Thank you to NetGalley for this audio ARC.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Did I request this for the cover? Yes, yes I did. I am nothing if not a sucker for a pretty cover.

The world in this story was unique and sounded so beautiful, it really drew me in. I loved the premise of this however I did not like how it ended. As much as I enjoyed Lyana as a main character for her headstrong, act first thick later and at times outrageous personality, she also came across spoiled and whiny at times. I also did not like how she jus essentially used Xander. I didn't like how utterly clueless Xander was the whole time, to the point it became a unbearable. Then there's Rafe, who gave absolutely nothing.

I'm not sure if the idea of the story, the world building and the pretty covers are enough for me to continue the series.

Thanks to the publisher and author for providing me with a free copy of this audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I tried writing a summary of the book for this review, but honestly, the plot was quite forgettable. Essentially, there’s a world with winged people, and within this world a dove princess saves a raven boy, and they fall in love. Only, their love is forbidden. Oh, and they both have magic – which is also forbidden.

Even though the plot wasn’t very gripping or exciting, it was a fun listening experience! I enjoyed all aspects of this book – the plot, the characters, the world, the writing. . . but I did feel like it was missing something. Like, the world is super interesting and has such an intriguing history, but there’s not much world-building. And the characters (even the side characters) all had really interesting personalities and character arcs, but we don’t really go very deep into them.

Still, this is the first book in a series, so I’m sure that we’ll get to learn more about the world and the characters later on. I wish I had more to say about this one, but I finished it a few days ago and I feel like I’ve already forgotten all the major events and can just remember the overall gist of things! I should also mention that as much as I enjoyed the narrator, I do think I may have enjoyed this more had I read it physically. Overall, I don’t think this is the most unique or memorable YA fantasy, but there are certainly hints of greatness and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy I enjoyed the book and will be watching for this author. I hope you all enjoy it as wel

Amazing YA fantasy! I loved all of the different elements and immediately wanted the next book. Emotional and adventurous. Incredible!

Thank you Netgalley, publishers, and Kaitlyn Davis for gifting me a copy of The Raven and the Dove in return for my honest opinion.

3.5/5 stars
A princess longing to be free... On the dawn of her courtship trials, Princess Lyana Aethionus knows she should be focused on winning her perfect mate, yet her thoughts wander to the open sky waiting at the edge of her floating kingdom. One final adventure calls. Upon fleeing the palace, the last thing she expects to find is a raven prince locked in a death match with a dragon.

A bastard aching to belong... Reviled son of a dead king, Rafe would do anything for his beloved half-brother, Prince Lysander Taetanus, including posing as him in the upcoming courtship trials. When a dragon interrupts their secret exchange, he orders his studious sibling to run. After suffering a fatal blow, Rafe is saved by a beautiful dove who possesses forbidden magic, just like him.

Fate brought them together, now destiny will tear them apart... Unknown to the world above, on the foggy sea ten thousand feet below, a young king fights a forgotten war. He believes Lyana is the queen prophesied to save the world, and with the help of his favored spy, hidden deep in the highest ranks of the Dove royal house, he will stop at nothing to have her.

Three shocking betrayals. Two star-crossed lovers. One unforgettable journey. If you like fierce heroines, brooding heroes, forbidden romance, and action-packed magical adventures with twists you'll never see coming, don't miss The Raven and the Dove!

There was a lot that I loved about this book, the world that Kaitlyn Davis creates is wonderful. Closing my eyes I was able to picture the world being built around me. The character-building was also phenomenal. Each character had their own unique voice that made each character come alive. I also really enjoyed the pacing, it was perfect, not too slow or too fast! There really wasn't any point in the book that I was struggling to get through.

But this brings me to what I didn't like. For me personally, I am not a fan of instant-love. I do not enjoy the unrealistic aspect of it. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the chemistry that the characters had, but I personally am not a fan of instant love.

If you enjoy worlds that have wonderfully creative worlds and don't mind instant love then this is the book for you!

There was a lot of potential here and I loved all the different bird types included. It had pretty nice prose and good imagery with all the dances, feathers flashing, and flying that went on. I found my interest waning a bit towards the end, but other than that had a good time.

This book did not work for me:
One is a me problem: I don’t like love triangles and much less when it’s two brothers and the same girl, I just can’t take it.
The rest it’s just I did not like that many voices, why did we need four different pov, two should be enough.
Lastly I didn’t like Ana, she felt very selfish and self-involved, everything was about her meanwhile the boys were fighting for their people.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kaitlyn Davis and for letting me review this book.

There are politics, secrets, feelings, and a lot more. If you like ACOTAR's setting, you'll probably like this setting too.

The beginning raised questions, and soon I was hooked. It also helped that I really liked the narrator.

I loved the characters. Yes, they were sometimes frustrating, but in a good way.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read love stories set in a fantasy world.

Includes:
Politics
Secrets
Betrayal
Magic
Arranged marriage

“If anyone could bring color to a house of black, it was she."

The Raven and the Dove is an epic adventure that is truly meant for the reader who wants to live in a book. I listened to this audiobook over the course of two and half months, enjoying and savoring absolutely everything about it. It's a longer book than what is normal for YA (at 500+ pages) but I wouldn't want a single page taken out. It's an EPIC, HIGH fantasy novel, so expect intricate world building, thoughtful conversations between characters, many parts in the plot, and just, basically, a whole new world meant for exploration.

When I read fantasy, I love the details and this book was, without a doubt, full of details. The writing brought me into the pages and I can vividly describe to you every scene. Every tender moment and every time I felt my heart shatter. There are four points of view, and again, I wouldn't change it. I loved Lyana, Rafe, Xander, and Cassi. Their constant determination to chase their dreams and do what they believed was right, even though there were bigger things happening around them, was inspiring and so, so relatable. Each of their personalities were different and fun to read about, while also providing us with parts of the story that were literally unique to only them.

Other things I'd like to mention are tropes. Now, I'm not a fan (in general) of the love triangle trope because it often encourages or allows cheating and lies in romance, and as a rule, I don't believe a healthy romance can be built around such characteristics, so I typically avoid that trope altogether. However, this love triangle makes painful sense and I cannot tell you how many times I would pause the book and just look at the cover and whisper, "Oh my gosh, I'm so proud of you guys", because as teenagers in this situation, I was impressed by how they handled everything. Granted, they also made mistakes and more than paid for those with their consequences, but as a whole, I can say that this trope was as well done as you could expect from such a messy situation and with teenagers as the characters. I loved it.

Cliffhangers. If you don't like cliffhangers, buy the entire series first, because this one will rip your heart from your chest and fling it OVER the cliff. Literally (if you've read the book, you understand my trauma). I couldn't breathe through the last 5 chapters. I don't think I'll ever recover. It's fine.

Overall, I cannot wait to continue this series and highly recommend it to fans of high fantasy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received this audiobook for free from NetGalley. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to this book*
Enjoyable listen. Good narrator, easy to listen to. Only thing I would note is that both male characters’ names are very similar (although there is a reason for this) I would sometimes get them confused with each other.
Would like know what happens next

The Raven and the Dove is a beautifully written and attention grabbing story. The audio version is beautiful and I would highly recommend it. A wonderful YA fantasy novel.

Solid YA fantasy with great world-building. I listened to the audio and would recommend it to anyone that doesn't want to read it. This is not fantasy realism for those who are fantasy purists.

I don’t even know how to write this review because I am SO UPSET with the ending to this book 😅😂 😭

The Raven and the Dove is the first book in YA fantasy series following Lyana, the dove princess, Xander, the raven prince, and Rafe, Xander’s bastard-born half brother. The world building is pretty cool - six kingdoms floating in the sky, each run by a different half bird/half human house - the doves represent the House of Peace, the ravens the House of Whispers, the owls the House of Wisdom, the eagles the House of Prey, then there is also the House of Paradise and the House of Song. The first half of the book is dedicated to the courtship trials, where the first and second born of each house tries to win the right to be the “mate” of another. The second half details the aftereffects and has a lot of build up for the rest of the series. I think I enjoyed the beginning and the courtship trials a little better, but I definitely want to read more.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, but full disclosure, the book ends on a *massive* cliffhanger. The actions of some of the characters pissed me off more than I thought they would, and I have a feeling one or more of them will be forgiven in the second book and I just can’t 😅

The Raven and the Dove follows the story of Princess Lyanna and a bastard son, Rafe, the love interest. A prophecy must be fulfilled to avoid the world turning into chaos.

The worldbuilding on the other hand is absolutely amazing for a YA book, I think the World Above and the World Below the Mist are very complete each with their houses and we can see that we will get more information about those in the books that follow. The magic system is lacking a little bit but it doesn't prevent us from enjoying the book.
Finally, the cover, I think we can all agree is the most beautiful cover we have ever seen.

Tropes:
Prophecy
Insta Love

This was a wild ride.

In the beginning I felt annoyed about listening to a story about sexy Bird People, Then the world building intrigued me for a while. Then it was back to forbidden birdie-love and sexy feather ruffling. Then again I liked some of the character development, like how the raven prince changed.

In the end the book lost me again over the fact that most of the problems could have been solved by simply talking about them. Which was entirely possible.

The end left me quit confused but as I am not really invested in the plot or characters I will not continue this series.

Rec for ornitophile people.

A good YA book for fantasy romance readers, the only downfall was how the love story was written. The two characters managed to conveniently fall in love at first sight which I struggle to accept as an avid slow burn lover.

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.