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Crave is a novel which combines the complex challenges of teenagedom with the similarly intense struggles of being a vampire, shifter, dragon, witch, or—rarely—gargoyle. In this book, Wolff digs deep into themes of navigating grief, self-discovery, desire, and the metaphorical parallels between adolescent turmoil and the chaotic and violent life one lives in a world populated by paranormal beings. The narrative revolves around Grace Foster, a 17-year old human—or so she thinks—thrust against her will into the bizarre world of Katmere Academy after her parents’ death. Grace soon discovers that Katmere is more than just an anachronistic Gothic castle in the frozen Sub-Arctic tundra. It’s a school for supernatural teenagers, and there are tensions boiling below the surface in it that humans have no idea exist. Discovering this, working out where she stands in this hierarchy, and her complex relationship with the Vampire Prince Jaxon Vega form the psychological through line of this novel. All of this plays out against the backdrop of the many different kinds of grief all of these characters are attempting to navigate.
Grace's journey through grief after the loss of her parents is a central thread of the novel: her relationship with them is almost as important as the ones she has with her living counterparts. Her emotional odyssey as she moves from San Diego to Alaska and begins to allow herself to feel love again reflects the classic stages of grief, from denial to acceptance. Grace's grief is a lens through which she views her new, bewildering world. This grief becomes a silent character in the story, omnipresent and shaping the narrative's trajectory but growing quieter as the book progresses and Grace heals.
Her enrollment at Katmere Academy marks the beginning of Grace’s journey of self-discovery. In some ways Crave is a novel of development, and Wolff aligns Grace’s gradual accrual of knowledge about the supernatural world with that of her growing experiences in socializing, sexuality, and independence. She’s already grappling with her identity when she first arrives at Katmere, but when she learns that she’s not only the new girl but also the only human student, this takes on a new significance. As she navigates the fraught dynamics of vampire-shifter aggression, Grace is forced to stand up for herself and to advocate for her own boundaries to be respected.
This awareness of her own needs is expressed nowhere as clearly as in her relationship with Jaxon Vega. The burgeoning relationship between Grace and Jaxon follows all the classic tropes of teenage desire, where relationships are often intense and full of disagreement and complexity. At the beginning of the novel Grace forgives Jaxon for a great deal of substandard behaviour, but by the end she holds him strictly accountable for treating her with respect and kindness. She learns that being head-over-heels in love with him and making her own decisions are states that have to co-exist. Jaxon learns from this dynamic too, as he’s forced to relinquish some aspects of his usual leadership and control when it comes to Grace. Jaxon helps Grace to open up and express her emotions, and Grace helps Jaxon to tame his explosive ones. Their emotional differences are echoed in their supernatural powers: Jaxon is so volatile that his thoughts can move things and his emotions and desires set off earthquakes. Grace, with her tendency to be closed-off and immense internal strength turns out to have the power to turn into stone.
Crave regularly emphasizes a parallel between the unpredictability of teenage life and the volatility of learning to navigate paranormal abilities and desires. For example, the uncontrollable aspects of supernatural powers, like a vampire’s bloodlust or a witch's struggle to harness her magic, parallel the unpredictability and intensity of teenage emotions and bodily changes. These abilities—although extraordinary—can also make Wolff’s characters feel misguided and misunderstood, common feelings in the teenage experience. Grace's experiences at Katmere Academy mirror things we might think of as typical teenage struggles: identity, belonging, popularity and acceptance. All of these problems are echoed in the cliquish and striated world of the paranormal, which has many internal hierarchies and in which beauty is highly prized. Just as teenagers can have trouble dealing with the changes in their emotions and bodies becoming their adult selves can bring, the magical powers these characters possess sometimes make them act in unexpected ways. Characters tend to do better at managing their powers and using them in practical, controlled ways when they are feeling emotionally stable and in comfortable environments. Although Crave is a novel about people with extraordinary powers and abilities, it’s also a novel about young people trying: trying to persevere through grief, trying to do what they think is right for their community and live up to their responsibilities, and trying to feel safe and happy in a world that feels violent and unstable.
