5 things I loved about TikTok favourite vampire romance, Tracy Wolff’s ‘Crave’
When Sarah read ‘Crave’ back in the Spring and told me that I should read it because I’d really enjoy it, she was totally right.
Now, I am thirty years old so a quick bit of maths will tell you that was a teenager in the ‘Twilight’ years and I was a rage Team Edward diehard. I literally even had a t-shirt, not kidding in the slightest. My sister will back me up on that.
Though the criticisms of the series are valid, they hold a very place in my heart and the reading experience of being utterly consumed is something I hold very dear. It’s also a feeling I’ve been chasing ever since.
‘Crave’ is one of the books that felt like a similar experience. I mean, that is largely to do with the fact that it reads a little like ‘Twilight’ fanfic, but that’s not a criticism. That to me was a selling point, and how I sold it to my sister. She’s reading it right now.
In case you missed the TikTok buzz over this, here’s what’s it’s all about:
The moment she steps foot inside, Grace knows there is nothing normal about Katmere Academy, or the students in it. Her uncle's exclusive and secretive boarding school is the last place she wants to be, but after the tragic deaths of both her parents, she is left with no choice.
Soon she realises she's entered a world like nothing she has ever known. Shapeshifters, witches and vampires roam the halls, existing in uneasy cooperation. As the lone mortal, the only thing Grace is sure of is that she doesn't belong.
Then she meets Jaxon Vega, a vampire with deadly secrets who hasn't felt anything for a hundred years. Something in him calls to Grace - something that could spell her death.
Because Jaxon walled himself off for a reason. And as Grace is drawn further under his spell, she begins to wonder: did she come to Katmere by accident, or was she brought here . . . as bait?
Fun, right? It’s SO FUN. And I think that was the first thing that struck me about ‘Crave’.
It’s FUN. Reading should be fun, it should be joyful and a pleasurable activity. Sometimes I get stuck in the whirl of books I should be reading, books that are winning awards, and that people who read for different reasons to me are shouting about. But ‘Crave’ was just pure fun and I enjoyed the whole thing immensely.
Set in Alaska? YES PLEASE. I feel like I’m becoming slowly obsessed with Alaska (erm, can you get planning trip please, Sarah?). I watch several YouTube channels based all over the state and as soon as I see a book or TV show set there, I’m in. There’s something about the isolation, the extreme winters, the SNOW, the raw beauty and the…deliberate-ness of it. It all sings to me.
Vampire lore. I love all of the different ways that authors make vampire lore their own, and Wolff was no different. I especially enjoyed the way that how different types of blood affect vampires differently. It’s fun to learn about and see how these new-to-me vampires interact with the setting.
The other creatures. It’s really difficult to talk about this without spoiling anything, but there is an ongoing mystery about what kind of…something one of the major side characters is and when it was finally revealed I laughed aloud with pure joy. It was so unexpected and I loved it. There’s a really great mythology around the relationships of the different supernatural beings at Katmere.
It doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s no pretension or posturing. I was free to have an enjoyable reading experience without having to think too hard or work out what the author was trying to tell me.
I will say, though, it’s a bit long and I think it needed a bit of a thorough edit upon it’s move to traditional publishing, but I still flew through it.
If you fancy grabbing yourself a copy of the paperback, please consider using our bookshop.org affiliate link. There’ll be no extra charge to you, but you’ll help support independent bookstores and us.
Written by Sophie
