This is not a drill! My review of Twilight Crave is here! And guys, I don't know about you, but I had a lot of nostalgia infused fun with this one. (And some cringe, too, but that's okay. Because.. quarantine.)


Crave
by Tracy Wolff

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. 


“I can see something in his eyes. Something powerful and terrible and all-consuming.”

Okay, okay, hear me out: I'm nostalgic. I've been indoors for far too long. I'm bored. I need something that is high on escapism. I haven't seen any of my friends or family since, uh, March, like most. And Crave came out at just the right time because it was a thoroughly entertaining, sometimes cringy, and wholly nostalgia-infused read. The key to enjoying Crave is simple: never take it seriously.

Is it basically Twilight, take 365, now featuring more dragons? Yes. Have we seen this story in about a dozen similar settings, outside of Twilight? Uh-huh. Is that what makes it SO fun? Yes. Will this be for everyone? No. Absolutely not. Do I care? Double up on that no, kiddos.

Admittedly, if not for quarantine and restlessness, and a need for literally any bright spot, I'd probably have given Crave a low, low, low rating, ala Fallen or even A Discovery of Witches. My determining factor for the high rating is simple: I had so much fun reading this and, after reading other's reviews, I felt a little spiteful. (Do you guys know how to have fun? Just kidding.)

Crave is by no-means the next best story, but it serves its purpose beautifully. Not only did Tracy Wolff have me flipping through the pages in the most addictive manner, I devoured Crave in one sitting and am feeling a bit greedy over its upcoming sequel. Growing up in the vamp-craze that came after Twilight, there's something about books like Crave that will either get under my skin in the worst way or captivate me entirely. In the case of Crave, I think my enjoyment of it was equal parts my mood and Wolff's Twilight meets Vampire Academy meets House of Night fueled prose.

It felt like the first time I could breathe easily in weeks. Instead of worrying about the pandemic, I was reading something that was both new and familiar. Add in my already nostalgic nature, and a few glasses of wine, and boom, this was the most fun I'd had all quarantine.

Ultimately, Crave has something charming and cringy to it that makes for a fun time. Tracy Wolff's writing veers into insta-love, but then zeroes in on some serious emotion from time to time in a way that is enthralling and completely entertaining. Say what you will about Crave and its tropes--I had a blast with this one.