Audiobook Sample
Listen to the sample to experience the story.
Please wait while we verify your browser...
As someone who’s spent years chasing stories from the Atacama Desert to the coffee fields of Colombia, I’ve learned that the best narratives make you feel the landscape in your bones. Tracy Wolff’s Crave, performed with delicious tension by Heather Costa and Tim Paige, transported me to the gothic halls of Katmere Academy with the same visceral intensity as those desert nights listening to García Márquez under star-flung skies.
The dual narration immediately struck me like the perfect mezcal pairing – Costa’s delivery of protagonist Grace’s fish-out-of-water vulnerability contrasting beautifully with Paige’s portrayal of Jaxon’s centuries-old emotional frost. Their vocal interplay reminded me of those Oaxacan storytelling nights where every pause carried weight, every inflection revealed hidden layers. When Jaxon whispers “Little Monster,” Paige makes you feel the vampire’s reluctant fascination vibrating through your headphones.
Wolff’s worldbuilding shines in audio format. The crunch of snow under boots, the eerie creaks of the ancient academy – these sensory details blossomed in my imagination as I wandered Quito’s colonial streets listening. The vampire lore feels fresh yet familiar, like discovering a new variation on your abuela’s recipe. There’s real emotional truth beneath the paranormal trappings – Grace’s grief over her dead parents resonated deeply with my own experiences losing family, making her journey from broken mortal to [redacted for spoilers] all the more satisfying.
Costa particularly excels at Grace’s wry internal monologue, delivering lines like “I’m basically a happy meal with legs” with perfect self-deprecating timing. Her voice matures throughout the narration, mirroring Grace’s transformation from scared new girl to someone who walks confidently among monsters. Meanwhile, Paige’s performance evokes memories of my first terrifying/fascinating encounter with a bull shark – all dangerous elegance masking primal power.
The romance develops with delicious slow-burn tension. Wolff avoids Twilight comparisons by making their connection feel earned rather than fated. When Jaxon finally admits “You’re the first thing I’ve wanted in a hundred years,” Paige’s voice cracks with such raw hunger I had to pause my hike through the Cloud Forest just to catch my breath.
While the love story satisfies, the real strength lies in Wolff’s exploration of belonging. As someone who’s never quite fit in anywhere – too American in Mexico, too Mexican in America – I ached recognizing Grace’s struggle to navigate Katmere’s factions. The werewolves’ pack mentality versus the vampires’ aristocratic isolation mirrors real-world tribalisms we all navigate.
Some listeners might find the academy setting overly familiar, but Wolff subverts expectations by making Katmere a character itself – all whispering portraits and secrets buried deeper than my abuelo’s tequila stash. The political machinations unfolding in Chapter 12 had me circling a Barcelona plaza three times, too engrossed to notice the rain.
For fans of A Discovery of Witches or Vampire Academy, this audiobook offers similar pleasures with sharper teeth. The 20-hour runtime flies by, though I recommend savoring it like fine dark chocolate – maybe during your own travels, letting the icy Alaskan setting contrast with tropical breezes as I did in Belize.
Minor quibbles? Some secondary characters could use more vocal distinction early on, and the love triangle elements feel slightly undercooked compared to the central romance. But these are mere crumbs left after devouring a seven-course meal of gothic delight.
May your journeys – literary and literal – always lead you to stories that quicken your pulse,
Marcus
Marcus Rivera
