3.5*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of This Ravenous Fate!

If you are a fan of the childhood best friends turned enemies turned something like lovers, this book is for you. It has vampires, sapphics, and a 1920’s Jazz Harlem setting you can sense the music and glamour in every page. I did enjoy this book for the angst, the interesting and complicated relationship between Layla and Elise. While I thought some of the plot was somewhat predictable I did think the execution made this story worth a read.
I am excited to see where this story goes in the next book.

I have been really liking the vampire renaissance lately! Sadly, this book just didn't work out for me. The writing was really beautiful in some sections, but then the dialogue was clunky and scenes were randomly plopped in a chapter. Characterization flip flopped a lot. We investigate the murder... kinda? Elise and Layla mostly just wander to different locations and encounter an event. There aren't that many clues or hints. It ends up being pretty obvious who is behind everything to the reader, but the characters take forever to come to the same conclusion. I despised Elise's father and his wishy washy actions, especially his decisions regarding his 'heir' *eye roll* In what world is a 10 year old child ready to learn how to be an heir to a reaper hunting empire after basically spending all her time dancing? She's 10! And the mother too; she was basically a paper doll? She does nothing and has the most blase reactions to things like finding a half naked man under her daughter's bed or finding that same daughter making out with her 'enemy.' Elise herself was a bit boring and I was hoping we would get more about the whole music is her life aspect, but it doesn't really get weaved in at all. It's just random scenes. Which, actually, is a good description for much of this book. The whiplash of having an emotional scene in one POV with just a line break then a quirky little scene in a different one was really strange. I think this book just suffers from trying to release it in the hype around vampires and not doing enough edits. Some developmental edits would really have helped with the pacing issues, the chronology issues (it was hard to keep track of the timing of things and the history we are being given), and provide more seamless weaving of the different thoughts in the plot. The most successful character for me was Layla, who has a lot of depth with her warring emotions around family and sense of self, and, yet, I was still a little confused by some of her actions because they strayed from her characterization or were not built up enough before we were given the information, for example, the relationship between Layla and Mei. Actually, of the side characters, I feel like Mei had the most development and felt the most like an actual person with a full life. Sterling did at moments, but other times I was confused by his lack of response to things that happened.
I did stay up late to finish the book, mostly to see if Elise's dad got what he deserved (not really imo) but also because I was already 70% in so I might as well have just finished it. I am uncertain if I will finish out the duology because I just don't know that there will be enough explanation or a good conclusion.

A Flawed Debut with Potential
This Ravenous Fate presents an intriguing premise: a love story set against the backdrop of Jazz Age Harlem, with a supernatural twist. The historical setting is well-researched and atmospheric, and the concept of reapers adds a unique element to the narrative.
However, the execution falls short in several areas. The pacing is uneven, with some sections feeling rushed while others drag. The characters, though interesting in concept, lack depth and nuance. Elise and Layla, the central protagonists, are often one-dimensional and their motivations are unclear at times.
While the world-building is promising, the plot is predictable and lacks the necessary twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. The dialogue, though occasionally witty, often feels stilted and unnatural.
Despite its shortcomings, This Ravenous Fate shows potential. With stronger character development, a more compelling plot, and tighter pacing, Dennings could craft a truly captivating story.

I tried to read this one but I couldn't follow what was going on and never made it through more than the first chapter.

I struggled through this one so I DNF about 50% through.
It was very repetitive and I kept waiting for the story to develop but it didn’t. I wanted more of sticking to the plot versus all the side roads it took to even get a few pages. I felt it was giving too much story/back story to the characters and I had already read all that. It wasn’t progressing the way I imagined and that caused a rough spot for me.
It just wasn’t for me unfortunately.

I’m not saying I didn’t love it — I’m just saying this needed a bit more time and less pages than it currently has. More is not always better.

The characters, however, were very well fleshed out to me and really pulled me through this adventure. I love a good historical fantasy, especially with vampires, and I’m SO excited to see where this goes!

Deliciously dark and full of feminine rage. The atmosphere was so beautifully woven into the story, and 1920s Harlem was such a lush and vibrant backdrop to have against Elise and Layla's story. Also...these two. I love them. I love their anger and their passion and the way they (love) to hate one another.

This was a highly anticipated read of mine. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Love a good slow burn romance. The era was so eccentric with wlw and vampires!

I really wanted to like this. I love vampires. Anything with vampires is an auto read. I did enjoy parts of it, but it needed more polish. It also didn't help that Elise's character seem to be that of the sheltered-annoying-privileged-make-stupid-decisions-that-don't-make-sense kind of personality. I tend to struggle with those, especially in how she treated her supposed second best friend, Sterling. Then again, I have no idea what the heck happened with HIS character. He 180* so fast I got whiplash.

Layla was cool though. I vibe with her.

Anyways, characters aside, the atmosphere of story was great. A little dark and gritty. The ideas and themes about racism, classism, etc were fairly well done. Just overall execution was just lacking. I'm not sure if I'll pick up the sequel.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Now this, this is what I mean when I say enemies to lovers is one of my faves. The pure unadulterated loathing these two have for each other in the beginning of the book? Top tier. Throw in that this technically friends to almost kinda lovers to enemies to allies to lovers… I’m sold.

I love the found family aspect, the 1920s prohibition era vibes (with vampires), and really just everything about this read. I listened to it via audiobook from the PRHAudio Influencer program and thought it was narrated really well. Overall one of my top 10 reads of the year.

Thank you to PRHAudio for the gifted audiobook.

I will admit, I had extremely high hopes for this one. Not that I didn’t like it, but I was expecting much different things and unfortunately it didn’t give me everything I wanted. The first half of the book took so long to get through and the second half I flew through. Not too happy when I do that although it can’t really be helped. I’ve read and enjoyed another book that the audio narrator’s done so I think for the next book (duology, ending next year), I’ll reread this book in audio and keep with audio for the second book.

Elise and Layla were two compelling characters and I liked seeing their journeys. As for whom I liked more, that changed every now and then. Elise would do something I didn’t like so Layla became my favourite. But then Layla betrayed me so back to Elise. The side characters were interesting but at times they seemed to fall a bit flat.

The plot was confusing at times and it didn’t flow as easily as I’d like. Perhaps that’s because this is Dennings’ debut and maybe she’ll improve as time goes by (I hope so). I’ll piece together a plot happily but I like having some jigsaw pieces just fall into place without me putting them in there – if that makes sense. I could definitely see Dennings’ passion for writing and for the genre and that was great to see. I always love reading vampire books because they’re new every time! New meaning the lore, history, rules tend to change and I like that. I liked the history of the setting and felt she wrote well in that – it never seemed like we weren’t in Jazz Age Harlem.

I felt like this was a let down for me. The writing wasn’t bad but the storytelling wasn’t there. I had high expectations from the way this was marketed.

I love me a vampire read but bonus when they are black vampires in the 1920s!

It was written so well and I absolutely loved the vibes in this story. Layla and Elise were it for me! I loved their love and them working together to figure out what was going on with the vampires in their city.

This is an opposites attract that you can't help but be on their side.

I wanted to love this book, as I love a great vampire story. But, it just fell a bit short and I really had to push through to finish it.

This Ravenous Fate by Haley Dennings was a fascinating and atmospheric read that pulled me in with its Jazz Age Harlem setting and unique twist on vampires. The worldbuilding is rich, with the gritty, glamorous nightlife of 1926 Harlem mixing with the terrifying rise of reapers—vampires created through haunting, brutal histories. I loved the tension between Elise and Layla, former friends turned enemies forced to work together. Their dynamic was compelling, full of tension and unresolved feelings, which added an emotional depth to the story.

The pacing was a bit uneven for me—I kept getting distracted by other books along the way—but whenever I returned to it, I found myself immersed again. The blend of historical fantasy, reaper mythology, and the looming threat of danger kept the stakes high, and I’m really intrigued by the mystery surrounding the reaper cure. I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds in the next book.

Overall, if you’re into dark, atmospheric fantasy with complex characters and a richly detailed world, This Ravenous Fate is worth the read!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy!

When I saw 1920s Harlem and vampires, I knew I had to pick up This Ravenous Fate. In this alternate New York vampirism is a disease infecting humans and turning them into reapers. Our story follows Elise Saint—the daughter of a powerful business owner whose company hunts reapers—and Layla Quinn—Elise’s once-best friend, now turned a reaper. When a series of violent attacks involve reapers that somehow turned human again before death, Elise and Layla have to work together to find out what—or who—is behind them.

❤️ What I loved: A fun 1920s setting, vampires, a plot with lots of drama, and a sapphic friends-to-rivials-to-lovers romantic side-plot.
💔 What I didn’t love: Many of the characters felt somewhat one-dimensional or static–I wanted more development from the characters along with the plot. Changes in choices they made seemed random then instead of being tied to their growth.

I am a little sad, because this book really should have been a slam dunk for me, but it didn’t draw me in how I hoped. I could definitely see this book having an audience among some of my YA readers who want more paranormal stories, so this one is a likely buy for my school library. It definitely seems like this will have a sequel, and there’s enough here to make me intrigued to pick that up in the future.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5 (3-3.5)

Acknowledgments & Disclaimers ✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Hayley Dennings, and Sourcebooks Fire, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book. ✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. ✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

I had a hard time with "This Ravenous Fate." The plot was super slow, and I had to force myself to finish the book. I really wanted to complete it so I could review it, but it was hard going. The writing is beautiful, but the plot wasn't my cup of tea, and I didn't connect with the characters. I think the book might have been better if I had listened to it on audiobook, but I still would recommend it to teens or anyone who frequently enjoys YA.

A special thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest review.


I will be honest, this book sounded so up my alley. Especially because the author on Twitter framed it as a catradora type of friends to lovers to enemies to lovers story. I just was bored out of my mind while reading this. The characters didn’t speak to me, they fell flat and I was just not interested in the plot whatsoever. I think the concept of a murder mystery is just not for me. While I did enjoy the angst between the two main characters, it was just few and far between that it was not enough to keep me going. I tried, I really did. It just did not live up to the expectations I had.

4.5-4.75
I absolutely loved this book! It had everything I could’ve asked for : a historical setting, a tension-filled enemies to lovers romance, a fantasy plot, and beautiful writing. I loved the character development that went on for both mcs but I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed when the romance happened, it felt a bit rushed and resolved too quickly. I also didn’t really understand the ending, I found it a bit underwhelming- I think the book would’ve been perfect if there’d been a powerful twist at the end, but it didn’t really feel that way. I would absolutely recommend this book, especially for fans of Chloe Gong’s books, and will definitely be reading the second book when it comes out!

Dual POV, Sapphic Vampires, Jazz Era Setting, Childhood friends to enemies, Female Rage, Vampire x Vampire Hunter

This Ravenous Fate sinks it's teeth into readers from the very first chapter. Elise Saint and Layla Quinn start as childhood friends but their relationship becomes strained as Elise leans into her family's legacy of vampire hunting. Plenty of plot twists, witty banter, a touch of murder mystery, and mutual pining makes this book a thrilling read. The romance between Elise and Layla is written so tenderly the reader can't help but fall in love with them. Looking forward to the next book in the duology.