Crave - Tracy Wolff

Crave by Tracy Wolff

Genre: YA Fantasy

Blurb (on back of book): 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.

MY OPINION: ***

To be quite honest, I wasn't expecting to finish this book before the year was over but I stayed up late watching Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 4 and binging this book at the same time in intermittent breaks. I ended up enjoying it quite a lot more than I was expecting to, though considering what it was, it couldn't merit more than an average three-star rating. 

This book is basically a Gen Z version of Twilight. To be quite fair, the Twilight epidemic was geared towards teens, but considering how long ago it came out, this is more for my generation of teens in particular. I read Twilight a long time ago and remember loving it. However, I was twelve and had a skewed perception of good books versus bad books and I'm sure the rating would significantly drop should I decide to reread that particular series. 

I liked the characters in this book infinitely more than those of Twilight, however. Honestly, props to the author for not making these the most annoying, insufferable, bland characters that ever existed. I usually hate the main characters of books like these but I actually liked Grace, despite some of her annoying and frustrating decisions throughout the book. 

Grace is not the strong, independent, awesome heroine that so many young-adult books have been segueing towards. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a one-of-a-kind, brave female heroine. However, I liked Grace's reactions to the things happening around her because it was so realistic to how I personally would act in her situations. I sure as heck would not be running into the middle of a vampire vs. wolf-shifter battle and trying to take them on myself. I would be just like Grace, watching scared out of my mind on the sidelines. However, this is not to say that Grace is weak. She's been through hell and back with the number of near-death experiences that she has in the span of ONE week and her dedication and bravery was admirable. On top of that, her parents were killed a mere week before in a freak car accident and she's been forced to leave her sunny home in San Diego to the frosty, crazy atmosphere of Alaska. 

Jaxon. Oh lord, here we go again. The basic but so beloved brunette, closed-off, hot, brutal, bad boy with a soft spot for our naive main character. I loved him and I hated that I loved him. He was honestly quite toxic and we went through the same basic trope of I'm-too-dangerous-for-you-so-you-should-stay-away-and-yet-I-can't. I'm pretty neutral towards this trope because usually it turns out okay but this time, it was slightly aggravating. He keeps trying to bring up his so-called dangerous aspects and then would proceed to act so possessive and overprotective over Grace while she fell more and more for him. 

Macy was adorable and I loved her friendship with her cousin, Grace. She was immediately warm and welcoming and never lost her loyalty to Grace, which I really appreciated considering Grace really needed a friend. I liked Flint in the beginning but as the book went on, I liked him less and less until I reached where I am now, which is the I-hate-him-but-I-understand-where-he-was-coming-from stage. I hated Lia instantly and still do by the end. I always got bad vibes from her and she seemed so fake. 

The book is actually way longer than I thought. Yes, it's a thick book but I thought it would go by pretty fast. It ended up taking a bit longer than I expected, though I did take several breaks from it to finish some other books. The book is written in a very informal and casual tone, something I was not really expecting and wasn't the biggest fan of. It's very obviously aimed for a young adult crowd, by using terms like "FML" and "AF" and some other basic terms like those that I found a bit cringe but managed to look past after a while. 

The plot ended up being way more intricate than I ever could have dreamed up and I liked the way that it divulged from Twilight and fully established it as its own story. I hated the ending but it was interesting all the same and was truly shocking, especially when we found out the truth about Grace. I felt so bad for Jaxon and the way he blamed himself for his brother's death, and I hope that he can see past his regret in the next book and realize that it was for the best. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

I also loved the introduction of new supernatural creatures rather than the basic werewolves vs. vampire trope. It was unique and also helped to stray away from the Twilight stereotype and I liked learning about the traits of Tarcy Wolff's particular vampires, werewolves, and other creatures that were different from the basic qualities of many other books. 

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a dramatic, romantic, vampire story full of twists and turns. 

Main Character: Grace

Sidekick(s): Jaxon, Macy, etc

Villain(s): Lia, etc

Fantasy Elements: This book was based on supernatural creatures and plots.