I am left reeling, trying to find words for my emotions. The twist was twisting, literally crushed my heart with hers but after everything it was like a butterfly releasing from its cocoon, or a raven finally leaving its cage. It was such an emotional read to me. I absolutely loved it.

Wonderful atmosphere, but I’d love to have had more world building. Also would have loved some more tension and buildup with regards to the relationship. I don’t mind instant love usually, but more tension leads to me wanting to root for them. Perhaps the tropes and characters would have lended themselves to a contemporary romance over fantasy… as without the world building it all falls flat.

God I wanted to love that book it was one of the book I was the most excited about, I was promised a book for fan of twilight I mean being a millennial I was so down for that bad boy. But it felt flat and I god I’m upset about that one. The world building is none excitant I thought it was a fantasy set in a vampire world but they wear skinny jeans for f*** sake. They have phones and laptop (which I won’t be surprise are all apple btw) and I know it could be fine if not the plot they have problem with security but have technology but no cameras in the castle …. Make no sense to me ! The romance jeez I don’t like instant love in contemporary romance but in fantasy I think it’s just a hell no !!!!! The plot made no sense again and the ending seriously I have to say I jump to the ending wanted to see if that was true what people were saying and yes what a way to kill a book in 5 chapters 😂😂

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love the forced proximity trope, and I don't see it too often in a fantasy type story. This was a fun new story on vampires apart from the vampire craze from years ago.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. The writing was not very good, and the characters were not very likeable. The cover is absolutely gorgeous, but this one was a little hard to get through, which was disappointing. The world building was also a little confusing and I don't understand why they gave the FMC such responsibility at such a young age.

Instalove is an immediate turn off for me and whilst there isn’t a HEA, it is a duology after all the instance love was a little too much.
The world in which this is set is a little conflicting, it feels dystopian, Middle Ages based in some scenarios but then modern technology and conveniences in some scenes. Vampires having a human heir is different but why would they, there needed to be a reason why there couldn’t be another heir for them.
Emilia is whiny, naive and childish, whilst this is the character and needs to be that to some extent it does not make for a FMC to root for and enjoy.
Overall I did like the book and enjoyed the narration, I’ll most likely read book two, with hopes some of this may get answered / improved upon.

It’s a 3.5star rating really.

I received this book as an ARC and provide and honest review

REVIEW: The Last Raven by Helen Glynn Jones

The Last Raven by Helen Glynn Jones is a decent start to a new series, offering a unique blend of vampire lore and forbidden romance. The premise is intriguing: a human heiress to a powerful vampire family navigating a world of shadows and secrets. While the world-building is lacking, the fast-paced plot and unexpected twists keep the reader engaged.

However, the character development feels rushed, particularly for the main character, Emelia. Her quick transformation from a rebellious teen to a determined leader is jarring. The insta-love romance between Emelia and Kyle, while passionate, lacks depth and chemistry.

Overall, The Last Raven is a promising debut with a strong foundation. With further development of the world and characters, the series has the potential to become a captivating dark fantasy read.

Thank you, Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

Ok let me start a the beginning the concept of a human born from vampires is wild. I love it though like ooo could i be from vampires too lol (let m live in my fantasy world) I do feel like the story could have been fleshed out a bit more in terms of world building but I didn't hate it. I just wanted more I guess

I love a vampire romance book however….Kyle and Emilia and two of the most irritating characters I’ve ever read!! One minute they’re all over each other, then they aren’t…then they are again. Not a lot of character development or story development. I didn’t find any of this book original and unfortunately I just didn’t like it very much, sorryyyyyy!

I was really excited to dive into The Last Raven. However, unfortunately, it ended up not being for me. The FMC Emelia was so whiny and complained and fought everything. The MMC is named Kyle, and I'm sorry, but there's no way I'm going to be excited about a Kyle. I felt like this book was reminiscent of lots of other books, so it just didn't hit on being unique. I felt like I had heard this story before. The pacing is super fast, but I felt like it was too fast at times. There was a lot happening, but nothing was given enough detail to drive things home. This seemed forced, and there was no real build-up to Kyle and Emelia's relationship it just happened right away and fell flat. As for the plot twist at the end, to me, it felt a bit forced and predictable. It didn't wow me. When I read a book, especially a fantasy, I need major world and character building so I can "see" it, and this just didn't do that for, and I really, really wanted it to. I think this may be a good "intro" to fantasy if you are just starting into the genre, but if you are a seasoned reader of the fantasy/romantasy genre, you may not  love it.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. Although the first half of the book was not the best in that there was not a lot of action, the second half of the book definitely made up for it! I loved the ending and the plot twists but would have loved it if the book was a bit longer and we got to see the lead up to Kyle and Emilia's romance as it seemed a little too fast.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book as it is one of my top reads.

DNF at 23%. I really tried to get into this and finish the book but could not. FMC was far too immature. MMC does not act like he wasn’t given a high ranking position guarding the FMC. I’d understand off-putting or uncomfortable but professional but he seems untrained and mean. Did skip towards the end to figure out some of the plot details and conclusion and I’m so glad I didn’t finish.

Vampires, forced proximity, enermies to lovers - need I say more.

I have this in paperback but preferred reading an ebook.

The writing style is very YA in my opinion,

I wish there had been more worldbuilding and understanding as to the human vampire politics and interactions.

However is a fun and easy read and is more romance than fantasy.

The Last Raven had a promising setup but ultimately didn’t deliver on its potential. The story follows Emilia Raven, heir to the vampire kingdom, struggling between loyalty to her family and the brutal reality of vampire rule. However, the world-building fell short, blending modern Earth elements like jeans and phones into the fantasy setting in ways that felt out of place.

The pacing was another downside, with rushed chapters and a lack of depth in crucial scenes. The romance lacked development and felt more like insta-love than a genuine connection. Emilia’s character, while initially intriguing, became frustrating as her decisions felt random rather than intentional.

Overall, The Last Raven struggled to balance its romance and fantasy elements, and the chaotic world-building and lackluster plot left it feeling disconnected and ultimately disappointing.

The Last Raven is fast paced and it had a few unexpected twists which I did not see coming. The ending surprised me but there were a few instances throughout the story where I struggled to get invested in the plot. I prefer more of a slow burn when it comes to romance so I thought the relationship between Kyle and Emelia was a bit too full on from the beginning but if a slow burn isn't your thing then the romance in this story would be right up your street. I did find myself getting frustrated with Emelia at times but the character develops a lot throughout the book and I actually really liked her by the end.

Overall, I thought "The Last Raven" was an interesting approach to the vampire fantasy / romance world and really enjoyed the world building and tension throughout the story. This book is a solid 3 stars for me!

I was really excited to dive into The Last Raven, especially since it promised a thrilling mix of romance and fantasy. Unfortunately, I’m left a bit disappointed. The pacing is fast, which kept me turning pages, but I felt like it was too fast at times—like a lot was happening, but nothing was given enough space to truly hit. I enjoyed the romance at first, mainly because Kyle was a compelling character, but as the book went on, I just stopped caring about the relationship. It felt like the connection was there in the beginning, but it got lost along the way.
Now, about that "plot twist"... Yikes. It definitely didn’t land for me. Without spoiling too much, I’ll just say it felt a bit forced and predictable. At that point It wasn’t a shocking revelation, and honestly, it didn’t do much to enhance the story and it kinda felt unnecessary?
The world-building was also a huge letdown. For a fantasy book, I need the world to feel rich and immersive, but here it just didn’t live up to expectations. The world was mentioned, but it didn’t really feel alive, and that took away from the stakes of the story.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read The Last Raven.
A unique human in a world of vampires. This was somewhat boring for me, honestly. I have read this type before. Suddenly there is something about the FMC that is all changing in her life and knowledge of herself.
Not a bad read, just slow and repetitive.

I found this to be a really refreshing take on the typical vampire story. The whole idea of safe camps for humans was interesting and I liked how it felt almost dystopian at times. Emilia was a good main character and I liked seeing her navigate through everything as a human among vampires. It was compelling seeing Emilia battle between her dislike for vampires and her love for her parents.

This book is pitched as a romance but honestly I didn't really care for the romance at all - it was too fast paced for me and I didn't buy the connection between them at all. The politics and world building were definitely the highlight of the book for me even if there were a couple of things I wish were explored in more depth.

Okay so I feel like there’s a lot of hate for this book but honestly I loved it. Were there times I was pissed while reading? Yes. Did it end on a massive cliffhanger? Also yes. But still, I’m excited for book two and isn’t that the whole point?
I liked the FMC. She’s young in the book so I feel like it makes sense that she occasionally makes immature decisions but she had growth and that’s what I’m here for. As for the MMC? (Dead so idk if that still counts as an MMC😂) I should’ve freaking known with a name like Kyle he’d end up a total douche. But that betrayal hurt and I wanted to punch him on behalf of Emelia. He got what he deserved though so all is right in the world.
Overall, I feel like this book set things up really well for book two and I can’t wait to read what happens next.

When someone says a book is giving Twilight, you know I'll be there for it. However, I expect it to be better than Twilight if it's published in 2024, because the expectations are way higher and there's plenty of quality content to draw inspiration from nowadays.

The characters have no personality or defining traits, the dialogue is clunky, the narration was tell instead of show. I didn't like the writing style either, nor the constant arguing between characters; there was no point to any of it and it did not serve its purpose for world building or character development.

There's insta-love which I could overlook if there was any kind of chemistry between the MCs, but there's nothing. On the cover it says "Her blood is all he craves" but there's nothing about that in the book (yes, I care about those details) and they say "I love you" without even knowing anything about each other.

The twists and turns are predictable as soon as each character is introduced, so nothing surprised me except when the FMC finally made a wise decision for herself and that's when I decided to rate this book 2 stars instead of 1.

Maybe with some editing this book could be slightly better, but not by much. I didn't like the writing style either, but from my understanding, this is an unedited ARC. (seeing what an unedited copy looks like actually gives me hope of becoming an author)

I hate giving low ratings, especially for a book that I wanted to love, but I was tempted to dnf this one multiple times because of how bad it is and that almost never happens to me.