Crave, Book 1
Parents say
Based on 1 review
Kids say
Based on 10 reviews
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Crave is the first book in a series that will remind you very much of Twilight. In fact, the hot vampire love interest, Jaxon, gives Grace a copy of Twilight when she still doesn't know he's a vampire, hoping she'll figure it out. The sexual tension is the same: lots of longing and kissing, with perhaps a few longer scenes of kissing and more sultry details than Twilight. (Author Tracy Wolff has also written erotica and it shows, though the sexual content is toned down significantly for the teen audience.) Parents who had a problem with Edward's possessiveness and angst in Twilight -- sorry, Jaxon is that way, too. Jaxon is even angrier, though, and once again you may be prompted to have that not-so-fun talk about what a healthy relationship should look like and how to handle stalkers and worse. Expect Grace to get injured and saved a lot, and expect some intense supernatural creature fighting. One character is stabbed to death and others sustain injuries and blood loss. Grace often mentions the death of her parents in a car wreck and how it brought her to her new school. Language is pretty raw with lots of "f---k" and its text-friendly variations, and plenty of everything else. You'll find some diversity in the minor characters, and Grace's best friend back home is LGBTQ.
Community Reviews
Feels like its written for 14 year olds but with smut
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What's the Story?
In CRAVE, weeks after Grace's parents die in a car crash in San Diego, California, she arrives in Alaska to attend a private boarding school run by her Uncle Finn. Her cousin Macy picks her up at the airport and drives her in a snowmobile to her new home: a creepy, cool castle in the middle of nowhere. She only has moments to take in the splendor when Jaxon, the rudest, hottest, most intense boy she's ever met, corners her and tells her she's not safe at Katmere Academy and she should leave. She's almost as dizzy from that encounter as she is from the altitude sickness. Who does this boy think he is? But as strange accidents keep happening around her, she's beginning to wonder if Jaxon is right and she's really far from safe at this school that keeps far too many secrets from her. Too bad she's fallen for Jaxon and can't imagine letting him go. Heading back to San Diego may be the one thing that can save her life.
Is It Any Good?
If you have your Sexy Vampire Novel bingo card handy, you can check off these boxes for starters -- clueless and accident-prone female hero and angsty and possessive vampire hottie. Add to that extra vampire powers (telekinesis!), shapeshifters who hate the vampires, plenty of warnings to stay away from hot vampire, checked-out male figure in girl hero's life (her uncle here), and rival love interest who's actually nice and would make a much better boyfriend. So, what's different, you're wondering. Crave is set in a creepy castle boarding school in the middle of Alaska, teens all have phones and text each other, and everyone swears a lot more.
Readers who loved Twilight will dig this book, too. Even if they're pretty mad at Grace for not figuring out her boyfriend is a vampire for more than 300 pages. That must be some kind of record, especially since Jaxon actually gives her a copy of Twilight as a gift. Readers who like a balance of fantasy world-building and romantic interludes will find the former lacking and far too many pages of Grace's many, many thoughts. Tracy Wolff is an author who churns out a lot of books and doesn't bother editing down redundancies. But vampire novels are back and will always come back, and she really needn't bother with that kind of painstaking work. Books like Crave will always have an audience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what drives people to vampire romances like Crave. Why do you think they're so popular?
Jaxon is one of those brooding, possessive, angsty guys everyone warned the main character about. So why is Grace still so attracted to him? Why do these kinds of heroes show up so often in romances? Would they be good dating choices in real life?
Will you read the rest of the series? Will you read more vampire romances? Why or why not?
Book Details
- Author: Tracy Wolff
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More, High School, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Entangled: Teen
- Publication date: April 7, 2020
- Number of pages: 592
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: May 8, 2020
Our Editors Recommend
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Twilight: The Twilight Saga, Book 1
Obsessive vampire romance is absorbing and fun.
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Truly Devious, Book 1
Clever murder mystery at truly hip, mature boarding school.
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City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments, Book 1
Exciting start to teen fantasy series in urban setting.
For kids who love vampires and romantic fantasy
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