no one gets this series like I do. NO ONE!

this book was infinitely better than the first (and the first was pretty decent). I adored it. I don't know what else to say. funny, sad, heartbreaking, exciting, adventurous. the banter between characters? amazing. the characters themselves? amazing. the pace? amazing. I literally never want this series to end if the next books are like this one.

read this out of boredom because the first one was laughably horrible and this one was as well 100% however I have to know what happens with hudson lol I unfortunately love a stefan vs damon brother ark

 In this novel we find Grace Foster, resident Human and now only surviving Gargoyle, waking up from her heroic rescue of Jackson 4 months later! When she awakens she doesn't realize that time has continued as well as her mate's psycho brother is now her forever companion in her mind. All she wants to do is wrap her head around the fact that she is a Gargoyle and how to get the murderous Hudson out of her head. But the Gargoyle situation is hard to get a handle on since there hasn't been a Gargoyle alive for centuries and weird things keep happening to Grace because she doesn't fully understand or embrace her 'monster'. The introduction to Hudson as Grace's 24/7 companion puts a strain on her relationship with Jackson, but also with her classmates and her friends. Grace seems to be questioning and struggling to understand and support everyone else's point of view when it comes to getting Hudson out of her head! So when Jackson takes Grace to see his mentor, The Bloodletter, and they get the answers they need to solve the issue of Hudson, Grace really starts to question if Hudson has been labeled wrong and should be given a chance to be understood.  Then when they get the answer to one problem, then another one or several appear for our characters to deal with. The question is will they survive all impacted or will there be some sacrifices that come along the way?!?! 

 This book was delightful as it was devourable! Something that I liked but also disliked was the insanely fast storyline of the story, yet the great world-building and character development are still invested in fully! The character development of Grace I can see is similar to Bella in New Moon, and that is something that would make me grow. However, this Bella phase would be dealt with within the next couple of chapters and she would be the tough and not dealing with shit Grace we come to adore! The addition of Hudson was genius! It added more dimension to the characters' relationship, especially Jackson and Grace.  We get to see more into the Vega brothers' lives and what makes them into the powerhouse vampires they are in the novel. The tete-a-tete between Hudson and Grace is phenomenal and I couldn't stop laughing or smiling in response!! Macie is my soul sister! I love her character since the beginning and this book just cements it more that she is one of my favorite characters! DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND LISTEN/READ IT NOW! 

A great step up from the last one, it delved deeper into world building and added new characters while developing the characters we already know and fleshing out their personalities even more. I would definitely reread to see what I missed the first time around because there’s little Easter egg details that are easy to miss throughout.

Crush is a disjointed follow up to Crave that unfortunately falls into the sophomore slump trap.

Although Crave was certainly not my favorite book, I enjoyed the campy—if not cringey—mashup of Twilight and Harry Potter. The second book of the series throws so many things at readers that it often feels like Wolff was trying to work in every YA fantasy/romance trope possible. This resulted in the story feeling almost like a parody of YA fantasy at times. 

As a reader, I don’t mind plot twists or multiple character objectives, but I like to have a strong sense of where the story is headed. Crush never really settled on what it wanted to be; instead, it oscillated between half-hearted/suicidal Scavenger Hunt, knockoff Hunger Games, and Grace going insane. Choosing one plot element to ground the story would have made this a stronger book.

One major issue working against this sequel is the length. There’s simply not enough complexity to justify nearly 700 pages. I was expecting a lot more world-building and explanation of the magic systems/history/school/paranormal government. A good fantasy series is able to find the balance between the magical and reality. The magic in this series feels as though it’s decided on a whim based on what the author needs her characters to be capable of in any given moment. For example, Grace flys for the first time and days later is seemingly an expert at death-defying maneuvers. Hudson is conveniently able to leave his unbelievable powers with Grace? Many details like these are sprinkled throughout without any solid foundation or explanation.

One thing that Crush offers is an expanded cast of characters. Our little world of paranormals at Katmere expands past Jaxon’s friends to include new witches, dragons, and wolves—not all of whom are friendly. I enjoyed the less savory but definitely fascinating characters of Cyrus and Cole. While their backstories are severely lacking, I’m hopeful that we will understand them more in future installments.

Hudson was clearly the standout character here. Despite being exclusively in Grace’s head, Wolff managed to establish a dynamic new character with wit and complex emotions. A classic brooding misunderstood antihero… we love to see it. Getting those last few chapters and extra scene from Hudson’s perspective was *chef’s kiss* and I desperately want more from his POV.

The biggest struggle reading this book was the writing style. The characters’ dialogue and choices of phrasing felt like what a parent assumes their children talks like. I got a TON of secondhand embarrassment while reading. Wolff also recycles turns of phrase a lot. “If someone had told me 6 months ago that I’d be [strange paranormal experience], I’d tell them they’re crazy.” 

Overall, Crush fell flat and lacked the focus needed for a solid second book, but successfully introduced new allies, villains, and love interests to carry the rest of the series forward.