nerdysread's Reviews (970)

This Ravenous Fate

Hayley Dennings

3.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review. This Revenous Fate by Hayley Dennings was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. And I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about it.

First thing first the characters. I loved Layla Quinn. The kind of characters I fall in love with. She lost everything and wants revenge. They made her a monster, so she’ll be their monster. No “I can fix her” with her, more like “I can make her worse”.
Elise Saintn was a bit too naive at some points, but she still is an interesting character. The oldest daughter of an empire with so much pressure on her shoulders, and a best friend trying to kill her. And their relationship? Hell yes!

The other characters were pretty good, but some felt rushed in their writing. Because what do you mean he just changes like that? What is this development?

I also like the metaphor between racism and being black in 1926 New York. Okay, it has been seen repeatedly, but when it’s well-made, it's not a miss. The mystery was really interesting and got me hooked up pretty easily.

But, I think this book needs a bit more editing, especially regarding the pacing. Some parts of the story made me bored, and some felt more than rushed. I went into the book thinking it was a one-shot, so you can guess my surprise when I reached the end.

Overall, a good book, with good main characters, I will read the second one, but it may need a bit more work.