˗ˏˋ 5 stars ⟡ ݁₊ .

did i request this book solely because of the cover? yes
do i regret it? absolutely not

this book was such a fast read. i genuinely didn't want the book to end. a lot of the plot twists kept me on my toes and had me flipping through the pages quickly. i really enjoyed the magic system as well. i loved lorena and found her kinda relatable to me.

the ending kinda leaves for potential squeals, so finger crossed that it's happening cuz id be so down to read it.

⤷ thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I found this to be somewhat enjoyable. The premise was strong, and the reference to Pride and Prejudice in the blurb drew me in. Although, I didn't see much correlation. The setting gave off dark academia and gothic/spooky vibes, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The romance wasn't quite as heavy as I had hoped it would be, but it wasn't bad either. The vampire lore is what kept my interest most, but I did still have a difficult time truly connecting with the main characters, and I honestly can't explain where the disconnect was.

this book was really fun and i loved the spooky vibes!! it felt really long to me thought and also it was really TMI abt like bodily fluids 😭😂idk it was wierd.

The Last Vampire is the perfect read for fans of vampire romances. While there were elements of this one that didn’t work for me, it is a fun supernatural gothic romance, and I know many readers will enjoy this book.

Loreno Navarro is hoping for a fresh start when she enrolls in a new boarding school. After an online incident that reflected badly on her influencer Mom, all she wants is to focus on her studies and not draw any further attention to herself. But when she accidentally awakes- and then is attacked by- an actual, real-life vampire, her life becomes much, much more complicated. William has slept for centuries, and is hopelessly lost in the modern world; so he forces Lorena to become his familiar to help him navigate this new time and help him track down the rest of the vampires. As Lorena & William uncover dark secrets about the history of vampires, and William’s place in it all, they find themselves drawn to each other. But can a vampire and human… predator and prey… ever have a happy ending?

I liked the way this one played with genre; it has elements of gothic, romance, mystery, and dark academia, all mixed together. I also enjoyed the exploration of a vampire from the past trying to understand and fit into modern culture. However, I struggled a bit with the main character’s romance; I felt that there was not much natural progression from them being enemies to liking each other. I did like Lorena and William’s characters; I just felt that I missed a step in their relationship somewhere. Overall, I liked this book but didn’t love it; but there are elements that will definitely appeal to many readers, and I know it will find its audience when it publishes later this year!

I would recommend The Last Vampire to fans of (of course) vampires, gothic and / or academic settings, and possibly doomed romances.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.

I was hooked to this book the moment I have started reading it. It was the first book from this author that I was reading. Hope for a sequel.

Thank to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book.

This book was interesting, and it was easy to get into the story. The multiple points of view added to the story, and they were both entertaining. I enjoyed the romance between the characters; it was not creepy, and it made me giggle, more than once. The author excels at creating detailed worlds, whether it's the universe or a magical system. It is slow and consistent, rather than being thrown in your face. You learn more information along with the MC. I did see most of the plot twists coming, but I was still entertained and enjoyed the book. While the world-building was great, the pacing was inconsistent. The book started way too fast; there was no building up to the discovery of the vampire, and it all happened on the first day of school. After a while, the pace slowed down to a point where nothing was happening; in the end, it did pick back up. I didn't care about the possible time-travelling plotline; it felt out of place, and it could have been done differently while still reaching the same conclusion. While I did see most of the plot twists coming, I was still entertained and enjoyed the book. The ending leaves the possibility of a sequel or another book in the same universe. However, I would have loved more from the ending, a little glimpse as to what was gonna happen in the future.

I was hooked instantly!! I am a sucker for anything vampire and this checked all the marks, I’m a huge Romina fan and this did not disappoint

The premise and foundation of this book are solid, but there are a few things that could’ve made it stronger. I wouldn’t really call this a Pride and Prejudice-style story—it leans much more toward Bram Stoker’s Dracula (literally). It definitely gave off dark academia vibes with vampires.

I really enjoyed the banter and literary debates between the FMC and MC. It brought back memories of reading those same books in English class, and the dialogue felt sharp and familiar.

Where the story falls short is in the development of the romance. The progression from enemies to lovers felt rushed—we go from them disliking each other to suddenly being in love, and as a reader, we don’t get to see that emotional shift unfold. The side characters were also hit or miss. I had to remind myself they were teens, but Tiffany (and even Salma) really irritated me at times.

It does leave the door open for a potential sequel, though it could also work as a standalone.

The Last Vampire had me swinging between “ooh I like this!” and “mmm, this doesn't really make sense but ok?” I can see the Pride and Prejudice thing like a punch in the face since it and Twilight are referenced—which I would normally be totally here for—but trying to make modern times and the school thing work with her vampire thing just felt like work trying to make square pegs and round pegs fit in the same hole.

Lorena, our Austen-loving heroine, signs up for a mysterious new boarding school and ends up awakening the last vampire. I mean, come on, how could I not want to read that? William Pride is from the 18th century and broody to the extreme—I can see how he could hit all the right marks for a classic vampire love interest. Their dynamic is fine, and there are some solid moments of charm, humor, and tension.

But… the plot doesn't balance for me. The rules of the world feel shaky, and I had to tell myself to just sit back and enjoy the ride, and stop trying to make fantasy make sense. Some story beats felt rushed or inconsistent, and that made it hard to fully sink into the narrative. I kept asking myself: Why even include this bit since it adds an unnecessary complication or just simply unnecessary? Maybe she wanted to give them a reason to dance.... Make it a romance or make it is fantasy or make it a romantasy...or even a novel that feels like a historical romance...but I'm not really sure where this one fits because you don't get enough of any of them.

I appreciate the ambition, creativity, and work behind The Last Vampire. Garber clearly has a unique voice and vision, and there’s something compelling about her attempt to blend gothic vibes, romantic tropes, and modern teen drama all within a US setting. I just wish the storytelling had been a little tighter to match the strength of the premise.

This one really was just ok to me.

DNF’d at 40%
Rated as a 5 because NG required a rating but I didn’t give a rating on my review platforms.

If you enjoy,
Fade to black 🌶️
Slowwwww paced action
YA Characters
Dark, gothic academia vibes

Then you might love this book & should give this book a try. Unfortunately, the pacing fell flat for me and I wasn’t loving the characters.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books & NetGalley for my gifted ARC 💕

I requested this solely because it mentioned it was "pride and prejudice meets crave". I'm curious where they came up with that. I didn't get any Austen vibes from this book at all.

That being said, I didn't hate this book, I just wasn't really impressed with it either. This is labeled as a romance but I felt like the majority of the book was William trying not to kill Lorena. Honestly, the first 50% of this book would get 4 stars from me.....I wanted to DNF around 60% but I wanted to give an honest review and also was hoping it would pick back up. It did not. This had a lot of potential but I didn't care for how it was executed.

I would say all around, I'd give this one 2.5 stars. I'll round up to 3 for this feedback.

I honestly was excited for this book as I love any vampire books. However this was a really hard book to get into. It took me 3 times to try and get into this and eventually I just couldn’t. I will say a lot of the beginning focuses on the death of a parent and having just lost mine less than a year ago that was a bit hard to deal with - so that may have impacted my review in a negative way. Thank you for allowing me the chance to read though!

The idea of this book took me back to my Twilight era (don't lie, we've all been there.) I was pleasantly surprised at the difference with this book and it was a good read.

The vampire history gave a deeper, otherworldly layer to the human world in this book. It gave me a fantasy feel without the fantasy setting specifically. It was immersive and well written.

Lorena and William balanced each other well, and I enjoyed their relationship a lot. It gave me some of the swoon worthy romance I look for to in a book.

There was a lot going on, and had moments where it was hard to keep track, but the plot was solid and it was an enjoyable book.

It checked a lot of the boxes for me and I'd check out whatever comes next.

I couldn't do it. I truly tried. Three times. I just couldn't get into it and I love vampire books. This one just missed the mark and needed some more eyes before sending arcs.

I wanted to love this, but it missed the mark. I was distracted by the writing style, lots of errors and took me out of the story.

Loved reading the exciting and mesmerizing paranormal story. When William smells blood, he wakes up and goes after Lorena, uses her as his familiar, and tells her not to tell anyone about him, or he'll kill her friends. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written full of mystery and captivating characters, and a must read riveting story.

This book was so dramatic in the best way. Their vibe was full of tension, witty moments, and a little gothic weirdness. It’s funny, romantic, definitely bloody, and totally addictive. If you’re into vampire stories with a fresh spin and a fun take on the already classic/usual vampire/human romance take a chance on this one! glad I did!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw the cover of this book, I needed to know what it was about and it sounded really interesting.

I'm glad I did because it was an interesting read. I really enjoyed the setting and vibes the book gave off in general. Especially when describing the school. The atmosphere of this novel was my favourite part.

The pacing of this worked for me. I did find myself wanting to keep turning the pages to see what happened.

I also really enjoyed getting to see Lore and Selma's friendship for the most part.

I did think that I would have liked to see a bit more adjusting for William. Not being familiar with this century I feel should have hindered him a bit more. It should have been a bit more jarring, and difficult to adapt to (especially in reading books from today which seemed to be no problem for him at all) That said, I do like the change here in his experience. Yes, the vampire is hundreds of years old, but he was only a vampire for a short time and then went into a deep sleep for the rest. It makes him feel closer to the age he was turned, which was 19. And with the main character being 18, this definitely differs a bit from your typical age gap with vampires and human leads.

I also enjoyed the way that their relationship started off a bit different than I'm used to seeing. It wasn't instant love or a want to protect each other. It felt like they started more like enemies, and that was a fun element for me.

I felt this book ended at a good spot. While it doesn't answer everything and is opened ended, it still feels like a satisfying place to end with room for a sequel (which I would like to see.)

Overall, an interesting read with an amazing atmosphere.

Thank you, NetGalley and Saint Martin’s press for this ARC. I have to start by saying I am obsessed with any books that have vampires in their story. This book was refreshing and I was thoroughly obsessed with the character William, who is a vampire that wakes and learns to find out that he is the last of his kind. I love his relationship to Lorena. The characters were amazing. The plot twist was awesome. I loved the atmospheric Gothic vibes throughout thus book! If you were a fan of Twilight or Crave, I think you will thoroughly enjoy this book because I certainly did!!

I absolutely love the cover, the story not so much. It started out well and just fell apart for me. Nothing new storywise by kind of icky with the girl / vampire age gap. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book