a student at Agatha College. A classified ad leads her to off-campus housing with Dahlila, a local, and friendship with her fellow designated Outcasts. Their small group ventures to an underground social club that pulses with sinister intentions. Soon, Ava's life becomes entangled with mysterious Layton's murky existence and hidden agenda. Their chemistry sizzles. Volatile confrontations, multiple mysteries, a sometimes unreliable narrator in Ava, and sliding timelines combine to make Vitality a whirlwind tale of obsession.

Loaded with young adult angst and declarations of existential philosophy, Ava and Layton's story also includes smooth integration of sexual orientation as a fluid trait, and references to mild kink. Moody atmospheric prose teeters close to purplish territory. Mixed metaphors, odd word substitutions, a few clunky scene transitions, and a pattern of discordant syntax in characters' dialogue distract from a strong premise and compelling intrigue that moves forward with accelerated momentum. More clarity in the initial setup would support a less jumbled sense of competing unknown key factors for readers to sort and understand. A thrilling, unpredictable conclusion establishes high expectations for Vitality 2 [sic]. Fans of Rachel Caine's Morganville series who enjoy more edgy menace and erotic intensity should devour this imaginative mix of supernatural lore.

Vitality is a book, where I am not so sure how to review it.
On the one hand it was amazing, finally a vampire story, that is not cliché, different, exciting.
However, Ava and Layton did not make it too easy for me to get into the story. It was confusing, sometimes I had to re-read a passage to see if I missed some stuff and in the end I was not sure what just happened.
The pace of the story was sometimes perfect, sometimes too fast that I had the feeling I missed stuff.
In the end, I did not know anymore what was real, what not. Maybe this was the intention of the author.
However, even though I am still unsure what to think of the book, it left me contemplating about it and after this cliffhanger I am pretty sure to get book 2. I just can't leave Ava and Layton as this.

****

Vitality weiß ich nicht so recht, wie ich es bewerten soll.
Auf der einen Seite war es aufregend, spannend und endlich mal eine neue Vampirgeschichte. Aber je mehr bzw. je länger ich die Geschichte gelesen habe, umso verwirrter wurde ich. Teilweise musste ich Textstellen nochmal lesen, um zu sehen, ob ich was verpasst hatte. Das Tempo war schnell, aber auch langsam.
Alles in allem weiß ich wirklich nicht so recht, was ich von dem Buch halten soll - sowohl positiv als auch negativ. Das hatte ich bisher noch nie.
Der Schreibstil ist definitiv außergewöhnlich. Ich denke auch, dass ich mir Band 2 holen werde, denn ich kann die Geschichte von Ava und Layton nicht so stehen lassen..

I really wanted to follow this book from the first chapter since I was captivated by the description. The pacing was off and there was a lack of explaining the background throughout. It just felt short a little and I wished I could have say it swept me away, but it didn’t.

This book was received as an ARC from BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I could not stop reading this book and I basically read it in almost less than an hour. Every page was a surprise and it became more exciting each time you read it. I could not get enough of the passion and pain brought to Ava from moving to a new home to the adventures that awaits in the fairytales she reads. Then all is brought out when Ava meets the mystery stranger and her world gets turned upside down and they always say, be careful what you wish for. My heart was thumping, goosebumps were forming and I felt like I was along for the ride as Ava feels again for the love of the stranger, adapting to her new home, and accomplishing the thrilling adventures that await her in her tales. I know our YA readers will go crazy for this and I can't wait to hear their rave reviews.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.