I really enjoyed this book. It had everything that I love In a book and I honestly couldn’t put it down. The characters were amazing, the storyline pulled me in instantly.

So happy to finally read about a main character who is black, where the story is not fully focused on her race. This was everything and more, and I cant wait to see what else happens in this series!

<i>I received an earc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

Ok, so I didn't really know too much going into this book besides the fact that it is ya fantasy and a Tristan and Isolde retelling. But that was definitely enough to spark my interest. The tale of Tristan and Isolde has become somewhat of a favourite of mine when it comes to retellings so I was really excited to read this.

I didn't end up loving it though, as you can probably tell from the fact that I gave this book 3 stars.

It took me a couple of tries to even really start this book. I can't really say what it was but it didn't really manage to spark my interest while reading. And once I finished the first few chapters I could already tell that I didn't really care too much about the characters. Despite the fact that I really wanted to. The main characters (Lyana and Rafe) didn't feel the most original but would usually be the type of characters that I like in books of that genre. Broody guy with a tragic past and a girl that longs for more than just a life in a gilded cage and she has healing powers. Colour me intrigued.
But like I said I just couldn't really care about the characters. They felt a little flat and maybe a bit under developed?
But then again I really liked Cassi and Xander (although I gotta admit I usually root for the King Mark figure in these retellings).

I thought that the world and its magic was really interesting but I would have wanted to learn more about it. I also thought that the idea of bird-human-hybrids was a cool idea and having different courts with different species. But again, we sadly didn't get to see too much of that (but maybe in a sequel...).

One thing though that is usually a make or break for me is whether you're aware that you're reading a retelling. In a good retelling you totally forget about the original tale and it's twists and turns. You forget that you shouldn't be surprised by the turn of events but sometimes you read a retelling and all the time you just think "oh yeah, that is a retelling of Tristan and Isolde...". I constantly had the original tale and characters in front of my eyes and the story didn't really feel like it's own to me. It just didn't intrigue me enough to make me forget that this isn't an "original story". And that's a pity because I have read retellings where I was slapping my own forehead at the end because I was so surprised by the events unfolding that I forgot that I should have seen it coming.

But I do have to say that there was one thing (that I'm not gonna name here because of spoilers) that was kind of a huge thing going on in the background. It was one of the things that felt really original to me (besides the whole magic and bird aspect) and I really wanted to see where this was going. The last few chapters were a lot better and gripping to me than the first about two thirds of the book and they definitely made me want to continue with the series. I see a lot of potential for character growth and to hopefully give the characters a bit more depth.

All in all a slow read for me, not gonna lie, but in the end it was worth it. It felt more cohesive towards the end and the characters started to feel a little more palpable to me. Will definitely continue with the series.

A raven and a dove – what a yin and yang theme. I have to admit, it is kind of aesthetically pleasing.

What got me into actually wanting to read this is the Tristan and Isolde inspired plot. It seemed interesting enough for me because I have never read a book that it’s retelling the two lover’s tale. And it is also a very nice tale, romantic and heart-breaking and all.
So with that in mind, I dove in.

The first thing I felt about this was confusion.
Given the fact that I wasn’t very comfortable with the world just yet, I had a lot of confusing questions that I needed to be answered and I kept reading more to seek my answers than to actually find out what’s the plot about.

I got my answers, don’t worry. We’re good.
Still not entirely enlightened, but overall satisfied.

As I kept reading, I realised that the plot is okay, I even thought I might like it, even though there was something missing, I don’t know, like a certain spice I was expecting to be there for a stronger flavour but it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, the whole plot idea was good, but I thought it would’ve been better if the author put more detail in certain areas and less in others. And a bit of more twist maybe. A twist with a mystery perhaps. But even so, the narration and action were good.

The world-building was somehow okay-ish, I would’ve loved it a bit more detailed though. But, as a whole, the placing was quite alright.

Now, I really have to say this: I had a problem with the characters.

I honestly disliked all the characters in this book, with some exceptions here and there.

There was something about each of them that just didn’t seem quite palpable. Some were bland and some were forced and I am not entirely sure I liked even a single one of them from the beginning to the end.

I have an overall good opinion about The Raven and the Dove, even though I am not a fan of it. The story somehow got to me and I am now curious to see how things might go from now on. I am expecting some chaos and anarchy so I am definitely decided to get on with the series.

**Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review**

The Raven and the Dove is a a YA fantasy retelling of Tristan and Isolde. What is interesting about this book is it is inspired by birds!.. and I LOVE birds.. so sign me up!!! ..and lets quickly mention that cover art by Salome Totladze!! There is a lot of action that takes place in this book and it kept me hooked. The world building was amazing, and left me looking forward to the next book. The main character Lyana is a strong lead who cares deeply for her family and her people. She is impulsive and hot headed but always has the best intentions. She ends up involved with a Prince, and his brother and there is a slow slow burn romance that takes place.
This book includes some of the best fantasy elements: Magic, Prophecy/Chosen one, and mythical creatures. I would recommend this book!.

I wanted to love this story, it seemed like my cup of tea when I saw the cover and read the blurb. It was something that supposedly should have indulged me in the developed fantasy world as it seemed. The Raven and the Dove ends with the cliffy. One that I find rather... Ugh... I don't even know how to call it. But let's get to the beginning.
We have a fantasy world where all our MCs have wings - in that case, raven and dove's wings (black and white). As it mostly happens the ones with black wings are shunned by the others. You know - the one with black is a bad one, right?
We start with an intriguing part - something called trials is coming! I always loved trials as they seemed to show me something more in the characters, but here... Don't get me wrong trials happened... But we just got the description of what had happened! One piece that held potential in developing was lost to a few sentences.
The plot had potential from the start - a fantasy world, people with wings, some dark secrets, love, gray characters, and prophecy! Sounds great? It only sounds like that, unfortunately.
Characters - there are four points of views and it's told in the third person so we just see things described not happening. Sometimes this works well, but here I was just floating by them.

This was a fantastic start to the series! I greatly enjoyed the world building and cast of characters! The initial scene had me instantly wanting to know what was going on, so I was sucked in and ready for the ride. And that ending!!

I wanted to love this story, it seemed like my cup of tea when I saw the cover and read the blurb. It was something that supposedly should have indulged me in the developed fantasy world as it seemed. The Raven and the Dove ends with the cliffy. One that I find rather... Ugh... I don't even know how to call it. But let's get to the beginning.
We have a fantasy world where all our MCs have wings - in that case, raven and dove's wings (black and white). As it mostly happens the ones with black wings are shunned by the others. You know - the one with black is a bad one, right?
We start with an intriguing part - something called trials is coming! I always loved trials as they seemed to show me something more in the characters, but here... Don't get me wrong trials happened... But we just got the description of what had happened! One-piece that held potential in developing was lost to a few sentences.
The plot had potential from the start - a fantasy world, people with wings, some dark secrets, love, gray characters, and prophecy! Sounds great? It only sounds like that, unfortunately.
Characters - there are four points of views and it's told in the third person so we just see things described not happening. Sometimes this works well, but here I was just floating by them.
Lyana is a princess that has secrets, and she needs to find her way how to survive with these secrets and what she wants? I suspect she was supposed to be strong and feisty (maybe?) but she came out as the whiny little one that gave me a headache... She had developed a little in the end but that was too little and too late...
Rafe is a half brother of Xander. A bastard prince. He's not really liked but he's strong and I could really like him if he would show himself as a more manly figure. The insta-love between him and Lyana had not worked in his favor as in ths world there was nothing like mates at first sight.
Xander, I think I liked him a little, but he was treated unfairly here that he had just one role I think - be the part of the triangle. Don't overstep just be there. If developed I think he would be able to become a great character.
Cassie is a secondary character that I find the one with the best developing here! She had quite a few sides of herself and she had a plan on how to work. I think I liked her as she was an enigma to me at the beginning at least.
Cassie and the world created are in plus here, and that's the only thing I can count as such.

I am not a huge fan of fantasy, but this one looked intriguing enough. Sadly, it fell flat for me. I wasn't a huge fan of the characters, and the plot left me with more questions then answers.

Despite my feelings on it, I can see a lot of readers who enjoy fantasy loving this book. If fantasy is your thing, don't let my experience turn you off.

I was first intrigued by this book because the cover is so beautiful. Upon reading the synopsis and learning that jit was a retelling of Tristan & Isolde, I wasn't sure what exactly to expect. That being said, I really enjoyed The Raven and the Dove! While I do think that some of the pacing wasn't the best in the book, the world-building and characters certainly more than made up for it.

The world created by Kaitlyn Davis was very well written and described. Every element was so vivid and detailed, and it truly played a big part in what captured my interest throughout the story. On top of the great world-building, the characters were some of the best written I've read in a while. They were multi-dimensional and I enjoyed the dynamic between Lysana and Rafe from the very beginning. I'm not usually a fan of when the characters find love instantaneously, but I was able to look past it because of how much I enjoyed the characters.

The Raven and the Dove is definitely something you should read if you have the chance!

I received an electronic ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/4

The Raven and the Dove is a fantasy story about 2 worlds. One of the sea and one of sky.

I’ve got to say, I had some high expectations for this book so maybe that’s why I gave it a kind of low score. The world creation was amazing! I loved the bird people and the whole sky lands. The lore was very, very rich.

However I just never really got invested. Not in characters, not in plot. It took a lot for me to push through really. Apart from being cool bird people, the characters were kind of boring imo.

Maybe I just wasn’t in a fantasy mood for this book, but I will read the sequel. I’m hoping for more action from the get go.

I absolutely loved the world building in this book! It was very well thought out and some of the best I've read in awhile. This definitely had the potential to be a 5 star book but I cannot stand insta-love and while this book was one of the better insta-love tropes I've seen, it taints the rating for me. But I will definitely be reading the sequel!

This is a Tristan and Isolde retelling, but for me it didn't give it enough of a fresh take to keep it interesting. I mean, a big thing from that story is a love triangle and a forbidden love, which I don't normally have a problem with, but the rest of the plot couldn't carry it further for me. I love the idea of floating kingdoms and the general premise for this book, but between the alternating POVs, the bland narration, the unoriginal characters, and the telling and not showing I had some issues. For me, this was five-hundred pages of pain, may you fair better.

3.5-4 STARS

I enjoyed this new series starter from Kaitlyn Davis. I liked the story and the characters, and the writing was really immersive, and pulled me in.

The characters were really great! I love our MC Lyana, she is very similar to me and I connected with her. She is independent and kind of strong-willed, but she is always trying to do the right thing. Rafe was also a really great broody leading man. I really enjoyed the connection that they share in the book through their secret magic.

The only thing I had slight difficulty with was the world-building. I didn’t quite understand it for the first half of the book. This might have just been a total “me” issue, but I just couldn’t grasp onto it easily.

If you dive into this one, be prepared for a HUGE cliffhanger at the end. Like, I couldn’t wrap my mind around the way it ended, and I HAVE to have the second book!

Overall, I really enjoyed it, and look forward to the rest of the series, and anything else that Davis will put out.

Special thanks to the author and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange only for my honest thoughts and review!

I've tried to read this one a few times now and I can't do it. I don't like the characters or the plot. And the writing style just isn't for me. I really wanted to like this one but I just could not get past my problems. I read about 50% of it before I had to put it down and DNF.

My Rating : 5🌟
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Kindle/ Netgalley/ May2020
#mabookyardchallengeMay2020
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Than you so much Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
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This book follows our main characters Princess Lyanna, who longs for an adventure instead of her dictated courting trails, and Rafe, who poses as his half brother Prince to win over a match in the upcoming trails. This book deals with the two as individual characters, and how lies and deceit costs them their lives in different ways. There's a lot of forbidden romance, betrayals, and an amazing yet heart breaking ending !
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First, CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW BEAUTIFUL THAT COVER IS ? I'm just too excited guys. I picked this book up just for this cover alone. I'm shameless. BUT I found one of my favourite books of 2020 ! The characters were absolutely amazing and I was shipping them so hard. The character arc was done very well, AND the storyline matched their personalities absolutely perfect. I stan Rafe the hardest and I hated what happened to him at the end. I literally cried with the amount of angst and the forbidden-ness of the romance factor, that my brain hurt for them.
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Second, the story started out quite cliched, but it turned into a new leaf and made me absolutely fall in love with the characters and the book as a whole. I felt so many emotions while reading it, and certain decisions made by certain back stabbing besties left me annoyingly furious! Every scene had it's own high stakes attached to it, which just increased my curiosity. AND THAT ENDING. Whyyyy.. Nobody knows the sweet Rafe had nothing to do with the destruction, and the certain backstabbing bestie is now a good gurl? Whhyyyyy..
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Coming to the pacing of the book, would you believe if i said I finished this book in a single sitting? That's how it was. The pacing was absolute perfection. The stolen moments between our main characters was worth the wait, and that one scene where they get covered in stone rubbles? LOVED. IT. SO. MUCH. I have no complaints with this book, excpet maybe more Rafe scenes was needed? That ending crushed me, and I hope the author be sympathetic to my bleeding heart right now, and give me the second book.
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Overall, THIS BOOK IS AN ABSOLUTE GEM AND YA'LL NEED TO READ IT. I loved the characters, the storyline, the heartcrushing aspect of the ending, the sneaky romance, the backstabbing scenes, the fantasy elements, and the open ending it gave me. If you are a fan of fantasy, READ IT. You will thank me later!

The raven and the dove is a retelling of Tristan and Isobel, set in a world with 7 different avian races. The world building was unique and I enjoy learning about the different races, particularly the ravens. There is four POVs,rafe, lyanna, cassi, and Xander, each pov stand outs and all the characters thoughts and feelings were authentic. The writing style is genetic at times but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story. Overall the raven and the dove is fun retelling with interesting world building and angsty romance.

I think I should start this review with a fan fact. I just found out that this book is a retelling of one of my favorite childhood stories, Tristan and Isolde! It all makes sense now! How could I not see it before?
The world created in the story is focused on royal houses that were blessed and saved by Gods. Each house is called by the different type of a bird and blessed by different God. The book tells the story of Lyana, the princess of the doves and Rafe, the bastard of the king of ravens. Lyana dreams about being free, travel and explore the unknown, however, as a princess she has her obligation like choosing a mate and become a queen and wife. She understands the need to sacrifice all her dreams for a good cause. On the last night before the trials and ceremony, she sneaks out of the castle so she can be free for the last night. That’s where she crossed her ways with Rafe. He got attacked and injured by a dragon. If she and her friend wouldn’t help him, he would die. Lyana has a gift, she can cure people with magic. To save him she takes him to the cave to heal him there. That’s the moment I really like it because they are getting to know each other but they both lie about who they are. Lyana thinks he’s the prince of ravens and Rafe thinks she’s just a normal girl. Rafe doesn’t correct her because he came here to win a mate for his brother pretending, he is the prince. They look almost the same, however, Xander isn’t as physically gifted so he asked his brother to take part in the trials instead of him.

Xander and Rafe are very close to each other and they would do everything for each other. I couldn’t decide which one of them I felt worse because they both have problematic lives. I love their relationship because even if their past could mess up things between them, they remained to be brothers and best friends. It makes me so sad knowing that trials and their switch of personalities make everything complicated and destroy their brotherhood step by step.

This book includes so much hope for finding someone the characters will be finally understood and free with. Lysandra was looking for someone she wouldn’t need to hide her secrets from, however, Xander was looking for someone he would spend days in the library, someone who would understand him. They almost got what they were looking for but as it always happens in life, everything got much more complicated for everyone.
I felt so bad for these three main characters. Lyana after trials and travel to her new homeland she felt like in a cage. Xander wished just this one time to be loved and learn what true love is like but his mate’s heart couldn’t be one by him. However, Rafe just wished to change his past, he was a black sheep in the kingdom, not welcome but anyone but his brother.

I honestly wish this book would change differently. I felt so much pain for every single thing that happened at the end. I think Rafe’s case was the most painful of all. I cannot believe that after everything that happened the only thing that he loved so much was taken away from him. His life was already crushed by all that happened the day before and now this. I don’t know if I will be able to read a sequel and find in what condition he is.
This book had some parts I didn’t like that much but despite it, I can say it was a good read. I enjoyed the story and the characters. As tragic as this story was for its characters, I still enjoyed it. I hope the second book will be even better than this one.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Kaitlyn Davis for providing me this copy. I enjoyed this book a lot and I can’t wait to read another book in this series.

As one of my highly anticipated releases, I had huge expectations from the book and I guess that's probably the reason why it didn't exactly mesh with my reading taste. It is a high fantasy set in a world afloat, divided by different clans of bird types with the Raven clan being inferior to the Doves. But when fate brings two young souls of each clan to holy matrimony, nothing can stop them from the prejudice that follows.
The premise of the novel was pretty good but the execution just didn't do for me. I eventually DNFed it after a considerable number of attempts.

This book has the most beautiful cover ever and I have to admit I was drawn to the cover when scrolling through Netgalley as well as the suggestion that it would be for fans of Sarah J Mass. Raven and Dove is a fantasy retelling of the Tristan and Isolde/Iseult tale set in a magical world where characters can take the form of different birds depending on the family they come from.

I enjoyed the book and the characters were interesting and well written but it was very similar to many other YA fantasy and the beginning of the book was very slow and it too awhile to get going. Also the plot was a little confusing in places - but I will read the next book as I liked the characters and I want to know what happens to them next!