Image just continues to knock it out of the park with these interesting indie stories. Maria Llovet is not a writer I'm familiar with but will be checking out for sure, and I'll be keeping an eye out for more from her.

The story of Crave is very Gen X - a mysterious app that invites students to divulge and indulge, consequences be damned, privacy who is she? Naturally, humans being animals, everyone and everything devolves into pure id chaos. I was kind of unsure of this book at first, as it comes across very stereotypical in a Cruel Intentions way - college students at some Ivy League school with their rich and pretty problems, until Crave appears on everyone's phones.

So mysterious. I enjoyed the 2024 update of the evil computer trope, and even of the evil app trope (literally there is a whole genre of films for this haha). It's also very much in the sexy thriller genre, which isn't one I'm really familiar with and associate mostly with the 90s, but which I don't hate lol

The art, also by Llovet, is also phenomenal. Beautiful setting design, dynamic paneling, and a very careful use of coloring - just wows all around.

Crave is perfect for fans of Emerald Fennell's Saltburn or Promising Young Woman, or Halina Reijn's Bodies Bodies Bodies.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for allowing me to read this ranchy graphic novel for free.

There’s far too much horni for me here to literally focus on what the characters goals are. It’s definitely a literal mess that’s honestly distracting which is dissapointing. If they pipped down the sex scenes then it might have been a descent read but nah, it’s all over the shop unfortunately…

A little underwhelmed by Maria Llovet's CRAVE. Doesn't seperate itself from similar titles in the genre. Relies on the sexually explicit material to intrigue the reader.

Maria Llovet's "Crave" is a gorgeously-drawn thriller about a university campus thrown into chaos when an addictive new social media app (Crave) mysteriously appears on students' phones. With promises to remove obstacles between desire and satisfaction, how can this app not spread like wildfire through this community of raging hormones? Like the best episodes of "Black Mirror," the world depicted here feels completely within the realm of possibility (maybe even inevitable given current trends). This left me thinking so much about how we connect as human beings, why certain inhibitions are actually crucial to our survival, and the dark side of getting what we want too easily. In the end, this was one of the most engaging and unsettling depictions of social media gone-too-far that I can remember reading in a long time. And to top it all off, the art is beautifully unique. High recommendation from me if you enjoy graphic novels on the mature side!

Crave by Maria Llovet

In a university, an app called Crave appears on student’s phones. It promises to give you what you want, but what it gives is relationship discord, anarchy, sex in public and potentially the downfall of civilisation. Can a crack unit of outcasts and geeks save the world?

Well, I’m not here to give you the happy ending you wish. And yes, I know that is a double entendre. Crave is collection of the recently competed (or is it?) comic series by Image. Their story is slightly unsettling - as it should be - with likeable characters and whipsmart dialogue. Llovet also contributes artwork that is Beardsleyesque in its covers and end papers, but sketchy and full of life in the storytelling. Lovely sex scenes too, with a scene featuring one of our heroes finding a unique way to improve his grades.

As someone who loves graphic novels, but in recent years has found them repetitive and unoriginal (other than Sex Criminals, ironically from the same publisher) I would also offer a trigger warning: some content may not be suitable for younger readers. But if what you desire is an erotic, sinister and snarky six issues, you’ll love it. It’s published by Image on 17th September and I thank them for a preview copy.

First of all, I LOVE the art style!
I am so happy that I got the ARC for this because I had such a good time reading it!
This was so much fun, the concept was really interesting, I want more!!

A really gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to look out for more by this author.

This was definitely a wild ride! But I enjoyed it. It definitely makes you examine the dangers of social media and blindly following others. I had no idea what this was about when I saw it, but I am glad I requested it!

This has so much potential. I could see it as a Netflix series, it’s very much in the style of Black Mirror and the main idea is really interesting. Unfortunately it didn’t quite hit home for me - I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters and I think that’s mainly to do with the format. I love a graphic novel but trying to unwrap a story like this in just a few issues means that you don’t have much time for world building. I would have cared more about the relationships if the characters could have been fleshed out a bit. Still, a great idea that could be really brilliant as a film or TV series.

I requested an ARC in return for an honest review - with thanks to the publishers and Netgalley!

This has potential but boy did it fall flat for me. The cover art drew me in and I found the premise intriguing. Maybe it will continue and redeem itself but as it is currently it was a lot of build up for a very lacklustre ending.

I might have liked this better if it was longer and well rounded, but in the end it wasn't for me. The message was there, especially for this day and age, but felt superficial when everything got wrapped up nice and neat with a little bow.

This is a college age story. Dave’s friend leaves him a note as he takes off, don’t use crave. Dave doesn’t listen and he heads off on a spicy journey. This was interesting taken what happens when you can get everything you crave. I would be interested into seeing more from this comic. I enjoy the art style and the plotting.

This was a really interesting black mirror-esque erotic graphic novel. It studies the what if a social media app could give us what we crave? And what happens when that isn't exactly how we pictured? I truly enjoyed the story it was chaos and frenzy but I also loved the trajectory the story took. The ending pleasantly surprised me, and without giving too much away, it was really refreshing to see a different approach to popular plot point in a romance storyline. Overall it was a really quick read which I both enjoyed but I think with just a bit more time spent on connecting with the characters that impact and 'wtf' moment could have been even bigger.

If you like a bit dark and suspenseful what if stories of the could be horrors of this technological age, and some erotica as well, definitely should check this out.

I keep forgetting it’s not *great* to read comics on my phone, but unfortunately I can’t access NetGalley on my Kindle. Still, I’m so excited I requested this! It was creepy and hot and I love the art. All of the covers inside are totally gorgeous. It had a satisfying ending and I’m hoping there’s more of this eventually!

Thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fun and interesting read, quite explicit, which I loved. Felt a lot like watching an episode of black mirror. Enjoyed the characters and interactions, and the plot was cool. Also loved the art style, has an old school feeling that contrasts beautiful with the “dystopian” story line.

Crave is a tightly woven tale, about the dangers of blindly trusting in new forms of AI and how quickly it can all spiral out of control. This comic was fast-paced and managed to keep that quick pace from start to finish. It did feel like it was slightly too fast, the final resolution seemed to play out a little too smoothly. I did enjoy one of the first scenes, where it kept flipping from the main characters conversation and the other students engaged in a classroom discussion about the lesson topic. It was a great example of showing how sometimes you get so absorbed into your own petty bullshit you don't even notice the warning signs being plainly shown to your face. The one downside is that I didn't realize just HOW MUCH sex there is in this! Yes, I realize the plot blurb talks about Crave as a "hook-up" app, but I didn't realize just how much explicit sex would be featured in this. Weirdly, all of the sex is plot-relevant, so I don't mind it in this comic. But good lord, don't read this in public! Also, the "Black Mirror" feeling of this comic was very strong. If you told me this was a comic adaption of a Black Mirror episode, I would believe you. The art style was fairly unique, I liked it well enough, though some elements of it I didn't care for. Overall, it is a well-crafted comic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Crave isn't just about the dangers of social media, it's about the dangers of what happens when everyone gets what they want.

A borderline erotic horror, the first volume of Crave serves up scenes of unrestrained sexuality and the horrors that answer the question: "What if your fantasies came true?"

The characters are well-developed in a short space of time, and the art style works well for the nature of the comic.

I'd love to see an anthology series of Crave in which the app affects different settings. We start here with a university, but what if Crave was activated in an office building? A shopping centre? Or across a whole town?

I really enjoyed many aspects of this graphic novel from the art style to the story. I liked how the story was told and found the way it was conveyed was done well. The characters were really interesting and i thought they all stood out from each other. The art style was done well and it helped convey the story and tone in an interesting way. I definitely pick up the next one in the series when it comes out.

An intriguing story that is partly Sci-Fi and partly based on technology. The story centers around an app that is appearing on college student phones. This leads to an interesting story that holds your attention. It is a scary premise, since the leaps and bound that technology is taking, makes it a possibility in the future. The artwork was well-done, and the story was nicely told.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was definitely a unique experience! Even though the description was super intriguing, I do not think this was for me. The story follows a concept that is truly horrifying because it could happen today with how advanced AI is becoming.

One day students at a university wake up to find an app has just appeared on all of their phones, much like the U2 Apple ordeal all those years ago. Anyways, the app is supposed to be able to help satisfy one’s ‘cravings’.

We see characters be rejected and some hookup. All in all the story was intriguing enough to keep me interested but it definitely would have been nice to get to the know characters a little more or at least what happened after. The artwork was beautiful and I do appreciate it ending with a cliff hanger of sorts!