chroniclesofabookworm | [Book Review] Crave

BY: Tracy Wolff
SERIES: Crave (#1)
RATING: 1 out 5
RELEASES: April 7, 2020 by Entangled: Teen
GENRE: Fantasy Fiction, Paranormal fiction
AGE RANGE: Teen
SYNOPSIS: My whole world changed when I stepped inside the academy. Nothing is right about this place or the other students in it. Here I am, a mere mortal among gods… or monsters. I still can’t decide which of these warring factions I belong to, if I belong at all. I only know the one thing that unites them is their hatred of me.

Then there’s Jaxon Vega. A vampire with deadly secrets who hasn’t felt anything for a hundred years. But there’s something about him that calls to me, something broken in him that somehow fits with what’s broken in me.

Which could spell death for us all.

Because Jaxon walled himself off for a reason. And now someone wants to wake a sleeping monster, and I’m wondering if I was brought here intentionally—as the bait.

REVIEW: The moment I stepped foot inside the academy, everything changed for me. The environment or the students in this place are not right. I am but a mortal amid gods... or monsters. I'm still unsure of which faction I belong to, if any. One thing unites them all: their hatred of me.

And then there's Jaxon Vega. Having not experienced a single emotion for a hundred years, this vampire has deadly secrets. But something about him calls to me, something broken in him that somehow fits with my brokenness.

It could spell death for us all.

Jaxon had a reason for walling himself off. Now, someone wants to awaken a dormant monster, and I'm questioning whether I was brought here intentionally.

It was exactly what I imagined Twilight would be like. No glitter is included.

I don't even know where to begin!

The first 550 pages of the 680 were without action. There was no need for more than 300 pages, because three-quarters of the book revolved around Grace's obsession with Jaxon, from the moment he first rudely snapped at her and touched her without asking. She must be the most superficial person who has ever lived, or raised in an underground bunker with no social contacts, to fall in love at first sight with a thoroughly unpleasant asshole just because he's so gorgeous.

Even worse, she drops everything for him. Because she constantly tries to tell Jaxon what she thinks, but then ends up doing precisely what he wants, she doesn't seem even to notice it (well, okay, she doesn't see much overall either). I applaud you. Congratulations, Grace! Forget about self-esteem, it's not necessary.

That no one notices is extremely strange, quite the opposite! She even said at one point that she would not listen to anyone's advice.

It made me laugh so hard.

My primary concern, however, was Grace's complete stupidity. Whenever something unnatural happens, she makes up far-fetched or idiotic explanations without even checking whether they are accurate.

She's also not surprised that Jaxon gave her bodyguards (seriously, she didn't ask explicitly). When they pick her up and take her to her classrooms, she isn't surprised at all!

She had only been to class twice during all that time (despite her poor physical and mental condition as a result of all her accidents). She was almost killed (multiple times), and she discovered that Jaxon loved her (yes, about a week or perhaps less). Despite barely any communication, lots of secrecy, and many bad jokes exchanged, they became a couple.

The book contains pop culture references time and time again. As a book project, I'm self-reflective (Twilight, young adult books, Hogwarts), sometimes even to make super cool characters seem super cool (Twilight, young adult books). For me, it always seemed deliberate, even a bit snobbish. Seventy percent of the references will be irrelevant five years from now. Well done.

I do not recommend this book. The only reason I finished it was because it was a train wreck that I could not tear my eyes away from, not because it had any redeeming qualities or was genuinely entertaining.

In summary, the book is poorly executed, with shallow characters, excessive pop culture references, and little substance, making it unworthy of recommendation.