Series Review: Crave by Tracy Wolff

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Crave (from Goodreads):

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.

Author: Tracy Wolff
Series: Crave
# of Books: 6 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Heat Rating: cool
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Dates: April 2020 – May 2023
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I feel like I couldn’t escape this series shortly after it was published. It seemed to always be in my library’s list of new books or audiobooks to check out. It has been a long time since I read a paranormal YA book so I was curious how I would feel reading it some 15+ years after graduating high school.

The Concept / The World:

Think of every well-known YA series from the last 15 years and you can probably draw a parallel to this one. From Twilight, to Harry Potter to The Vampire Diaries and more, it reminded me of so many books I’ve read before. However, it did feel like its own story. I can appreciate the blending of different concepts and tropes into a new story that we get here. It was fun to spend some time with an eclectic blend of paranormal creatures that often aren’t grouped together.

The Writing:

Normally I don’t comment on the writing style because I personal don’t think stories need flowery proses or need to be the greatest literary epics to make a great story.

However, the first two books in the series in particular are a little rough for me. I got very annoyed by some of Grace’s slang (like “AF”). Now I’m all for slang in dialogue but when it comes to the internal monologue? It’s weird and I don’t think people really think like that unless they are verbally going to say it. In my opinion: just curse and use full words. Part of the reason I didn’t connect with Grace was that this inner monologue slang made her seem immature.
It did get better in the sequels so props there.

The Plot:

Part of the reason I waited so long to read this book was the sheer number of pages (or hours for the audiobooks) these books are. And my gut feeling was right. With all these books, I feel like you could easily cut these novels in half and still get the story across effectively. They were just wayyyyy tooo lonnngggg and packed with filler. Especially when you tell us Jaxon is a vampire in the synopsis of Crave (#1), the intrigue for a grand reveal isn’t really there when it is finally revealed to Grace more than halfway (it might have even been at the 75% point) through the novel.

One thing I really did appreciate about the over aching plot of this series is that I never really did know what was going to happen next. The politics of the world and the actions of characters always kept me on my toes so I really didn’t know how things would progress.

The Characters:

I was a little surprised by how attached to some of the characters I got. I like big ensemble casts and this series seemed to have the right amount. It was fun to watch them all grow and evolve throughout the series.

Grace is like Bella 2.0 (I mean, the cover from Crave itself doesn’t do much to distance itself from the Twilight series so you know who the readers they want to target are). She’s got more substance to her character and can fend for herself than Bella ever could. But they share the same slightly melancholy approach to their new school and desire to save everyone they ever meet. The Grace we get in the first book is certainly not the Grace we got in the end and I appreciated how she grew and evolved.

The Romance:

The romance was definitely instalove and didn’t have too much substance beside an innate connection. So I wasn’t a fan. However, in later books it progresses in a mature way that I’ve never really encountered in other YA series so it did win me over in the end.

My Audiobook Experience:

Besides these books being incredibly long to listen to (I listened at 2x the speed), the production was great. I liked how everyone had a unique voice despite only having a single narrator.

Book #3.5 – Katmere Academy: An Insider’s Guide:

I didn’t read this and I have no desire to. My understanding is that it is a bunch of deleted scenes and bonus chapters.

Series Rating: 3/5

By no means is this my favourite YA paranormal series but I appreciate how this series evolved from the cookie-cutter Book #1 of Crave into something a little deeper and with more heart by the end of Cherish. I really did enjoy this cast of characters and their adventures as Grace learns more about the paranormal world around her. I just wish they were half the page count!

Read if You Like: YA paranormal series, long books, vampires
Avoid if You: dislike YA, have a short attention span