Unfortunately for me, Twilight really was a better love story.

While initially I liked the flow and writing style, the back and forth between the two main characters Lorena, and William (our vampire) just was a real slough to get through.
It wasn't even so much the characters or plot itself (while there were some weird holes), just that it felt like there was a lot of filler in here and back and forth that could have been cut down.

This may have been better as a shorter format or a Novella.

Honestly, I struggled with this book. The premise itself was unique and interesting, a vampire is awakened from his slumber after centuries when students at a boarding school stumble upon his hidden coffin. From there, he begins searching for answers about why he was put into this slumber and whether any other vampires remain in the world. That part hooked me right away!
However, I struggled with the characters. They often felt whiny and frustrating, which made it hard for me to connect with them. Since the story leans into the YA side of fantasy, maybe that's why but personally, I just couldn't get past how annoying they came across at times.
The ending was another part that didn't quite work for me. It felt rushed and I was left wishing for more depth and development, especially with some storylines that had so much potential but were brushed over too quickly.
Overall, it was a solid read with a creative premise but it didn’t fully hit the mark for me. That said, if you’re into academia, vampires, and YA fantasy, it might still be worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A recently renovated (well, not all of it) gothic manor is converted into an exclusive boarding school. Lorena Navarro, and her clasdmates are of course lectured to stay out of the areas and under construction, but we all know what curious teens do after curfew. Well, they discover a coffin and Lorena accidentally awakens a vampire who has been sleeping for a couple centuries.
Turns out William Pride is the last vampire of his powerful line. Will goes incognito as a student and Lorena becomes his unwilling familiar, providing him with a life sustaining blood source. Turns out drinking straight from the host is an obsolete practice and taking a familiar is uncool and outdated. Will has so much to learn about being a modern day vampire I loved the literature debates between Will and Lore. Oh the classics! The slow burn romance and conflicting alliances kept me intrigued until the end.

This was a solid okay vampire story. It started strong but then the pacing and friend/mean girl angst caused the middle to drag and feel a little stale. The ending picked up in pace and almost felt a little rushed with all the revelations and quickly tying up that happened in the last 50 pages. This is a Young Adult book and it really felt like it. At first, I didn’t mind the teen angst and coming of age drama as well as high school drama, but I’m not sure any of the human characters had enough growth to outgrow the adolescent stereotypes the author gave them and I found myself frustrated with the never ending teen drama. Due to this I never really found myself deeply caring for the characters, everything was kept at arms length due to pettiness and betrayal after betrayal. The vampire lore was interesting until we got to the magic system which was still unclear by the end of the book. I can’t tell if this is a standalone or the beginning of a series, it is wrapped up but so many conflicts were just touched on the surface, I think the author could do a sequel and dive deeper.

I LOVE vampires so I was super excited for this. However I am soft DNFing. I couldn't connect to our FMC and even though she called another girl a "pick me" she kind of felt like one herself. I might give this another try in the future.

I quite enjoyed this! I'm always a little wary of anything that smells like a Pride and Prejudice retelling but this was an interesting twist. It was somewhat dense in the backstory, but even when I was without as much context, I waa able to get caught back up. The vampire lore references were also appreciated. I wish the human characters were developed more, but there wasn’t a lot of room in this space to do that with the need for detailed world-building, so I understand. Maybe there can be expansion on that in a sequel?

Love myself a vampire. This was a quick easy read, perfect for the fall. The world building was easy to get into. I wanted a bit more from the romance though. Thank you Netgalley for this arc.

I love a vampire romance.

I love so many different things about this book. I love how when we first meet a vampire, that it's a realistic person and, not romanticized.
I love the way the book was divided into 3 parts. The concepts, creative storyline and theories were written so well.

I enjoyed becoming friends with the 5 main human characters. (Because that's what it felt like)
And now I'm beginning to wonder.... Do vampires exist!?!

I can't say much more without spoiling anything, but I wish I could! Can't wait to talk about this book!

You can find my reviews on Goodreads, Instagram & Amazon (links in my profile)

I loved the found family Lorena, Salma, Tiffany, Trevor, Zach and William created. The different dynamics each of them had with each other was entertaining to read about.

The romantic subplot between Lorena and William was a satisfying slow burn full of tension. Their first encounter wasn’t exactly great but as time went on they started to grow on each other until they were finally together.

The plot twists kept me interested especially towards the end as everything came together. There was twist after twist which kept me guessing about what might happen next.

Overall it was an enjoyable read!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

thank you Netgalley for this arc. so glad I took a chance. I went into this book expecting a bit of a 2010s YA urban fantasy throwback and walked away with a bit more!

this book is split into three acts. the first act felt a bit immature but as the plot began to thicken, so did our characters. by the time I reached the second act, I was fully invested in our Vampire(s). the third act took its time, pun unintended. lots of wrap up that felt, well, a bit cumbersome to the pacing.

this book's biggest strength is how it surprised me. I genuinely wasn't sure where it was going, but I was invested in William solving this mystery. The other thing, or person, that surprised me was Lorena. I wasn't the biggest fan of her but she does make some choices that felt...realistic. like, yea you can love someone but also not agree with everything.

until next time! byee

It was a great ya sifi fantasy. i enjoyed reading this it has great plot and character development and world building can’t wait to see what else the author has in store

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

I feel like I wanted more from this book. I have loved Garber's work in the past, but this one wasn't really working for me. I feel like I had different expectations than what was delivered. This definitely felt very simplistic and for that reason that characters didn't really feel that developed. They all actually felt like shallow characatures. All the characters except the main character are rich students. The world also felt underdeveloped. I wanted a stronger atmosphere that just wasn't there. I love the cover and the concept, but the execution felt lacking.

Pride comes before the fall...

A stunningly unique blend of esteemed and loved titles such as the classic Pride and Prejudice and Crave coupled with just the right touch of delicious gothic elements, vampirism, the perfect hint of romance, and dark academics...

Welcome to Huntington Academy... and the secrets it holds within its walls...Our stunning main character, Lorena, the estranged daughter of a momfluencer, finds herself at the gates of a newly opened academy with her best friend that she's known her entire life... determined to lead somewhat of a quiet life... out of the eyes of those who would criticize her...until one night her and her friends wander off into one of the forbidden areas.. the so-called "under construction" areas of the old manor... where they stumble upon something that shouldn't exist... that should be merely myth and legend...friendships will be shattered....and questions will be raised on the fate of not only Lorena... but of humanity... and of vampires.

As someone who's read all of Romina's amazing writing, I was not expecting to be completely blown away off of my feet by this AMAZING novel. The pacing, the introduction of the characters, the plot, and the setting, I loved every minute of it. She weaves a dark, vampiric, spooky academy with twists, turns and unexpected secrets ... full of mystery... This novel, in my eyes, far outweighs Twilight...

And I am all too happy to wait to get to know more of William and Lorena's story...

I really enjoyed this! It was really dense, lore-wise, but even when I stumbled through a complex piece of context, I always caught back up. Atmospherically gave all the vampy love that I was hoping for and I’m a sucker for a HEA.

I do wish the human characters were developed more, but there wasn’t a lot of space to do that with the world-building, so I understand. Maybe in a follow up!

I was hooked from the tagline of "Pride & Prejudice meets Crave" and this book didn't disappoint. I was invested from the first page and enjoyed the overall feel of this world and characters. The plot was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the way the characters were created for this. I really enjoyed this as a concept for Jane Austen and was invested in what was going on with the last vampire element in this. Romina Garber wrote this so well and am excited to read more from Romina Garber as this was so well written.

Interesting take on vampires, a fun read for vamp fans. So you go to a new school in the middle of nowhere, and bu,p into a vampire that has no clue about modern times, been asleep for centuries and really wasn't a vampire very long. And so it begins. Like the whole academy setting and the dynamic is definitely engaging.

I received an eARC from NetGalley…

This book took me by surprise and I end up loving it. So many things happened in the end that I did not see coming. For the first time, someone has added something different to vampire lore that is really cool.

For those looking for spice, it’s not here but it’s still a good story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All thoughts are my own.

This was a cute YA vampire romance that gave me the feels of Twilight, Vampire Academy and Crave. It was easy and quick and enjoyable. It lacked depth and substance for me, but it's not aimed at me as I am not in the YA demographic. I feel like if you love a good vampire story, you will enjoy this.

This was an incredibe read! What great writing and the world felt so real. I really loved the arc of the MC and the ending, it felt very satisfying to me!

3 ☆ / 1.5 🌶 (implied sex scene) / dual pov, Lorena in 1st person and William in 3rd person

Sadly, this book didn't work for me. I understand that it's YA, but it felt overly juvenile, and I never found myself truly invested. But I think younger readers might enjoy it, it's dramatic, vampiric, has some interesting ideas and features a sort of enemies-to-lovers romance.

I found the FMC annoying. Despite being 18 (later 19), she acted more like a 15-year-old, as did the other characters, especially the centuries-old vampires. There was an implied sex scene and a little bit of swearing, but I just couldn't take it seriously. The conflicts between characters seemed forced, and it felt like I was reading a highschool drama.

I liked the MMC, though. While he also said and did some stupid things, it wasn't to the same obnoxious extent. I enjoyed his POV chapters and wish they'd been longer.

And I loved the Victorian manor setting, it sounded fantastic.

Overall, it was fine, but could have been much better.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.