I love a vampire book and The Last Raven really delivered! I loved seeing this alternate reality through the eyes of a blood born but not quite vampire.

I really really tried to read this one. I just had such a hard time with the bland and corny plot line. I felt there was just no connection to the characters, the writing was stiff and awkward, and I just couldn’t find myself enjoying it.

This was a short but sweet read and I really liked the concept of the main character being a human child of vampires, unable to be turned into one as she contains the blood magic but still at risk. Her being an heir really added to the tension, and I was rooting for her throughout to be able to escape and live the life she wanted. The twists and turns had me gripped and I really liked the writing style. I’m interested to read more in this universe!

The concept for The Last Raven was incredibly intriguing to me. A human in a world of vampires but the sole heir.

I found the righting style very easy to get into.
My only complaint is I would have liked more of a slow burn.

Vampires are in a renaissance right now, and I am loving it. This one had an interesting concept, a human girl born from vampire parents and she's the heir to their throne, even though she barely knows about the kingdom since they are afraid she'll be eaten by the people. Wanting to get her out and about, she's given a personal guard, Kyle, who is also our love interest. She learns how horribly humans are bring treated and has to decide who to betray, her family or her species? I guess what I just didn't understand is why is she the heir? She's going to die before her parents... I don't know, it wasn't great but it wasn't horrible, it felt very early 2010s during the YA dystopian boom so it was nostalgic and I think there are definitely people it will appeal to. I just didn't really connect with any of the characters and the ending was a piss off.

This was an interesting read that was just that bit different, and I has seen it mentiomed a few times. I wasn’t disappointed and enjoyed the story, and found that it moved in ways I didn’t anticipate. Interesting characters and well written, it is one I would read again.

This romantasy, while not to my taste, may find a solid audience with those who enjoy enemies to lovers and tidy endings.

Good Fall read if you are a mood reader! I don’t typically go for instalove and wished it had more tension.
Special thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for sharing this with me in exchange of my honest review.

I looooooooooove a bodyguard romance, especially a romantasy. Their banter was really great. I liked that this is like a urban fantasy (modern times) style story. I cant wait to get to the next one with where the plot went with this book!

Bodyguard fantasy romance? Yep. Sign me all the way up! Definitely loved the twists and turns that kept me reading long into the night!

I absolutely loved this book. Perfect read for anyone vampire obsessed and who enjoys a fast paced, gripping page turner. Can't wait for the sequel.

The Last Raven is a darkly captivating tale of forbidden love and rebellion in a world where vampires rule and humans are caught in their shadow.

A unique premise utilising vampire mythology with a bodyguard romance twist and an eye-opening character journey for the main character, Emelia Raven. She grows a lot from her privileged, sheltered existence at the start of the book, which drives her to make rash choices but exposes her to the discrepancies in the lies spun to her and makes her question where she belongs, her core beliefs, and what she can do with her power.

I reccomend you give this one a shot if you like romance, vampires, distopian, forced proximity, coming of age

Thank you to the publisher and Net galley for the ARC!

DNF the book was hard to get into at all! I really wanted to like it but couldn’t finish it. I made it about 33% through the book before I put it down. I won’t be reviewing it on my social media because I do not like posting negative reviews for authors who did their best.

I had a hard time getting into this one, and I ended up having to DNF it halfway through. I can't for sure say it's the books fault since I was struggling with things while reading, so I couldn't really focus.
I might give it another try some day

The Last Raven
1⭐️3🌶️

New Adult Romantasy
17 yo FMC
Coming of age
Paranormal
Vampires
Self discovery
Bodyguard romance
Distopian
Forced proximity
Rebellion

TW: 18+content with underage characters

It’s important to mention upfront that I don’t think I’m the target audience for this book. That said, I’m honestly not sure who the intended audience is. The themes, language, sexual content, and the age of the main character all seem to suggest different age groups, which made it hard for me to feel comfortable while reading.

The central premise is that humans are essentially livestock for vampires. The main character, Amelia, is a 17-year-old recluse and the human heir to a vampire empire. What’s strange, though, is how her existence is viewed. Usually, a human born to vampires is seen as something weird and even a little “broken” by the vampire community. But in this world, humans are just livestock, so I found it odd that Amelia’s parents didn’t turn her into a vampire. It’s one of those things that just doesn’t make sense.

Then there’s the issue of Amelia taking over the empire at 18. You’d expect someone in line to rule half the world to have serious political training, but she has none. The fact that someone so young and unprepared would take over from rulers who’ve been in power for centuries feels like a big stretch. It made me wonder if the book is trying to appeal to a younger audience, but then it includes so much adult content and language that I was left confused about who this book is really meant for.

Even within the first 10% of the book, there are so many things that just don’t add up. For instance, Amelia’s bodyguard doesn’t seem to treat her like the heir to a massive empire. Instead of being her protector, he acts more like a babysitter. There’s no respect for her position, or even an attempt to pretend like it matters.

The dystopian setting also feels weird. On one hand, you’ve got humans being farmed for food for vampires, but on the other hand, characters are still wearing skinny jeans, using phones and laptops. It doesn’t add up, especially when the ruling vampires are over 500 years old. You’d think the world would have moved on from those outdated cultural markers by now.

Overall, the world-building is weak, there’s barely any context for the plot, and the execution just didn’t land. The book follows a lot of popular tropes and should have worked, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Book Name: The Last Raven
Author: Helen Glynn Jones

ARC
Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter ****for an ARC

Stars: 4
Spice: 0 (YA)

Standalone
Open to more books
Fast Paced
FMC POV
Contemporary Vampire Dystopian Fantasy

Pros

- YA version of the Serpent and the Wing of Night
- World is intriguing

Cons

- Predictable
- Ending was TOO tidy
- I feel like I read this book 1000 times.

This is a good version of a basic story and very YA suitable it isn't as high stakes violent or scary as it's more older YA and adult predecessors. Overall an intriguing read but id skip it if you already like this genre

The Last Raven is a darkly captivating tale of forbidden love and rebellion in a world where vampires rule and humans are caught in their shadow. AHH!! I screamed a few times while reading it, it was just THAT good!!
Emelia, heir to a powerful vampire dynasty, finds herself irresistibly drawn to her bodyguard, Kyle, sparking a swoony romance filled with danger, passion, and betrayal. Forced proximity is golden, am I right?
With unexpected twists and a simmering tension between duty and desire, this story is perfect for fans of dark fantasy and forbidden love that sets your heart racing and leaves you wanting more!!

this book was simply rushed, with a seen-before plot and characters and I wasn't particularly interested in anything happening. The writing wasn't the best which obviously didn't help.

I honestly was really disappointed with it. I wanted to DNF this but I pushed through. The ending was also very anticlimactic.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK- One More Chapter and Helen Glynn Jones for approving my request for a Netgalley eARC of The Last Raven in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Last Raven has vibes of Daybreakers (2009) meets In Time (2011) movies, having a dystopian book baby with a twist that vampires can have genetically mutated children born as humans. The premise behind The Last Raven is intriguing, full of suspense, dark secrets, and twists exploring how worldviews can be distorted through seclusion, secrets, and misinformation.
Helen Glynn Jones writes an easy-to-read style that brings to life a gothic-styled dystopian vampire world and crafts vampires who are powerful, deadly, and creepy. The pacing is a whirlwind cycle of events and plot twists that are foreshadowed, and it is easy to create theories to predict the ending. The political sphere of the vampiric royal class and the cause of the human rebellion were highlights of the plot. I would have loved to have seen more woven through the storytelling.

The romance is insta-love and has jarring chemistry, leading to a very passionate physical relationship. It didn’t allow for much of a real connection to develop between Emelia and Kyle. The swift establishment of the crush and physical intimacy drives a vital plot twist and showcases Emelia’s naivety. I am not sure all spicy scenes were actually necessary. It adds more anguish and twists the knife into Emelia’s heart at the darkest hour of her character journey.

A unique premise utilising vampire mythology with a bodyguard romance twist and an eye-opening character journey for the main character, Emelia Raven. She grows a lot from her privileged, sheltered existence at the start of the book, which drives her to make rash choices but exposes her to the discrepancies in the lies spun to her and makes her question where she belongs, her core beliefs, and what she can do with her power. I’m intrigued by the mysterious cliffhanger that The Last Raven ends upon. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the chance to request book 2 as a Netgalley ARC.