While I greatly appreciate being able a read an advanced copy of this book, it just wasn't for me. A Rapunzel retelling is something that interested me but I am afraid I wasn't able to connect to this book liked I hoped I would. While I enjoyed the slow burn romance between the characters, unfortunately that was about all I enjoyed.

i promise im not a hater but this super wasn’t for me. it was boring and convoluted and just not for me. i feel like i never got my bearings about the lore and setting. for most of the book, i could hardly distinguish between the tone of the two MCs since they were just different flavors of the same weird angst. none of the stakes felt real or threatening. somehow Kaye would figure out a magic skill she couldn’t do 24 hours ago and be perfect at it. oh, she must have practiced, you’re saying. nope. just *wanted it* badly enough that we cut away from her and when we cut back boom, she’s an expert. at the 30% point i had to double check that this was supposed to be a romance since both Ava and Kaye are so bland and one dimensional that no amount of telling us that they’ve been pining after each other is going to make me believe it. the actual plot beats weren’t horrendous and i like the theoretical characterization of both Kaye and Ava but since this was a tell and not show kinda book i felt let down. the cover is gorgeous and the setup was so promising so im really bummed i didn’t like it very much. a very generous 2.5ish⭐️ than im rounding down to a 2 since i just can’t bring myself to lump this in with my other 3 star reads 😬

The cover of this book is gorgeous, and I really liked the synopsis. However, after trying to read this book a few times, I found the writing style did not work for me. I could not connect with the prose and had to DNF.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

Early DNF, the prose was incredibly stilted leaving little room for interesting character development or growth. It also made it incredibly difficult to comprehend what was actually occurring on the page.

I’m always sad to give a low rating to queer book, especially when it’s a fairytale retelling and should be exactly my kind of thing. But unfortunately there wasn’t much that I truly enjoyed about this book. I found it difficult to connect to the characters, the plot couldn’t hold my attention, I didn’t feel any sparks with the romance whatsoever, and just overall I found it to be a very forgettable read. The atmosphere was fantastic, I could picture the forest so clearly from the descriptions, and the magic system was interesting. But other than that this one sadly missed the mark for me.

I really enjoyed this book! I was sold at the concept of a queer repunzel retelling. It was more Tangled than Repunzel and really the only similarities are that the fmc was being locked up and used for her magic by her mom. So if your only interest is the Repunzel aspect, you can skip.
Both characters really struggled with their identity and beliefs. Ava struggles with what it means to be a vampire and trusting other vampires. Kaye is a vampire hunter that doesn’t know if she can trust Ava, her once best friend turned vampire. I enjoyed following them on their adventure and seeing how they dealt with their personal conflicts and the dangers they came across.
The world building could have gone more in depth and the mom could have been more complex. She kind of just seemed like a one note villain, which works in a Disney movie but less so in a novel.
Thanks net galley and Wednesday books for the earc! Sorry it’s so delayed 🥲

Sapphic fantasy and that cover? Color me intrigued! I found this really difficult to get into though and felt like I was too old for the writing. Definitely a case where I'm the wrong audience.

I wanted to like this book so badly because the general concept is so perfectly up my alley but unfortunately, the writing is just average, and the story itself felt badly executed. The character themselves felt flat and their motivations were murky at best.

I just did not enjoy this one as much as I expected! I love a fairytale retelling but this one was just not for me unfortunately!

I was drawn in by the promise of a sapphic Rapunzel retelling for a young adult audience, and The Witch and the Vampire did not disappoint. While I do think the pacing slows down a bit in the middle, I ended up really enjoying this book and I'm looking forward to whatever Flores writes next.

Read if you like:
* Vampires
* Witches
* Queer retellings
* Enemies to lovers

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Wednesday books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

So it took me way to long to read this book. I enjoyed this one for the most part. There were a few personal preferences that just did not fit for me. I feel like most people will enjoy this one if they enjoy fantasy with a mix of vampires and witches. I really liked how the relationships progressed. I have a feeling there is could be a sequel coming at some point.

This story follows Ava and Kaye who used to be best friends. Until someone changed Ava into a vampire. Kaye has sworn to defend their home against vampires. As her mother was killed by them. However, Ava is not your typical vampire she has been locked away by her mother. Who is a vampire pretending to just be a witch in their local community. Her mom knows that if Ava is found out she will have to turn her in or sacrifice her. Eugenia (her mom) is trying to destroy their town. While Ava just wants to be free.

As Kaye and Ava find themselves needing to free and prove themselves. There are many dangerous ahead with monstrous trees that devour humans whole, vampires who attack from above, and Ava’s stepfather tracking her, the woods are full of danger. As they travel deeper into the forest, Kaye questions everything she thought she knew. The two are each other's greatest threat—and also their only hope, if they want to make it through the forest unscathed. They must learn to trust each other and find a way to work together.

Content: Kisses, step-father abuse, swearing

Read if you enjoy:
Vampires
Witches
Fantasy
Rapunzel Retelling
LGBTQ+ Rep.

This book was advertised as a queer retelling of Rapunzel which I was very excited to read. And while there are definitely elements of the book that reminded me of Rapunzel, the plot definitely took on a life of its own shortly after Ava escapes from her home. The plot was intriguing but didn’t hold the same interest for me that the initial premise did. I found a handful of plot holes that I struggled to overcome enough to feel completely invested in the story.

Ava and Kaye are the main characters of the book and the subjects of the enemies-to-lovers storyline. The book does alternate perspectives between the two and I found myself more drawn to Kaye’s perspective and motive than Ava. While Ava had her own pluses, her personality fell a bit flat for me. I had hoped for some more chemistry between the characters and while their relationship followed the usual formula for a love story of this kind, it ultimately wasn’t convincing.

I really enjoyed the world of this book and the magical elements. The author clearly put a lot of thought and love into the world-building elements of the story. The witches' magic wasn’t entirely unique but performed a unique role in the plot that I haven’t seen in YA Fantasy before. Likewise, the author offered some new twists on vampirism which were reflected in the world-building.

The Witch and The Vampire is the latest book by veteran writer Francesca Flores. The author clearly has a talent for world-building, as the setting and magical elements of the book were unique and compelling. Unfortunately, by turning the plot into a retelling of Rapunzel with an enemies-to-lovers subplot, the world didn’t get to shine as much as I believe it could have with another story. If you’re looking for an exciting weekend read and you’re a big fan of queer fairytale retellings, this book is worth the read!

This book sounded like it was going to be good but unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. I struggled with it.

I know some would love this one but it's just wasn't one that kept me reading. I did like the author's writing style though.

DNFed at 69%

First I want to say I loved the cover. I was hoping to love the story just as much as I loved the cover but I really struggled. I DNF very rarely but with this one, it just wasn’t for ME.
I felt the romance lacked a connection and the world was a bit confusing for me. I just really struggled to keep my attention on what was going on and just picking up the book was also a bit difficult.

I loved the new creative take on the classic story of Rapunzel, the enemies to lovers slow burn romance was entertaining to watch, and I really liked how the story ended, and loved that the story was sapphic

Love the representation, the execution was a little clunky at times and it's not much of a retelling of Rapunzel as it is a story with elements/tropes of Rapunzel. Pretty fun overall

Gods, this book was so incredibly dull, it truly felt like a crime. How does a book with this beautiful of a cover, and this interesting of a premise just have absolutely zero charm? I don't know how the author did it but this book is even more dead than the vampires within it.
I stand by the fact that I do think this series is intresting, it's just that the author does absolutely nothing with it. This book manages to take the absolute most predictable and boring path, every single time. I kept reading hoping at some point this was going to tak me for a loop at some point, but it absolutely didn't. The world building was also incredibly boring. Again, this had such a good concept but the most boring route was just taken throughout it all. What made it worse for the worldbuilding though is that it is so incredibly info-dumped on you constantly there is no way to escape just how lame it is.
The characters are also so incredibly one dimensional and predictable. On top of that we have a romance at the centre of this book for which the author didn't even attempt any kind of developement. It kind of sucks that no developement was done because it was so incredibly neccecary. I mean, it is an enemies to lovers, from opposite worlds that hate each other, kind of romance. I need some kind of developement to make me believe these two all of the sudden are absolutely in love with each other to the point of going against everything they've ever believed. So yeah, this was an incredibly massive dissapointment to me. I still can't fully believe it because this book sounded right up my alley, but it just really wasn't.

This is a sapphic fantasy book about two mortal enemies that used to be best friends. One a fire witch and the other a nature witch that was turned into a vampire. They’re forced to work together and in doing so may find out they’re more alike than they thought. This cover is stunning and caught my eye immediately.

"There is no power when everyone knows your weaknesses." I really enjoyed this sapphic YA romance. The author took the classic Rapunzel and morphed it into a vampire vs. witch feud. Now if you're expecting a full blown Rapunzel vibe, this is not it and I'm glad it wasn't. It's a unique story that takes fantasy elements that focus on themes of prejudices and racism with witches, vampires and humans. There's an ancient secret in this world and the action with the vampire hunting and powers were exciting touches. The mother/daughter dynamic was an area where my anger came to the surface with how Ava was treated. It's an abusive relationship and Ava's growth was done well. Kaye was more secondary for me but I still enjoyed her as a character. I recommend the audiobook version because it's narrated beautifully but you'll also need a physical for that gorgeous cover.