A modern version of Romeo & Juliet, but will the ending change?

This novel has all the stereotypical elements popular in YA paranormal romantic fiction series today:
Loving, well meaning, distant parents who with-hold information “for protection.”
A young, unique girl, whom no one has bothered to train, hoping she won’t need it.
Watching, paranoid adults, who are afraid of the potential power of untested, untrained girl.
A boy and a girl from families who are opposed to their dating, (forbidden love)
A test that has to be passed.

The one spin is that she’s the vampire.

The writing is okay, not beautiful in imagery, or flow, but like a lot of popular fiction today, the writing is ordinary. I don’t think this will still be on everyone reading lists in ten years. The viewpoint shifts back and forth between Tristan and Savannah, but is labeled so students won’t get too confused. Crave is the start of a three book series, so it only kind of ends. The kindle formatting will need to be addressed before release—paragraphs don’t quite line up like they should. I would recommend this book for libraries with a large insatiable population of vampire fiction fans.

Lots of extras are included at the end of the book including playlists for every chapter, an interview with the author, and an excerpt from the second book in the series, Covet.
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Savannah Colbert doesn't understand a lot of things in her life - such as why the members of the Clann hate her so much, or her recent illness or her powers. But, most of all, she doesn't understand her attraction to Tristan Coleman - the son of the Clann leader whose position he is destined to inherit. Savannah knows she should stay away from Tristan but she can't.

This was an okay little book. It wasn't terrific but it wasn't bad either. I liked Savannah's heritage and how some of the mixings were unique but the story was about the same as any romance (at least there wasn't a love triangle). ( )

How to describe my feelings for this book without spoiling it? For me, the highest compliment I can give Crave is that it kept me reading until the last page. Which is good. However by the time I got there I wondered how I really felt about the book overall. It didn't wow me. I didn't dislike it. My feelings for this book fall somewhere smack dab in the middle. Crave was interesting in some aspects, but let's just say that there's really nothing new being brought to the party here.

I liked Savannah okay, but I honestly didn't connect with her as much as I would have liked to. The book kind of rambles on about her day to day life, and there wasn't much to help me link to her as an actual person. Tristan also was just so for me, although I liked him a little more since he actually had quite a sense of humor. In fact, my favorite person in the book was the best friend. Anne. She really didn't even play that big of a role, but she had the most vivid personality to me, and therefore I liked her the best.

If I'm telling the truth, it was just the very cookie cutter way that this story was set up that made me so on the fence about it. I'd liken it to going into any animated Disney movie. You know the characters will be different, and there might be a slight twist or two, but overall the story will generally follow the same outline. That's Crave in a nutshell. Girl meets boy, girl is not supposed to be with boy, girl tries to stay away, boy and girl end up together, bad things ensue, crazy cliffhanger ending. Cut and dry. Crave isn't badly written, it isn't slow, it's just something I've already seen multiple times.

I think what kept me reading above all else is the way that Melissa Darnell weaves older paranormal lore into her story, but gives it a twist now and then. It was those small twists that gave me hope. I found myself more interested in the background of the people that lived in the city than in the actual main characters and their story. My hope for the next book, because yes this is a series, is that I might get to see a little bit more into the history surrounding these people and their talents. Also since we've been introduced to everyone, perhaps there will be a little more action.

So yes, although this book didn't wow me like I wish it did, I'll keep reading on. The ending definitely leaves room open for the next installment, and I'll be excited to see where Darnell takes things next. If you enjoy books that center around paranormal aspects, and have a romance for the ages, this is something that you'll enjoy. ( )

I thought this book was about witches, and all of a sudden I get VAMPIRES, too?!?! I don't know how I feel about it other than it was an easy read and I like the relationship between Tristan and Savannah. We'll see how this trilogy pans out... though it looks like Ms. Darnell is not quite finished with her world building in that she has off-shooting stories out there.. ( )

Five star reviews are perhaps rarer for me to click out than they once were. That comes from a prolonged exposure to the best and worst of recent fiction, both Indie and Traditional. On a first glance, besides the gorgeous cover art, Crave seems like just another teen vampire romance. With a nod to the literary community, I feel I have read almost every twist and turn of this genre possible. Melissa Darnell proved me wrong. Crave doesn't begin like you expect it to, with quirky heroine, Savannah the target of bullying and classic case of the misfits. And much like the "Misfits," she undergoes one radical, shocking change.
This modern Shakespeare drama is told from both Savannah and Tristan's perspectives. I found it refreshing, seeing how the actions of one teen were constantly misinterpreted by the other. While tiresome at times, it reminded me all to well of the feelings I felt not that long ago. And perhaps that is where Melissa Darnell best casts her magic. Not only are you pulled in by such fleshy characters, but you share their pitfalls and highs. For a precious few hours you do what you paid your hourly wages for, an escape into the lives of very different yet hopelessly familiar highschoolers and their parents.
The East Texas setting constantly offers nostalgia for me, and the supernatural elements flow naturally into the narrative. The dialogue is fresh and peppered with pieces of Friday Night Lights drama with a refined version of Twilight. Savannah doesn't rush around desperate to break the rules set in place to protect her family. Darnell successfully shows how guilt and love and raging hormones can couple with the paranormal.
Don't miss this read! If you're anything like me, you'll be rushing to purchase the rest of the series and more. ( )