I'm sorry, I just had to DNF this one. The premise was intriguing but the writing was not at all nuanced. It felt more like a draft than a final product and very Middle Grade as opposed to YA.

I loved this! This was the perfect friends to enemies to lovers! I didn’t realize how much I needed this book until I read this. It starts off as a Rapunzel reimaging with Ava being the Rapunzel character. She’s a vampire, but because of the age at which she was turned she retains her magical abilities. Her mother is also a vampire, one on the city council, who is attempting to appear human, so she maintains her ability to do magic by siphoning off Ava’s magic. Kaye has been training her whole life to kill vampires who she’s been taught are evil.

I adored the worldbuilding in this. Each of the young women has to realize that the way they think the world works has cracks and flaws. Realizing how the people they looked up to and trusted aren’t worthy of their trust and admiration hurts in real ways. As Ava and Kaye grow close, as they start to grasp how much they care for each other, they have to reevaluate their goals and worldview. The growing pains in this book are amazing! I had to sit with it, think about it a bit, after I read it. It took me a moment before I was ready to pick up another book because this one was so fantastic!

The ending was harsh, but perfect for these two! Definitely one I will be rereading!

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Witch & the Vampire by Francesca Flores is exciting and creative!
This read was very enjoyable and hit all my boxes for a Disney romance retelling with a spin.
World building is this book is STUNNING and I truly felt pulled in to the story. I wish it was a little faster paced in the beginning.
Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of content.

I was so intrigued by The Witch and the Vampire’s description- a WLW Rapunzel retelling with vampires? Sign me up! Unfortunately, I found myself disappointed when I read it. The overall story was lackluster and the characters were very one-dimensional. This needs some serious reworking and editing.

I wanted to love this--the synopsis sounded so interesting to me, and while I didn't necessarily hate this book I was really let down. Sapphic Rapunzel retelling? Absolutely sign me up, but alas my queer heart is sad. I didn't really like/connect to any of the characters, I felt like the world really needed some more building/development, and I really think that the biggest issue with this work was the telling instead of showing. Overall: loved the rep, disliked the rest.

This was such a sweet story! Vampires, witches, old friends reconnecting while finding themselves, a splash of romance, what’s not to love??

This was a pretty casual, YA read. It’s a fun, pretty fast-paced story with a happy ending.

I would definitely recommend it to teens or adults who aren’t looking for a lot of spice or violence in their fantasy books.

I really enjoyed this book alot loved the writing and the characters along with the story so much I have this book preoredered because I loved this so much

I really wanted to like this sapphic fantasy book, but I just didn't understand or connect with the characters and their actions.

DNF

Advertised as a queer, Rapunzel retelling, this book absolutely hits the mark. The story in this book is quite original. I was very drawn into the characters who both had great character development. I really enjoyed the point of bro view and the writing was very lyrical. I wish there was a little bit more world building. You definitely feel emotionally connected to the main character as well as feeling the need to root for them to succeed throughout the book. I recommend this book for people who would love some awesome queer representation, as well as enjoy a great fantasy with witches and vampires.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

This book as a fantastic premise. It is a sapphic Rapunzel retelling. However, I didn't feel that it lived up to my expectations. I didn't really connect to the characters. This book was a bit repetitive at times, especially with character motivations. They also kept going back and forth on the same things. The world and characters could have used some more development. I couldn't really get into the world. I would have liked to see more showing. Instead, it felt like a lot was just being told. I really wanted to like this one, especially because it has so a great premise. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me.

When I first read MALICE by Heather Walter, I had never experienced such a great mix of sapphic representation, imperfect characters, and an amazing and unique retelling of a classic story. I am very happy to say that I had a very similar, almost exact, experience when reading THE WITCH AND THE VAMPIRE. This book was truly brilliant and I ate it up in the span of a day. I'm not sure if there is a plan for a sequel yet, but I would do anything to read more of these characters and this world. Thank you so much Wednesday Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

The summary of this book was so promising and the cover is so beautiful. A queer retelling of Rapunzel, sounded amazing. The plot was also pretty dry though it sounded so cool in the book's description.The romanceis cute, but I was hoping for more depth and more character development. Still, this is a quick read an fairly enjoyable one.

Atmosphere atmosphere atmosphere that was what I really enjoyed about the story. The book had a great atmosphere about it and it brings you into the book very easily. I definitely recommend this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read the story.

This story had a lot of potential but I felt like it fell short.

The complexity of Ava and Kaye was great and they each brought a lot to the story. However, despite layers and great back stories for these characters I felt like there was a lot of repetitive thoughts especially from Kaye and her hatred towards vampires.

The conclusion for a side character felt rushed and unnecessary especially when something similar happens to a main character at the exact same time with a different outcome. In addition, some other big events towards the end and the conclusion also felt rushed especially compared to how long the journey to and through the forest took.

Overall I did enjoy reading this story, I just didn't love it. I would probably read a sequel just to see where the story goes though.

The Witch and the Vampire is expected to release March 21, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for providing an egalley copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Witch and the Vampire is a queer Rapunzel retelling. Flores had a brilliant idea, and I’m disappointed to say it did not deliver fully for me.

The character development was not there, the chemistry or the storytelling. It lacked complexity and depth of basic storytelling, I was not expecting anything too profound. This felt like an early draft with ideas not fully fleshed out and awkward dialogue.

I wanted to root for these characters so badly. The idea was stunning and the plot moved well, but just didn’t feel complete.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this whimsical story so much. I felt I was transported in the story and was right there with the characters. I loved Kaye's and Ava's individual backstories and their journey together. This was a fun, good time and I give this four stars.

This is one of those books that starts off a bit slow, sort of like figuring out the edges of a puzzle but they're all the same color. Thankfully, the rest of the puzzle is straight forward even if it takes a bit of time to get it all put together.
There's all the classic Rapunzel details like the long hair, being trapped in the tower, crazy mom but throw in the witchery, the vampires, the arkana, and a bone wall that's connected to a magic tree and this is amazing.
The witches and humans are plagued by vampires and the witches with fire affinities are used to keep the humans safe. The only problem is that our Rapunzel, the lovely Ava is a vampire, changed against her will by her mother who just wants to drain her powers for herself. Mom uses those powers to trick people into believing she's alive. Even worse, Ava is experimented on and tormented by her step father. A bit less worse but still awful is that her bestie, Kaye, hates her and thinks she killed her mom!
Don't worry though Ava and Kaye are the queer part of this story and their friends to enemies to lovers arc is so beautiful. You can feel the emotions tearing through Kaye as she questions everything she knows because the girl she loved is now something she hates but she's still just the girl she loved. Ava holding out hope that Kaye will recognize that she's the person she's always been while finding herself and staying true to herself and still going through so many changes as a person. It's a lot to take in.
There's moments in this story that are murky, how did Tristan get to where he came to be, where he ran off to, a pivotal moment between Ava and the vampire queen felt a bit unexplained and the development to name a few but maybe thats just my reading comprehension failing me but even when I wasn't sure I was understanding, things still managed to fall into place. It left me feeling content, complete. As if we parted with a heartfelt goodbye and a warm hug.

I found the first few chapters of “The Witch and the Vampire” to go rather slowly. It contains the thoughts and events that set the stage for the two main characters: Kaye, who is a fire witch, and Ava, who is a vampire and a root witch. All of which is necessary so that the reader understands what’s about to happen when Kaye and Ava take center stage. So sit tight, as once we get past all of that, the action picks up and the pace moves along nicely.

Ms. Flores brings to us a story about two young women, Kaye and Ava, who found each other as they wandered empty hallways at school. They bonded as they hid in the shadows because they didn’t feel wanted or accepted by their parents, teachers or other children.

Each girl felt herself isolated, different, and alone – all of those deprecated emotions that make you try harder to shine above your peers, even while doing things that you don’t agree with, just to hear someone say they are proud of you.

Ava was born a root witch, with magic that draw her to all things of the earth. She has been a vampire for only two years, and her mother has kept her locked up in the attic since the night she was turned. Kaye is a fire witch who has been trained to hunt and kill vampires. Kaye also has no idea that Ava has been turned and for the past two years thought that Ava had gone to a distant town for further academic study.

And just before Ava was turned, both of them were beginning to realize they were more than best friends, that they had fallen in love with each other, but they hadn’t yet found the courage to tell the other one how they felt.

The emotions that follow once they do come face to face and learn the ugly unfathomable truth are hate, anger, betrayal and fear. Will Kaye do what she has been trained to do and use her fire magic to kill Ava? But they are going to have to trust one another if they are to survive a plot that will bring down a magical wall that separates the blood thirsty vampires from the mortals.

I thought I knew where this story was heading, but I never suspected the routes the author takes to get me to that final chapter.

It’s an engaging story about two young women defying the odds by putting aside what is expected of them and making their own choices. I enjoyed reading this book. I found it to be captivating and the characters and world building are excellent. The last words following the acknowledgements wrap up a summation of “The Witch and the Vampire” perfectly:

“I hope this book finds its way to those who need it, to those who feel cast aside and like they don’t belong, in whatever way that may be.”
-- Francesca Flores

I give it a solid 4 stars.
P.S. That is one gorgeous book cover!

I received this book as a free ARC, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ava has been kept locked away in her own attic since the day her own mother turned her into a vampire. Kaye is a young fire witch, trained to be part of the force of witches in charge of ridding the land of vampires like Ava. Years ago, they were best friends, maybe something a little more- but now Kaye is determined to be the one to expose Ava’s vampirism and end her life.

When the wall that keeps the vampires locked away in the forest begins to fracture, both young women seize the opportunity- for Ava, escape, for Kaye, a chance to prove herself. Once inside the forest, however, danger lurks at every turn and the pair are forced to ally for their mutual protection. As they survive the perils of the forest together, both begin to realize that the world is unlike what they’ve been taught. As doubt creeps in, so does something else- a connection between the two women that could just maybe bloom into love.

I had a great time with this book! It’s fun and has a little more of an edge plot wise with how it deals with the witches and vampires. Neither group is all bad or all good- both have suffered and are making choices that are harmful because they feel they are right. I liked that the morality was allowed to remain complex and watching Ava grapple with developing her own moral code was interesting. Tristan struggling with his own choices was also compelling and made his character arc nice to follow.

Both characters could be a little frustrating at first- Ava is incredibly naive and Kaye is completely convinced Ava killed her mother with only the scantest of proof- but it was nice to see them both develop together. Ava has been locked away, Kaye has been indoctrinated- it makes sense that they both begin closed minded in their own ways.

I wish that the romance had developed a bit more strongly. It was very sweet and the scenes towards the end when they were both all in were great, I just wish it had gotten going a little faster. I love a slow burn, but it needs to feel like the emotions are continually developing- Ava and Kaye felt stuck at the “I hate that I find her attractive so I’ll pretend I don’t” stage for a long time.

All that aside, I did really enjoy it! By the end, it delivered on the promise of a pair of badass queer vampires/witches trying to reshape the world into something fairer.

I didn't have time to squeeze this book into my reading list during October, and it seemed off to read it with other holidays right around the corner. I look forward to reading it next October¡