There was something that made me not enjoy this read. I liked the world and the magical elements, but it might have been the selfish motivations of the princess that turned me off this story.

Thanks to Kaitlyn Davis and NetGalley for this excellent audiobook ARC. This is an excellent first book in what promises to be a wonderful series. There are those who have magic and those who don’t and it’s become taboo for the two worlds to mix. But what happens when love gets in the way? Or worse, what if revenge happens to blind people to the truth? Well worth reading 😍

The Raven and the Dove by Kaitlyn Davis is a delightful fantasy escape that takes readers on a journey to a mesmerizing world filled with enchantment and a touch of intrigue. The narrative unfolds in a fairly expected way, but the world-building is captivating, immersing you in a realm where fantastical creatures and ancient prophecies come to life.

While the "deceptions may at times seem impractical and unnecessary, they add a layer of complexity to the story, challenging the characters and forcing them to navigate a web of secrets and mysteries. At the heart of it all lies a tender romance, that warms you and gives you hope amidst the darkness.

Kaitlyn Davis has crafted a tale that balances the magical and the emotional, weaving together a unique fantasy setting with a core of heartfelt romance. The characters are endearing, and their short bit of growth throughout the story is both relatable and on brand for the genre. I'm looking forward to adding the next installments to my must-read list.

Thank you to the author and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for the advanced audio copy via NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

I have to say that this story easily stands on its own. In fact, I had no idea it was a retelling of Tristan and Isolde until the end. And, though the beginning was slow to draw me in, the tension that simmered between the lovers throughout the story made me keep reading and the payoff - the chaos and magic, startling mutilations and heartrending betrayals - made me weep and want more.

I will definitely be on the lookout for the next books in the series.

I really liked this one. I was super invested in the story and I can't wait to read/listen to book 2. I loved the premise of the different families of birds and how each group had different "powers" or strengths. I would recommend this book to others who enjoy ya fantasy.

I absolutely adored this book. And the cover is sooo pretty, which is why I requested it. I loved the world building and I’m always game for the “ intense competition to find a suitor” trope. There were times where Lyana (FMC) grated my nerves but I liked her overall. Loved Rafe and Xander and Cassie. I can’t wait to read book two! 4 solid stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Kaitlyn Davis, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), for allowing me a copy to enjoy for an honest review. #NetGalley #KaitlynDavis #Bookstagram #BookReview #TheRavenandtheDove

I made it about 50% through this one, and it started off good and I was invested, but it felt like I wasn't really able to get attached to any of the characters. Too many POV's there was no element of surprise and it felt like we were being told everything about the characters because there was a POV from every character. If the princesses best friend didn't have a POV the surprise element would have been better. In her very first chapter we're told that she has an allegiance to someone other than the princess. I just could not force myself to listen to the second half.

AMAZING BOOK! Definitely a must read if you like fantasy novels. I must admit as I started reading I was very hesitant at first, but then I started to understand that this first book is more of an introduction to all the characters. Fans will really enjoy the slow burning romance between the main characters and the betrayal of many relationships. The ending of this book will shell-shock you to the max and your brain chemistry will be altered. YOU WILL THINK ABOUT THIS BOOK IN THE MANY DAYS TO COME, UNTIL YOU CAN GET YOUR HAND ON THE NEXT BOOK!

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator and all the emotions she brought to the characters. Now that I have been exposed to this world I don't want to let it go and need to find out what happens! I need the next book ASAP!

3.75 stars.

This was probably my first full on leap into high fantasy, I didn't find it completely intimidating and this is a BIG deal.

The Raven and the Dove is a retelling of Tristan & Isolde but with a world filled with Avian people, human with the wings of birds. You dont need to be familiar with T&I to enjoy this though!

The worldbuilding was incredible, the descriptions were so vivid and not overdone (a pet peeve of mine when it comes to speculative fiction). I loved the descriptions of the different kinds of birds and how much they made sense! Owls = house of knowledge for example, so obvious.

The multiple POVs were something it took a while to adjust to, they switch at random rather than an order. If you struggle with that usually, I'd recommend the audiobook as it helped to keep the voices distinct (especially with dialogue, thanks to Sarah Sampino's fab performance). Cassie was a surprise fave for me, it took me a while to warm to her but I'm looking forward to her thread in the next book.

The romance tropes are instalove & forbidden love. Although the instalove isn't too sickly, there's a fair enough reason why it happens and it's not all down to some prophecy. The romance is believable! It's sweet, lusty and written correctly for the age too.

If you are like me & not a huge fantasy reader, I'd recommend listening to the audiobook version (I think this advice goes for most fantasy you're intrigued by, give it a go!) as it definitely made it more accessable. Those thick page counts feel much less scary! I'll be reading the rest of the series on ebook but now that I'm sucked in.

Overall, this week was fine for his complaints, but I was mostly bore through a good chunk of it



Entertaining to a certain extent, but I don’t think for me

The raven and the dove, has been severely overlooked since its release in 2020. I'll admit I requested this book fro. netgalley not realizing It was a book that has already been released, but I'm so glad I did anyway!! I LOVED this YA fantasy retelling of Tristan and Isolde. The world building was good, descriptive enough to understand but not overly complicated or detailed. There are a few different characters to remember but as you get to know them it gets easier to remember. I've never read a book with avian? characters and I was really digging it. There's different houses and magic is forbidden. Of course there's our FMC who does have magic, and there's betrayals and love triangles, and secret villains, prophecies, and more betrayals, and family relationships, friendships, courtship trials and epic fights. I really got hooked on the story, and was deeply interested in the characters. I would like to purchase a physical copy and start reading the next ones! It is part of a quartet and im very excited to see where this goes! Also I really appreciated that it was clean, and the zesty scenes were a closed door, fade to black situation. Perfect for me! The narrator was okay, I've heard some of Sarah Sampinos books before I believe, and she's not my favorite narrator but well enough I got through the whole book, on a nice 1.25/1.5 speed without too much grief. There's some parts in the book I wish I had heard my own narrator voice in. But that's nothing against the narrators talent. It's a great audiobook, and I can't wait to continue the story!!
Perfect for fans of Sarah j Maas (without the spice) or Kiera Cass!

A fun YA Fantasy with a unique world and intriguing magic system.

This book has it all: angst, betrayal, competition, deception, dragons, forbidden romance, royalty, and a stunning cover.

The world building is definitely a strong point. How cool are floating islands in a sea of mist, where the people have wings and can fly? I want wings. I want to be able to fly.

It did take me a while to warm up to the main characters. Rafe is very moody & brooding, and Lyana comes across as the spoiled princess. But they really do grow on you. I loved Cassi and Xander and hope to get more of them in the rest of the series.

I wanted more from the Courtship Trials. A competition for young royals to find their mates is such an interesting premise, but it fell a little flat for me.

Plenty of questions are answered throughout to keep the reader satisfied, but it leaves just enough unanswered to keep you wanting more. I’m definitely interested in checking out the next book in the series to see what happens next.

I received a free copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I don't want to give this a rating, because I didn't finish it.

I think it was more a me thing rather than a book thing, because I've just not really been in the mood for fantasy lately, and couldn't really get into it.

I was interested enough, and I'll definitely look into trying it again another time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of the audiobook.

I really enjoyed this a lot. I’m usually not much of a fantasy reader so I was worried that I would get lost, but I feel like the author did a great job of easing you into the story to get your bearings. I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this and I’ll definitely be picking up the next book in the series.

The cover drew me in, but the world building and intriguing characters kept me hooked. The courtship trials were interesting and I found myself wanting to keep reading to find out how they would turn out, along with what would happen between Lyana and Rafe. Along with the world building, I enjoyed learning about the magic systems, the dragons and the different winged courts. I found the narration of this story to be perfect! I cannot wait to continue with this series and find out what will continue to happen! Thank you to NetGalley and Kaitlyn Davis for an audio copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me check this book out in exchange for an honest review!!

I love the yin and Yang dynamic of the main characters. And the author does a good job of setting up each faction of winged creatures. It’s a cinderella story with a prince swap and a really fun story to listen to!!! My only complaint is that the narrator’s voice got on my nerves from time to time especially when she did the male voices. Other than that, the story is excellent

I didn't love this book. It was very relatively predictable. It was good. It wasn't great.

The characters were a little flat. They didn't have much depth. They had very clear motivations and very clear personalities. They never did anything because of a secret motivation we didn't know about. It was all laid out in front of us. Even the twist with Cassie was quickly made so painfully clear that it took away from the surprise.

That being said, I did enjoy the story itself, especially the climax, and I will be looking into the sequel.

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

I am so happy that I saw this on the audiobooks for NetGalley and decided to give it a try. I really enjoyed myself with this book. I thought the plot and the characters were well done, I loved that I was invested in knowing what was going to happen next or if the main characters were going to get caught.

For the plot I thought that the setting and the magic system was well done. With this being the first book, I did not think too much would be given out but the more and more that I listened to the audiobook, I found that some questions were being answered. I loved that it was not just character development but plot-driven at the same time. I thought the different POV was done great, I was not confused with who was talking.

I enjoyed getting to know the main characters, Lyana and Rafe, but it wasn’t just them that made this book so great but also the side characters as well. I loved that Lyana had a close relationship with her best friend, the owl living in the peaceful city with other Doves, and the brotherly love between Xander and Rafe was done well. I mean I know there is always some kind of love/hate between brothers, but you can see that deep down they still love each other so much.

I thought the Narrator did a wonderful job with this book and made it a great read. The only thing I would have changed is to have the narrator do a male and female voice that’s all.

I cannot wait to read the other books of this series to see what else will happen. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves YA fantasy, with magic, dragons, and romance.

I want to thank NetGalley and IBPA for the opportunity to review this book.

I went into this book completely blind. The cover was cute and the wings had my attention. This book honestly surprised me. I loved all the different birds to show the different families. The different types of wings. The prince and the “baśtard” brother is a trope i didn’t realize i loved. But this reminded me of how much I loved Bash in the show Reign.
The magic system was cool, the idea of magic being a bad thing, and the dream walking! The ending had me wanting more and more.
I’m curious to see where it all goes from here!

I pretty much enjoyed the story itself. The secrets, the reveals, the mating ceremony thing, two brothers and one of them has to become a king and her being a princess.
BUT! One thing I didn´t like about the audiobook was, that we are reading from I think 4 differents POVs? But the narrator is always the same voice and to be honest I was not able to follow along with who´s POV we are in right now. That was really confusing. Also, I still don´t know if Rafe or Lysander (?) was the prince and who pretended to be who :`D
Besides that I loved the worldbuilding, the plot and the characters (except Lyana acting childish at some points which was really annoying).