“Lyana would be leaving everything and everyone she’d ever known to follow her mate to his lands, as was tradition. Part of her was excited. Part of her was scared. All of her was out of kilter.”

3/5 Stars

I am one of those guilty of looking at the cover of this book and immediately enamored by prettiness. I am not ashamed. While I understand that this is meant to be a re-telling of the story of Tristan and Iseult, I am not too acquainted with the story and was still able to enjoy it, so don’t worry about any of that.

This book is Lyana, who is the princess of the Doves, and Rafe, the bastard prince of the Ravens. Their meeting before the traditional courtship trials, throws their world off-balance as they get tangled up in a battle between duty, freedom, and dreams. Neither of them aware of a secret hidden threat, both worlds away and right at home, that threatens to take what little they have for themselves.

I really liked this book for two things that it did well. The first was the plot. I think the plot was really elegantly planned and come together well. I loved the different sections of the books that weren’t explicitly drawn out, but were very clear. There very much felt like there was a first, second, and third act. I think the first and second acts were my favorite, personally.

I really liked both Lyana and Rafe, but I did struggle connecting with them. They both did things that I found really hard to agree with, which caused some tension. They both aren’t completely honest with each other, themselves, or anyone else I guess. I did like how they fit together, but I feel like those parts were too few and far between. I understood why they wanted to be with each other, but I didn’t see it. There were no parts of the books were I looked at what was happening and said “Yeah, they clearly are meant to be together”. Since the romance is set up to be the center of this book, I was kind of disappointed that I didn’t get much of one.

The other thing that this book did really well was the world-building. It’s a beautiful lush world that you can absolutely imagine being categorized and understood through birds. I found the whole “categorized civilization” to be a bit clique, but I didn’t hate it. I was always interested in how the world was established and how it worked.

Part of this is because of the system of magic that they have. There’s a fundamental conflict in the book between was is true or whether the society they live in is based on lies, which made the world more exciting to me. Like I said, I think this is one aspect of the book that was done super well.

There is also the character of Cassi, that I should mention because she is also very much a main character. She’s Lyana’s best friend and of the Owls. I think she’s actually my favorite even though I didn’t exactly love reading her chapters. I think she’s just the most interesting to me: the most complicated, the most original, and most complex. I’m very excited to she what she amounts to in the next book.

There’s lot of side characters that I’m interested in seeing more of since the book kind of sets some of them up to have more to them. I guess I want more of Lyana’s brother, Rafe’s brother, and some more of those characters featured in the courtship trials.

TL;DR: I think this book tended to be a bit rocky at times and could have been better, but it did a great job setting up what’s coming next. I definitely would recommend it for it’s world-building and fun premise.

E-galley provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All quotations and opinions are based off an uncorrected review.

It was hard to focus on the things I liked about this story, because the foreshadowing was so heavy I spent the whole book waiting for the other shoe to drop. In the end it felt more like I had finished a prequel or reeaallly long prologue. You're basically told early on what is going to happen and then spend the rest of the book waiting for it to actually happen, and then the book ends.

There was a lot of time spent on the YA standbys of splitting all the people into their specialized houses and charting their differences, and then putting the main characters through an overly contrived trial. It felt too much like the circumstances had been invented as an excuse to set up the relationships between the main characters, instead of those relationships seeming like a natural extension of the circumstances.

Having said that, I do think certain teen readers will enjoy it. Those YA standbys exist because they work. All of the characters are likable and easy to sympathize with, somehow even when they're betraying all the other characters. I will keep this in mind for young readers who want complicated relationships without a lot of graphic content. In spite of leaning heavily on a tragic, star-crossed love that is sparked by the physical, the story remains clean, with sexual encounters hinted at but not explicitly depicted, and some violence present, but not gratuitous or heavy-handed.

I do hope more is explained about the "god stones" and what, if any, influence the waning strength of the gods has had on our main characters' fates., as well as the history of banning magic. Altogether this reads like a first novel. Someone has invented something really good here and just needs to master the art of sharing it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I cannot stop thinking about this book! Once I reached certain point, there was no stopping. I had to know how this story would end, and if my lovebirds would be okay. I have no idea how similar this book is to Tristan and Isolde, because for the life of me, I cannot remember that tale. I'm sure I could Google it, but what's the point? The Raven and the Dove was better than it could ever hope to be! (No offense to Tristan and Isolde fans, I just really loved this book!) ;)

My one teeny, tiny complaint would be the cliffhanger. I knew it was coming, I braced for it to happen, but I still felt frustrated when the story concluded. I wanted to know how people felt, what they were thinking, what might potentially happen in the next book! Instead we're left with a lot of questions and only promised answers. Our main characters are left in less-than-stellar situations, and my heart is still breaking for them. Why do authors have to be so cruel to their creations??

The Raven and the Dove was an intense read! I understood why people did bad things, and even felt like I would do something similar in their situations. I didn't know how to separate my feelings of love, hate and sympathy, since all three could be applied equally. They're flawed characters, and they're struggling with problems only the reader knows about. They don't always make the best decisions, but that just made me like them more. Did I wish they'd done things differently? Sure. However, I felt like this story was told in exactly the right way. I'm emotional, conflicted, in love with fictional winged people, and so ready for the next installment in this series. I'm willing to (mostly) overlook the cliffhanger, because it was a really good one. It answered enough to leave me feeling mollified, but not enough to completely satisfy.

There were a lot of unexpected twists and turns that kept me on my toes, and my mind eager for more information. I really enjoyed experiencing the world Davis created, and I look forward to revisiting it in the future. I'm also a sucker for prophesies, and love seeing how they play out over time! The prophesies always happen, but rarely in the way I think they will (similar to Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Gregor the Overlander).

Have I convinced you yet? No?

1. There's magic that has solid, believable rules. It's applied in ways both foreign and familiar.
2. There are people with wings and birdlike mannerisms that follow traditions so old, no one can remember why they're done. Although, the trials and ceremonies were beautifully rendered.
3. There's a mysterious mist that layers the land below (no one knows what's down there), and dragons rise from its depths. They spew flames and leave chaos in their wake.
4. There are ancient gods, even older wars, and relationships more complicated than a Rubik's Cube.

Now you're dying to read it, right?? If you enjoy fantasies or retellings (or just really great books), The Raven and the Dove is definitely worth checking out! (★★★★⋆)

I was pleasantly surprised by this!
Sure, the plot was predictable at times but I really enjoyed the characters and their secrets - Cassi and Xander in particular made my heart beat faster every time they graced the pages.
I do feel like the writing was a bit bland at times and sometimes the PoVs sounded too close to each other to the point where I couldn't distinguish who was who if it weren't for the chapter titles but I loved them all so much that it didn't take away from my enjoyment all that much.
Can't wait for the next installment!

I don’t know how exactly I feel about this book. I didn’t dislike it but I didn’t love it either which is why it’s getting three stars which I think accurately describes how I feel about it. It’s a good beginning to a series that I’m definitely interested in continuing.

There are four main characters and the POV shifts throughout the book between the four of them. First up we have Lyana. She was not my favorite. I honestly found her super fucking annoying. She was a spoiled entitled princess who likes to do things of her volition and god forbid anybody tells her no. She was not someone I liked and she didn’t really grow on me throughout the course of the book.

Cassi is probably my favorite of the four narrators. I thought she was such an interesting character with a great back story and a good development arc throughout the book. She does things you don’t expect her to do but that somehow makes you like her more. I’m excited to see where she goes in the next book.

Rafe and Xander I’m going to group together because they felt the same to me. I didn’t really love or hate either one of them. They were kind of just there. I will say that I liked Xander a tiny bit more than Rafe and he’s really the one I’m looking forward to in the next book.

The plot didn’t do much for me. I found it kind of boring. I found myself skimming a lot because I was trying to find something that interested me. I don’t know. I just don’t think I connected well to the story and so I wasn’t as interested as I might have been.

The writing was pretty good. I wasn’t annoyed by the multiple POVs due to the fact that they were in third person which I enjoy a lot more than first person multiple POV books. The writing overall was solid and laid down a good foundation on which to build the story upon. I’m interested to see where the rest of the series goes.

I’m pretty sure this is an indie publication which is pretty cool. I commend the author for self-publishing and I think that’s amazing. I think I’m getting bored of YA and it’s all becoming a bit too repetitive for me. I’ve found myself more captivated by adult or new adult genre books so I might be taking a break from YA while I try to figure out exactly what it is I like to read.

I was over the moon to receive this eARC from Netgalley. I've been seeing this book everywhere and knew it was going to be a must read for me. The world Kaitlyn Davis built is FASCINATING! I want more. The complex relationships and politics are so intriguing and I need more history and backstory for each of these houses. I loved the characters and their relationships. I was heartbroken by several things and I cannot wait to see where the characters go next in the sequel. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

This book was a pleasant surprise. I honestly did not expect to like it as much as I did. The Raven and the Dove is the first book in a new YA romance fantasy series by Kaitlyn Davis. The world we read about is inhabited by winged humans (avians) who live on several floating islands. No one knows what exists on the ground below. No one ever ventures beyond the mist that they see from their floating world for fear of dragons who once in a while attack lower floating islands. We follow four main perspectives in this novel: Lyana, a dove princess, Cassi, an owl orphan and Lyana's friend, and two ravens: Xander, the raven prince and Rafi, his bastard half-brother.

The novel begins with the mating contest: all major houses with princes and princesses of mating age get together for a show of skills and forging of new alliances. The Ravens have not been successful of securing a mate for the last several years. They are therefore determined to turn their luck around.

One thing I'd like to note about this book is that it is filled with deceptions and lies. Pretty much every main character is deceiving someone who trusts them completely at some point in this book. Because there are so many manipulations going on and everyone is pursuing their own agenda, the author is able to keep the reader interested in what is coming next. At the same time, I think so much deceit can be a turn-off for some readers.

Overall, I did enjoy this book (but not all the lying), and will definitely read the sequel which is coming out very soon in September. 4 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

5 stars! Forever and ever 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After seeing the cover and reading the blurb for this book I knew 100% I would have to read it because it sounded right up my alley.

First of all, before the review comes, I just need to say I need a book two RIGHT NOW because I have so SO many questions and so many thoughts and I can’t fathom the thought of waiting of even never getting to find out where this story goes.

Okay now here we go.

The Raven and the Dove is a whimsical, fast paced, epic fantasy story following 4 main characters - who you are bound to love, no matter what.

The world has been split into two, the one above and the one below the mist. The Gods answered the prayers of their people by lifting their lands and giving them islands in the sky along with wings, where they can leave free of worries and fears and enemies. What stayed below the mist, no one knows and no one wishes to find out. Rumours circle around dangerous waves and fires so hot no one would ever be able so survive them.
Princess Lyana is the princess of the House of Peace, one of the islands in the sky, and she is about to be mated for life in the courtship trials. Each island above is representative of their own house, their own god, and they all participate in the courtship trials. Each House is also representative of a different kind of bird, with wings and skills to match their patron.

Lyana is adventurous, intelligent, incredibly beautiful and fiery. Cassi is Lyana’s best friend and always has been. Xander is the Prince of the House of Whispers. Rafe is Xander’s brother and best friend. Our four main characters all get a turn at showing is their last and their side of the story and having the chance to get to know the characters so well elevates the story to a whole other level of magnificence.

Kaitlyn Davis created a world so compelling, so vast and so interesting that I will forever be left wishing I could go and live in one of the islands above, exploring every single one of them. This book is so well crafted, so well written, it’s magical all on its own. The story is so well developed and so imaginative, it wrapped me around in its arms from the very first page.

The Raven and the Dove is a story about love, friendship, family, belief and duty. And the characters have magic and wings, so it truly has everything you would need.

I highly highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It’s such a refreshing, page turning fantásticos story that I feel everyone should be reading.

Very well deserved 5 stars and please for the love of God I need a second one NOW!

I'm a simple girl, I see a cover I like, I read the Synopsis and I request it and was super lucky to be able to receive and ARC for this!

Out of all of the ARCS I've received this is the one I was most excited about, I'd seen it on goodreads and had added it to my TBR so I was over the moon!

I really did enjoy this, maybe as not as much as what I thought I would.

The Pros:
- The World Building
- I was well and truly hooked and wanted to know more!
- Ooooooft the romance
- Different House... IN THE SKY it was just so good!

Why it wasn't a 5 Stars?
Well there were some things that fell slightly flat, and some of the characters were left under developed. I think it's noticeable because the "main" characters were executed so well it was hard not to notice.

Overall I really did enjoy this book and can't wait to continue on with this series!

I've been putting off writing this. I just don't have much to say. This kind of left me a little...meh.

There wasn't anything particularly wrong. It just felt like set up for a series. Of course, you need set up, but not a full-length book worth of it. I also don't feel attached or strongly about any of the characters. I would read more in this series to see if there is more to the characters and overall plot, but I'm not dying to read more.

I really liked The Raven and the Dove and I can't wait for the next book!
What I loved the most was the world building and the magic system! Even though we learnt a lot of things about some of the characters, the magic and the world, there's still so much we don't really know!! It's so interesting to read something different, very refreshing!

I have to say that the little glimpses we got from the world down the mist, made it even more fascinated! I really can't wait to read the next installment, because from the twists in the end of the first book, I am pretty sure that the second will be split between the two worlds!

What I didn't get was the retelling aspect, but that's probably because I don't really know the story of Tristan and Isolde that well...
Rafe and Lyanna were amazing and I loved them both! Xander on the other hand felt like a good enough character, but I can't of felt nothing about him.. I don't know why...

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[REVIEW UP MARCH 8TH, 2020 AT 10PM GMT+1 ON MY BLOG AND GOODREADS]

The Raven and the Dove is the kind of novel that swoops you in so gently you wouldn’t feel it until you’ve read 300 pages in one sitting and are left not knowing what time is it or how to behave in the real world.

while i was excited for this book, i did not expect to like it as much as i did. all i knew about it what that it was a high fantasy retelling of Tristan and Isolde. i discovered that it is that, and more.

the plot was not only well-executed, but also developping in a gripping way: not to slow to feel bored but also not too fast to feel overwhelmed. i found it just the right pace, and the world-building was thouroughly explained and not thrown at you all at once, that way the reader assimilates all the information and understands the story, making it easy to feel closer to the story and its characters.

while some of the side-characters felt a little flat, most of the main ones were complex and mysterious, and made me want to discover what would happen to them next. their development was well executed, the chemistery between them didn’t feel forced, nor did the romance. speaking of romance, i liked how it felt like a crescendo going up and up until the two characters hit a climax.

(YES, FEED ME ALL THE SLOW-BURN-HITTING-A-CLIMAX ROMANCE, I AM A SLAVE FOR IT.)

but i think what made the novel enjoyable the most was the writing. kaitlyn davis captures feelings and images in a way that makes you believe you’re the one living them, not the characters. and that’s beautiful, i was in awe the whole time.

in conclusion, this magical book was worth the try, and rekindled my relationship with fantasy (which i had not picked up/enjoyed in years), i highly recommend it if you’re looking for something beautifully written, or if fantasy isn’t something you read a lot of!

Firstly, the world building in this book is awesome! A world above the clouds, different kingdoms representing different avian influences, winged people, forbidden powers, and its own myth/religion system help provide a uniqueness to this novel. I really enjoyed the interpretations of the different bird kingdoms, how they looked, acted, and were perceived based on their bird-based wings. Princess Lyana Aethionus of the Doves and Rafe, bastard half-brother to the prince of the Ravens, are our two lovebirds (pun intended) who meet due to a dangerous situation involving a dragon and a realization that they share the same potentially deadly secret. Along with these two are Cassie, Lyana’s best friend, and Prince Xander who are important characters that I quickly came to like. Betrayal, trickery, and constant plot twists had me wondering what would happen next.

What kept this novel from being a five star for me was a lot going on in the second half of the plot that pulled focus away from some unfinished ideas and rushed too quickly to a huge cliffhanger that left me feeling unsatisfied.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kaitlyn Davis for access to the arc in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

“If anyone could bring color to a house made of black, it was she. If anyone could return laughter to the streets that had grown quiet from so much misfortune, it was she. If anyone could erase the past and restore the future, it was she.”

First off, that cover is so beautiful and immediately caught my eye. I really enjoyed the plot of this story and how utterly unique it is. We have four perspectives, Lyana, Rafe, Cassia, and Xander and the best part is they have wings!! They live in the sky on these floating cities because their god’s chose to protect them from the world below and lifted the cities in the sky and bless them all with wings.

All the different houses in the sky come together to choose their mates for each kingdom. They have to all do tasks and whoever gets the most points at the end of the trials get first pick of his/her mate. I really loved how descriptive the author was at describing these beautiful and enchanting kingdoms, but also what each kingdom’s bird and wings were. Not to mention this was a very fast paced read with a ton of plot twists and very captivating writing.

I feel as though some of the aspects were rushed and weren’t explained well. Not to mention the ending let me down a little bit, the story was leading up to this huge revelation and it didn’t feel to me that it lived up to the hype. I definitely wanted a longer, drawn out ending with more answers than questions. I get that the author had to end with a cliffhanger, but the ending was so rushed and so much happened that I just kept repeating what?? Other than that, I love how unique and promising this story was.

Plot (.5/1)
So this is supposed to be a Tristan and Isolde retelling, which I had no idea what that was supposed to be about. Did I read the book anyway? Absolutely. (Side note: I was also worried if I googled the story, I would get spoilers and I was right lol.) In terms of plot, the story felt slow. There were a lot of scenes that would take place over the same day so that you could see multiple characters interact and get a better idea of how their relationships were. This was a great approach because the story was very character-driven, so the plot progresses through the interactions. The only weakness of this approach is that there are a few dips in character interactions where multiple characters just hide away and brood, making the story a little slow in some areas.

Writing Style (1/1)
Kaitlyn Davis KNOWS how to write for teens and that is a compliment. Not many authors can write a 500+ page book that doesn't make me stop and go wait, how much longer is there? Her writing was dynamic and easy to follow. I'd been having a hard time reading lately because my attention span was all over the place. This was a great book to help me get my focus back when it comes to longer reads.

Setting (1/1)
The setting was my favorite part of the story because it was so different then a lot of the fantasy I'm used to. The story takes place over several floating islands and there's interesting mythology that explains the world state and the reasons why the people have bird wings. I'm interested to learn more about the mythology of the world because there's a lot of things that go unexplained in the first book. So you could say I'm not so patiently waiting for the second book.

Characters (.5/1)
The characters in this story were all fairly well written. Each one had motivations and feelings that made sense and helped further the plot. I loved Lyana as the main character because she felt so genuine. She shamelessly wore her heart on her sleeve and kicked ass the whole story, something I love to see when writers create their characters. Rafe played the role of the bastard son trying to please his family well. You genuinely felt his struggle and were rooting for him to find happiness. Xander and Cassi were also main characters with POVs in the story but they felt more sidelined as a majority of the drama was happening between Rafe and Lyana for about 60% of the book. I'd love to see more development for them and with the way this book ended, I have a feeling they'll get a lot more love in the next book.

Theme: Love
While the majority of the book was centered on the theme of love, I felt that there were many different forms displayed in the book. There was platonic love as Cassi and Lyana are constantly looking out for each other and supporting each other through all the changes in the book. There's brotherly love as Xander and Rafe support each other but also struggle with finding their place in the world as they live in the shadow of each other.
In terms of romantic love, Lyana and Rafe's relationship is incredibly sweet but also heartbreaking. They bond over the fact that they're both hiding magic from the world and feel as though they can truly be themselves around each other. The rest of the book they are fighting their feelings for each other as their romance is forbidden, so that leads to plenty of drama in their relationship. I think the relationship will be more interesting to me once they get some development that happens outside of the forbidden love aspect.

I thought that The Raven & The Dove was very promising but fell short in it's execution in a lot of places.
I felt that the magic was underdeveloped - however with this being predominantly a Tristan and Isolde retelling, I was willing to forgive that in lieu of a compelling romance which is something else I felt this novel did not have.
I didn't particularly like Lyana as a protagonist, I felt like her motivations were weak in comparison to Rafe, who I thought was executed perfectly, his back story and character development were my favourite thing about this book and his character was the one thing throughout this book that kept me reading and caused me to feel emotion on his behalf.
The story was quite fast paced, and I appreciate it for that, but I feel like throughout the majority of this book, nothing really happened regarding the plot or the romance, which would have been fine if there was strong character development building an epic slow burn romance but I don't feel like it delivered on that front.
Overall this felt like a very long prologue to a story and I was disappointed.

You can see me talk at length about this book here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGHVVR4omsI from 3:14-8:25

There's a lot to like here: the spin on the original tale the author gives to the original tale for one; I especially enjoyed the vibrant, unique world-building. Unfortunately, the rest of the book just didn't work for me: I didn't enjoy the pacing and had trouble connecting to the characters. While it wasn't a good fit for me and I won't be finishing it, I can absolutely see a lot about it that would appeal to others.

Have you ever looked at a cover of a book and think, “well, I want to read this even though I have no idea what this book is”? And then when you’re about to read it, you read the synopsis and realize that book is (thankfully) one of books that you may love? But then... there’s something that you wish you could rewrite, even though you enjoyed the book so much? That’s my case with The Raven and the Dove.

Truth be told, I don’t know what to expect from this book because I don’t know a story about Tristan and Isolde. I think I can relate to most people; where they say they requested this book because of the cover. Though, big applause for Kaitlyn Davis for recreating a tragedy that captures my attention wholly. I finished this book in a day and as write this, I had a book hangover where I don’t know what to talk about; just telling people this book frustates and breaks me at the same time. Kind of the same feeling I have when I read Marie Rutkoski’s The Winner’s Curse.

A WILD PRINCESS AND A BROODING PRINCE
When I met Lyana and Rafe, I knew this book would be a book that book twitter loves. Wild soul Lyana/Ana and brooding warrior Rafe? Yes, that’s my cup of tea. Although, I have to be honest with you; I can see the chemistry between the two, but the insta-love Ana had for Rafe is something I really wish I could rewrite. The relationship between our two main characters feel like... everything is thrown at them at the same time, it feels like Kaitlyn Davis have every tropes to gain readers.

The retelling is of the original couple is well executed, in my opinion. But still, I just wish it was less messier so readers don’t feel overwhelmed with a lot of emotions. It’s great to have a star-crossed lovers as your main trope, but... don’t add more pain to us, dear author.

GAME OF THRONES MEET A COURT OF THORN AND ROSES
Honestly, I googled Tristan and Isolde story before reading this, and I can say Kaitlyn Davis don’t even bother to erase few aspects from the original characters. Instead of giving me an Arthurian vibe, this book is like a mixture of Game of Thrones and A Court of Thorn and Roses. Different houses who rules different kingdom, fantasy romance, interesting religion and social caste system, magic system and... dragons!

The world is beautiful and described well in the book. But really, I can’t shake the feeling that the world building really takes inspiration from various fantasy books like A Song of Ice and Fire, A Court of Thorn and Roses and The Grisha Trilogy. No, this book is not the exact same copy, but it feels like the characters live in the same universe—only separated by a large sea.

A RECOMMENDED BOOK
Overall, if you love magic, fantasy romance AND politics, I think you’d enjoy The Raven and the Dove! But I want to remind you this book contains a cliffhanger, so if you’re not a fan of it; I suggest you should wait until book two comes out so you don’t have to wait that long for a sequel.

PERFECT BOOK FOR FANS OF
- A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- A Song of Ice and Fire by Goerge R. R. Martin
- The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

It's been a while since I've read a high fantasy book, so I was a little worried going into this novel that I wouldn't be able to concentrate. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and was fully immersed in the world.

For me, the best aspect of the book was the characters, who felt very fleshed out and relatable. There is a tragic love triangle (quite reminiscent of Tessa/Will/Jem from the Infernal Devices) between Lyana and two brothers, which honestly had me so confused about who I was rooting for, since I love both Rafe and Xander. I started off liking Cassi but events towards the end made me so angry with her, and I can't see myself forgiving her from here. I think the multiple perspectives were very helpful in allowing me to get to know each character individually, too, otherwise I would not have cared as much as I did.

The reason why I dropped a star from the rating is because the plot and world-building were quite chaotic at times, which made it hard to follow. I found myself wanting to skip those scenes, even though I needed the information for later on in the novel. I'm hoping that with most of the world and plot already established, the next book/s will be easier to follow. Nevertheless, I am very excited for the next instalment and i just hope all my faves will be okay - especially Xander.

The Raven and the Dove was an immersive, gut-wrenching and romantic fantasy and an excellent series starter. I loved the worldbuilding with the avian houses and their different strengths and styles. The four major characters were all complex and compelling and likable in their own ways. The romance and drama were delivered with great buildup and tension. There were some shocking twists and the dramatic cliffhanger left me dying for the sequel so I can know what has befallen the main characters.