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The Witch and the Vampire
Francesca Flores's The Witch and the Vampire is a queer Rapunzel retelling where a witch and a vampire who trust no one but themselves must journey together through a cursed forest with danger at every turn.
Ava and Kaye used to be best friends. Until one night two years ago, vampires broke through the magical barrier protecting their town, and in the ensuing attack, Kaye’s mother was killed, and Ava was turned into a vampire. Since then, Ava has been trapped in her house. Her mother Eugenia needs Ava still has her witch powers, and Eugenia must take them in order to hide that she's a vampire as well. Desperate to escape her confinement and stop her mother's plans to destroy the town, Ava must break out, flee to the forest, and seek help from the vampires who live there. When there is another attack, she sees her opportunity and escapes.
Kaye, now at the end of her training as a Flame witch, is ready to fulfill her duty of killing any vampires that threaten the town, including Ava. On the night that Ava escapes, Kaye follows her and convinces her to travel together into the forest, while secretly planning to turn her in. Ava agrees, hoping to rekindle their old friendship, and the romantic feelings she'd started to have for Kaye before that terrible night.
But with monstrous trees that devour humans whole, vampires who attack from above, and Ava’s stepfather tracking her, the woods are full of danger. As they travel deeper into the forest, Kaye questions everything she thought she knew. The two are each other's greatest threat—and also their only hope, if they want to make it through the forest unscathed.
Ava and Kaye used to be best friends. Until one night two years ago, vampires broke through the magical barrier protecting their town, and in the ensuing attack, Kaye’s mother was killed, and Ava was turned into a vampire. Since then, Ava has been trapped in her house. Her mother Eugenia needs Ava still has her witch powers, and Eugenia must take them in order to hide that she's a vampire as well. Desperate to escape her confinement and stop her mother's plans to destroy the town, Ava must break out, flee to the forest, and seek help from the vampires who live there. When there is another attack, she sees her opportunity and escapes.
Kaye, now at the end of her training as a Flame witch, is ready to fulfill her duty of killing any vampires that threaten the town, including Ava. On the night that Ava escapes, Kaye follows her and convinces her to travel together into the forest, while secretly planning to turn her in. Ava agrees, hoping to rekindle their old friendship, and the romantic feelings she'd started to have for Kaye before that terrible night.
But with monstrous trees that devour humans whole, vampires who attack from above, and Ava’s stepfather tracking her, the woods are full of danger. As they travel deeper into the forest, Kaye questions everything she thought she knew. The two are each other's greatest threat—and also their only hope, if they want to make it through the forest unscathed.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2023
213 people are currently reading
23621 people want to read
About the author
Francesca Flores
3 books310 followersFrancesca Flores is a writer, traveler and linguist. Raised in Pittsburgh, she read every fantasy book she could get her hands on and started writing her own stories at a young age. She began writing Diamond City while working as a corporate travel manager. When she's not writing or reading, Francesca enjoys traveling, dancing ballet and jazz, practicing trapeze and contortion, and visiting parks and trails around San Francisco, where she currently resides.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,229 reviews
September 21, 2025
I feel like I should start this review with a little disclaimer.
This review is based solely upon my personal reading experience with this story. It is 100% my opinion, please take it with a grain of salt.
I am by no means an expert on anything. Further, I would recommend that anyone who finds the publisher's synopsis intriguing, gives this book a shot.
The Witch and the Vampire follows two girls, Ava and Kaye. Ava is a witch and Kaye is a vampire. They're enemies, but it hasn't always been that way.
They used to be best friends, but two years ago everything changed. Kaye was turned into a vampire and Ava's mother was killed by a vampire. Kaye, coincidentally, disappeared the very night Ava's mother was killed.
Ava, of course, suspects Kaye, or more closely, she blames her for her mother's death. Ava is now a vampire hunter of sorts, how perfect. On the night of a vampire attack on their town, Kaye flees her mother's home and Ava runs into her.
Ava convinces Kaye to travel with her into the forest. She pretends she is helping her, when really her plan is to backstab Kaye and get her revenge.
Obviously, I am simplifying this a bit, but honestly, that's really all I can tell you about the plot.
Let's start with a few positives. The cover is gorgeous. Also, the audiobook is very well narrated. If it weren't for the audiobook, I most likely wouldn't have finished this one.
While this book didn't necessarily do anything wrong, it just wasn't for me. I felt I didn't understand the world at all and it lacked the atmosphere I was hoping for based upon the synopsis and cover.
I also felt it had one note throughout, angst. Everything was angst. There was angst every moment of every page, even though I felt like the stakes were never high enough to justify that. Because of this it lacked the highs and lows and nuance I would normally like to see.
There were no moments of levity and it seemed like the more seriously the book took itself, the less seriously I did. Additionally, all the characters felt one dimensional. I struggled to distinguish between the two girls throughout the entire story.
This is the second book I have read from this author. The first, Diamond City, I felt to be in the good-to-really-good range. I enjoyed the world Flores developed in that one. I found it creative and intriguing.
So, while this one fell flat for me, I would be willing to give this author another shot. I definitely wouldn't pick up another story based in this world though.
With all of this being said, as touched upon in my earlier disclaimer, just because I didn't connect with this story doesn't mean that you won't. There's a book for every Reader and a Reader for every book.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I truly appreciate it!
This review is based solely upon my personal reading experience with this story. It is 100% my opinion, please take it with a grain of salt.
I am by no means an expert on anything. Further, I would recommend that anyone who finds the publisher's synopsis intriguing, gives this book a shot.
The Witch and the Vampire follows two girls, Ava and Kaye. Ava is a witch and Kaye is a vampire. They're enemies, but it hasn't always been that way.
They used to be best friends, but two years ago everything changed. Kaye was turned into a vampire and Ava's mother was killed by a vampire. Kaye, coincidentally, disappeared the very night Ava's mother was killed.
Ava, of course, suspects Kaye, or more closely, she blames her for her mother's death. Ava is now a vampire hunter of sorts, how perfect. On the night of a vampire attack on their town, Kaye flees her mother's home and Ava runs into her.
Ava convinces Kaye to travel with her into the forest. She pretends she is helping her, when really her plan is to backstab Kaye and get her revenge.
Obviously, I am simplifying this a bit, but honestly, that's really all I can tell you about the plot.
Let's start with a few positives. The cover is gorgeous. Also, the audiobook is very well narrated. If it weren't for the audiobook, I most likely wouldn't have finished this one.
While this book didn't necessarily do anything wrong, it just wasn't for me. I felt I didn't understand the world at all and it lacked the atmosphere I was hoping for based upon the synopsis and cover.
I also felt it had one note throughout, angst. Everything was angst. There was angst every moment of every page, even though I felt like the stakes were never high enough to justify that. Because of this it lacked the highs and lows and nuance I would normally like to see.
There were no moments of levity and it seemed like the more seriously the book took itself, the less seriously I did. Additionally, all the characters felt one dimensional. I struggled to distinguish between the two girls throughout the entire story.
This is the second book I have read from this author. The first, Diamond City, I felt to be in the good-to-really-good range. I enjoyed the world Flores developed in that one. I found it creative and intriguing.
So, while this one fell flat for me, I would be willing to give this author another shot. I definitely wouldn't pick up another story based in this world though.
With all of this being said, as touched upon in my earlier disclaimer, just because I didn't connect with this story doesn't mean that you won't. There's a book for every Reader and a Reader for every book.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I truly appreciate it!
April 27, 2023
Release day is here~
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review. This title drops March 21st.
Wow, after the amazing cover and the intriguing title, I was really hyped for this, but it was a complete and utter letdown. That average rating here on Goodreads is no lie, sad to say. Just...gah.
Where to start? First, it's clear no one took time preparing this ARC for distribution because passages are missing and moved around. Words appeared in the middle of sentences, words are used incorrectly, and ... the end of chapter 13 is a disaster, with a scene cutting off abruptly, and the next sentence mid-action of another. It was mortifying to parse through.
The writing is juvenile, telling rather than showing, almost no description, and no effort put into the worldbuilding, the lore, the relationships, and as a result the romance, the stakes, everything felt formulaic and not at all engaging. It's also a short book and while it tries to jump right to the action, reading pretty quickly, at the forty percent mark almost nothing has happened.
Trigger warnings for Ava's mother's abuse - Ava is emotionally manipulated, physically imprisoned, killed and turned into a vampire by her mother, and more, against her consent. The material is pretty dark in that regard - or it should be, but it also feels as if the manuscript deals with this really flippantly. There's also some weird racism and potential genocide slash species eradication in between the lines, and again, it is treated very...lightly? Like how do you introduce racial and species prejudices but in veiled, flowery language and never really come back to it? It's like the writer was checking off hot topics for a modern YA audience but not coming through with anything deeper than surface-level treatment for each.
I can't mince words, I cannot think of a redeeming quality. For a better sapphic fantasy, I'd recommend The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska.
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review. This title drops March 21st.
Wow, after the amazing cover and the intriguing title, I was really hyped for this, but it was a complete and utter letdown. That average rating here on Goodreads is no lie, sad to say. Just...gah.
Where to start? First, it's clear no one took time preparing this ARC for distribution because passages are missing and moved around. Words appeared in the middle of sentences, words are used incorrectly, and ... the end of chapter 13 is a disaster, with a scene cutting off abruptly, and the next sentence mid-action of another. It was mortifying to parse through.
The writing is juvenile, telling rather than showing, almost no description, and no effort put into the worldbuilding, the lore, the relationships, and as a result the romance, the stakes, everything felt formulaic and not at all engaging. It's also a short book and while it tries to jump right to the action, reading pretty quickly, at the forty percent mark almost nothing has happened.
Trigger warnings for Ava's mother's abuse - Ava is emotionally manipulated, physically imprisoned, killed and turned into a vampire by her mother, and more, against her consent. The material is pretty dark in that regard - or it should be, but it also feels as if the manuscript deals with this really flippantly. There's also some weird racism and potential genocide slash species eradication in between the lines, and again, it is treated very...lightly? Like how do you introduce racial and species prejudices but in veiled, flowery language and never really come back to it? It's like the writer was checking off hot topics for a modern YA audience but not coming through with anything deeper than surface-level treatment for each.
I can't mince words, I cannot think of a redeeming quality. For a better sapphic fantasy, I'd recommend The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska.
February 17, 2023
(edited 17/02 for clarity)
Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!!
Oh man:(
I really really wanted to like this. Sapphic vampire x witch in a rapunzel retelling? I was so excited but ultimately almost every aspect of this novel let me down.
So even though this book is marketed as young adult, it read like an upper middle grade novel, which isn’t necessarily bad but evidently ruined my reading experience considering my expectations. There was just a lot of telling and not showing in every interesting original aspect of the novel — the vampires, humans, witches, etc. This book also included heavy topics but weakly touched on them which further soured my feelings toward this book.
Having both vampires and witches and abusive mothers are grounds for a complex, interesting, and gray plot and characters. Unfortunately, we didn’t get ANY of that. Instead, we got incredibly shallow characters with incredibly shallow motivations and any “plot twist” could have been made out by the reader in the first few chapters. All of the side characters have literally no personality trait besides being evil or good. For example, one of the mc’s old best friends is so incredibly flat, with no conceivable personality or purpose except to act as a convenient plot driver. Still, there is nothing written about his character that makes his “close” friendship with the others believable.
This excludes the main characters but both of the main characters read in the almost exact same neutral tone and there were so many times I forgot whose pov I was reading because their narrations were identical. This extends to how the author repeats passages many times and includes repetitive phrases between the two povs. Also, side note but idk how old everyone is supposed to be lol.
In addition to the characters, there is no complexity in the nature of humans, witches, and vampires. As I mentioned, vampires= bad and humans = good. Though the writing attempts to engage with this notion, it fails miserably because the characters in the book are just caricatures of the classic villain and hero archetypes with no dimensions to their existence.
However, my biggest issue with this book is the HEAVY info dumping. Past events that occurred between characters were explained when relevant. For example, a character picks up a scarf they gave to another character and we are told (NOT SHOWN) the memory that supposedly makes the scene relevant. Combined with the info dumping, we get over-explained passages, scenes, and sentences that could have been cut down.
This info dumping extends to the world-building as well, however, the world-building is so incredibly basic in its mechanics that sometimes it reads as under-explained. For example, witches that control fire are dubbed Flame witches. Witches that control plants are dubbed Root witches. Literally, how does the magic system even work? Though this is a fantasy novel, I have no idea what kind of world it's inspired by. Doctors are dubbed as “human curers” but clinics are dubbed as clinics — it’s just very confusing.
Genuinely, this book should’ve gone through several more rounds of editing. Grammar just felt really off at times and we got really awkward sentences at times in addition to the repetitive phrases. For example, one of the characters mention brushing blood off their cheek instead of wiping blood off their cheek. Another time, a character is dying from thirst and another character finds berries for them that can help them see in the night so they can use them for later. I don't understand why the thirsty character doesn’t just eat the berries regardless of wasting the power, they’re literally dying from thirst. Like hello??
In short, the writing is really weak and illogical at times.
Eventually, you get to a point in the book where some of the character motivations are just really really stupid. Like Really Stupid. And sometimes the characters are just incredibly illogical and contradict what we've seen of their personalities so far. This is most observable at the end of the book where the plot just finally falls apart.
In short, 1.5 bc even the sapphic romance couldn’t save it seeing how underdeveloped and unbelievable it was, and the lack of chemistry.
Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!!
Oh man:(
I really really wanted to like this. Sapphic vampire x witch in a rapunzel retelling? I was so excited but ultimately almost every aspect of this novel let me down.
So even though this book is marketed as young adult, it read like an upper middle grade novel, which isn’t necessarily bad but evidently ruined my reading experience considering my expectations. There was just a lot of telling and not showing in every interesting original aspect of the novel — the vampires, humans, witches, etc. This book also included heavy topics but weakly touched on them which further soured my feelings toward this book.
Having both vampires and witches and abusive mothers are grounds for a complex, interesting, and gray plot and characters. Unfortunately, we didn’t get ANY of that. Instead, we got incredibly shallow characters with incredibly shallow motivations and any “plot twist” could have been made out by the reader in the first few chapters. All of the side characters have literally no personality trait besides being evil or good. For example, one of the mc’s old best friends is so incredibly flat, with no conceivable personality or purpose except to act as a convenient plot driver. Still, there is nothing written about his character that makes his “close” friendship with the others believable.
This excludes the main characters but both of the main characters read in the almost exact same neutral tone and there were so many times I forgot whose pov I was reading because their narrations were identical. This extends to how the author repeats passages many times and includes repetitive phrases between the two povs. Also, side note but idk how old everyone is supposed to be lol.
In addition to the characters, there is no complexity in the nature of humans, witches, and vampires. As I mentioned, vampires= bad and humans = good. Though the writing attempts to engage with this notion, it fails miserably because the characters in the book are just caricatures of the classic villain and hero archetypes with no dimensions to their existence.
However, my biggest issue with this book is the HEAVY info dumping. Past events that occurred between characters were explained when relevant. For example, a character picks up a scarf they gave to another character and we are told (NOT SHOWN) the memory that supposedly makes the scene relevant. Combined with the info dumping, we get over-explained passages, scenes, and sentences that could have been cut down.
This info dumping extends to the world-building as well, however, the world-building is so incredibly basic in its mechanics that sometimes it reads as under-explained. For example, witches that control fire are dubbed Flame witches. Witches that control plants are dubbed Root witches. Literally, how does the magic system even work? Though this is a fantasy novel, I have no idea what kind of world it's inspired by. Doctors are dubbed as “human curers” but clinics are dubbed as clinics — it’s just very confusing.
Genuinely, this book should’ve gone through several more rounds of editing. Grammar just felt really off at times and we got really awkward sentences at times in addition to the repetitive phrases. For example, one of the characters mention brushing blood off their cheek instead of wiping blood off their cheek. Another time, a character is dying from thirst and another character finds berries for them that can help them see in the night so they can use them for later. I don't understand why the thirsty character doesn’t just eat the berries regardless of wasting the power, they’re literally dying from thirst. Like hello??
In short, the writing is really weak and illogical at times.
Eventually, you get to a point in the book where some of the character motivations are just really really stupid. Like Really Stupid. And sometimes the characters are just incredibly illogical and contradict what we've seen of their personalities so far. This is most observable at the end of the book where the plot just finally falls apart.
In short, 1.5 bc even the sapphic romance couldn’t save it seeing how underdeveloped and unbelievable it was, and the lack of chemistry.
March 8, 2023
CW// murder, death (including animals and parents)
It sucks that one of the most interesting concepts for a book that I’ve seen in a while turned out to be disappointing. A sapphic Rapunzel retelling sounded so perfect, but it just didn’t work for me.
First of all, this book isn’t exactly a Rapunzel retelling. It’s a Tangled retelling. The only thing in this book that was a retelling of the original Rapunzel story was a girl being locked in a tower. All of the other retelling plot points where based solely on Tangled. I guess you could say this book is a retelling of a Rapunzel retelling if you want to get technical about it. If you’re going into this wanting a retelling of the original Grimm’s fairytale version, then you’ll be really disappointed.
I have two major issues with this book that made me dislike it. The first issue was that I found pretty much all of the characters to be unlikeable, especially the two main characters. Ava acted like a little kid for most of the story even though she’s almost an adult. I would understand her behavior if she had been locked up since she was a baby, but she was locked up for only two years. She had been alive for sixteen years in a vampire infested world before she was trapped. I just feel like her personality shouldn’t have been so innocent and childlike given her life experience before she was imprisoned. Her personality changed toward the very end of the book, but by that point, I just wasn’t invested in the story enough to care about her new personality. I didn’t like Kaye either, but that was for different reasons. Kaye was mean and rude for most of the book. I understand that they needed to be enemies at the start of the book, but her behavior was often too extreme for my liking.
Since I didn’t like Ava and Kaye, I didn’t enjoy most of the romance. Their first kiss was cute, but Ava and Kaye’s personalities prevented me from enjoying the other romantic moments in the story.
My other big issue with this book was the pacing. It was super slow and constantly dragged. There were several times in the book where it was so slow that I almost fell asleep while reading, which is a rare occurence for me.
I do have to applaud the author for how much effort and passion she put into creating the fantasy world in her story. The worldbuilding was truly phenomonal, so I feel bad for giving this book such a low rating. However, this book just wasn’t that enjoyable for me and I feel like a lot of the book’s potential was wasted.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eArc of this book.
It sucks that one of the most interesting concepts for a book that I’ve seen in a while turned out to be disappointing. A sapphic Rapunzel retelling sounded so perfect, but it just didn’t work for me.
First of all, this book isn’t exactly a Rapunzel retelling. It’s a Tangled retelling. The only thing in this book that was a retelling of the original Rapunzel story was a girl being locked in a tower. All of the other retelling plot points where based solely on Tangled. I guess you could say this book is a retelling of a Rapunzel retelling if you want to get technical about it. If you’re going into this wanting a retelling of the original Grimm’s fairytale version, then you’ll be really disappointed.
I have two major issues with this book that made me dislike it. The first issue was that I found pretty much all of the characters to be unlikeable, especially the two main characters. Ava acted like a little kid for most of the story even though she’s almost an adult. I would understand her behavior if she had been locked up since she was a baby, but she was locked up for only two years. She had been alive for sixteen years in a vampire infested world before she was trapped. I just feel like her personality shouldn’t have been so innocent and childlike given her life experience before she was imprisoned. Her personality changed toward the very end of the book, but by that point, I just wasn’t invested in the story enough to care about her new personality. I didn’t like Kaye either, but that was for different reasons. Kaye was mean and rude for most of the book. I understand that they needed to be enemies at the start of the book, but her behavior was often too extreme for my liking.
Since I didn’t like Ava and Kaye, I didn’t enjoy most of the romance. Their first kiss was cute, but Ava and Kaye’s personalities prevented me from enjoying the other romantic moments in the story.
My other big issue with this book was the pacing. It was super slow and constantly dragged. There were several times in the book where it was so slow that I almost fell asleep while reading, which is a rare occurence for me.
I do have to applaud the author for how much effort and passion she put into creating the fantasy world in her story. The worldbuilding was truly phenomonal, so I feel bad for giving this book such a low rating. However, this book just wasn’t that enjoyable for me and I feel like a lot of the book’s potential was wasted.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eArc of this book.
December 1, 2023
це дуже посередня погано написана книжка.
у мене не було жодних очікувань, але я все одно засмутилась через те, якою «ніякою» виявилась ця історія.
вона прісна, вона позбавлена логіки, авторка в тексті суперечила власним вигаданим фактам світоустрою, полінувалась чи то пак просто не змогла придумати пояснення деяким деталям, зате не нехтувала повторенням одних і тих самих думок головних героїнь впродовж десяти розділів(приблизно), від яких перша половина була настільки нудною, що я просто не могла читати більше декількох розділів за о��ин підхід.
і хоч друга половина книжки була більш жвавою, вона видавалась тупою за рахунок тих самих невідповідностей, бо це дратувало, авторка ніби писала аби щось від балди.
обидві головні героїні — абсолютно нецікаві.
любовна лінія між ними — абсолютно нецікава і занудна.
фінал — якась лажа.
єдине хороше в цій книжці — вкраплення моторошних деталей на манер страшних казочок, але це ніяк не компенсує усіх її мінусів.
у мене не було жодних очікувань, але я все одно засмутилась через те, якою «ніякою» виявилась ця історія.
вона прісна, вона позбавлена логіки, авторка в тексті суперечила власним вигаданим фактам світоустрою, полінувалась чи то пак просто не змогла придумати пояснення деяким деталям, зате не нехтувала повторенням одних і тих самих думок головних героїнь впродовж десяти розділів(приблизно), від яких перша половина була настільки нудною, що я просто не могла читати більше декількох розділів за о��ин підхід.
і хоч друга половина книжки була більш жвавою, вона видавалась тупою за рахунок тих самих невідповідностей, бо це дратувало, авторка ніби писала аби щось від балди.
обидві головні героїні — абсолютно нецікаві.
любовна лінія між ними — абсолютно нецікава і занудна.
фінал — якась лажа.
єдине хороше в цій книжці — вкраплення моторошних деталей на манер страшних казочок, але це ніяк не компенсує усіх її мінусів.
March 21, 2023
*3.5
The Witch and the Vampire was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023. A sapphic Rapunzel retelling with witches and vampires and friends to enemies to lovers? Um, yes please! That sounds like everything I want in a book. And while this one unfortunately didn't live up to all my expectations, I did enjoy reading it.
First, I loved the relationship between our MCs, Ava and Kaye. The two had been separated after years of being best friends. Kaye's resentment was left to fester after tragedy had struck, she had no answers, and no friend anymore. Ava, meanwhile, was completely unaware of Kaye's growing anger and couldn't wait for the day the two would reunite.
When they finally did, it was a moment filled with tension, longing, confusion, and hurt. Ava had been turned into a vampire, beings Kaye had sworn to eliminate from the world. However, Kaye soon started to question everything she knew when she got closer to the girl she once knew so well.
Their relationship was a slow burn with the perfect amount of tension. It was the most compelling part of the story, and I really enjoyed watching it develop. Both girls had certain ideals stuck in their heads about how things are supposed to be, but being close to each other forced them to challenge those thoughts and question everything they knew. I was rooting for them the whole time.
Now, while I did enjoy the romance, the pacing of the rest of the story was a bit off. There were parts of the plot that dragged, and others that went by so fast I almost got whiplash. I wish it had been smoothed out a little better to give a more cohesive feel to the story.
Additionally, the world building fell flat for me. Most of it was done through info dumping (my least favorite), and the parts that were shown through exposition were a little confusing and didn't entirely fit with the rest of the lore. If there had been less telling and more showing, I think it would have strengthened the story substantially.
One thing I did appreciate about the plot was the lack of black and white thinking. As it is in their world, witches were good, and vampires were bad, but the story revealed just how false this ideology is. Both the vampires and witches were capable of evil deeds, but also of doing good. This discussion was one of the highlights of the book for me.
Overall, if The Witch and the Vampire had gone through a few more rounds of edits, I think it could have really hit it out of the park and met those expectations. As it is now, though, it's a story I enjoyed, but one that I had issues with. However, I am still glad I read it because I did enjoy the romance, which had me smiling constantly throughout. The ending was left kind of open, so I'd definitely be interested in reading more about Ava and Kaye!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Witch and the Vampire was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023. A sapphic Rapunzel retelling with witches and vampires and friends to enemies to lovers? Um, yes please! That sounds like everything I want in a book. And while this one unfortunately didn't live up to all my expectations, I did enjoy reading it.
First, I loved the relationship between our MCs, Ava and Kaye. The two had been separated after years of being best friends. Kaye's resentment was left to fester after tragedy had struck, she had no answers, and no friend anymore. Ava, meanwhile, was completely unaware of Kaye's growing anger and couldn't wait for the day the two would reunite.
When they finally did, it was a moment filled with tension, longing, confusion, and hurt. Ava had been turned into a vampire, beings Kaye had sworn to eliminate from the world. However, Kaye soon started to question everything she knew when she got closer to the girl she once knew so well.
Their relationship was a slow burn with the perfect amount of tension. It was the most compelling part of the story, and I really enjoyed watching it develop. Both girls had certain ideals stuck in their heads about how things are supposed to be, but being close to each other forced them to challenge those thoughts and question everything they knew. I was rooting for them the whole time.
Now, while I did enjoy the romance, the pacing of the rest of the story was a bit off. There were parts of the plot that dragged, and others that went by so fast I almost got whiplash. I wish it had been smoothed out a little better to give a more cohesive feel to the story.
Additionally, the world building fell flat for me. Most of it was done through info dumping (my least favorite), and the parts that were shown through exposition were a little confusing and didn't entirely fit with the rest of the lore. If there had been less telling and more showing, I think it would have strengthened the story substantially.
One thing I did appreciate about the plot was the lack of black and white thinking. As it is in their world, witches were good, and vampires were bad, but the story revealed just how false this ideology is. Both the vampires and witches were capable of evil deeds, but also of doing good. This discussion was one of the highlights of the book for me.
Overall, if The Witch and the Vampire had gone through a few more rounds of edits, I think it could have really hit it out of the park and met those expectations. As it is now, though, it's a story I enjoyed, but one that I had issues with. However, I am still glad I read it because I did enjoy the romance, which had me smiling constantly throughout. The ending was left kind of open, so I'd definitely be interested in reading more about Ava and Kaye!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
October 17, 2022
A Supernatural Rapunzel Retelling. The story is captivating from the beginning, it is well written and the characters are great. Ava, a root witch turned vampire, and Kaye, a flame vampire hunter. Their friends to enemies to lovers relationship was what had me hooked. I loved how it builds slowly and the plot of the story is action packed. I really enjoyed reading this book, I was so immersed in the story that I despised Zeno's as much as Ava did and his ending was well deserved. The ending of the story was great, I simply loved this book.
November 29, 2023
Якщо ви чекаєте романтичної історії, то попереджаю: тут слоу бьорн, дуууже слоооууу, жодних сцен 18+ і близко не пахне
Та і це не основне. Як на мій смак, доволі слабенько(( щиро сподіваюсь, що молодшим читачам і читачкам більше зайде! Я ж забагато закочувала очі, щоб поставити 4 🤷🏻♀️ хоча це могло би бути 3,5
Та і це не основне. Як на мій смак, доволі слабенько(( щиро сподіваюсь, що молодшим читачам і читачкам більше зайде! Я ж забагато закочувала очі, щоб поставити 4 🤷🏻♀️ хоча це могло би бути 3,5
February 24, 2023
1.5 Stars (the extra 0.5 for an intriguing concept)
Pros: LOVE the cover, and the title definitely had my attention. The concept was great, so much potential there.
Cons: The execution was awful in pretty well every arena.
I struggled to get through this one and if it weren't an ARC I doubt I would have finished it. I’m just going to bullet-point my gripes here move on:
-Inconsistent and bland characters (MCs included)
-Really dull and shallow world-building with so many under-explained concepts (poorly defined magic systems in books really annoy me!)
-Illogical and contradictory decisions/actions/dialogue
-Soooooooo much tell, so little show! I hate this juvenile style of writing where everything is explained rather than the reader being shown through events and actions.
Overall, I really did want to enjoy this one. The concept had so much potential and a lot of the ideas the author had in there held a lot of potential for complex characters with complex relationships, a deep and interesting world, a lot of moral questions and gray morality, etc. So much there, but it just wasn’t handled properly. I’m sure some people will enjoy this one – I know I can be a harsh critic, especially when grammar/writing style issues come into play – but I can’t recommend it.
**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
Pros: LOVE the cover, and the title definitely had my attention. The concept was great, so much potential there.
Cons: The execution was awful in pretty well every arena.
I struggled to get through this one and if it weren't an ARC I doubt I would have finished it. I’m just going to bullet-point my gripes here move on:
-Inconsistent and bland characters (MCs included)
-Really dull and shallow world-building with so many under-explained concepts (poorly defined magic systems in books really annoy me!)
-Illogical and contradictory decisions/actions/dialogue
-Soooooooo much tell, so little show! I hate this juvenile style of writing where everything is explained rather than the reader being shown through events and actions.
Overall, I really did want to enjoy this one. The concept had so much potential and a lot of the ideas the author had in there held a lot of potential for complex characters with complex relationships, a deep and interesting world, a lot of moral questions and gray morality, etc. So much there, but it just wasn’t handled properly. I’m sure some people will enjoy this one – I know I can be a harsh critic, especially when grammar/writing style issues come into play – but I can’t recommend it.
**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
Want to read
October 27, 2022Queer Rapunzel retelling, witchy and vampire vibes.... Mmmm, good times ahead
Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 6, 2023
Go read this amazing sapphic retelling of rapunzel. It's friends to enemies to lovers!
I loved it so much.
I loved it so much.
nope
March 21, 2023a sapphic rapunzel retelling, you say?
April 17, 2023
DNF at 15%
I loved the cover on this, it’s gorgeous, evocative, stunning. The concept sounded so good!
Anyway, that’s it for positivity.
Plot:
I don’t think I hit a plot yet. Characters don’t really have motivations. Things just happen to them or around them. They have little agency and they both feel like puppets. I was informed there is never a plot.
I tried to read to the point where the MCs even meet, and I assumed it would be shortly after I bailed…but my friend who made it halfway through told me they don’t meet for a long time after that. This is a romance book, is it not? Or there’s supposed to be one? Or you know, at the very least, the plot is centered around their interpersonal conflict? Fun fact: your characters have to meet to have any of that happen!
There’s this bizarre dichotomy of having very serious subjects introduced and then just skated over. Racism, abuse, torture, etc. The characters are just like la di da what do you mean this is supposed to affect me. If you’re going to include these, please treat them with a modicum of respect. It would make for a more compelling story if they were approached seriously and used to drive character arcs instead of sprinkled in like carrion beetles on the corpse of my happiness.
Characters:
This one is actually going to be a little challenging to discuss, because the characters are identical. The POV were so similar I forgot there were two characters.
Ava (this is the vampire idiot):
Please shut up about Cassiopeia, you don’t even know her! Girl. Chill. The queen is probably going to be like “damn bitch what is wrong with you get out of my house”
wow I don’t actually have anything else to say. She’s a shell of a person.
Kaye (this is the somehow even stupider one):
girl you cannot possibly walk and breathe at the same time.
She is consumed with her nonsensical need for revenge - I’m not even kidding, I do not understand why she is this way, and I don’t think she does either - but it is heinously boring. It’s like watching a toddler throw a tantrum over a sock yet nowhere near as funny.
Her revenge. You know, the revenge motivation that drives this character, her only personality trait. Where do I start.
It makes no sense. Her bestest friend disappears during a vampire attack and then she sees her later in a window with blood on her face (days later!!) and decides. Yes. She killed my mother. Whose body I did not see at all. Someone told me a vampire did it tho. I will now kill my friend without ever talking to her. Brilliant.
To rudely cap it off, she’s also like “well maybe she didn’t BUT IF SHE DID” bitch what
You know what, this actually makes even less sense to me after thinking more. Kaye knows Ava is in this tower in the middle of town, and she knows Ava is a vampire somehow, and yet no one else does? Or everyone else is okay with their mortal enemy A Vampire just chilling in town? Does this not affect how they see vampires? Ava is obviously controlled and not a muddy freak so…what is going on?
There’s also a lot of page time spent on her alleged friend turned meanie enemy Tristan, who is so two dimensional a line would be jealous. There are so many pages dedicated to their childish race to tattle(?). I’m not really sure what the motivation was there.
The writing:
This may have been one of the most repetitive books I have ever read. How many times was The Vampire Queen Cassiopeia mentioned despite her not even being present? Like 400. Information was repeated several times in sequential paragraphs. Where is the editor
Everything is over explained, relentlessly. It’s such a great combo with the repetition!! not.
This is about 100% telling and -5% showing. Actions are narrated instead of shown, which makes it very dull to read. Given the poor and choppy writing, it’s also very confusing because the actions described rarely make sense.
There’s so much info dumping as well. This is such a terrible combo - nonsensical info dumping (no context so it’s meaningless), it doesn’t work with the flow of the story, it’s repeated ad nauseam, and it’s boring. The cardinal sin. Boring.
Well, I guess it inspired homicidal rage in me so it’s not entirely boring. Small mercies.
The world/setting/idk you know the part where this is fantasy and should have worldbuilding:
I do not understand this world. It is so poorly described I felt like I was lost in a funhouse mirror maze. What are these locations? How are they related? Why is there fantasy racism that is glossed over?
Why is there a vampire genocide going on? Why are the forest vampires both idyllic and ruled by this glorious queen Ava won’t shut up about but also muddy hungry weirdos?? HOw does this work!! The flame witches are all-powerful little genocidal freaks. I hope they all die.
Select quotes for your exquisite suffering:
Presenting Exhibit A to the jury: is she aware that all blood smells like copper, not just human? (she is very stupid)
Why not!!!!!!! ok. lemme pick this one apart.
Why wouldn’t it be a coincidence? Maybe she got a bloody nose or something, those can get really nasty.
Does she really think Ava would eat a person, get covered in blood, and then NOT WASH HER FACE FOR THREE DAYS girl you are dumber than a worm (my apologies to wormkind)
are you serious!! people missed a DOUBLE WIDE DOOR SIZED HOLE IN THEIR DANGER WALL you all deserve to die
this comes with a minor caveat that i (obviously) did not finish the book, so maybe (lol as if) it gets addressed, but i seriously doubt it.
This is picture perfect cult material. If the author meant to make the Flame witch stuff a serious cult, then A+ this is amazing. I don’t think it’s on purpose though, so F- effort making them sound reasonable.
why would graduating baby training make you an equal with well established and powerful people!! i suspect you are defeated by some cardboard boxes
BITCH WHAT
you hate her and you have zero proof omg please die
what the hell kind of gravel shows footsteps
Overall, I strongly recommend against even trying this book. I do not know why it exists or why no one edited it.
Caveat 2: I got this as an ARC so maybe some of the dumber shit got fixed. I doubt it though, you’d need a whole new book to fix it.
I loved the cover on this, it’s gorgeous, evocative, stunning. The concept sounded so good!
Anyway, that’s it for positivity.
Plot:
I don’t think I hit a plot yet. Characters don’t really have motivations. Things just happen to them or around them. They have little agency and they both feel like puppets. I was informed there is never a plot.
I tried to read to the point where the MCs even meet, and I assumed it would be shortly after I bailed…but my friend who made it halfway through told me they don’t meet for a long time after that. This is a romance book, is it not? Or there’s supposed to be one? Or you know, at the very least, the plot is centered around their interpersonal conflict? Fun fact: your characters have to meet to have any of that happen!
There’s this bizarre dichotomy of having very serious subjects introduced and then just skated over. Racism, abuse, torture, etc. The characters are just like la di da what do you mean this is supposed to affect me. If you’re going to include these, please treat them with a modicum of respect. It would make for a more compelling story if they were approached seriously and used to drive character arcs instead of sprinkled in like carrion beetles on the corpse of my happiness.
Characters:
This one is actually going to be a little challenging to discuss, because the characters are identical. The POV were so similar I forgot there were two characters.
Ava (this is the vampire idiot):
Please shut up about Cassiopeia, you don’t even know her! Girl. Chill. The queen is probably going to be like “damn bitch what is wrong with you get out of my house”
wow I don’t actually have anything else to say. She’s a shell of a person.
Kaye (this is the somehow even stupider one):
girl you cannot possibly walk and breathe at the same time.
She is consumed with her nonsensical need for revenge - I’m not even kidding, I do not understand why she is this way, and I don’t think she does either - but it is heinously boring. It’s like watching a toddler throw a tantrum over a sock yet nowhere near as funny.
Her revenge. You know, the revenge motivation that drives this character, her only personality trait. Where do I start.
It makes no sense. Her bestest friend disappears during a vampire attack and then she sees her later in a window with blood on her face (days later!!) and decides. Yes. She killed my mother. Whose body I did not see at all. Someone told me a vampire did it tho. I will now kill my friend without ever talking to her. Brilliant.
To rudely cap it off, she’s also like “well maybe she didn’t BUT IF SHE DID” bitch what
You know what, this actually makes even less sense to me after thinking more. Kaye knows Ava is in this tower in the middle of town, and she knows Ava is a vampire somehow, and yet no one else does? Or everyone else is okay with their mortal enemy A Vampire just chilling in town? Does this not affect how they see vampires? Ava is obviously controlled and not a muddy freak so…what is going on?
There’s also a lot of page time spent on her alleged friend turned meanie enemy Tristan, who is so two dimensional a line would be jealous. There are so many pages dedicated to their childish race to tattle(?). I’m not really sure what the motivation was there.
The writing:
This may have been one of the most repetitive books I have ever read. How many times was The Vampire Queen Cassiopeia mentioned despite her not even being present? Like 400. Information was repeated several times in sequential paragraphs. Where is the editor
Everything is over explained, relentlessly. It’s such a great combo with the repetition!! not.
This is about 100% telling and -5% showing. Actions are narrated instead of shown, which makes it very dull to read. Given the poor and choppy writing, it’s also very confusing because the actions described rarely make sense.
There’s so much info dumping as well. This is such a terrible combo - nonsensical info dumping (no context so it’s meaningless), it doesn’t work with the flow of the story, it’s repeated ad nauseam, and it’s boring. The cardinal sin. Boring.
Well, I guess it inspired homicidal rage in me so it’s not entirely boring. Small mercies.
The world/setting/idk you know the part where this is fantasy and should have worldbuilding:
I do not understand this world. It is so poorly described I felt like I was lost in a funhouse mirror maze. What are these locations? How are they related? Why is there fantasy racism that is glossed over?
Why is there a vampire genocide going on? Why are the forest vampires both idyllic and ruled by this glorious queen Ava won’t shut up about but also muddy hungry weirdos?? HOw does this work!! The flame witches are all-powerful little genocidal freaks. I hope they all die.
Select quotes for your exquisite suffering:
I’ve never liked the coppery smell of blood; something about the scent feels so sinister. Reminds me I’m actually drinking human blood.
Presenting Exhibit A to the jury: is she aware that all blood smells like copper, not just human? (she is very stupid)
I can’t accept it as coincidence that Ava disappeared that same day and I saw her with blood on her chin a few days later.
Why not!!!!!!! ok. lemme pick this one apart.
Why wouldn’t it be a coincidence? Maybe she got a bloody nose or something, those can get really nasty.
Does she really think Ava would eat a person, get covered in blood, and then NOT WASH HER FACE FOR THREE DAYS girl you are dumber than a worm (my apologies to wormkind)
Then I see it, and my breath catches in my throat. There, near the bottom left of the darkness, a giant hole gapes in the Bone Wall. The bone shards cut off around it in jagged edges. It’s big enough for at least two people to walk in, side by side.
are you serious!! people missed a DOUBLE WIDE DOOR SIZED HOLE IN THEIR DANGER WALL you all deserve to die
The second rule a Flame witch must know is that we trust one another first. If one among us strays too far, bring them back into the fold and remind them of our mission. For the moment we fall apart is when our enemy succeeds, and when the beast overtakes the man. —Training Academy for Young Witches of Arborren
this comes with a minor caveat that i (obviously) did not finish the book, so maybe (lol as if) it gets addressed, but i seriously doubt it.
This is picture perfect cult material. If the author meant to make the Flame witch stuff a serious cult, then A+ this is amazing. I don’t think it’s on purpose though, so F- effort making them sound reasonable.
Once I’m graduated, I’ll be able to speak to Liander as more of an equal. Right now, no one would trust the word of a trainee Flame witch over an esteemed Clarity councilor with the emperor’s favor like Eugenia Serení.
why would graduating baby training make you an equal with well established and powerful people!! i suspect you are defeated by some cardboard boxes
I need status to my name and I need proof that her daughter was involved in my mother’s death.
BITCH WHAT
you hate her and you have zero proof omg please die
In the gravel below, a trail of footsteps
what the hell kind of gravel shows footsteps
Overall, I strongly recommend against even trying this book. I do not know why it exists or why no one edited it.
Caveat 2: I got this as an ARC so maybe some of the dumber shit got fixed. I doubt it though, you’d need a whole new book to fix it.
March 10, 2023
Upon hearing of it, I was very interested in The Witch and the Vampire, as it seemed to have everything I look for in a book. Unfortunately, as I got my hands on a copy, I found the writing to fall quite short. For me, the main appeal of this book was the Rapunzel retelling premise and enemies-to-lovers plot line. Unfortunately, I found that the non-romantic plot was not given much page time, and that the enemies-to-lovers relationship did not work, as it was only one sided. Ava was simply too good and forgiving of a character to feel real, and Kaye's assumptions and reason to hate her felt dumb. It was hard to root for them as a couple when I didn't sense any tension. Overall, this story had a ton of potential, but I found the writing to feel very simple. Still, I'm sure for some this will be a worth while read based off some of the stronger elements, such as the atmosphere and sapphic representation.
Thank you to to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 13, 2022
☆ 2 / 5 ☆
i wanted to like this SO BAD- there were so many good ideas in there but the execution was very poor & all the characters have the personality of a wet blanket :') it was a pretty quick read though and i kept myself engaged hoping for it to redeem itself (it didn't)
i wanted to like this SO BAD- there were so many good ideas in there but the execution was very poor & all the characters have the personality of a wet blanket :') it was a pretty quick read though and i kept myself engaged hoping for it to redeem itself (it didn't)
November 6, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this earc
This book was not for me. Let me just start with the fact that it is very hard to write a fantasy standalone. This book was an example why.
First, the world felt absolutely tiny and flat. If you ask me to draw a map, it would have two towns and a forest. That’s it.
Second, the magic/vampire system was completely undeveloped. Some vampires were incredibly bloodthirsty when first awoken but for some little glass of blood was enough? Ava cannot last few hours without blood for some of the book, but when “she’s strong” she can go days?
Also, if vampires are just messed up witches, does using the witch magic makes them more thirsty for blood? Because it clearly doesn’t work that way for Ava.
Even after finishing this book, I’m still not sure how many types of witches are there. And if they whole purpose is to fight vampires, what’s did they do before?
Kaye was super boring character who couldn’t make up her mind. Where the heck did she get the fact that Ava killed her mom? And then after spending two days with her, she let go of all the prejudices and its love? Makes absolutely no sense. Don’t even get me started on the fact that Kaye was okay with being turned into a vampire after having their whole existence.
And the forest? I needed a lot more explanation on what happened after the tree was destroyed.
Don’t forget Tristan, who was probably the most useless character in history. He couldn’t stand up to his father, did basically nothing and then died for no reason.
This book should have been a series or at least had a better world building. I honestly didn’t like anything about it.
This book was not for me. Let me just start with the fact that it is very hard to write a fantasy standalone. This book was an example why.
First, the world felt absolutely tiny and flat. If you ask me to draw a map, it would have two towns and a forest. That’s it.
Second, the magic/vampire system was completely undeveloped. Some vampires were incredibly bloodthirsty when first awoken but for some little glass of blood was enough? Ava cannot last few hours without blood for some of the book, but when “she’s strong” she can go days?
Also, if vampires are just messed up witches, does using the witch magic makes them more thirsty for blood? Because it clearly doesn’t work that way for Ava.
Even after finishing this book, I’m still not sure how many types of witches are there. And if they whole purpose is to fight vampires, what’s did they do before?
Kaye was super boring character who couldn’t make up her mind. Where the heck did she get the fact that Ava killed her mom? And then after spending two days with her, she let go of all the prejudices and its love? Makes absolutely no sense. Don’t even get me started on the fact that Kaye was okay with being turned into a vampire after having their whole existence.
And the forest? I needed a lot more explanation on what happened after the tree was destroyed.
Don’t forget Tristan, who was probably the most useless character in history. He couldn’t stand up to his father, did basically nothing and then died for no reason.
This book should have been a series or at least had a better world building. I honestly didn’t like anything about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
May 13, 2022
April 1, 2023
thank you to wednesday books, st. martin’s press, and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
buckle up folks because i’ve got a rant coming for y’all.
let’s start off with the main thing that made me worried about reading this book in the first place. the concern over the vampire story relying/mirroring too heavily on blood libel. i’m not going to go into the specifics on what blood libel is or exactly how it impacts my community, the jewish community. but, this was brought up as a potential worry by non-jewish reviewers. and i’d have to say, i definitely agree with their worry. now, i doubt the author probably knows much or even realized how much their story parallels with it, but let’s get into it. i think the most obvious note that stuck out to me in terms of the vampires, was that they were genuinely called blood beasts with pure hatred by humans and witches. not excluding our MAIN CHARACTER for a decent portion of the book. (she said it with chutzpah. it was truly some deep rooted hatred that she harbored.) but more than that, they’re locked out of society by a literal wall. they’re called lifeless, soulless, monsters. they’re hunted by witches and humans. they’re seen as irredeemable and othered. see the picture i’m painting? so yeah, i’d say that borders just a tad too close to blood libel for my liking.
but okay, let’s ignore that for now, there’s still a ton of other things that just fell right through the cracks with the world-building. starting with ava and her mother. ava was turned by her mother, our supposed mother gothel figure (although the similarities to rapunzel are sparing), eugenia. a big part of the lore is that only those who have the same witch affinity could borrow/steal powers from someone younger than them. additionally, witches in their late teen years are at their strongest and essentially need their powers siphoned off so they can control it? or do they? because the only one that happens to is ava. sure, fine. all is dandy. except wait no, it’s not. because the other big part of the lore is that only witches who are turned into vampires as teens can retain their powers. so shouldn’t eugenia have NO power. how is she conveniently able to steal her daughters powers when she’s an adult vampire. don’t you think that would mean OTHER witches turned vampires would do that to young witches. and yet, we only ever see ava’s mother do it. make it make sense.
now not only that, but WHAT is the witches magic system. time and again we’re told that there are witches with different affinities. but how many? we have nine clarity members, but then also two of them were flame witches, so are there only eight types? we only ever see flame and root witches in action, and are told of only one more type. do these other type of witches not care? and where are they? what’s the purpose of mentioning them then? it’s just so many little things like that that make the details fall through.
anyway, we’ve spoken about the witches lore, let’s move onto the vampire lore. so, vampires have to feast every few days. if they don’t they’ll become more aggressive, more erratic in their need for blood, right? why doesn’t this rule apply to ava? time and again at the beginning of the book we’re told that she was fed a lot more often, making her even more reliant on having a steady source of blood flow. sure ava doesn’t want to kill people, fine whatever. but she still needs to feast in some way. why is it after one or two mentions the first day in the woods about her thirst, it’s pretty never brought up again. all of the sudden, she’s fine. she can just be stronger than needing blood like she used to a DAY ago. no hunger, no desperate desires. yep, that adds up. she does eventually get blood periodically through the events (although i’m still not quite sure how many days pass during the book events). but it seems like it should have a bit more grip on her. but nope, ava is just that willfully strong that she can just say no. idk y’all… like, am i missing something here?
but okay, lets move away from any more of the world building. we’ve established pretty well how i feel about all that. let’s move onto our main girls ava and kaye. oh... yeah, and some tristan dude i guess. i’m sorry but you could’ve removed tristan from the story and it would’ve turned out the exact same. like the poor boy had the personality of cardboard and was literally there just a character to be there when kaye or ava needed an extra pair of hands. but enough about him. let’s talk about the girls. i just did not believe their love story, their chemistry. it was a pretty big case of “i can change them for the better”. ava was this pure, understanding person who wanted everyone to have their own better lives. (i mean until she totally wasn’t anymore, but that’s neither here nor there, i’m not really surprised with her arc). but kaye? kaye deeply hated vampires and especially ava, who she somehow thought killed her mother. that was all overturned for their “budding” relationship after a couple days together. we’d be told that they have this massive friendship through flashbacks. that they have very important, sentimental items (like scarves that are only mentioned TWICE). but in the present? i don’t see it.
there’s so much more unexplained things about the book that i could get into. the glowing lake, the forest swallowing the people, the arkana speaking to ava (why though?), the writing, the pacing and order of the chapters. but we’d genuinely be here all day. and i don’t want to think about this book anymore right now. it took me over two weeks to finish a book that usually only take me a few days. i’m exhausted by this world. so that's it, goodbye.
buckle up folks because i’ve got a rant coming for y’all.
let’s start off with the main thing that made me worried about reading this book in the first place. the concern over the vampire story relying/mirroring too heavily on blood libel. i’m not going to go into the specifics on what blood libel is or exactly how it impacts my community, the jewish community. but, this was brought up as a potential worry by non-jewish reviewers. and i’d have to say, i definitely agree with their worry. now, i doubt the author probably knows much or even realized how much their story parallels with it, but let’s get into it. i think the most obvious note that stuck out to me in terms of the vampires, was that they were genuinely called blood beasts with pure hatred by humans and witches. not excluding our MAIN CHARACTER for a decent portion of the book. (she said it with chutzpah. it was truly some deep rooted hatred that she harbored.) but more than that, they’re locked out of society by a literal wall. they’re called lifeless, soulless, monsters. they’re hunted by witches and humans. they’re seen as irredeemable and othered. see the picture i’m painting? so yeah, i’d say that borders just a tad too close to blood libel for my liking.
but okay, let’s ignore that for now, there’s still a ton of other things that just fell right through the cracks with the world-building. starting with ava and her mother. ava was turned by her mother, our supposed mother gothel figure (although the similarities to rapunzel are sparing), eugenia. a big part of the lore is that only those who have the same witch affinity could borrow/steal powers from someone younger than them. additionally, witches in their late teen years are at their strongest and essentially need their powers siphoned off so they can control it? or do they? because the only one that happens to is ava. sure, fine. all is dandy. except wait no, it’s not. because the other big part of the lore is that only witches who are turned into vampires as teens can retain their powers. so shouldn’t eugenia have NO power. how is she conveniently able to steal her daughters powers when she’s an adult vampire. don’t you think that would mean OTHER witches turned vampires would do that to young witches. and yet, we only ever see ava’s mother do it. make it make sense.
now not only that, but WHAT is the witches magic system. time and again we’re told that there are witches with different affinities. but how many? we have nine clarity members, but then also two of them were flame witches, so are there only eight types? we only ever see flame and root witches in action, and are told of only one more type. do these other type of witches not care? and where are they? what’s the purpose of mentioning them then? it’s just so many little things like that that make the details fall through.
anyway, we’ve spoken about the witches lore, let’s move onto the vampire lore. so, vampires have to feast every few days. if they don’t they’ll become more aggressive, more erratic in their need for blood, right? why doesn’t this rule apply to ava? time and again at the beginning of the book we’re told that she was fed a lot more often, making her even more reliant on having a steady source of blood flow. sure ava doesn’t want to kill people, fine whatever. but she still needs to feast in some way. why is it after one or two mentions the first day in the woods about her thirst, it’s pretty never brought up again. all of the sudden, she’s fine. she can just be stronger than needing blood like she used to a DAY ago. no hunger, no desperate desires. yep, that adds up. she does eventually get blood periodically through the events (although i’m still not quite sure how many days pass during the book events). but it seems like it should have a bit more grip on her. but nope, ava is just that willfully strong that she can just say no. idk y’all… like, am i missing something here?
but okay, lets move away from any more of the world building. we’ve established pretty well how i feel about all that. let’s move onto our main girls ava and kaye. oh... yeah, and some tristan dude i guess. i’m sorry but you could’ve removed tristan from the story and it would’ve turned out the exact same. like the poor boy had the personality of cardboard and was literally there just a character to be there when kaye or ava needed an extra pair of hands. but enough about him. let’s talk about the girls. i just did not believe their love story, their chemistry. it was a pretty big case of “i can change them for the better”. ava was this pure, understanding person who wanted everyone to have their own better lives. (i mean until she totally wasn’t anymore, but that’s neither here nor there, i’m not really surprised with her arc). but kaye? kaye deeply hated vampires and especially ava, who she somehow thought killed her mother. that was all overturned for their “budding” relationship after a couple days together. we’d be told that they have this massive friendship through flashbacks. that they have very important, sentimental items (like scarves that are only mentioned TWICE). but in the present? i don’t see it.
there’s so much more unexplained things about the book that i could get into. the glowing lake, the forest swallowing the people, the arkana speaking to ava (why though?), the writing, the pacing and order of the chapters. but we’d genuinely be here all day. and i don’t want to think about this book anymore right now. it took me over two weeks to finish a book that usually only take me a few days. i’m exhausted by this world. so that's it, goodbye.
Want to read
March 8, 2023I GOT APPROVED FOR AN AUDIO ARC FROM NETGALLEY <3
March 21, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC. It hasn't affected the content of my review.
This book doesn't deserve this cover. This author doesn't deserve this premise. Rapunzel retelling? Where Rapunzel? Where? She was in a tower for a hot minute, whoop-de-doo. She has long hair . . . that plays no part in the plot. This is a story inspired by Rapunzel, at best, but it's really not anywhere at all the same story. SECONDLY. The lesbians were done misjustice to. What an absolute lack of chemistry. What an amazing amount of terribly flowery prose trying to convince us these two personality-free people were in love with each other.
It's truly amazing how a book can be underwritten and overwritten at the same time, but this book manages it.
I'm sorry, all that just came out, because I'm frustrated. The first person present tense narrative voice was an absolute disaster, doing what it nearly always does with inexperienced (and not very talented) authors, in that it washes out character and makes the writer have to live in the moment in a way the story doesn't necessarily need. Writers, please consider third person POV, it is a wonderful POV. Please also consider past tense so your characters don't sound like brainless amoebas who are only concerned with is going on RIGHT NOW. I do not need descriptions of everything that is happening around you and everything you are doing constantly, please just tell me a story.
And to top it all off, the plot took this premise to just about the least interesting places it could have gone. Very serious subject matter was quickly moved past, and stuff that should have been barely mentioned was endlessly dwelled on. A major plot in this novel is that one character is thirsty in a lush forest. I can't even just thinking about it.
I do not recommend that you read this book. Probably its target audience and younger would like it, but it is not a young adult book that adults can enjoy. It is basic, starter YA. I wish I hadn't requested an ARC, or that I'd looked at the early reviews and the terrible average rating before requesting. Could have saved myself some mental hassle.
Please don't stop sending me ARCs, I do really like them.
This book doesn't deserve this cover. This author doesn't deserve this premise. Rapunzel retelling? Where Rapunzel? Where? She was in a tower for a hot minute, whoop-de-doo. She has long hair . . . that plays no part in the plot. This is a story inspired by Rapunzel, at best, but it's really not anywhere at all the same story. SECONDLY. The lesbians were done misjustice to. What an absolute lack of chemistry. What an amazing amount of terribly flowery prose trying to convince us these two personality-free people were in love with each other.
It's truly amazing how a book can be underwritten and overwritten at the same time, but this book manages it.
I'm sorry, all that just came out, because I'm frustrated. The first person present tense narrative voice was an absolute disaster, doing what it nearly always does with inexperienced (and not very talented) authors, in that it washes out character and makes the writer have to live in the moment in a way the story doesn't necessarily need. Writers, please consider third person POV, it is a wonderful POV. Please also consider past tense so your characters don't sound like brainless amoebas who are only concerned with is going on RIGHT NOW. I do not need descriptions of everything that is happening around you and everything you are doing constantly, please just tell me a story.
And to top it all off, the plot took this premise to just about the least interesting places it could have gone. Very serious subject matter was quickly moved past, and stuff that should have been barely mentioned was endlessly dwelled on. A major plot in this novel is that one character is thirsty in a lush forest. I can't even just thinking about it.
I do not recommend that you read this book. Probably its target audience and younger would like it, but it is not a young adult book that adults can enjoy. It is basic, starter YA. I wish I hadn't requested an ARC, or that I'd looked at the early reviews and the terrible average rating before requesting. Could have saved myself some mental hassle.
Please don't stop sending me ARCs, I do really like them.
April 15, 2023
Not
a Rapunzel retelling, just a whole-lotta telling.
November 9, 2022
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary review copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating.
Content warnings: Parent death, animal death, abuse
Ava and Kaye were once friends. Now, separated by years, Ava is desperate to get out of the tower she’s trapped in and Kaye is determined to avenge her mother, who she believes was murdered by Ava. The two journey into the forest together with different motives, where they question what they know about each other and themselves.
This is my first book by this author and I’m impressed! The writing was very captivating, and so was the plot. Tangled is one of my favorite Disney movies so I loved the Rapunzel parallels this book had! Additionally, I loved Ava and Kaye, both separately and as a couple.
Content warnings: Parent death, animal death, abuse
Ava and Kaye were once friends. Now, separated by years, Ava is desperate to get out of the tower she’s trapped in and Kaye is determined to avenge her mother, who she believes was murdered by Ava. The two journey into the forest together with different motives, where they question what they know about each other and themselves.
This is my first book by this author and I’m impressed! The writing was very captivating, and so was the plot. Tangled is one of my favorite Disney movies so I loved the Rapunzel parallels this book had! Additionally, I loved Ava and Kaye, both separately and as a couple.
March 16, 2023
Ugh this cover is so cute but that’s the only good thing about this book. The pacing is off and I was pretty bored for most of the time. I was ready for cute romance but I didn’t really buy it. Both characters were not really likable. By the time it started picking up, it just felt too late for me. There's also absolutely zero world building.
So sad as I wanted to love this but thank you so much to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!
So sad as I wanted to love this but thank you so much to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!
December 24, 2023
Zawód i rozczarowanie. Słaba narracja pierwszoosobowa, nijacy bohaterowie. Książkę ratuje tylko zakończenie i romans, który z resztą z początku też dawał mi się we znaki.
March 29, 2023
This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
This was just okay for me. Ava was turned into a vampire by her mother who keeps her locked in her room, stealing her magic whenever she can. Kaye lost her mother on the same night that Ava became a vampire and blames Ava for her death. Ava turns to Kaye for help when trying to escape her home and Kaye ends up learning that not all vampires are evil.
Unfortunately, I never was completely invested in this story. Even when things were going horribly wrong for the characters, I just didn’t feel a whole lot for them. I was quite curious about how things would work out for the characters. It was a nice enough tale but ultimately rather forgettable.
I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrators did a good job with the story. I believe that this is the first time that I have listened to Bailey Carr’s and Mary Helen Gallucci’s narration and I was impressed by their work. I believe that their narration only improved my reading experience.
I think that a lot of readers will enjoy this one more than I did. I would encourage anyone who thinks the story sounds interesting to give it a try.
I received a review copy of this book from Wednesday Books and Dreamscape Media.
This was just okay for me. Ava was turned into a vampire by her mother who keeps her locked in her room, stealing her magic whenever she can. Kaye lost her mother on the same night that Ava became a vampire and blames Ava for her death. Ava turns to Kaye for help when trying to escape her home and Kaye ends up learning that not all vampires are evil.
Unfortunately, I never was completely invested in this story. Even when things were going horribly wrong for the characters, I just didn’t feel a whole lot for them. I was quite curious about how things would work out for the characters. It was a nice enough tale but ultimately rather forgettable.
I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrators did a good job with the story. I believe that this is the first time that I have listened to Bailey Carr’s and Mary Helen Gallucci’s narration and I was impressed by their work. I believe that their narration only improved my reading experience.
I think that a lot of readers will enjoy this one more than I did. I would encourage anyone who thinks the story sounds interesting to give it a try.
I received a review copy of this book from Wednesday Books and Dreamscape Media.
Read
December 21, 2023Це було погано. Той момент коли ми маємо вірити на слово авторці і вона розповідає нам прямим текстом все що стається, а не показує. «вони були подругами» - чому? Як? Слабо віриться у все. Також лор пояснений абзацами це те, що робиться у Вікіпедії, а не в історії. Таке.
Як прочитала десь недавно - раніше нас квірбейтили - давали хорошу історію і обіцяли квір репрезентацію, якої не було. Зараз нас історія-бейтять, обіцяють нам «квір» але хорошої історії по суті немає.
Як прочитала десь недавно - раніше нас квірбейтили - давали хорошу історію і обіцяли квір репрезентацію, якої не було. Зараз нас історія-бейтять, обіцяють нам «квір» але хорошої історії по суті немає.
September 7, 2022
(I received an ARC of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.)
I was extremely excited to see that I won a giveaway for one of my most anticipated reads from next year! When I got this book, I couldn't help by marvel at the cover, and then I had to stop myself from devouring this book in one day. Which was a huge feat in and of itself.
To begin, I absolutely love supernatural stories with witches and vampires, so this book was very much up my alley. Plus, it's sapphic, so I was sold basically from the start. I had very high hopes from the description of this book, and I was not disappointed in the slightest!
Kaye and Ava are two extremely fleshed out characters from the beginning. They're messy and wholly realistic. Each of them have their own voice, and it is wonderful to be able to get each of their points of view. Their growth throughout the story is great to witness from each of their perspectives.
Each element of the story feels important to Kaye's and Ava's journeys, both separately and together. I found myself in awe of the not only the other characters, but also the setting. The forest feels genuinely alive on the page. It's just as much part of the story as the characters.
The idea of witches and vampires, as well as witches being able to be turned into vampires, is intriguing. I'm reminded of TVD universe with the lore surrounding these creatures in the book. It felt familiar yet new, which was wonderful!
The end of this story leaves room for another installment, which I hope does happen at some point. I do have to say that the ending does bring you a sense of closure for the story, but I would be grateful to have more time with the characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend this to anyone who loves this genre!
I was extremely excited to see that I won a giveaway for one of my most anticipated reads from next year! When I got this book, I couldn't help by marvel at the cover, and then I had to stop myself from devouring this book in one day. Which was a huge feat in and of itself.
To begin, I absolutely love supernatural stories with witches and vampires, so this book was very much up my alley. Plus, it's sapphic, so I was sold basically from the start. I had very high hopes from the description of this book, and I was not disappointed in the slightest!
Kaye and Ava are two extremely fleshed out characters from the beginning. They're messy and wholly realistic. Each of them have their own voice, and it is wonderful to be able to get each of their points of view. Their growth throughout the story is great to witness from each of their perspectives.
Each element of the story feels important to Kaye's and Ava's journeys, both separately and together. I found myself in awe of the not only the other characters, but also the setting. The forest feels genuinely alive on the page. It's just as much part of the story as the characters.
The idea of witches and vampires, as well as witches being able to be turned into vampires, is intriguing. I'm reminded of TVD universe with the lore surrounding these creatures in the book. It felt familiar yet new, which was wonderful!
The end of this story leaves room for another installment, which I hope does happen at some point. I do have to say that the ending does bring you a sense of closure for the story, but I would be grateful to have more time with the characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend this to anyone who loves this genre!
February 9, 2023
This feels like it was created to spawn fanfiction. Like yes go off, old best friends who feel betrayed by each other and who each are deeply tormented and have powerful magicks! Now kiss!
I liked the core idea of the different kinds of witchcraft but the larger worldbuilding was kinda...shruggy. It definitely felt like the author wanted to give just enough detail in order to fuel the tortured magical lovers but not enough for the world to feel lived in?
Also like I had a sense that it was like kinda generic Old Fantasy Times but then there's like a one-off mention of a "freezer" like did you mean an icebox or do these bitches have electricity???
Also all the combat was clunky and boring. Also having this be a "Rapunzel retelling" on top of also being about witches, vampires, and vampire-witches is kind of like putting a hat on a hat. A wig on a wig. On a witch hat.
IDK check it out if ya horny for vampire witches I guess, and no shade if you are. There's definitely a market for this book, I'm just not it. But my guess is that you could be better served by reading Vampire Diaries fanfiction.
I liked the core idea of the different kinds of witchcraft but the larger worldbuilding was kinda...shruggy. It definitely felt like the author wanted to give just enough detail in order to fuel the tortured magical lovers but not enough for the world to feel lived in?
Also like I had a sense that it was like kinda generic Old Fantasy Times but then there's like a one-off mention of a "freezer" like did you mean an icebox or do these bitches have electricity???
Also all the combat was clunky and boring. Also having this be a "Rapunzel retelling" on top of also being about witches, vampires, and vampire-witches is kind of like putting a hat on a hat. A wig on a wig. On a witch hat.
IDK check it out if ya horny for vampire witches I guess, and no shade if you are. There's definitely a market for this book, I'm just not it. But my guess is that you could be better served by reading Vampire Diaries fanfiction.
November 26, 2023
Мені сподобалася історія, було приємно читати. Книга загалом на 3.5, на 4 не тягне.
В центрі сюжету, як не дивно, відьма Кає і вампірка Ава. Колись вони були подругами, але з тих пір, як мати Ави, Євгенія (вампірка), перетворила власну доньку на чудовище, подруги стали ворогами. Троп подруги-вороги-коханки. Так, це лесбійський вампірський роман, тому гомофоби, ідіть якнайдалі звідси, ваша думка хуйня!
Щодо сюжету. Це ретелінґ Рапунцель, щоправда Tangled Діснею, а не казки. Зла мати (як Готель) загратовує доньку в башні, аби пити з неї відьомські сили Кореня (дуже очевидно); коли та відправляється у справах, Ава втікає, в лісі зустрічає Кає, вони намагаються одна одну вбити, але вирішують співпрацювати аби вижити. При цьому у кожної своя ціль.
Щодо оповіді. Авторка так боїться, що ми, читачі, забудемо сюжет й історію, що нагадує про них кожні кілька сторінок. Плюс в моменти екшену (як це часто буває) замість екшену в нас сторінкові описи всього чого тільки можна: лісу, дерев, сторонніх персонажів, своїх переживань, здогадок, але не подій.
Якщо шукаєте легкої історії, де не хочеться думати, з приємним стилем оповіді, на один раз - вам сюди. Приємних вражень.
В центрі сюжету, як не дивно, відьма Кає і вампірка Ава. Колись вони були подругами, але з тих пір, як мати Ави, Євгенія (вампірка), перетворила власну доньку на чудовище, подруги стали ворогами. Троп подруги-вороги-коханки. Так, це лесбійський вампірський роман, тому гомофоби, ідіть якнайдалі звідси, ваша думка хуйня!
Щодо сюжету. Це ретелінґ Рапунцель, щоправда Tangled Діснею, а не казки. Зла мати (як Готель) загратовує доньку в башні, аби пити з неї відьомські сили Кореня (дуже очевидно); коли та відправляється у справах, Ава втікає, в лісі зустрічає Кає, вони намагаються одна одну вбити, але вирішують співпрацювати аби вижити. При цьому у кожної своя ціль.
Щодо оповіді. Авторка так боїться, що ми, читачі, забудемо сюжет й історію, що нагадує про них кожні кілька сторінок. Плюс в моменти екшену (як це часто буває) замість екшену в нас сторінкові описи всього чого тільки можна: лісу, дерев, сторонніх персонажів, своїх переживань, здогадок, але не подій.
Якщо шукаєте легкої історії, де не хочеться думати, з приємним стилем оповіді, на один раз - вам сюди. Приємних вражень.
May 20, 2024
Взяла цю книжку нещодавно, щоб розслабитися у відпустці. Тут немає карколомного сюжету, тут є недописані і недорозкриті персонажі. Але тим не менш, ця книжка дала мені те, що я шукала - паузу і читацьку насолоду. Її хотілося читати і дізнаватися, що ж станеться далі.
Здивована, що в неї такі низькі рейтинги :(
Здивована, що в неї такі низькі рейтинги :(
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