4,5 stars.

I need to start off by saying that I absolutely loved this book. What really intrigued me about the story was the concept and the world that Davis created. However, because I liked the world and magic system so much I would've liked a bit more world building to better get to know the world I diving into. I also surprisingly ended up really liking the different POVs, which I normally don't enjoy that much - it just made perfect sense in this story. I just hope we don't get even more POVs in the next book because there are already quite a number of characters to follow and keep tabs on.

I really like the relationship between Lyana and Rafe, but I do feel that it was kind of rushed seeing as not much time had passed before things really started to progress. Also, I feel like Rafe sort of went in and out of character throughout the whole book? He was supposed to be suuuper loyal to his brother and felt that he owed him everything but went behind his back several times and was kind of selfish to be honest. I can't help but still like him for some reason though - it must be the dark-haired bad boy with a troubled past persona.

I'm still giving the book 5 stars here, even though it's more like 4,5 stars because I loved it when reading, and it has stuck with me in the days after I finished it. I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book and cross my fingers for more world building and no additional POVs than the ones in the first book.

I should've known that I would not care for this when it was being compared to Sarah J Maas, but I had hope. However, this really was just a generic fantasy with nothing new and the characters didn't really save it either.

A raven and a dove – what a yin and yang theme. I have to admit, it is kind of aesthetically pleasing.

What got me into actually wanting to read this is the Tristan and Isolde inspired plot. It seemed interesting enough for me because I have never read a book that it’s retelling the two lover’s tale. And it is also a very nice tale, romantic and heart-breaking and all.
So with that in mind, I dove in.

The first thing I felt about this was confusion.
Given the fact that I wasn’t very comfortable with the world just yet, I had a lot of confusing questions that I needed to be answered and I kept reading more to seek my answers than to actually find out what’s the plot about.

I got my answers, don’t worry. We’re good.
Still not entirely enlightened, but overall satisfied.

As I kept reading, I realised that the plot is okay, I even thought I might like it, even though there was something missing, I don’t know, like a certain spice I was expecting to be there for a stronger flavour but it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, the whole plot idea was good, but I thought it would’ve been better if the author put more detail in certain areas and less in others. And a bit of more twist maybe. A twist with a mystery perhaps. But even so, the narration and action were good.

The world-building was somehow okay-ish, I would’ve loved it a bit more detailed though. But, as a whole, the placing was quite alright.

Now, I really have to say this: I had a problem with the characters.

I honestly disliked all the characters in this book, with some exceptions here and there.

There was something about each of them that just didn’t seem quite palpable. Some were bland and some were forced and I am not entirely sure I liked even a single one of them from the beginning to the end.

I have an overall good opinion about The Raven and the Dove, even though I am not a fan of it. The story somehow got to me and I am now curious to see how things might go from now on. I am expecting some chaos and anarchy so I am definitely decided to get on with the series.

**Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review**

The Raven and the Dove is a a YA fantasy retelling of Tristan and Isolde. What is interesting about this book is it is inspired by birds!.. and I LOVE birds.. so sign me up!!! ..and lets quickly mention that cover art by Salome Totladze!! There is a lot of action that takes place in this book and it kept me hooked. The world building was amazing, and left me looking forward to the next book. The main character Lyana is a strong lead who cares deeply for her family and her people. She is impulsive and hot headed but always has the best intentions. She ends up involved with a Prince, and his brother and there is a slow slow burn romance that takes place.
This book includes some of the best fantasy elements: Magic, Prophecy/Chosen one, and mythical creatures. I would recommend this book!.

I wanted to love this story, it seemed like my cup of tea when I saw the cover and read the blurb. It was something that supposedly should have indulged me in the developed fantasy world as it seemed. The Raven and the Dove ends with the cliffy. One that I find rather... Ugh... I don't even know how to call it. But let's get to the beginning.
We have a fantasy world where all our MCs have wings - in that case, raven and dove's wings (black and white). As it mostly happens the ones with black wings are shunned by the others. You know - the one with black is a bad one, right?
We start with an intriguing part - something called trials is coming! I always loved trials as they seemed to show me something more in the characters, but here... Don't get me wrong trials happened... But we just got the description of what had happened! One piece that held potential in developing was lost to a few sentences.
The plot had potential from the start - a fantasy world, people with wings, some dark secrets, love, gray characters, and prophecy! Sounds great? It only sounds like that, unfortunately.
Characters - there are four points of views and it's told in the third person so we just see things described not happening. Sometimes this works well, but here I was just floating by them.

This was a fantastic start to the series! I greatly enjoyed the world building and cast of characters! The initial scene had me instantly wanting to know what was going on, so I was sucked in and ready for the ride. And that ending!!

I wanted to love this story, it seemed like my cup of tea when I saw the cover and read the blurb. It was something that supposedly should have indulged me in the developed fantasy world as it seemed. The Raven and the Dove ends with the cliffy. One that I find rather... Ugh... I don't even know how to call it. But let's get to the beginning.
We have a fantasy world where all our MCs have wings - in that case, raven and dove's wings (black and white). As it mostly happens the ones with black wings are shunned by the others. You know - the one with black is a bad one, right?
We start with an intriguing part - something called trials is coming! I always loved trials as they seemed to show me something more in the characters, but here... Don't get me wrong trials happened... But we just got the description of what had happened! One-piece that held potential in developing was lost to a few sentences.
The plot had potential from the start - a fantasy world, people with wings, some dark secrets, love, gray characters, and prophecy! Sounds great? It only sounds like that, unfortunately.
Characters - there are four points of views and it's told in the third person so we just see things described not happening. Sometimes this works well, but here I was just floating by them.
Lyana is a princess that has secrets, and she needs to find her way how to survive with these secrets and what she wants? I suspect she was supposed to be strong and feisty (maybe?) but she came out as the whiny little one that gave me a headache... She had developed a little in the end but that was too little and too late...
Rafe is a half brother of Xander. A bastard prince. He's not really liked but he's strong and I could really like him if he would show himself as a more manly figure. The insta-love between him and Lyana had not worked in his favor as in ths world there was nothing like mates at first sight.
Xander, I think I liked him a little, but he was treated unfairly here that he had just one role I think - be the part of the triangle. Don't overstep just be there. If developed I think he would be able to become a great character.
Cassie is a secondary character that I find the one with the best developing here! She had quite a few sides of herself and she had a plan on how to work. I think I liked her as she was an enigma to me at the beginning at least.
Cassie and the world created are in plus here, and that's the only thing I can count as such.

I am not a huge fan of fantasy, but this one looked intriguing enough. Sadly, it fell flat for me. I wasn't a huge fan of the characters, and the plot left me with more questions then answers.

Despite my feelings on it, I can see a lot of readers who enjoy fantasy loving this book. If fantasy is your thing, don't let my experience turn you off.

I was first intrigued by this book because the cover is so beautiful. Upon reading the synopsis and learning that jit was a retelling of Tristan & Isolde, I wasn't sure what exactly to expect. That being said, I really enjoyed The Raven and the Dove! While I do think that some of the pacing wasn't the best in the book, the world-building and characters certainly more than made up for it.

The world created by Kaitlyn Davis was very well written and described. Every element was so vivid and detailed, and it truly played a big part in what captured my interest throughout the story. On top of the great world-building, the characters were some of the best written I've read in a while. They were multi-dimensional and I enjoyed the dynamic between Lysana and Rafe from the very beginning. I'm not usually a fan of when the characters find love instantaneously, but I was able to look past it because of how much I enjoyed the characters.

The Raven and the Dove is definitely something you should read if you have the chance!

I received an electronic ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/4

The Raven and the Dove is a fantasy story about 2 worlds. One of the sea and one of sky.

I’ve got to say, I had some high expectations for this book so maybe that’s why I gave it a kind of low score. The world creation was amazing! I loved the bird people and the whole sky lands. The lore was very, very rich.

However I just never really got invested. Not in characters, not in plot. It took a lot for me to push through really. Apart from being cool bird people, the characters were kind of boring imo.

Maybe I just wasn’t in a fantasy mood for this book, but I will read the sequel. I’m hoping for more action from the get go.

I absolutely loved the world building in this book! It was very well thought out and some of the best I've read in awhile. This definitely had the potential to be a 5 star book but I cannot stand insta-love and while this book was one of the better insta-love tropes I've seen, it taints the rating for me. But I will definitely be reading the sequel!

I was initially drawn into this read by the cover and the fact that it said in the blurb 'perfect for fans of S J Maas'. There were lots of things I really enjoyed, but overall I thought it was a fine read.

Things I enjoyed: the world is really interesting! I loved the idea of the 'world above' and 'world below', and I also really liked the different communites we encountered - kingdoms based on different types of birds who come together to find mates, what a different take on a usual trope! Sometimes I find different POVs frustrating, but I enjoyed seeing lots of different perspectives as the drama started to amp up. The writing style was intriguing and easy to read.

However, there were some things that didn't quite sit right with me. Firstly, it took me a long time to read this book. I wouldn't say it was hard to read, but I didn't feel an urge to pick it up again whenever I put it down. I felt that it didn't really need to have a 500 page read - it could have easily been just as dramatic condensed down to a 380-420 page book. Though the cast of characters were interesting, I didn't always enjoy Lyana's perspective as I found her stubborn streak a bit annoying. Finally, the insta-love got to me. I always find that a little tricky, but I didn't feel enough of a connection between Lyana and Rafe to warrant it.

As always, those are just my thoughts. I think lots of people will fall in love with this story and it's characters. I think my feelings for this read are a me-thing. If you are looking for a fairytale-esque, world's collide tale with a unique take on different communities and dramatic twists and turns, give this a try. It might be the one for you!

This is a Tristan and Isolde retelling, but for me it didn't give it enough of a fresh take to keep it interesting. I mean, a big thing from that story is a love triangle and a forbidden love, which I don't normally have a problem with, but the rest of the plot couldn't carry it further for me. I love the idea of floating kingdoms and the general premise for this book, but between the alternating POVs, the bland narration, the unoriginal characters, and the telling and not showing I had some issues. For me, this was five-hundred pages of pain, may you fair better.

3.5-4 STARS

I enjoyed this new series starter from Kaitlyn Davis. I liked the story and the characters, and the writing was really immersive, and pulled me in.

The characters were really great! I love our MC Lyana, she is very similar to me and I connected with her. She is independent and kind of strong-willed, but she is always trying to do the right thing. Rafe was also a really great broody leading man. I really enjoyed the connection that they share in the book through their secret magic.

The only thing I had slight difficulty with was the world-building. I didn’t quite understand it for the first half of the book. This might have just been a total “me” issue, but I just couldn’t grasp onto it easily.

If you dive into this one, be prepared for a HUGE cliffhanger at the end. Like, I couldn’t wrap my mind around the way it ended, and I HAVE to have the second book!

Overall, I really enjoyed it, and look forward to the rest of the series, and anything else that Davis will put out.

Special thanks to the author and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange only for my honest thoughts and review!

I've tried to read this one a few times now and I can't do it. I don't like the characters or the plot. And the writing style just isn't for me. I really wanted to like this one but I just could not get past my problems. I read about 50% of it before I had to put it down and DNF.

My Rating : 5🌟
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Kindle/ Netgalley/ May2020
#mabookyardchallengeMay2020
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Than you so much Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
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This book follows our main characters Princess Lyanna, who longs for an adventure instead of her dictated courting trails, and Rafe, who poses as his half brother Prince to win over a match in the upcoming trails. This book deals with the two as individual characters, and how lies and deceit costs them their lives in different ways. There's a lot of forbidden romance, betrayals, and an amazing yet heart breaking ending !
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First, CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW BEAUTIFUL THAT COVER IS ? I'm just too excited guys. I picked this book up just for this cover alone. I'm shameless. BUT I found one of my favourite books of 2020 ! The characters were absolutely amazing and I was shipping them so hard. The character arc was done very well, AND the storyline matched their personalities absolutely perfect. I stan Rafe the hardest and I hated what happened to him at the end. I literally cried with the amount of angst and the forbidden-ness of the romance factor, that my brain hurt for them.
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Second, the story started out quite cliched, but it turned into a new leaf and made me absolutely fall in love with the characters and the book as a whole. I felt so many emotions while reading it, and certain decisions made by certain back stabbing besties left me annoyingly furious! Every scene had it's own high stakes attached to it, which just increased my curiosity. AND THAT ENDING. Whyyyy.. Nobody knows the sweet Rafe had nothing to do with the destruction, and the certain backstabbing bestie is now a good gurl? Whhyyyyy..
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Coming to the pacing of the book, would you believe if i said I finished this book in a single sitting? That's how it was. The pacing was absolute perfection. The stolen moments between our main characters was worth the wait, and that one scene where they get covered in stone rubbles? LOVED. IT. SO. MUCH. I have no complaints with this book, excpet maybe more Rafe scenes was needed? That ending crushed me, and I hope the author be sympathetic to my bleeding heart right now, and give me the second book.
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Overall, THIS BOOK IS AN ABSOLUTE GEM AND YA'LL NEED TO READ IT. I loved the characters, the storyline, the heartcrushing aspect of the ending, the sneaky romance, the backstabbing scenes, the fantasy elements, and the open ending it gave me. If you are a fan of fantasy, READ IT. You will thank me later!

The raven and the dove is a retelling of Tristan and Isobel, set in a world with 7 different avian races. The world building was unique and I enjoy learning about the different races, particularly the ravens. There is four POVs,rafe, lyanna, cassi, and Xander, each pov stand outs and all the characters thoughts and feelings were authentic. The writing style is genetic at times but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story. Overall the raven and the dove is fun retelling with interesting world building and angsty romance.

I think I should start this review with a fan fact. I just found out that this book is a retelling of one of my favorite childhood stories, Tristan and Isolde! It all makes sense now! How could I not see it before?
The world created in the story is focused on royal houses that were blessed and saved by Gods. Each house is called by the different type of a bird and blessed by different God. The book tells the story of Lyana, the princess of the doves and Rafe, the bastard of the king of ravens. Lyana dreams about being free, travel and explore the unknown, however, as a princess she has her obligation like choosing a mate and become a queen and wife. She understands the need to sacrifice all her dreams for a good cause. On the last night before the trials and ceremony, she sneaks out of the castle so she can be free for the last night. That’s where she crossed her ways with Rafe. He got attacked and injured by a dragon. If she and her friend wouldn’t help him, he would die. Lyana has a gift, she can cure people with magic. To save him she takes him to the cave to heal him there. That’s the moment I really like it because they are getting to know each other but they both lie about who they are. Lyana thinks he’s the prince of ravens and Rafe thinks she’s just a normal girl. Rafe doesn’t correct her because he came here to win a mate for his brother pretending, he is the prince. They look almost the same, however, Xander isn’t as physically gifted so he asked his brother to take part in the trials instead of him.

Xander and Rafe are very close to each other and they would do everything for each other. I couldn’t decide which one of them I felt worse because they both have problematic lives. I love their relationship because even if their past could mess up things between them, they remained to be brothers and best friends. It makes me so sad knowing that trials and their switch of personalities make everything complicated and destroy their brotherhood step by step.

This book includes so much hope for finding someone the characters will be finally understood and free with. Lysandra was looking for someone she wouldn’t need to hide her secrets from, however, Xander was looking for someone he would spend days in the library, someone who would understand him. They almost got what they were looking for but as it always happens in life, everything got much more complicated for everyone.
I felt so bad for these three main characters. Lyana after trials and travel to her new homeland she felt like in a cage. Xander wished just this one time to be loved and learn what true love is like but his mate’s heart couldn’t be one by him. However, Rafe just wished to change his past, he was a black sheep in the kingdom, not welcome but anyone but his brother.

I honestly wish this book would change differently. I felt so much pain for every single thing that happened at the end. I think Rafe’s case was the most painful of all. I cannot believe that after everything that happened the only thing that he loved so much was taken away from him. His life was already crushed by all that happened the day before and now this. I don’t know if I will be able to read a sequel and find in what condition he is.
This book had some parts I didn’t like that much but despite it, I can say it was a good read. I enjoyed the story and the characters. As tragic as this story was for its characters, I still enjoyed it. I hope the second book will be even better than this one.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Kaitlyn Davis for providing me this copy. I enjoyed this book a lot and I can’t wait to read another book in this series.

As one of my highly anticipated releases, I had huge expectations from the book and I guess that's probably the reason why it didn't exactly mesh with my reading taste. It is a high fantasy set in a world afloat, divided by different clans of bird types with the Raven clan being inferior to the Doves. But when fate brings two young souls of each clan to holy matrimony, nothing can stop them from the prejudice that follows.
The premise of the novel was pretty good but the execution just didn't do for me. I eventually DNFed it after a considerable number of attempts.

This book has the most beautiful cover ever and I have to admit I was drawn to the cover when scrolling through Netgalley as well as the suggestion that it would be for fans of Sarah J Mass. Raven and Dove is a fantasy retelling of the Tristan and Isolde/Iseult tale set in a magical world where characters can take the form of different birds depending on the family they come from.

I enjoyed the book and the characters were interesting and well written but it was very similar to many other YA fantasy and the beginning of the book was very slow and it too awhile to get going. Also the plot was a little confusing in places - but I will read the next book as I liked the characters and I want to know what happens to them next!