Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy to review!

I was really excited to read this book. The cover (beautiful!), the concept (a queer retelling of Rapunzel featuring witches and vampires), all of it was so promising to me. However, this book ended up falling flat.

I’ll start with the world building. There was SO much info dumping, it was difficult to keep anything straight. I’m not sure why some world building was included, as it didn’t add to the story and made some info confusing. I think this book would have benefitted from a smaller, more detailed world, instead of multiple countries and kingdoms that didn’t have much to do with the plot at all. There is also a lot of “telling not showing”, which leads to long passages and scenes that don’t add much to the story. I would understand if this was going to be a series that took place across these countries and kingdoms, but as I understand this is a standalone book.

The “plot twists” (if you can even call them that) were, unfortunately, obvious from the beginning. When they happened, it wasn’t exciting or unexpected in the slightest. The pacing was also very strange – I found some chapters to drag on but then exciting, action-packed scenes seemed entirely rushed.

Lastly…the angst. Oh, the angst. It seems that all one of the main characters, Kaye, can feel is angst. Her motivations are one-note and all she could talk about is how her mother died. I get it – that’s a traumatic event to go through. But her mother’s death is her only driving force throughout the entire book. I would have loved to see this character fleshed out more and have emotions other than anger. She could have been really interesting.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book is how it’s not just black and white – there are shades of gray. The two main characters are arguably morally gray (especially Ava), and it’s interesting to see how this affects the story. At the beginning of the book, we are led to believe that vampires are inherently bad and witches are inherently good. The way the book explores this topic is pretty interesting.

Also, did anyone else who received an ARC feel like there were entire passages missing? There was one scene in particular where a character is alive in one chapter, and deceased in the next. I had to reread this to make sure I wasn’t missing something, but it really looked like there was an entire section missing where this character dies.

What more can I say than this was perfect? Witches and Vampires 100% belong together, especially when they're sapphic. I adored the characters. This felt very fresh and new for a fantasy book while still delivering on all my favourite tropes!

There was so much tension between these characters. From the very beginning, it was like I could feel the connection, the history, the friendship (and possibly more) that had existed between Ava and Kaye prior to the book starting. And honestly, that feels rare to me…to have a book where you can legitimately feel the past that connects two characters, or a small group of characters. Sure, there’s often a sense that characters know each other and have spent time together, but the history between Ava and Kaye is palpable.

Unfortunately for these girls, their past bonds and past knowledge of each other also make the separation they’ve had the past two years this treacherous chasm they have to find a way to cross so they can even begin to reconnect and trust each other again.

It is Ava and Kaye that really drive this story forward. Sure there’s Ava’s stepfather looking for her, and the mystery with what’s going on in the forest, and trying to trek through the forest with both vampires and witches hunting for each other…but it is the main duo’s journey that truly grabs the interest and makes the pages keep turning again and again.

I do feel like I wanted a bit more when it came to understanding the world, but that could just be a me thing. I’ve come to really love and appreciate world-building, and I would have liked to have been a little more rooted in the world for the story.

I do like the twists and liberties taken to the Rapunzel story, but there is so much more to this story than just some queer fantasy retelling of a classic tale.

I’d definitely say this is more character driven than anything, but it was compelling, and I read it in just a couple reading sessions, which is always nice when I’m hoping to read a lot. I love that I’m starting to read more again. It’s nice, very nice.

This was marketed as a "queer Rapunzel retelling" which got me interested.

Friends to enemies to lovers. Witches and vampires. Dangerous woods.

Count. Me. In.

This is a fun read with a good romance.

This was an ARC I received from NetGalley. I was grateful for the chance to read this book early and for free. In all honesty, I have to say that the best part of the book is its beautiful cover art. It took me forever to get through. It was slow in places, and there was a bit of unnecessary repetition. This was by no means a Rapunzel retelling. And the sapphic parts were more in the minds of the character than in the reality of the story. I didn't really care about the characters or their relationship until the very end.

That being said, it wasn't a great read, but it was a good read. I loved the idea and the bits of lore for the witches and vampires. While some of it didn't make complete sense, the idea was sound; it just needed better execution. I feel like this could have been a 5-star read with a bit more revision. I would be interested in reading a sequel. I believe the author has talent and will continue to improve over time.

I thought I knew what I was walking into reading this book, but was entirely (pleasantly) surprised! A unique story that had my heart racing and an anxiety for a good ending that stole parts of my soul.

I want to thank Wednesday Books and the author Francesca Flores for providing me with an ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover and then I read the synopsis and I knew I had to read it. There are witches, vampires and a creepy forest plus magic all of which are things I love especially the vampires. This is a Rapunzel retelling. I'm 100% familiar with the original story so I can't really comment on the similarities of the 2.

I loved this world. There was great world building and the magic system was explained in a way where it was understandable and the romance was cute. My only issue is that it was a bit repetitive and it made the book drag a little bit for me. And this is a personal preference thing and doesn't really affect my rating of the book but in the end something happens to Kaye that I wish didn't happen. I was hoping it would go another way with her. I think this is a standalone but there is potential for a follow up which I would totally be up for reading.

I was so excited for this book. The gorgeous cover, sapphic rep, and witch and vampire main characters appealed to me. Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book at 25%. I couldn't get invested in the characters at all and the writing was mediocre. The world-building was lacking, and I couldn't find a reason to keep reading. This was a big disappointment.

I can enjoy almost any fantasy novel and this one was no different. BUT, please read the rest of this review before deciding if this is a book you want to pick up.

There are some really great qualities to the story. The author came up with some unique ideas for the forest and the idea of a vampire/witch hybrid. I love that the origin of magic in this world was explored even if it was not explained in great detail.

Beyond these qualities, the other parts of the story are interesting but don’t feel fully developed. There was potential for a third perspective from Tristan. The characters change how they feel about each other so quickly with out much exploration of those feelings that it makes it hard to connect with any of them.

This story had so much potential to be a series but missed out on the chance due to the lack of exploration with the origin of magic and the world. The ending, while satisfactory, would have made for a great continuation.

If you’re looking for a quick fantasy read with good LGBTQ+ representation, I recommend this book. It is good story overall even if some parts may fall short of where you would like.

I’m rating that at about 2.8 stars, rounded up to 3. I like the premise of the story but the writing fell flat for me. Things seemed to happen with no build up and it felt two dimensional. I did find Ava a likable character, Kaye was annoying, Tristan deserved better. I don’t really understand how Casiopea’s power went to Ava, that whole thing in the mines was kind of glossed over and then irrelevant.
Pluses- the cover is absolutely gorgeous

1.5 Yeah, this was definitely not what it could have been. When I heard that we were getting a sapphic fantasy Rapunzel retelling, I was excited. My mind was brainstorming all the possible ways that that premise could be taken, and I couldn’t wait to see what Flores was going to do with it.

However, I could tell from very early on that I wasn’t going to like this book. I read the entire thing, because I kept waiting for it to get better and I thought maybe I just had to wait for the story to pick up. But I really didn’t care about a single thing that happened in this novel.

The plot, honestly, barely made any sense to me, and not in the high fantasy way where there’s a lot of politics that can be a little difficult to wrap your head around. I just don’t think the writing in this is good. The exposition and world building were really awkward, making it hard to follow along, especially at the beginning. The narration is not smooth, so it hops from one thought to another without any transition. I kept thinking that I had accidentally skipped a page because of how unnaturally it flowed from one paragraph to another. Flores kept dropping in random lore about a character or the story at the most random times, I felt like I was getting whiplash.

And the problem is that because the writing wasn’t good from the start (and, sadly, didn’t get much better throughout the book), I wasn’t invested enough to care about anything. It’s hard to get me not to care about a sapphic couple, but my god I was in no way, shape or form invested in these two characters. It didn’t matter how gay a scene was, I was unbelievably bored, which is insane to me.

I got to the point where I was reading just to get it over with, so I have to admit that I eventually lost track of what was going on. It was just a bit all over the place, in a way that made me feel like way too much was happening and yet, simultaneously, it felt like nothing was happening at all.

I wanted to like this, but I would be hard pressed to find something nice to say about this reading experience…

I was so excited about The Witch and the Vampire especially after seeing the gorgeous cover. I love anything with with witches, but I find the whole witches vs vampires thing overplayed and a little silly. I loved the premise of the world but wanted just a bit more world building included and I didn't get the whole enemies to lovers vibe. I would however believe it was enemies to friends! The sudden stop at the end in the middle of a lot happening was very odd and didn't make a lot of sense to me.

If this became A series I would fall more in love with this world!

I think this is one of those books doing too many things at once, and would have benefited from cutting out one aspect to really focus on the others. Witches that are also vampire hunters and rapunzel is a lot to wrap up with a neat little bow, and it wasn’t exactly as neat as one would like.

Overall I really enjoyed the romance aspect of the story. I always enjoy when characters have different information and it impacts their perspective, and this book definitely did that well. The romantic relationship developing from friends to enemies to lovers in this tense and dramatic way was really entertaining. Romance between rival species is always a win in my books.

That being said, everything else in the book tends to fall flat. The world building is a lot more tell than show, which always fails to draw me into a fantasy world, and the pacing was all over the place. It lagged in some areas and raced through others.

I think simplifying the story might have benefited it overall, and given the author more time to actually explore the world they were building, but all in all it’s an enjoyable read.

I was sadly so underwhelmed and let down by this book. It didn’t seem like the world or magic system was all that fleshed out. The characters and relationships between everyone also didn’t feel complete or real.

I was so excited for sapphic Rapunzel and don’t feel like I really got that.

ARC was given by NetGalley, Libro.fm, & St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Depictions of blood & blood consumption, isolation, loneliness, loss of loved ones, grief, death, death of animals, bigotry (past and present tense), violence, brief mentions of starvation, mentions of traumatic torture & abuse, mentions of experimentations, sexual predator (side character), scene of emesis, talk of human sacrifices, scene of decapitation

So, this was a huge disappointment. Honestly, I'm a bit shocked that I didn't love this book and I might even say I'm a tad bit salty about it. This book had so much potential and what I'm left with is 'this is fine' energy. The only thing I can really say is maybe this book just wasn't for me or the execution of everything wasn't the best.

Our story follows the duel perspectives of a newly turn vampire, Ava, who still maintains her root witch powers and dreams of leading her own life. And then there's Kaye, a flame witch in training, who's mother died two years ago. Coincidentally enough, Ava disappeared around the same time Kaye's mother died, so naturally she thinks Ava is behind it. Yet no one knows that Ava has been trapped inside her home with the mother who turned her and the step-father who experiments on her. When fate brings these old friends back together, Kaye will be faced with some difficult choices to make and Ava will stop at nothing to stop her mother's plans, and lead the life she's always dreamed of.

The biggest thing I really liked about this book was the world especially when it pertains to the magic system and the old gods. I found the fact that the forest was magical was incredibly intriguing and I wanted to know more about it. The most lovely thing though was the way the journal passages we get from Ava's perspective ties in with the forest, the old gods, and how all of it is connected to one another, and the way it tied in with the vampire queen. I almost wish we got more full pages of passages from the journal, but the little bits we get are fine.

I also really enjoyed the fast pace of this book. If you're someone who really enjoys fast paced reads, then this is right up your alley. The audiobook is about four hours and if you're like me who listens to things on 2x speed, then you'll fly through this. I believe the audiobook is also narrated by the author, as well. Actually, I was reading my arc copy and listening to my alc at the same time, and that was a really fun experience. If you haven't tried following an audiobook with an arc or physical book copy, highly recommend giving it a chance!

With all of this being said, these few good things didn't stop this book from falling flat for me. My biggest issue is the fact that this book is marketed as a Repunzel retelling. And I'm hear to tell you that this is not the case. There are a few similarities especially if you're comparing it to the Disney film of Repunzel, but if you're comparing it to the original Brother's Grimm fairytale , then it's a bit of a stretch to say this is a retelling. It was even more of a disappointment because Repunzel is one of favorite retellings and out all of the Repunzel retellings I've read, this missed the mark.

As for the characters, I didn't really care for them, any of them. All of the characters felt very one dimensional for me and it felt like a big lack of character development for them. I say this a lot when books try to use scenes as filler instead of showing character development, but you can't take the last 25% of a book and then claim a character has changed their ways. It doesn't work like that and you're not showing the reader any reason to believe these characters have progressed from wrong to right or trying to do better. This goes for the romance, as well. While I thought the little moments Ava and Kaye had were cute or sweet, it was really hard to believe this was a believable sapphic relationship. Even more so when there's literally a whole scene about rebuilding trust between them, which is an important foundation in any kind of relationship (friendship or otherwise). It was really frustrating especially when the majority of the book is Kaye having the internal fight of hate and love over Ava being a vampire.

Kind of on the topic of lack of character development and such, Ava was a big issue for me. More specifically in the sense that throughout this entire book we're meant to believe Ava has endured traumatic experiments and abuse at the hands of her step-father. Aside from very brief moments, there's nothing that solidifies this. There's also a type of tone that's used whenever Ava addresses this where it feels like it's handled lightly and almost with a bit of cockiness. With that being said, it came off like nothing impacted Ava long term. This could have been an opportunity the author could have given us a character who deals with trauma/PTSD from what she had to deal with, but instead the author didn't and it felt like the opportunity was wasted.

The cherry on top of all of this was that a lot of things were easily determined. Majority of the outcomes for many of the characters became very easy to determine and that was while I was 50% into the book. With that in mind, I think what happened with Kaye could have been different and as I said, characters don't just suddenly change at the 75% mark in the book especially when then spend such a good portion of it being hateful. There was a lot of repetitiveness, as well. Which I say this all the time with books, I'm not a fan of repetitiveness.

Overall, this was just a big bind-up of disappointment for me. I wanted to love this book so much and when I first heard about this book, I was so excited for the release. Plus, the cover was so stunning that I was fully lured in. This book had so much potential and maybe I overhyped myself up over this book. One thing is for sure, it didn't live up to any of my hopes and expectations. What I will tell you, read the synopsis first and if it interests you, give it a chance. And while this isn't the worst thing I've ever read, I personally won't be recommending this to anyone.

Overall rating: 3.5 ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Have you ever wanted to read a Sapphic rapunzel retelling?
Or one where rapunzel is a vampire?
Where witches and vampires are enemies?
And you follow rapunzel trying desperately to escape her tower in search of a better life than the one where she's trapped in a tower by her mother?
Then this book is for you! With a super compelling story, interesting magic system and lore, and interesting characters, this was a pleasant surprise!

This book has been so hyped, I keep seeing it pop up on all my book websites so I was super excited to get the chance to read it- and really, did you see the gorgeous cover?

Well, this was not what I was hoping for unfortunately. The story had a lot of potential, with a war between witches and vampires, but I found that the story overall fell flat. The world building was vague, the plot meandered and at times did not make sense or contradicted itself, and the romance lacked any spark (I think this was supposed to be enemies to lovers but there was too little romance going on).

Also, the ending just stopped. It was basically in the middle of an action scene and then the story ended and I am pretty sure this is a standalone so this is all you get and I did not like the ending.

I kept finding reasons to not read, it was the opposite of compelling and I really hate saying that. Maybe my expectations were too high and if you go into this with no previous thoughts it would be a more enjoyable read. Overall this was not a read for me but maybe give it a go if you like magical worlds, friends-to-enemies- to-lovers relationships, lots of action and plenty of danger with hints of abuse.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I was initially intrigued by the fact a witch and vampire are to fall in love. But it’s so much more complex than that. The witch and the vampire were friends before Ava herself turned into a vampire and became everything Kaye hated.

I liked the development of the relationship between Ava and Kaye. There was clearly a development in their relationship and the need to protect each other from their enemies.

DNF @ 53%
2 stars

I really wanted to like this one because of the cover and the description which is why I read as much as I did but it was a huge letdown. I stopped caring at about the 15% mark, to be honest. None of it made any sense and it was going nowhere by the time I stopped. Like, this is about a witch and a vampire but the witch is way too angry and vengeful and the vampire is way too sheltered and naive and it was just boring to read. I kept the extra star because of the cover, mostly.

Thank you to netgalleygalley for the advanced reading copy of the witch and the vampire by Francesca Flores. This was great. I read it and listened to it. The story was good, two you girls who are friends have been taken down different paths and come back together leading down a path of chance.