Review | Consume by Melissa Darnell

Consume begins with Tristan way out in a secluded forest cabin with Savannah and her father, learning to adapt to his body and to the new cravings and lifestyle that accompany being a vampire. In a relatively short time, he and The Clann have been through quite a bit, having lost Tristan’s parents and Clann leadership. When The Clann and the vampires go to war, Tristan, Savannah, and her father leave their secluded cabin and go on the run in order to stay safe. Tristan and Savannah are wanted by both sides because they are so powerful – being both witch and vampire – but they aren’t sure at this point who they can trust.

Now that it seems like they can finally be together since they are both witch and vampire, there’s this little war to deal with and also staying hidden and Tristan’s new vampire needs. Oh, and Tristan’s sister is with them and pregnant, and they’re all stuffed into Savannah’s mother’s camper. 

Being constantly on the go in the small camper makes this a grouchy. To this end, there is plenty of nitpicky drama in this book that became sort of wearying after a short while. Savannah and Tristan had additional problems because they could hear one another think, so their thoughts weren’t protected and private anymore. I think that the dramatic arguing and complaining in this story made this third installment less enjoyable than the previous two in this series.  (They also spent a huge chunk of the book on the run, and I found myself ready for that portion of the story to hurry up and be over.)

The parts of Consume that weren’t the on-the-run, stay-hidden parts were fairly fast-paced with plenty of action, and I liked that. I liked that after the build-up of the past three books, everything finally came to a huge event. While the ending tied up pretty neatly, I liked it just fine and feel happy with the resolution and the way things are. There were some interesting things that popped up here and there throughout the book concerning the plot. The twists were fun. 

The romance was satisfying. I’m happy that Tristan and Savannah were able to stick it out and work through their problems, and by the end they seem to be in a pretty good place. I appreciate this romance in this series – there are troubles, as with any couple (and plenty of drama, as with any couple), but they worked it out and persevered. It was entertaining. I really appreciate that this is a series that my entire family can read. 

I recommend Consume by Melissa Darnell for readers that enjoy young adult paranormal stories with romance.