Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

WOW. I did not expect it to be so explicit. It was such a good story though. I really enjoyed the characters and the overall plot (though the tech side of the app and it's creation was a bit lost on me). Even though it was fairly short I felt like I understood all the characters and their motivations and everything came together really well in the end. It was a little scary how the algorithm of the app was able to predict how people would react and what they would do. It all felt really dystopian. If the final panel is true, there should be a continuation of the story which is very exciting. I hope if it is continued that we get to see some of the same characters again.

Graphic novels are not my thing but thank you to Maria Llovet for the free eARC. I don’t think I was ready for what this entailed

A university campus is thrown into chaos - sexy, sexy chaos - by a mysterious new app promising "Tell us what you Crave - we'll make It happen". It could easily have ended up as a Channel 5 Black Mirror, particularly given how tame a lot of the desires are (one poor sap early on only goes as far as "making out with" the girl way out of his league, and until revenge motives kick in, nobody seems to go past threesomes or a little light bondage), and the dialogue can tend towards the expository - even if the setting, with an excuse for literal lectures, provides some cover for that. In its favour, of course, is that it's by Maria Llovet, whose pages, as ever, look like lust feels - I particularly enjoyed the trick here where, when a character is looking at their obsession, the faces of anyone else in panel with the desired one aren't even filled in, because to the person looking, they're barely there.

(Netgalley ARC)

I really was not a fan of this book. I would say that the story didn't have much of a plot, and the characters were all deeply unlikable. I never learned why people were listening to this app or why they didn't just stop. It was a confusing plot that made little to no sense. I DNF'd around 40% of the way through after trying to finish it, but I just couldn't put up with it anymore.

When an app starts telling people how to get what they want, a college campus breaks into chaos, doing as they're told to satisfy their cravings

This graphic novel is hauntingly dark with the right amount of twists to keep the reader hooked while still holding an element of believability.

This is an interesting concept that trades in well on the more lurid aspects: what happens when you give a university an app whose only purpose is to tell you how to fulfil what you desire? In this case, it's almost always a person rather than a thing, which leads to a lot of graphic sex. The art is quite lovely yet I found the whole thing rather disenfranchising - the characters were messy cyphers, the art rather objectivistic, and the premise rather ludicrous.

Story: David is at a strange point right now at his elite university: he's become tired of his clingy girlfriend, has a secret crush on a loner student, has a best friend also nursing an unrequited crush, and honestly is just sick of it all. When the student body starts buzzing about a new app that can help a person attain something they want, David is unimpressed. That is, until an erotic image of his crush in bondage gear appears on his phone. As the students begin using the app, chaos erupts, David's girlfriend becomes suicidal, and his best friend thinks he really has a chance with the smartest girl in the school if he uses the Crave app.

I like the general idea of the app - AI and social media coming together to 'learn' how to help students get the courage to go after what they want. If the app cannot predict or accomplish the wish, it simply says that there is little chance of success with that wish. Predictably, what happens is that students lose inhibitions and go after all their baser desires, mostly sexual ones. By the middle of the book, it is no surprise to see David walking destroyed school hallways littered with debris and students fornicating. Don't expect much in the way of answers about the app, though.

And yet, with all the heat, this is one of the most clinical and oddly disaffecting stories I've come across in a long time. It certainly isn't really sexy despite the content and instead feels like we are looking on at AI people just a bit too odd to be real. David is withdrawn and unemotive, his best friend shy and unable to muster the courage to go after what he wants, David's love interest Alexandra is portrayed as a weirdo loner, and his girlfriend spends most of the book slowly withdrawing into solitary depression.

The artwork is also rather disaffecting and sterile. The women are all beautiful, the men more stereotypes, and despite a wide color palette, the school is very cold. It serves the story but again greatly contributes to the indifference or even ambivalence of the entire piece. Nor is this in any way believable as a concept.

In all, a fairly interesting, if cliched and thoroughly unbelievable, read. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

⇢ 3.75 ★

well this was an interesting read! marketed as a mix of "black mirror" and "eyes wide shut", this was a very kinky graphic novel. it did feel a bit like those, black mirror especially, but i was also getting some "gossip girl" vibes. i knew what i was getting myself into, but DAMN! i think there was more sex than plot at times. i would have loved to see a little more detail and scenes outside of the sex, because the "conclusion" felt rushed and underdeveloped. nevertheless, i had a fun time reading it. it's quite fast-paced and every single character is going through literal nightmare scenarios. i definitely would continue reading if the author plans to publish additional volumes but i do think there should be more content in the already existing volumes.

౨ৎ TRIGGER WARNINGS
ᡣ𐭩 suicide attempt
ᡣ𐭩 assault
ᡣ𐭩 teacher-student relationship
ᡣ𐭩 doxxing (intimate pictures are leaked)

This was a super fun, high stakes read that I devoured in one sitting.
The art in this resembles a lot of older comics which was something I really enjoyed. The concept was super fun and relevant in the times of AI. If you're looking for something quick to read, pick this up!

3.75 ⭐️
Skins meets black mirror

Incredible artwork in this collection and an engaging, gripping storyline exploring the digitisation and automation of modern tech and how this takes away responsibility for decisions we make.

I did feel the erotic aspect didn’t quite meld with the plot and it felt as though we had two stories going on at the same time. It left the flow feeling a bit disjointed but this was minor and didn’t necessarily take away from the plot!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This one just didn't quite do it for me. The art style and the mysterious plot certainly kept me interested, but I found the ending anticlimactic. I think I would have preferred a longer format with more development of characters. For readers that like to jump right in to the action and intrigue this will definitely appeal.

Boy was I surprised about this steamy graphic novel!

First of all, I'm a sucker for an original art style and I liked the tone it set. The rough sketch'iness of it all added to the feeling of the story, which felt part mystery, part thriller, part speculative. I think it's actually better going in without knowing too much about the plot and just immersing yourself in this ride.

Definitely would recommend to anyone looking for a new age graphic novel about relationships, the impending technology of apps/social media and AI rolled into one.

Thanks to Image Comics and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read a digital ARC!

A fun, kind of hot graphic novel about what it means to pursue your "cravings" at all costs. I felt it was a little rushed (despite it being 5 books sewn together), and that there weren't significant arcs for development. I enjoyed the drawing style and concept, though.

I'm actually surprised that I liked this!

While I'm not a huge fan of the art, and the story took a while to get past the shock value sex scenes, it ended up being an interesting storyline about an app gone rogue at a small university.

I know part of the focus is on the Crave app "letting" people fulfill their wildest sexual fantasies, but I wanted more of the actual how and why surrounding the Crave app's existence, plus more about the people who really knew what was going on.

I did like the main characters and how messy they all were, yet they could set aside their messiness/immaturity and figure out how to fix the situation. The duality of college students lol

This is a quick read and fans of Black Mirror will definitely like this.

Thank you to Image Comics and NetGalley for this arc.

The Purge meets Tinder in this wild, chaotic, and spicy graphic novel! Definitely for adult readers. This edition collects six individual comics, which seem to make up a complete series. And, though I prefer more defined lines, the full-color illustrations are nicely done.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC! Expected publication: September 2024.

First, the art in this is beautiful.
Second: this is a wild story. Modern day dystopian with social media taking over big brother style.

It starts out with just encouraging people to be more daring in asking for what they want, but it quickly gets out of hand. Suddenly everyone is having sex with everyone else wherever they are, but that quickly ramps up to violence.
A group of friends, some of which were unknowingly working in this project before it was released as an experiment, get together to bring this app down and try to save their friends. Trying to get past the mob like riots in the school the have to break into the server, crack the code, and erase the app and all of the data it collected on everyone.

It takes an active experimental look at how influenced the modern age is by an algorithm and an electronic box (phone). It was entertaining, the art was stunning, and it really makes you think about how much social media can influence us.

"Crave" by Maria Llovet offers an intriguing premise with the concept of a mysterious app that fulfills desires spreading among elite university students. While the story holds potential, the execution falls short of excitement. The characters lack depth, leaving them feeling flat and less engaging. On a positive note, the art style is visually pleasing, adding a redeeming quality to the graphic novel. Overall, "Crave" may not have ignited enthusiasm, but its captivating premise and appealing art make it a decent read.

This digital ARC was obtained via NetGalley for an honest review.

I'm obsessed, I asked for the arc quite randomly, I just saw the cover today and thought "why not?" and it turned out to be a very good decision, because I devoured this comic in one sitting. The art was unique and beautiful, the story had great meaning, and some of the illustrations made me blush. It definitely won’t be my last graphic novel by this author.


Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

There's a reason why image comics is my go to when I want to read something other then marvel or dc, they just get it!
Trigger warnings include:
This Graphic Novel collects #1-6 crave by Maria Llovet
crave is a technology gone bad! Erotic Thriller, Big brother is watching, listening, downloading your data.
Its a shame we don't really get much character backstory on any of the characters, it focuses more on the importance of disclosing person information on social media as anyone can take that info and use it to do bad.
Thank you #netgalley for my advance copy of #crave

Fun quick read. I didn’t think I would like the comic style, but it was a fun change. The storyline was great with the right amount of naughty. If you have an hour and looking for something quick and spicy this is the book for you.

I was instantly sold when I saw Maria Llovet's name on this. I've loved her style of artwork since I first saw it in Faithless. The concept of this graphic novel is great. It isn't too farfetched to think that something like this, albeit maybe not so extreme, might happen in the near future. Relying on social media and apps instead of your real world experiences is something that seems to be dwindling. It is a well written, and definitely well drawn book!