Very interesting Rapunzel retelling and a vampire book I actually like - not a combo I thought I would like but it worked!

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Witch and the Vampire releases March 21, 2023

2.5/5

This was marketed as a sapphic retelling of rapunzel… and while, sure, technically? I also feel slightly mislead, like it was only the bare crumbs of it to reel you in.
If you’re going into this hoping for a romance, just know that it is an extremely minimal subplot.

The Witch and the Vampire is a fast-paced YA fantasy packed with some action, told in dual POV from our main characters Ava and Kaye. They go from best friends, to enemies, to… lovers? (I’m using that term loosely here, folks).

I liked how there were vampires, witches, and magic involved, however, some of the logistics surrounding vampiristic traits did not make sense in this, or contradicted themselves entirely.
The Bone Wall barrier fascinated me, as well as parts when the ground of the woods opened up and swallowed people whole.

Even with the intended age range and demographic in mind, this would have benefitted from more development and depth in terms of worldbuilding and for all characters involved. There’s a lot of potential laying underneath the surface level bones of this just waiting to be brought to life. This suffered from a lot of telling, and not showing, and was pretty linear in my opinion.

If this novel is still on your radar, I would caution you to go in with lowered expectations.

The premise of this book (a queer Rapunzel retelling) was so promising, but much of this book fell flat for me. The book is told in dual POV, alternating chapters between Ava, the vampire, and Kaye, the flame witch. Ava was somewhat of a complex character between her longing for her former best friend and her refusal to hurt people despite being a vampire, but Kaye lacked depth in comparison. She has a very black and white view of vampires being bad and humans being good, and I didn’t feel like she had much character growth throughout the novel. At times I also had a hard time remembering whose POV I was reading because there was very little difference in their voices. The characters often cut away to flashbacks of their childhood relationship in a way that didn’t feel natural at all. The story relied a lot on “tell don’t show”— in their internal thoughts, the characters would tell us about their change in attitudes and beliefs without actually showing us how they’ve changed. Lastly, the promise of a queer Rapunzel retelling felt a bit misleading; the only resemblance to the story was the fact that Ava was trapped in a tower by her mother and that she had extremely long hair (which served no purpose to the story). The novel and the slow burn romance was certainly enjoyable to say the least, but the writing could still use some editing.

I think this is a good book for younger readers (12-16) who love vampire stories. It's one of the only vampire books with LGBT+ representation I've seen for this demographic. The world was interesting and both main characters powers were as well. I assume this will be a series and it might be interesting to read the next one. I think the enemies to lovers was done well.

That being said as a 25 year old this felt on the younger side due to the choices the characters make and their thought processes. It felt a bit predictable. I also didn't like that both characters didn't really seem to care too much when there supposed childhood best friend died.

A great queer retelling of rapunzel, this book will keep you entertained through all of it. A great twist to the original tale!

I'm extremely happy to say that The Witch and the Vampire didn't disappoint!

The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores was a stellar-paced, highly entertaining book.

Flores had me at page one and never let go with her amazing character development.
Ava and Kaye were just fantastic strong characters.
Their journey and story kept me engaged and reading.
I was thinking about this book when I wasn't nose deep inside it.
The world building is superb, dark, and expertly crafted.
Full of action-packed, non-stop intrigue and a bunch of exciting shit.
The writing is so engaging and detailed, I felt like I was a part of this fascinating world with these incredible characters.
Highly entertaining, creative and incredibly mesmerizing!
Fantasy retellings, adventure loving readers will be sure to enjoy this story.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Wednesday Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Witch and The Vampire is sort of a Rapunzel retelling. But Sapphic! Ava is a vampire, turned by her own mother yet she has witch powers as well. Ava's mother keeps her locked in the tower (her home) because she doesn't want it getting out that Ava and she herself are vampires. Kaye is a witch who once was close friends with Ava until Ava disappeared. Kaye believed this was Ava's decision and doesn't realize she is basically kept prisoner by her mother. Kaye guards the fence surrounding town that keeps the vampires out. Well she thinks it keeps the vampires out but Ava and her mother are still inside. Ava's escape sets off the story as she finds herself crossing paths with Kaye again and they are forced into an uneasy temporary alliance. I won't give anything else away except to say that this story was unlike most other paranormal and fantasy books I've read and I appreciated that. I liked the two main characters and I enjoyed the political intrigue and power plays going on between the vampires and witches. That said, the book's pacing itself felt off a bit to me and the book seemed to drag a bit in the middle. The ending was exciting and I finished the book on a high note.

The Witch and the Vampire was an okay read. The description on the back promised a lot of potential I don’t think the story actually succeeded in achieving.

The two characters of Ava and Kaye are told in first person and as the story goes on, every other chapter they are realizing something poignant about themselves or the world around them and waxing philosophically about how they are going to change and become their true selves. The messages they convey are good, solid messages but having the characters just think them, so many times and in so many ways without actually showing the characters doing the work to get to these revelations has them coming off as false and overdone.

The world-building is passably done, with the magic and lore of the old gods being some what explained, but the politics and world makeup being referenced without much clarification. It made the story feel messy and half thought out. It also made things over complicated, especially when the Emperor and anything to do with him was never really of consequence in the plot.

I found I didn’t really enjoy Kaye’s point of view chapters. She was very one note and her reasoning and logic behind her hatred of her friend didn’t make much sense.

The vampire chapters were more intriguing for me. I think this was because more is explained of her reasoning and experiences.

The “Rapunzel” connection was there, but a lot of the aspects that were Rapunzel you could have removed from the story and it would have changed nothing from the plot, which meant that every time there was one of these references, it felt hamfisted into the narrative. For example, her mother insisted she keep her hair long but no reason is ever given as to why.

The racial issues of which cities or countries they were from had potential but was kind of confusing. The reader doesn’t get enough of the backstory of the world to really add clarity. I kept forgetting which was the country that people didn’t like and which they did. Also, because the reader never sees the discrimination that Kaye experiences as half Sarenian, it is only told to you in Kaye’s POV, it distances you from feeling the affects of it. Also, Ava’s character is full Sarenian but never once discussed any discrimination from the town or it’s people for being that way. That absence detracted from Kaye’s issues feeling serious.

I really didn’t buy the friendship between the girls. It was all told to you in half referenced memories. But if they were truly such good friends, the way Kaye reacted to Ava’s disappearance doesn’t float.

Nearing the end, how a few of the enemies die is very unsatisfactory. Their ends just happen, not through agency of the main characters but just through happenstance.

I am happy the book reads as a stand-alone as even though more could come along in a second book. I don’t feel the material in this book would really support a second well.

2.75 stars.

DNF at 67%
I’ve been reading this for 5 days and I can’t go any longer. I’m so tired of Ava constantly moaning about morals when it comes to survival. As if humans don’t kill animals for food, fun and whatever reason they want. Kaye can’t get past this dumb moral dilemma and it’s stupid. These girls have no personality. Literally nothing is distinctive about them except their fear. They aren’t funny, charismatic, clever, shy, goofy. Nothing. Ava is still the same person she was before. All that’s different is that she needs blood. Simple. I was really hoping Ava would finally get over killing but she didn’t & it’s ridiculous. If I was a vampire I might just snap her neck because of how pathetic she is to be near.
What I did like what the magic system & the lord behind the forest. This book did well with describing just how ancient this world’s history with paranormal/magic is. There were also a good amount of fights and running away. It kept the reader on edge.

I was super excited about this book. Vampires, witches, and sapphic romance? Count me in! For the first half of the book, I was sold—ready to give it five stars. Unfortunately, the story kind of lost its footing halfway through. The end was really messy and confusing with the same information repeated over and over again.

If the same energy had carried throughout the entire novel, I’d be a lot more psyched. The romance wasn’t satisfying when it reached its peak, and the villains were completely evil with nothing likable about them. I much prefer a villain I love to hate.

Overall, this was a very quick read with some fun and interesting elements, but ended up being pretty predictable and unsatisfying toward the end. Would make for a good beach read.

Posted to goodreads 10/25

I really enjoyed this book. I read it just in time for Spooky Season! The cover immediately caught my attention. I wanted to get to know each of the characters, their worlds, and their histories more! Even in the midst of the conflict and complexities experienced by the characters, I wanted to live in this world. I loved the way the forest is described! I'm hoping there will be another book that follows this one!

The cover and initial blurb are what caught my attention; however, I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the idea of a queer Rapunzel retelling. Aside from Ava spending a few chapters locked in a tower and having long hair (eventually cut short), I felt this was a stretch to say it was a retelling.

The romance is a friends to enemies to lovers and Flores portrayed the tension and chemistry between Ava and Kaye quite well. The book is heavily focused on worldbuilding and plot that it sometimes felt that Flores was telling you more than showing you. I would’ve loved more depth from the characters to allow the reader to truly feel what they were going through.

All in all, I loved the idea of this book but if it wasn’t for it being fast paced, it would’ve been a DNF for me.

Ava and Kaye used to be best friends until two years ago, when the vampires from the forest broke through the magical barrier in their town, leaving Kaye's mother dead and Ava turned into a vampire. Ava has been hidden away in a tower by her mother, who needs to siphon her witch powers from Ava, whereas Kaye is now reaching the end of her Flame witch training, and will ultimately become a vampire hunter and killer. Ava finds out about her mother's plan to destroy the town, so she escapes in order to find help from the vampire in the woods. Kaye follows her, only wanting to turn Ava in, until the feelings they had for each before that fateful night are rekindled. Will they make it through the forest safely together?

This is supposed to be a queer retelling of Rapunzel, and I really liked the way that the author chose to retell it. It is a very loose retelling where Ava is locked away in a tower away and isn't allowed to cut her hair. The writing transported me to Arborren and the sick woods surrounding it. The only thing I disliked was that the ending was a bit predictable, and there was one plot point that was not fully resolved in my opinion.

I highly recommend this for spooky season!

Supernatural YA LGBTQ Fantasy Romance

It took me a week to finish and I had to force myself to do so. I didn't really get the whole retelling espect. I get that she is being kept captive in a tower of a castle and that her powers are being stolen but it is just the barest hint of the story. I thought it was funny the fact that a variation of my name was used, I always find that fun. The story is interesting but the dual point of views are a little overlapping in some parts and at times feel like they are from the wrong POV. I like the writing and the characters are great. Ava, a root witch turned vampire by her own mother, and Kaye, a flame witch who hunts vampires. You don’t see a lot of their friendship because that was all before the book begins. I didn't really get enemies' vibes; more of a misunderstanding maybe if I didn’t know what both of them are feeling and thinking it would have felt more like enemies to lovers and less of friends rekindling a friendship and finding a spark that leads to a relationship. I liked the plot and the action was good. But it fell a little short of my expectations of a YA LGBTQ Fantasy Romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press/Wednesday book for the eARC of The Witch and the Vampire!

Reasons you should read this book:
-> Sapphic Romance
-> Friends to Enemies
-> Enemies to Lovers
-> Vampires AND Witches!!
-> Rapunzel Retelling
-> Excellent Worldbuilding
-> Interesting, Well-Written Characters

Overall, there is lots to enjoy about The Witch and the Vampire! Fast-paced, quick read. I absolutely recommend this book!

Plot: I say 5 for concept and what it could have been, what I wanted it to be.
Characters: 2
Writing Style: 2
Cover: 5
Enjoyment: 1?
Buyable/Re-readable?: Nope.

Alright, I made it 47% and just can't go any further. I already pushed myself for Reasons and have met my limit. The concept is just...it has so much potential. Like, it's said the old Gods (my sic) turned themselves mortal in order to have sex with actual mortals to then produce witches and thus spread magic throughout the world. And that a witch can keep their powers if turned into a vampire by a certain age. Like...I wanted and expected to enjoy the heckin' heck out of this book. I was not immediately drawn in and was honestly bored most of the time. How a book about witches, vampires, and magic can be dull is...IDEK. I felt that the author's hand-holding was somewhat insulting, in terms of repeated information. And things are repeated A LOT. I debated counting but became so annoyed that I sometimes skimmed just to be done quicker. It almost read like badly written fan-fiction. Somewhat akin to Stephanie Meyer overusing and/or wrongly using a word, so too does Flores with 'gulp' (and possibly 'scoff'). Gulp is used twenty-three times in 368 pages. I couldn't throw this book across the room, because that would mean throwing my Nook, but I sure wanted to. I instead took to venting to my husband about about infuriating the read was. The characters don't speak naturally, using names while addressing one another far too often. And the contradictions, ugh. Example being, Ava says she hasn't seen any animals and yet Kaye's chapter is mentioning animals...or the writer contradicting the world's rules (I.E. vampire healing). The character actions are overly dramatic and borderline aggressive. There was a point (in chapter 14) where another character was apparently trapped and the way in which it was written was extremely confusing and only made known after some paragraphs.

The romance comes about abruptly, without much of a hint or build. Almost like it was an afterthought forced into the narrative for reasons.

We get alternating chapter narrators in first person between Ava and Kaye. Each chapter has a starter blurb in italics from an in-world source (training book, journal, etc). Those were the only part I enjoyed, heh. And the use of a Book of Mormon name was neat? And the mother and step-father of Ava are perfectly ruthless villains. Step-dad fits that fairy tale trope and kind of reminds me of a Doctor Frankenstein type.

Oh, right, and this is supposedly a re-imagining of Rapunzel, and yet Ava is out of the tower in, like, three seconds. So. -insert Elmo shrug-

This book was a fun coming-of-age romp that addressed some big questions, while also presenting a queer friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story that felt really compelling. While the exposition at the beginning was a bit clunky, I thought the story really picked up in the second part and showed the characters wrestling with relatable emotions. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy that feels grounded in real-world experiences and emotions.

Ya
Sapphic
Paranormal
Repunzel retelling

I had so much fun reading this. The concept of this book was amazing. The imagery in this book was phenomenal. I loved all the floral aspects and elements. The creative descriptions had me in such awe.

Main character Ava: root witch whom was also a vampire
Kaye: flame witch, vampire hunter/slayer

These girls were best friends who were on a small thread of crossing the lines of romantic relationship.
When one night 2 years ago Ava is turned into a vampire and kept locked away in tower by her own mother. Same timeframe Kaye’s mother was also murdered by a vampire.
I’m those 2 years Kaye grew distant from everyone thinking her best friend whom she needed most abandoned her.
While little did Kaye know Ava was living a nightmare.
She was turned into a vampire locked away from humanity/society in a tower held against her will and better judgment by her own Mother. Where she was being manipulated and mistreated. Her mother was also a vampire and to hide this from the community she siphoned powers from her own daughter.

One day Ava said enough is enough and she escaped her tower to find the vampire queen and warn her about her mothers evil plan for the townsfolk and the vampires.

When Ava escaped she immediately came across Kaye.
This is where Kaye discovered her best friend is now a vampire.

Kaye held so much resentment for Ava’s abandonment when she needed her most.

She fought so much with her own beliefs
She was always trained to hate and not trust vampires
Even though Ava used to be her best friend.
Kaye being guarded she decided to follow Ava into the forest, this forest held the monsters at bay by a sting force field created by the witches.

While in the woods the girls come across a very dreary/scary woods filled with so much death decay and mystery.
They came across so many problems from fighting vampires and hunters and the awful supernatural of the forest.

So much drama and Action takes place in this venture.
While Kaye is fighting her own beliefs. She sees the good and beauty of her old best friend in Ava

They overcome so many hardships together and they learn to trust again.


This story all in all was amazing and beautiful and super adventures wild and fun. I truly enjoyed this book.

Ok the book has some good potential. It also give me the feeling that it's a Rapunzel retelling. ( Not all the time) it has all the elements to make it a great books, Vampires, witches enemies to lover and breaking curses. The only but is the amount of information is dumped on you and overtime it just get boring because it doesn't leave any room for my own interpretation or imagination. If the author could slow down on the info dump and focus on the world building then this can be a great. Book

3.5, rounding up ❤️‍🔥


two years ago, childhood best friends Ava and Kaye's lives splintered apart. Kaye's mother, a powerful flame witch named a traitor by their town of Arborren for her pro-vampire leanings, was mysteriously killed by a vampire inside town limits. when Kaye ran for her best friend's support, Ava had disappeared. she was told by Ava's mother, a powerful root witch on the town's council, that Ava had gone out of town to "study at a distant province".

for some reason, nobody apart from Kaye really questions this. Kaye keeps an eye on Ava's childhood home, which is fairly easy to do because the thing is massive and topped with a ridiculous tower. (this is the Rapunzel part.) while Kaye waits to see if Ava will 'return home' she undergoes flame witch training with her and Ava's old shared best friend, Justin. flame witches are renowned for their ability to burn vampires alive fairly easily, so are trained to defend whatever towns they live in.

Arborren is intriguing because it is situated right on the edge of an enormous and spooky forest that is legitimately full of vampires. the forest is surrounded by a magical shield called the Bone Wall, which the flame witches patrol daily to check for holes. vampires can only escape from the forest if there is some weakening in this wall, but witches and humans are free to come and go as they please. the forest is ruled by Queen Casiopea, the (original?) vampire and monarch of all the ones stuck in the woods with her.

meanwhile, Ava is imprisoned in her tower, a vampire witch herself. she yearns desperately to escape to the woods and become a family with Queen Casiopea, because I guess living in that tower for so long has rotted her mind, idk. frankly I couldn't really get behind Ava's motivation at this point, (the whole idea of found family is that they find you) but whatever. she's biding her time to escape while her mother is gone and her entirely over the top creepy stepfather Zenos isn't present to stop her.


overall, I did like this book, but I felt fairly disconnected from both girls. Kaye was far more understandable than Ava, though they both consistently made terrible decisions those did serve to humanize them a little. I am a sucker for the "feral girl" trope and wow do these girls embrace it. I wish other characters had been fleshed out a bit more and I would've liked to see the logistics of that one town being smack in the middle of the woods (literally how was anybody still alive there, let alone having like a normal market day) but oh well.

I did like the ending and the magical sparkling lake was such a cool vibe (tbh that whole scene was probably my favorite in the book). rounded up to 4 stars because of the aforementioned feral girls, bless their wild and homicidal little hearts 💘


thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc!