3.5/5 stars

Ava is a young root witch turned vampire who has been shut away in the attic of her home. Her mother comes and goes siphoning her powers. Kaye is a young flame witch who hates vampires after they killed her mother.

The vampires have been able to breach the city walls and Kaye sees this as her opportunity to capture Ava and get revenge for her mother. However as they escape into the woods and Ava tries to write her mothers wrong they both rekindle old friendships and love.

I found this a great young adult read with some fantasy elements out side your typical witch and vampire story. I can see the im author possibly expanding this universe but it does stand as a great stand alone already. This book would be perfect for a high school reader.

The Witch and the Vampire follows former friends Ava and Kaye as they find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict between vampires and Flame witches. The two are unexpectedly brought into each other’s paths and they begin to question what they know to be true.

I enjoyed each of the main characters and found them to be interesting and likable. I think that the historical aspect of the world-building was compelling as well, but I did find myself wishing for just a little more backstory.

Overall, I think this was an enjoyable book. I liked that it was a quicker read for someone who might be in the mood for a fantasy read but not in the mood for something that will take days to get through.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this ARC!

This was a cool concept and retelling but it just wasn’t for me! The characters and plot felt a bit under developed. I love the concept of a sapphic retelling of Rapunzel but with witches and vampires but I feel like this could have used just a little more time and development.

I think this book has potential, but it needs some revisions. There is lots of info dumping in some areas whereas others have absolutely no explanation. Some of the sentences used don’t make sense or the way it’s spoken feels unnatural. The magic system feels overly simple yet we get no explanation on how it works, just some basics of how Flame witches came to be. What about the Root Witches? Are their more factions of them? They don’t have much personality to them, they are all very one demential. There is a lot of repetition of certain phrases, some making sense and some not. It just needs more…..life?

I did not like this. There is nothing I hate more than books where one of the main character's entire goal is to commit genocide on the species/race/ethnicity of the other main character/love interest. Especially when they are making unfair assumptions instead of trying to figure them out, which was exactly what Kaye did. I also hated the self-hatred that Ava had for herself, which it seemed like she would get over it only to struggle with it more. The only good thing about this book was that they were lesbians.

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of The Witch and the Vampire. This is an enemies to lovers, LGBTQIA fantasy romance. I liked the story for the most part. I thought some of the parts were over written and redundant. 3 stars!

While I enjoyed the premise of this book, it seems as though it was a little undercooked. The world building was lacking depth, and the characters also didn’t really hit the mark. I think the writing style was pretty and fluid, but I just prefer when authors show us how characters feel rather than tell us? In that aspect it felt like a draft or maybe it just showed the author’s inexperience. The title also feels disjointed from the story itself.

What a gorgeous novel full of loveable characters and a storyline that I couldn't put down. This one is a must read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. While this book was a tiny bit slow in the beginning, once it picked up a bit I enjoyed it a ton! Kaye and Ava are so cute, and the different storylines were really clever. There weren't really any plot twists that I didn't expect, but I still LOVED the book. Also, I really like the ending. Like Ava went from being powerless to the new vampire queen? Love that for her. Kaye too. Although I feel like in the second book (I assume there'll be one), Kaye and Ava will argue about Kaye being turned even though it was her only option and she consented. Whatever though. Overall, I LOVED this book. It took me a bit of time to read, but I'm glad that this book was a bit longer because the length allowed for more detail and storylines!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

DNF @ ~45%

Sadly, I couldn't get into this book. It wasn't really Rapunzel-inspired further than the very beginning of the book and Ava's hair. The characters were very one-dimensional, and Ava's naivete and ignorance made me unable to connect with her.

The plot was generic and predictable, and I think I know the ending already. I was uninterested enough to not have a lot to say for this review, unfortunately.

*Thank you NetGalley for a free ARC of The Witch and The Vampire in exchange for an honest review"
I am awarding this book a generous 3.5 stars. The title showed about as much creativity and intrigue as the story itself. I think the description of a "Rapunzel retelling" was a bit of a stretch. The likeness to Rapunzel lasted all of 3 chapters (of 39!). In fact, had I not read other reviews, I would have never made the connection myself. Now that I realize this, the oddness of Ava's long hair makes a little bit more sense. A little.
The character development, world-building, and story itself were very simplistic. A touch basic. Yeah, I guess the plot was slightly unique but overall the whole thing lacked any real creativity. The world-building seemed mediocre and uninspired. The characters were predictable in their bais and showed an annoying amount of naivete. Ava started out gullible, inept, naive, and immature. This was to be expected due to her environment and circumstances I suppose. I will admit I did enjoy watching her come into her inner queen and empowerment. Kaye began as a self-centered, cold-hearted witch. (Ha! See what I did there?) I was not a fan until she had her epiphany toward the end. Only then did I start to look at her in a kinder light and I did like seeing her unthaw.
Maybe I'm jaded. Maybe I've read way too many other books about vampires and/or witches. And in this book's defense, I really have. However, this did not begin to hold a candle to most of them. It was rudimentary. Slightly obvious and just too straightforward. Again, uninspired.
While saying all of these unsavory things, I will give the book some credit where credit is due. It held my attention for the most part, even if it was to confirm my own predictions of what would happen next. It took a while to get into but once you got into the real action, it was entertaining and did hold my interest. The concept of the book itself was somewhat original. The writing was not bad, just not spectacular.

So up front I'm going to say this: I love and am excited for sapphic vampires, particularly by a latinx author, and if you're on the lookout for that category, I absolutely encourage you to pick up this book. (also this cover is just...stunning).

I think from the outset, a lot of my quibble here is that this book reads younger than what I'm usually expecting in a YA book, and that threw off my reading from the start. I think other reviews have mentioned that this reads like a middle grade novel, and I have to agree actually. I think with that marketing, actually, this would be better served.

I loved the components of this story: the fairytale retelling, the vampire lore (especially the openers at the beginning of the chapters), and the relationship between the two girls. While it hints at romance, actually what is deeply moving here is two girls coming together despite being pushed apart by the two different groups they belong to, whether it's a romantic connection or not.

However, the worldbuilding felt a bit thin on the ground here, and I found myself getting lost occasionally as action sequences quickly jumped from point A to point B to suddenly point E. The book starts off really strong with an interesting set up for Ava in particular (this is the Rapunzel angle), and the morally grey vampires are a strong force in the story.

I would have loved to see a bit more depth to the characterization, and a bit more connection in the worldbuilding and the action, but again, I'm so excited to see the representation and world that this book is showing us!

The squirrel did not deserve to die for this train wreck of a fantasy romance.

I DNF'd this book at 45%. It felt increasingly lackluster the further in I got and I could not force myself to ingest any more of it.
Pros: Actually scary vampires. Nice gore scenes. Action scenes are pretty good.
Cons: Flat and tiny worldbuilding. Not really a true Rapunzel retelling other than the tower and the hair. The characters had little to no chemistry. The POV changes were pretty much every chapter and the characters were written pretty much exactly the same. The plot contrivances and drives were basic or flat. The dialogue was repetitive. It did not strongly establish itself as a standout fantasy OR romance. The writing style was too young for YA, more of a middle grade level.

Final Rating: 2.75/5 stars
Genre: Sapphic YA Fantasy Retelling

I really really wanted to like this this book. A sapphic retelling of Rapunzel. Somehow there were parts in this were the pacing was so slow I might have been slightly bored. This is markets as a YA romance, but it almost read younger than that? I felt like I was being told almost everything. Both characters felt hollow.

This was a story with good, bones. It's a great concept! but a bit messy execution.

I would recommend to someone as a starter fantasy

* Did not finish
I was kind of on board with this book at first. It’s a different take on vampires and I like that they’re genuinely scary and dead looking in this book and not just really strong sexy people. That’s about it though. The characterization of our main characters comes super late and feels really incomplete; I felt like I couldn’t picture any of them and I never really know what either of them were going to do next because I couldn’t really get a grasp on either of their personalities. And then there were the continuity errors and GLARING plot holes. There was a point in the book where I was convinced that this book never even saw an editor. Specifically, at the end of chapter 13 and beginning of chapter 14 it seems like there should have been a whole chapter in between. At the beginning of chapter 14 there were other characters there that hadn’t been there at the end of chapter 13. The plot was also kind of boring. I think partly I’m not into ya anymore but also this was really poorly written. I really expected more out of this.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Witch and the Vampire is a sapphic retelling of Rapunzel. It’s an interesting twist on a classic tale. The cover actually drew me in first, I’m a sucker for gorgeous covers.

I would recommend this for any twisted fairy tale lover who is looking for an LGBTQ+ main character.

The author does a great job at world building and creating well developed characters.

2.5 stars. This was just fine. I really liked the first half, and Ava and Kaye are enjoyable leads, but it kind of fell apart in the second half. I don’t really know why

Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication: March 21st 2023 by Wednesday Books

​Thank you to #netgalley, #stmartinspress and #wednesdaybooks for the ARC for #thewitchandthevampire ​by #francescaflores. This book is a sapphic retelling of Rapuenzel. The premise was interesting and drew me to the book. Beautiful cover.

I would like to thank St.Martins Press and NetGalley for the chance to read a DAC of The Witch and Vampire..

It's great to see a YA novel explore a queer romance with a supernatural fantasy background .I enjoyed the characters they were well developed. The history of the witches and how the first vampire was made was well written I loved how Ava found her voice and strengh throughout the book and Kaye slowly began to trust her estranged friend turned vampire, and went on to help the townspeople of Aborren from their enemies some within their own Clariity council. It was a interesting read slow to start but was well written its a story with betrayal, murder love secrets.. Book to be released on March. 21, 2023 #FrancescaFlores #St.MartinPress #NetGalley #AMustRead

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC if this book. The cover of this book is beautiful! Friends, to enemies, to lovers trope with magic and vampires made for a fun read. I've been struggling to read true YA books lately so this took me a little bit to get through but it was a good story with interesting characters