Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Just like Twilight, but set in Alaska with more swearing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Based on 19 kid reviews
Kids say this book is a mixed bag; while some readers loved it for its intriguing plots and romantic elements, others found the excessive swearing, sexual innuendos, and the slow pacing off-putting. Many recommend it for teens 13 and up, highlighting that it offers a fun blend of romance and supernatural themes, but caution that it may not be suitable for younger readers due to mature content.
- mixed opinions
- excessive swearing
- teen recommendation
- romance and supernatural
- pacing issues
- twilight comparisons
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
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 :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Entangled: Teen
- Publication date : April 7, 2020
- Number of pages : 592
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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