While a queer Rapunzel retelling featuring witches and vampires sounds SO good, The Witch and the Vampire left a lot to be desired.

This story just felt like it was missing something. I’ve been thinking a lot about where a story starts and how that affects the storytelling overall. This is something I am forced to think about every once in a while, but this was one of the books that brought it up for me again. The backstory of this novel seemed more interesting than what we get here. Ava’s mother turns her into a vampire and locks her away. Ava’s best friend Kaye loses Ava, and then her mother. The story we get from The Witch and the Vampire is the two girls coming together again but as enemies because Kaye is a vampire hunter and believes Ava had something to do with her mothers death. The backstory would have been much more interesting to read. I fear depth gets lost when an author thinks of some elaborate backstory and then throws readers into the middle or the aftermath of said backstory. Ava and Kaye’s relationship and the true hardships they have faced as individuals are told to the reader, but are not shown.

While every book has its place, it's hard for me to recommend this, even for its more positive aspects due to the storytelling overall. If Rapunzel, witches, vampires, or sapphic relationships intrigue you, you could possible find something to love here.

The synopsis sounded interesting enough to pique my interest and start reading. Once I started, there was no stopping. A twist on the traditional Rapunzel fairy tale that is targeted at a much older audience. Francesca Flores does an excellent job of painting the community and characters into a 3D picture that can be seen and felt at the same time.

This book was not for me. I really wanted to love it. I had an hard time getting in to it which caused me to not enjoy it. That does not mean that someone else wouldn’t love this book. It just didn’t keep my attention like I would have wanted it too.

Francesca Flores' The Witch and the Vampire offers a fresh twist on the classic supernatural tale, delivering a story rich with magical intrigue and complex characters. While the novel captivates with its imaginative world-building and dynamic relationships, it also stumbles in pacing and depth in certain areas, leading to a solid, albeit imperfect, reading experience.

Flores excels at creating a vivid landscape where magic and danger intertwine. Aria and Lucian are well-developed, each struggling with their own internal conflicts. Aria's journey from a guarded witch to someone who learns to trust is compelling, and Lucian's transformation from an isolated vampire to an ally is equally intriguing. Their dynamic is marked by tension and growth, a central pillar of the novel's appeal.

The novel's pacing is uneven, with some sections dragging while others feel rushed. The middle parts of the story, in particular, could benefit from tighter editing to maintain the reader's engagement throughout. While Aria and Lucian are well-developed, some secondary characters feel underexplored. Their motivations and backstories are not as fleshed out, leaving potential subplots underutilized.

The Witch and the Vampire is an enchanting tale that blends fantasy with emotional depth. Despite its pacing issues and occasionally shallow side character exploration, the book remains an entertaining read with a strong core message about trust and transformation. This novel is perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven stories set in richly imagined worlds, making it a worthwhile addition to the fantasy genre.

Ava is a vampire kept in her tower home by her mother. Kaye is a witch, sworn to kill the vampires that murdered her mother. Former friends, now enemies, when the two of them have to make it through the forest, they’ll only have each other to depend on.

For a story of a vampire versus mortal war, this felt too slow. All the characters felt too shallow, and this resulted in my not getting invested in the romance.

I was fascinated by the magic system and the world building, so I kept reading hoping that would get more fleshed out.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s a press for this arc.

The synopsis sounded so good and I couldn’t wait to read this, but after multiple attempts, I had to DNF. I couldn’t stand the main characters, and the pacing was too slow. It just didn’t work for me.

To me, this is just another run of the mill YA fantasy. It didn't really bring anything new to the table.

The synopsis accounts for about 75% of the plot. It was pretty much just Ava and Kaye traveling through the woods together, agonizing over their differences and lost friendship. I can't really fault the book for this since it's directed at teens, but so many of their problems could have been solved if they just got over their teenage egos and talked it out. The climax wasn't super exciting either. I didn't feel worried about any of the characters since I didn't really like any of them to begin with.

The world-building could use some work. The magic system had the potential to be really interesting, but it just wasn't fleshed out properly.

If you're looking for romance, look elsewhere. The only whif you'll get is the girls making passive observations about how pretty the other is. That being said, I'm not mad about the no romance part. There was zero romantic chemistry between Ava and Kaye, and it seemed really forced when it did happen.

Overall, I think this is a good book for kids coming into YA from middle grade to read. The language is straightforward and the themes not too complex.

DNF 22%

I really wanted to love this book based on the premise of a sapphic fantasy estranged friends-to-lovers dynamic, but I feel utterly disconnected to the voices/POVs of both main characters. The plot moves incredibly slowly and it feels as though we're being hand-fed information rather than living through the story organically. I simply wasn't able to engage with the story at all.

A dark, lush fantasy retelling of Rapunzel with vampires, witches, and forbidden love. The world is rich, the romance is angsty, and the action is thrilling. A fresh, gothic YA fantasy.

It took me a while to get into this story. It wasn't my favorite read. It was interesting but i didn't love the ending it was kind of abrupt for me.

Thank you for an early edition of The Witch and the Vampire. As intriguing as this book sounded it unfortunately wasn't for me.

This book had a really interesting and unique premise that I was really excited about but I found the execution didn’t live up to the hype of the concept and undermined my enjoyment of the book.

If The Witch and the Vampire had undergone a few more rounds of edits, I think it could have truly lived up to its potential. As it stands, I enjoyed the story but encountered some issues along the way. That said, I'm still glad I read it—the romance was delightful and had me smiling throughout. The ending was left somewhat open, so I’d definitely be interested in reading more about Ava and Kaye!

A sapphic rapunzel retelling that's friends to lovers. Sign me up please!! But also ... an unknown rivals/enemies to lovers due to species? Intriguing. It's a Rapunzel retelling that will keep you on the edge of your seat, hope you can keep your emotions in check because I never do when people are locked away, hence the Rapunzel retelling. A super unique take on the Rapunzel storyline. I enjoyed it.

I found the characters of this book annoying and the plot uninteresting. No matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t interested in what was happening and it felt like such a slog to read. The premise was good, but the execution was lacking.

Favorite quote(s):

“For the first time in my life—and this new life-I let go of safety, fear, doubt. I let go of trying to change myself to fit into what other people want me to be.”

“Plenty of people have tried to control both me and Ava. They've all underestimated us, our voices and our presence and our power. And they all missed the exact moment we grew strong enough to stand on our own.”


Review:

I enjoyed this book and the story it told. I enjoyed Ava and Kaye as characters and how they went from friends to enemies to lovers, with allies in between. I thought the world and magic and how it worked were interesting and I loved learning more. I wished that we had flashbacks of their past rather than having the characters say what happened. The story also felt short, and I wanted more of it, especially after that ending. Several characters pissed me off, like Ava’s mother and some witches and not to mention Cassiopeia. This book was quick and full of secrets, betrayal, love, fighting, and more. Overall, I enjoyed this story. I just wish it was longer.

We get a Rapunzel inspired Sapphic story with The Witch and the Vampire. I have to say this was a 3.5 star read for me.

We get a friends to lovers story here with Ava and Kaye. Ava has been locked away by her mom while being confined and abused. Once she's able to escape she makes an alliance to travel through the dangerous forest. Kaye has ulterior motives though.

I struggled to move on from Kaye's anger because she was angry almost the entire time which really overshadowed most of the plot for me.

The pacing was also a bit slower that some parts did feel dragged on but overall i enjoyed the plot of the story even if the execution wasn't the best.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Witch and the Vampire was an interesting book to dive into today. In this, you will meet Ava and Kaye. They used to be best friends until they weren't. When they finally reunited, there was lots of confusion and tension between them. It also doesn't help that they are sort of enemies due to who they are either. Meaning, Ava used to be a witch but was turned into a vampire against her will, and Kaye is a witch who technically kills vampires.

Long story short, they need to sort out their differences. And maybe, just maybe, talk about what happened to them and such to ease the pain. Call it "we used to be friends, and now we might like each other" therapy. Or something like that.

Anyways, I really liked and enjoyed the romance between them. It was definitely a slow-burn romance, which I'm not always into, but it made sense for these two. They were taught something and are only just beginning to question things. It was interesting to see them break through the uncomfortable talks because it made them a bit closer.

Other than that, the rest of the book had it's pros and cons throughout. I'm not going to complain about anything specific since it was still easy to listen to on my end. Thankful for the opportunity to read this little gem.

I own this and intend to read it in the future I'm just clearing this off my board to reduce stress. I will update when I read/review.

Ava is a root witch turned vampire that has been trapped in her mother's tower for two years. Kaye is a fire witch that was friends with Ava until the night her mother was murdered, believing that ava was the murderer. When all hell breaks loose in their town, Ava escapes only to be captured by Kaye. They learn a few truths that turn their lives upside down and journey together to save their people and their forest, growing closer together as they journey on.

This book had so much potential in my mind; a Rapunzel retelling, Friends-to-Enemies-to-lovers, Witches and Vampires, however, the writing fell a little flat for me. Ava and Kaye had a lot of will they or won't they moments without the tension needed to make it feel believable.