This is disappointing mostly because I wanted a little bit more with her and Jaxon. Crave was filled with so many swoon-worthy moments between the two of them that, while I get that this book had bigger issues to deal with than romance, I missed the intimacy and reminders of why these two individuals work so well together. That completely changes in this novel. Grace is constantly asserting her independence and strength throughout Crush, prompting discussions of agency at almost every turn and with every new plotline. Come on Baby, Light My Candle Just like that, there’s a weird feeling deep inside me. A spark of heat, of light, of energy that is both familiar and completely foreign at the same time. “Go ahead,” Hudson tells me, his voice little more than a whisper. “Reach for it.” So I do, hand outstretched and everything about me open wide. And then it’s there, right there inside me. Arrowing into me. Lighting me up from the inside. Making every nerve ending in my body come alive like I’ve never felt before. “Do you feel it now?” Macy asks, voice raised excitedly. “I do,” I tell her, because this has to be it. This brilliant feeling that’s warm and bright and airy and light has magic written all over it. “Good,” Macy continues. “Now hold it for a minute, get used to it. Feel it moving through your body.” I do as she says, letting the warmth and the light burn through me. “What do I do now?” I ask, because while it feels amazing to have this feeling inside me, it also feels unsustainable—like it’ll burn right through me and then disappear if I don’t know what to do with it. “Focus your mind,” Macy says, “on lighting the candle. the way I do when we’re outside. I like being able to see his face, like even more being able to gauge his reaction to my words. “I wanted to show you the view. And I thought you might like a break.” “A break? We’ve only been moving a few minutes.” His grin becomes a laugh. “It’s been more like an hour and a half. And we’ve gone almost three hundred miles.” “Three hundred miles? But that means we’ve been traveling at close to—” “Two hundred miles an hour, yeah. Fading is more than just movement. I don’t know how to describe it; it’s kind of like flying—without a body. Every vampire starts practicing it at a young age, but I was always very, very good at it.” He looks like a little kid, absurdly proud of himself. “That’s…incredible.” No wonder I was having such a hard time holding on to images and thoughts as Jaxon faded. We weren’t so much moving as bending reality. As I turn all this information over in my head, I can’t help thinking about a book I read in seventh grade, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. In it, he talks about people driving cars superfast on the regular highways—like 130 miles an hour fast —and the government condoning it, because it keeps people from thinking. They have to concentrate on driving, and not dying, to the exclusion of everything else. It felt a little like that when Jaxon was fading. Like everything else in my life, even the bad stuff, just disappeared, leaving only the most basic survival instincts in its place. I know Bradbury meant his book to be a warning, but fading is so cool that I can’t help wondering how Jaxon feels about it. Everything feels off—especially me. I’ve returned to Katmere Academy, but I’m haunted by fragments of days I have no recollection of living and struggling to understand who, or what, I really am.

Review: Crush by Tracy Wolff | The Nerd Daily Review: Crush by Tracy Wolff | The Nerd Daily

comfortable chair in existence…and finally reach for a book. I just hope it has some of the answers I need.And I wouldn’t mind a good memory retrieval spell, too… The race is on for Grace to figure out just how to regain her independence (without putting the rest of the world at risk) while dealing with the aftermath of Hudson’s return and the secrets he insists on exposing. Further still, she must also come to terms with her newfound gargoyle self and learn just what it means to be a rare treasure in the paranormal world.Brutal fights among supernatural creatures where one high school student dies from a crushed skull and others are gravely injured and given magical boosts to heal. Students are stabbed, beaten, nearly strangled, drained of blood, burned, buried alive, and put through trials that include terrible pain. The main character wakes up covered in blood that isn't hers after being possessed. Two brothers recall being separated and physically and emotionally abused by their parents. Talk of many deaths at school a year before. Mentions of loss of main character's parents.

Crush | Crave Wiki | Fandom Crush | Crave Wiki | Fandom

What are you going to do?” “Besides cry and eat a boatload of Cherry Garcia ice cream?” I offer flippantly. “I’m thinking two boatloads, but yeah. Besides that?” I tell her about the spell and the five things we have to get to turn Hudson human again. “So that’s why Hudson made you take the athame?” she asks, astonished. “He wants out, too?” “That’s what he says. Although he was only going for the four items. He has no interest in being turned human.” She looks alarmed. “We can’t let him out if he still has his powers. You know that, right?” “Believe me, I know. I’m just not sure how long I can handle having him in my head.” “I can only imagine.” She moves to my bed and sits down next to me so she can wrap an arm around my shoulders. “But don’t worry. We’ll get started tomorrow on figuring out how to get the last three things. And we should probably rope Flint in. I bet he’ll have some ideas about how to get the dragon bone.” “I don’t— You don’t—” I break off, not sure how to say all the things I’m feeling right now. “I don’t what?” she asks. “You don’t have to do this with me. I mean, it sounds like at least two of the tasks are going to be really dangerous, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.” “Are you kidding me right now?” Macy demands, and she looks outraged in a way I’ve never seen from her before. “You However, this is not at all due to negligence as there are so many teases for answers to burning questions that get explicitly pushed away until later. So, going in to Crush, know that you’ll just have to accept the fact that you won’t receive the answers you’re after. You may receive more context to the questions themselves, but few resolutions. she…lives…in an ice cave it doesn’t take that long to get to from here.” I turn his words over in my head, trying to find a deeper meaning to them. I know there is one—it’s obvious from the way looks are flying between my uncle and Amka. Macy seems oblivious, but that’s obviously because she’s as in the dark about this subject as I am. “She’s brutal,” Amka says after a second. “Completely terrifying. But if anyone knows how to help you, she will.” I’ve got to admit, “brutal” is not exactly a word that evokes confidence in me. Then again, neither is “terrifying.” And considering I’m standing in a room with one of the most powerful vampires in existence and no one here is the least bit afraid of him, I shudder to think of what this Bloodletter person might be like. Especially since even Jaxon seems nervous at the idea of taking me to her. “Do you know her?” I ask as apprehension fills me. “I mean, will she try to kill us on sight or will she at least listen to what we have to say?” “She’s brutal but not completely psychotic,” Jaxon tells me. “And I do know her, yes. She raised me.” He doesn’t say anything else, just kind of drops it out there, like being raised by the most terrifying vampire in existence is a totally normal thing. He might as well have pulled out a fullon South Park impression and said, Move along, people. Nothing to see here. Which only convinces me more that there’s a lot Jaxon’s leaving out. And more concerned that what he’s leaving out is FirstLine - Being the lone human in a school for paranormals is precarious at the best of times.I, again, am not a young adult, rather a 40 something year old and I loved this book. I love that there are themes of adventure, danger, young love, heartbreak, triumph, compassion, coming of age and so many more relatable themes for readers of all ages. There is a cast of interesting characters that add so much depth to this story. You really get to know them while reading this series and attachments are made. I will admit that I have a team I am cheering for (Jaxson or Hudson), but won’t share that here because I know the depth of others loyalties! It runs deep for lovers of this series. You cannot help but be pulled into this story and escape from everything else while reading. I cannot wait for the next two books in this series. I highly recommend this series to readers of all ages!!! Read more

and has me croaking out, “We need to find him,” in a voice hoarse with concern. “We need to figure out where he went and make sure he can’t hurt anyone else.” And we need to figure out why I’m certain I’m forgetting something very important that happened during those four months. Before it’s too late. I’m also happy to say that, along with that journey, is an even more explicit endeavor for Grace to assert independence and agency. When it first came out, Crave prided itself on being a more feminist and inclusive vampire novel but, for a lot of it, Grace is kept in the dark. She’s frustratingly aloof and while she doesn’t necessarily rely on others for everything, she doesn’t show that she has all that much agency either. For instance, Grace’s closest family and friends all constantly talk about what they’re going to do to help her and make decisions for her without asking her what she wants to do or giving insight on what she can do for herself. And she calls them out on it. Will you read the next in this series? Why or why not? What do you think about the last line of the book? What does this mean for Grace in Book 3?

Crave Series by Tracy Wolff - Goodreads

Described as a paranormal fantasy with a feminist perspective, Crave follows a human girl follows a human girl who finds herself in the midst of a conflict between warring factions when she falls for a vampire prince, Jaxon Vega. According to Entangled Publishing’s Liz Pelletier, the new supernatural novel is pitched as “vampires for a new generation.” If you loved Crave, you will be infatuated by Crush. I didn’t think it was possible to love this story and these characters any more than I already did, but this book proved me so horribly wrong. Consider me the Crave series’ #1 fan. (Seriously.)I want to be outraged that they think I could do this. But the truth is, they have every right to suspect me. Especially since I have absolutely no idea what I was doing during the time Amka left the library. “We don’t think you stole it,” Uncle Finn tells me in a voice I recognize as deliberately soothing. “But we do think something is going on inside you that makes you do these things, and that’s what we want to try to figure out so we can help you.” “Do we really know?” I ask, my voice coming out higher and louder than I want it to. “I mean, are you sure I’m the one who did this?” It’s not even that I doubt them, it’s just that I don’t want to believe them. Because then I have to start wondering. What kind of powers does this gargoyle inside me have? And why is it using me to do these terrible things? Jaxon wraps a supportive arm around my waist, then rests his chin on my shoulder as he whispers in my ear, “It’s okay. We’ve got this.” I’m glad he thinks so, because right now, it doesn’t feel like I’ve got anything. “That’s why we wanted you to come here, so we could all rewatch the footage together. See if we can figure out what’s really going on.” My uncle walks behind the circulation desk. “Nobody blames you, Grace,” Macy says with a reassuring smile. “We know something else is going on.” My knees get weak at theirs words—there’s footage?—and at the grim look on my uncle’s face. Because if they’ve seen the footage already, then they know for sure that I’m the one who stole the athame. And not only am I fighting for my life, but now everyone else’s is at stake—unless we can defeat an unspeakable evil. All I know is that saving the people I love is going to require sacrifice.

Crush Quotes by Tracy Wolff - Goodreads Crush Quotes by Tracy Wolff - Goodreads

Do we even know where the Unkillable Beast is?” Macy asks. “I mean, you mentioned it’s somewhere near the North Pole, but the Arctic is a huge area. And not exactly hospitable. We don’t want to be bumbling around in freezing temperatures.” “Actually, I kept researching and discovered it’s on an enchanted island in the Arctic off the coast of Siberia,” Jaxon adds. “It’s on an enchanted island?” I ask. “Seriously?” “That’s what the legends say,” Flint agrees. “Not a legend if it’s true,” Jaxon says. “I spent the last several hours looking for info on the Unkillable Beast’s location, and I think I’ve found it. I’m going to do more research tonight and tomorrow, just to make sure I’m right. But if I am, I say we aim for Saturday.” “So…Ludares Wednesday, Boneyard Thursday, and Beast on Saturday.” Flint recites the plan, a questioning look on his face. “Everyone good with that?” “I am,” I tell him, although the truth is that my hands are shaking a little at the thought of that lineup. “Me too,” Macy agrees. Jaxon nods. “Awesome. Can’t wait.” Flint rubs his hands together, then waggles his brows at me. “So how about that flying lesson now?” The film adaptation of Crave will be oversee by Universal Pictures’ Senior VP production Jeyun Munford and creative executive Christine Sun. The second installment to the novel titled Crush is also expected to launch next year. SAG-AFTRA talent Heather Costa has been a narrator and voice-over actor for over fifteen years. She is passionate about bringing stories to life. But I can’t just lie here all night letting the gargoyle thing, the memory thing, and the mating thing all run through my head on a continuous loop. I’d watch TV, but I don’t want to disturb Macy. It’s late, close to two in the morning, and she has a midterm tomorrow. Which means I need to get out of here. I roll off the bed, trying to make as little noise as possible, then grab a hoodie from my closet—the castle can be cold and drafty at night. Next, I slip on my favorite pair of daisypatterned Vans and tiptoe to the door as quietly as I possibly can. I have a moment’s hesitation when I go to pull open the door—the last time I wandered the castle alone in the middle of the night, I nearly got tossed outside in the snow. I definitely do not want that to happen again. Mate or no mate, I can’t go around expecting Jaxon to rescue me whenever I get into trouble. Not that I imagine he’ll be all that thrilled to rescue me anyway tonight. Especially since I canceled my plans to meet up with him, claiming exhaustion. But things are different now than they were four months ago. No one’s got any reason to try to kill me, for one. And for another, even if they wanted to, no one would ever deliberately go after Jaxon Vega’s mate. Especially not after Jaxon nearly drained Cole for trying to drop a chandelier on me. Plus, I’m a gargoyle now. If someone tries to hurt me, I can always just turn to stone. As exciting as that sounds. Of course, I have absolutely no idea how to do that. But that’s a problem for another day, already filed away.Do. You. Trust. Me?” he asks again, and in the space between the words—the space between us—are all the things we’ve never said. There are a total of 126 chapters in Crush (125 from Grace's perspective, 1 from Hudson's perspective), not counting the two bonus chapters at the end of the book. questions/comments to start with, I say the first thing that pops into my head. “You changed your hair.” “What? Oh yeah.” She grins at me as she runs a hand through her short pink pixie cut. “I did it a few weeks ago when I was missing you. Kind of an homage, you know?” Of course it’s an homage, because she still thinks hot pink is my favorite color… “It looks fabulous,” I tell her. Because it does. And because she’s pretty much the greatest cousin and friend a girl could ever wish for. “So what class do you have next?” she asks, tugging me across the foyer toward the staircase. “Because I think you should blow it off and come hang in the room with me.” “Don’t you have a class now, too?” “Yes, but it’s just a review for the midterm on Friday.” She waves a hand in the air. “I can skip it to hang with my favorite cousin.” “Yeah, but your favorite cousin has art right now, and I don’t think I should skip it. I need to find out if there’s something I can do to make up for everything I missed.” I eye her ruefully. “I am not prepared to repeat my senior year.” “If you ask me, you shouldn’t have to make up anything. I mean, hello. Saving the world should get you straight A’s, like, forever.” I laugh, because it’s impossible not to when Macy is on a roll. And she is very definitely on a roll right now. “I wouldn’t exactly call it saving the world.” “You got rid of Hudson, didn’t you? It’s close enough.” My stomach tightens. That’s the thing. I don’t know if I got briefest moment, I see something there that makes me catch my breath. And also wonder if I’m imagining it. “Yes?” He circles his finger again, and the music switches from Flo Rida to the opening lyrics of Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance.” And it’s so clever, so ridiculous, so Hudson, that I can’t help bursting into laughter. Right before I decide, screw it, and let him dance me from one end of the laundry room to the other. When the song finally comes to an end, Hudson lets me go, and we both stand there grinning at each other. As we do, I can’t help but wonder what someone would think if they’d walked into the laundry room a few seconds ago and found me dancing around the machines by myself, singing to a song only I can hear. Probably that it’s just another weird human thing…or an even weirder gargoyle thing… which I guess it is, now that I think about it. Still, I’m a little hot, a little breathless, but a lot more relaxed than I was when I got to the laundry room, and maybe that’s why I finally ask him, “How did you know I love that song?” And just that easily, his smile fades away, leaving nothing there but an emptiness so stark that I feel it deep in my chest. Even before he answers, “So you really remember nothing of the time we spent together?” Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close