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The Rage
Ezra, Gabriel and Lillian lived happy, quiet lives in the little village of Hicklesbury until a series of disturbing events threatens to reveal their secret. If the truth comes out, nothing will be the same again.
With their lives and the future of the entire vampire population resting on the shoulders of the human authorities, what could possible go wrong?
With their lives and the future of the entire vampire population resting on the shoulders of the human authorities, what could possible go wrong?
225 pages, Paperback
Published April 10, 2021
4 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 5, 2021
After enjoying The Progeny I knew I had to read the prequel and it didn’t disappoint, in fact I think it was better in some ways. Whilst I really enjoyed the “facility” parts of The Progeny, I found the relationship between Caius and Evie less interesting; whereas with The Rage I was equally interested in all of it. I also connected to the characters slightly more in this story and was hooked from the start.
It was great seeing the build up to the events described in The Progeny and I loved meeting new characters. The ending perfectly tied up to lead into the start of The Progeny too which was a nice touch. I still feel like there’s so much more to learn about the story and I really hope Shelley writes more about it – I’d love to see the government side of things, the history between Caius and Milah, and also where things went next for some characters in The Rage.
If you haven’t already then you need to read both The Progeny and The Rage and keep your eyes out for anything else Shelley Crowley writes.
*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
It was great seeing the build up to the events described in The Progeny and I loved meeting new characters. The ending perfectly tied up to lead into the start of The Progeny too which was a nice touch. I still feel like there’s so much more to learn about the story and I really hope Shelley writes more about it – I’d love to see the government side of things, the history between Caius and Milah, and also where things went next for some characters in The Rage.
If you haven’t already then you need to read both The Progeny and The Rage and keep your eyes out for anything else Shelley Crowley writes.
*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
April 10, 2021
I've already read The Progeny and really enjoyed it so I was excited to read this to see how it all began. With already understanding the world I was able to jump straight into this. Even though I already knew where this book would end, as it was mentioned in The Progeny, I really enjoyed the journey because I could connect to all of the characters.
What I particularly loved was how the ending perfectly tied in with the events of The Progeny.
What I particularly loved was how the ending perfectly tied in with the events of The Progeny.
May 11, 2021
Vampires exist, but the world doesn't know it. That is until some are caught by humans, and their secret is found out. Now the world knows they exist and its not pretty.
This book is thrilling and gives you a unique story on vampires surviving in the world alongside humans. We see what fear can truly do and what happens when people force their ways on others.
There were some parts that lagged a little in the beginning, but the story still maintained my interest.
Be prepared for a thrilling story where the ending is not what you expect.
This book is thrilling and gives you a unique story on vampires surviving in the world alongside humans. We see what fear can truly do and what happens when people force their ways on others.
There were some parts that lagged a little in the beginning, but the story still maintained my interest.
Be prepared for a thrilling story where the ending is not what you expect.
May 2, 2021
After reading the first book, I was so intrigued to learn more about The Rage. This book brought everything I was expecting and more. I loved this book, it was such a detailed and heartbreaking read. The characters were well developed and I enjoyed reading about them. I felt I connected to this trio very quickly and I was hooked on the storyline. Even though this was a prequel, I felt all of the events were unpredicted and the book was action packed.
The story linked very well with The Progeny. As I said for that review, this book is about vampires but they are written in such a mature and sophisticated way. I feel like this book gives a good portrayal of vampires and their daily lives. It was so interesting to see how The Rage begun and what that meant for the community of humans and also the vampires.
Ezra, Gabriel and Lillian had a happy life living in a quiet village. At some points, they tested themselves as vampires by being involved with humans but they managed. When people begin to find out who they are, some of them get very angry. This is because a very small number of vampires ruined it for the rest of them, they gave vampires a bad name because of how they behaved around humans. The rest of the vampires were then branded as the same. This plot has a much deeper meaning when looked into.
The ending leads perfectly into The Progeny, which had an amazing lead up to that situation. I hope Shelley continues to write in this world, I love the way the author speaks about vampires and how they story is written. It would be interesting to learn more about the characters and the governments involvement.
The story linked very well with The Progeny. As I said for that review, this book is about vampires but they are written in such a mature and sophisticated way. I feel like this book gives a good portrayal of vampires and their daily lives. It was so interesting to see how The Rage begun and what that meant for the community of humans and also the vampires.
Ezra, Gabriel and Lillian had a happy life living in a quiet village. At some points, they tested themselves as vampires by being involved with humans but they managed. When people begin to find out who they are, some of them get very angry. This is because a very small number of vampires ruined it for the rest of them, they gave vampires a bad name because of how they behaved around humans. The rest of the vampires were then branded as the same. This plot has a much deeper meaning when looked into.
The ending leads perfectly into The Progeny, which had an amazing lead up to that situation. I hope Shelley continues to write in this world, I love the way the author speaks about vampires and how they story is written. It would be interesting to learn more about the characters and the governments involvement.
April 15, 2021
I actually received an ARC of this prequel from Shelley Crowley. Her first book, The Progeny, was amazing and I was so excited to get the chance to read her second book! This book takes place prior to The Progeny and tells the story of how vampires were outed to society and how the humans attempted to catalog and control them. This story centers around three vampires that live together in a small town, living normal lives, until they are found out. Then things start to spiral out of control. The story of how the Rage began is expertly told in this novel. Your heart will ache with sadness as you follow Ezra, Gabriel and Lillian on a path to destruction unlike anything the humans (and vampires) were expecting. Shelley Crowley has amazing talent as a storyteller! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next! Highly recommended this book!
April 15, 2021
Three vampire friends, Ezra, Gabriel, and Lillian share a house, living relatively uneventful lives. They have night jobs, and are able to get their blood without harming humans. However, one night a local vampire bar is raided, and vampires are found drawing blood from human beings down in the basement. As people realize that vampires are real, their fear and hate grows. Even though the three friends had previously lived under the radar, they eventually make mistakes that out them. The human world tightens up the restrictions on all vampires, forcing them to quit using human blood, and to use ration coupons which they will take to the butcher for animal blood. How long before things spin out of control? This book is fascinating and fast paced. I found this book to be very enjoyable and would recommend it to fans of vampires everywhere.
December 1, 2021
What if vampires were real?
While this is technically a prequel it is a standalone story that packs and succeeds in surpassing its predecessor The Progeny.
It is a faster paced story that draws devastating parallels to events that have and continue to happen in society.
It's a stripped down look at human behaviour and interaction with a fantasy overlay.
It looks at the events leading up to vampires being outed to the human population and the affects of humans attempting to tame the savage beasts.
I was much more emotionally invested in these characters and enjoyed how we see them living their secret lives in plain sight.
Love how it ties into The Progeny without the two stories interacting and was howling at the end. Couldn't put it down!
While this is technically a prequel it is a standalone story that packs and succeeds in surpassing its predecessor The Progeny.
It is a faster paced story that draws devastating parallels to events that have and continue to happen in society.
It's a stripped down look at human behaviour and interaction with a fantasy overlay.
It looks at the events leading up to vampires being outed to the human population and the affects of humans attempting to tame the savage beasts.
I was much more emotionally invested in these characters and enjoyed how we see them living their secret lives in plain sight.
Love how it ties into The Progeny without the two stories interacting and was howling at the end. Couldn't put it down!
July 26, 2021
This story is the prequel to a book I reviewed last year called The Progeny, at the time I had a few issues with it. I said that it felt rushed and lacked the climax I had hoped for. Now that I’ve read the prequel I can say that is not the case at all. Shelley’s style of writing is one I am not used to, she doesn’t have to rely on big, over dramatic climaxes to get her story across. Her character development and smooth transitions through the story do the job and then some. After reading the prequel I went back and read the first story and it all fit together like puzzle pieces. The Rage ended right where The Progeny began and it was a flawless execution of how continuing a story should be. If i could give more than five stars, I would.
September 18, 2021
3.5☆
I heard about this book from Tiktok. I liked the set up. It's not very often you find books about the revealing of Vampires to the world. I really like Ezra. He has so much compassion for his family and community. Becca's motivations for her grandfather frustrated me to no end though. I just couldn't get behind her reasoning and the fact that she looked down on her mother. Beyond that it was good.
I heard about this book from Tiktok. I liked the set up. It's not very often you find books about the revealing of Vampires to the world. I really like Ezra. He has so much compassion for his family and community. Becca's motivations for her grandfather frustrated me to no end though. I just couldn't get behind her reasoning and the fact that she looked down on her mother. Beyond that it was good.
November 30, 2021
Charming and Interesting
I'm not quite sure how to describe this.
It's one of those books that you think you know how things are going to go and you don't.
The author does a wonderful job of keeping you interested in turning the pages.
You can feel the different emotions that the characters go through.
It's a contemporary story about vampires and their day to day living....
And what can go wrong....lol
I'm not quite sure how to describe this.
It's one of those books that you think you know how things are going to go and you don't.
The author does a wonderful job of keeping you interested in turning the pages.
You can feel the different emotions that the characters go through.
It's a contemporary story about vampires and their day to day living....
And what can go wrong....lol
December 2, 2021
Different
Different type of vampire book I was not expecting it to be about vampire and still wasn't expecting the story line that this produced.
Different type of vampire book I was not expecting it to be about vampire and still wasn't expecting the story line that this produced.
November 28, 2021
I read this book as part of Indie November TBR on Booktok. I was sucked right into the story from the first chapter and couldn't put it down. Vampires have been living normal lives hidden in plain sight with humans. But they are outed and a new diet is set up for them which definitely does not go to plan. I was so invested that I started The Progeny straight away!
July 22, 2021
The Rage
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
After reading The Progeny, I knew I wanted to learn more and delve into the stories of Caius and Evie. The Rage set the scene perfectly and lead straight into the start of The Progeny - as every good prequel should.
The Rage gives you a better insight into the history of the two main characters and living in the human world as a vampire before being caught out. The book was surprisingly heartbreaking yet thrilling all at the same time.
I can’t wait to dive further into the world that these books have been set in - I hope there are many more to come!!!
*I received a free ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are expressed are my own.*
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
After reading The Progeny, I knew I wanted to learn more and delve into the stories of Caius and Evie. The Rage set the scene perfectly and lead straight into the start of The Progeny - as every good prequel should.
The Rage gives you a better insight into the history of the two main characters and living in the human world as a vampire before being caught out. The book was surprisingly heartbreaking yet thrilling all at the same time.
I can’t wait to dive further into the world that these books have been set in - I hope there are many more to come!!!
*I received a free ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are expressed are my own.*
May 26, 2025
Fantastic vampire drama/horror
I found the author on Tiktok and was taken in by the descriptions of their books. I have to say they haven't disappointed, a British True Blood (minus the spice) with an authentic look at what it might be like to live as a vampire in the modern day.
The connections between the characters are genuine and filled with the love and tension you'd expect from their circumstances.
The author doesn't shy away from tragedy of horror aspects, but also doesn't over indulge so as to become gore porn. Great writing, I can't wait to read the next in the series
I found the author on Tiktok and was taken in by the descriptions of their books. I have to say they haven't disappointed, a British True Blood (minus the spice) with an authentic look at what it might be like to live as a vampire in the modern day.
The connections between the characters are genuine and filled with the love and tension you'd expect from their circumstances.
The author doesn't shy away from tragedy of horror aspects, but also doesn't over indulge so as to become gore porn. Great writing, I can't wait to read the next in the series
August 14, 2022
Unfortunately this book was probably a bit too short to really delve into anything overly deep, repetition on descriptions and obvious outcomes.
Think there is good potential within the writing however.
Think there is good potential within the writing however.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2022
I know...I f*cked up initially by doing this out of order (reading 'The Rage' before 'The Progeny'), but I will say that this story captivated my attention, wanting me to read more and making me want to get to "The Progeny" even faster. The story centers around three characters and how they're vampires hiding out in the human world. But all good things must come to an end and they're found out...damn you Crowley! I loved these characters so much and was on the edge of my seat once small things in their daily lives were starting to be noticed. If you're a fan of vampires, I would CHECK this book out for sure!
August 31, 2022
Could not put it down! Love it!
October 30, 2022
PAIN. but it was really good 😢
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews