NetGalley Review: The Last Raven by Helen Glynn Jones
Hey all, Sam here.
Most of the time when I am approved for a book on NetGalley, it’s going to end up as a read I enjoy, and a majority of the time the rating is 3 stars or better. One could make the statement that my reviews aren’t as good or are biased because I rarely have negative reviews.
My typical response to that is I am nearing (insert age here, which at the moment is 37) and I have been a voracious reader for about 30 or so of those years. This means that I have had years to figure out what kinds of stories I like and so I request and read books that I already have a feeling I’m going to enjoy.
Thankfully a vast majority of the time I am correct with my book choices. But not all the time, and so sometimes I get to have these reviews that are granted a lower rating. So I guess we should just go ahead and dive right on into today’s book review.
My Thoughts
I’ll be forced to take the crown, simply because of who my parents are. Never mind that my skin, my eyes, the way I move, everything will give me away for what I am.
Human.
In a world ruled by vampires.
As sole heir to the House of Raven, there is nothing Emelia can’t have. The only problem is, she doesn’t want it.
But when a new guard enters her closed-off existence, she sees a way out. As rebellion and dark forces swirl around her, Emelia has a choice to make – leave everyone she loves behind, or stay and accept her destiny…
Rating: DNF @ 15%
I usually do not DNF a book. I usually can get myself through the story so I can give a fully formed and well rounded opinion on a book. But I simply could not force myself to care about this book, and it had reached the point where even thinking about opening this story again had me wanting to go doom scroll on my phone instead, and I really wanted to be reading.
I admit that I’m intrigued by a lot of books labeled as romantasy, and I’ve read a number of vampire stories (and for the most part enjoyed them). And The Last Raven piqued my interest enough that I was willing to check it out.
But Emelia acted more like a 12 or 13 year old than a nearly 18 year old, and in a book aimed towards YA, I expect a certain amount of “immaturity” from the characters. This story definitely had that feeling….but even more than that, the writing itself felt extremely immature.
Neither Emelia nor her bodyguard Kyle seemed like anything more than brats or jerks. Emelia whined a lot and Kyle (the new bodyguard who is described as hot but a jerk) was extremely aggravating. For being the princess of the House of Raven and expected to rule, Emelia was practically clueless about anything outside the castle walls.
She also made so many comments about how she wasn’t like the others around her because she was a human born to vampires, which made her a target and different.
I really wanted to be able to read more of this book, and I really had hoped that it would be something I would like at least a little bit, but that first 15%, I really felt like I was pulling teeth to even get that far into the story. I didn’t care about Emelia, her family, her land, her people, her bodyguard, her insta-love setup…..none of it was even remotely holding my interest.
So, there you have it. I do occasionally have books that I read and don’t like all that much, or that I try and fail to complete. It’s rather rare, but it happens.
However, I will absolutely say that while this book wasn’t for me, that doesn’t mean that it won’t be a hit for you. If the premise sounds interesting, hey, go check it out. Hopefully you enjoy it in a way I did not. If so then that is fantastic. This book just obviously wasn’t a good fit for me, and that’s okay.
All right, that is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.
