The Witch and the Vampire is a sapphic retelling of Rapunzel. It follows the story of two young women, Ava and Kaye, who work together to overcome their differences and break down prejudices while traveling through an enchanted forest.

One of the aspects that I really enjoyed reading in this story was the lore and history of the vampires. The author did a great job weaving an immersive world that felt magical to the reader. In addition, the way the forest played such a massive part in the story was fascinating; I liked being able to see how the decisions of the vampires were affecting nature and how the forest had a mind of its own in fighting back.

The magic system with the witches was also fascinating. I wish it had been fleshed out a bit more, but I liked seeing how root witches could control the earth and were in charge of growing food while fire witches used their magic to guard and protect the people.

I also enjoyed Ava's character. She had a lot of beautiful growth by accepting herself and fighting for her freedom. It was great to see the ending and how her power was used to be able to impact the world she lived in for the better. While I wished we could have seen more of that growth with Kaye, I did appreciate Ava and watching her go from the "Rapunzel" aspect of the story to a strong independent person.

However, while the story had great strength in its plot and lore, the relationship between Ava and Kaye fell flat. I didn't quite get the impactful punch of friends to enemies to lovers the author aimed for. It felt like the relationship didn't have many opportunities to grow and relied too heavily on "they were friends in the past" to build a connection.

We were told that Ava and Kaye used to be close, but we weren't allowed to see them rebuild and repair their relationship. We didn't get those small moments to see that love blossom between them despite their frustration and hatred for one another. Because of this, it made the eventual romance between Ava and Kaye feel out of place.

Another aspect of the book that made it difficult to read was the head-hopping. Like many books, each chapter is told from a different perspective, but most chapters would end on a cliffhanger. So when it came time to move on to the next chapter, it felt like whiplash because you were jumping from one massive moment to a typical beginning of a new chapter. It made the overall story feel choppy like there wasn't any continuity or flow. It especially felt this way when the new chapter would revert back in time to tell the same scenario, just from someone else's perspective.

Overall, this book is a decent read with an interesting plot. And if you're looking for a sapphic YA fantasy book that puts little emphasis on romance or relationship building and you don't mind head hopping, this book could be an interesting read.

Touted as a queer Rapunzel retelling, this time with, you guessed it, vampires and witches, this audiobook tells the story of friends turned enemies who are forced together on a journey to find the original vampire, both with different motives. Along the way, they might rediscover their friendship (and more), but betrayal and uncovered secrets might tear them apart once more.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. Bailey Carr and Mary Helen Gallucci did a great job narrating with the alternating POVs of the main characters, Ava and Kaye. I actually didn’t read much about it beforehand and didn’t recognize it as a retelling. It definitely tracks, but I felt that it’s also its own story. The slow burn romance was great, really more of a journey back to friendship and then more. The twists and turns kept me guessing, and I loved that the next generation was inspired to discover new solutions to old problems. I won’t say much more, because I won’t want to spoil it. If you enjoy magical romps through the woods with a healthy dose of blood sucking, definitely check this one out.

Unfortunately I stopped reading this book at 20%.. I do not recommend it. This is a did not finish book for me.

I really liked this story. I liked the world, where witches were gifted their powers by the gods of the realm, where vampires were made and not born, I love the sweet memories that Ava and Kay shared about each other (even though Kay's I-loathe-you moments were low-key so annoying). I like the descriptions of the forest around them and the sweet romantic moments like softly caressing a well-known and loved face.

Here's what got me though: I felt like some of the narration was a little repetitive. There were quite a few moments where I would have thought the audiobook glitched back a chapter or two if there weren't two separate narrators. As it stands, I understand that maybe the author was trying to point out that Ava and Kay were thinking the exact same things, but it just felt very redundant. The other thing I did not like was the BBEG (Big Bad Evil Guy). It felt.... A little sudden? I don't know. Like, the thing with the Hearttree felt like it came out of nowhere. And Ava just *knew* because she was smart enough to put it all together, but either I didn't catch any of the foreshadowing, or the reader was left too far outside of the loop.

But other than those two honestly rather minor things, I really enjoyed listening to this!

As soon as I heard that this was a queer retelling of Rapunzel I knew I had to read it! Unfortunately I was a bit let down by the overall story. I thought the characters were interesting enough, but the story building was lacking. The magic system wasn’t fully explained and at times it seemed like things just happened out of convenience.

When I first seen this, I was very intrigued by the cover and the title. And then to learn that it was a Rapunzel retelling? Yes, please !! I couldn't wait to read it!

And it didn't disappoint. I loved this and the world the author created, I felt like I was there with the characters, and the narrators did an awesome job as well!
I loved the characters, the world and the overall storyline. I highly recommend checking this book out!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

(I also posted my review on goodreads (on here it says the ISBN couldn't be found on there so I had to copy+paste); https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5488523790 )

I've read the ebook of this book and loved it so when I saw the audio was up for grabs I snagged it
I abostly love this book. Ebook was a 5 stars But audio is 5 stars to. Author picked the right voices for the book
I couldn't put it down at all and love it alot
Adding the audio to my wishlist to try and save up for it
I highly recommend this audio/ebook of this book so much already told a few people that they need this book big time

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞
𝐁𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟑.𝟐𝟏.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

Thank you @wednesdaybooks and @stmartinspress for the gifted book.
Thank you to both @dreamscape_media and @librofm for a complimentary audiobook.


When I heard this was a paranormal retelling of Rapunzel, I was really excited! And with two of my favorite magical creatures - witches and vampires!

Ava, a Root witch, was turned into a vampire two years ago. Since then her nasty mother and stepfather have locked her away in the attic.

Kaye, Ava’s former best friend and a Flame witch, believes Ava in her new vampire form is to be blamed for Kaye’s mother’s death - and Kaye wants revenge.

When Ava finally escapes her “tower,” Kaye is on her trail. But when they finally meet, they realize that they are safer together in the deep, cursed woods.

So for such a great premise, this book sadly left me wanting more. There is some good stuff going on here: Witches against vampires, an enchanted forest, and a friends-to-lovers romance. But none of these elements were well developed or fleshed out. There is so much here just waiting to be explored!

I felt as though parts of this book were a bit slow but overall I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook. The dynamics between Ava and Kaye were fantastic and the narrator did a great job bringing them to life.

Utterly breathtaking queer Rapunzel retelling, with a wild ride of friends to enemies to lovers and it made my heart sing.

3.4/5

But first, I want to thank Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy.

The Witch and the Vampire is a sapphic friends to enemies to lovers story about two girls, a witch, and a witch turned vampire. It is also a Rapunzel retelling, and terms of other fantasy books, reminds me most of Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley.

This book is pretty easy to read, and I finished it within two days! The audiobook is great, I loved the narrators for both of the characters. There were a couple of plot twists, and the book wasn't written too poorly (though, agreeing with other reviewers, the author does tell more than she shows)

I liked some of themes explored, though I do wish that they were in more depth. The author clearly tried to include too many complex issues into the books, yet covering them at a very superficial level. Other aspects of the book felt underdeveloped at times too, like the interpersonal relationships and some characters' backstories. That being said, I still found the books rather enjoyable.

I want to mention that this books is definitely on the younger end of YA, so some things like for example the naiveté of the MC make more sense with this in mind. It’s suitable for those who are just getting into YA from the middle grade novels, or less experienced readers. If you’re looking for something very complex (which this book wanted to be but failed), this is definitely not it.

Overall, this book is a short and enjoyable sapphic book, but many aspects could have been further developed.

A wonderful retelling of Rapunzel, a wonderful setting, characters, story line. It was a little difficult to really dive into some scenes, which took away from the story line a bit for me, Overall a great read, and a beautiful cover!

Wow, where to even start. They had me at queer Rapunzel retelling, but then you throw in magic, witches, and vampires. This is everything I have ever wanted in a story. It flows well, I didn't want to put it down. By chapter 3 I had already preordered the story to read again. I really hope the story continues and we get another one.

5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, the narrators for this book are amazing and they both made it a very easy audiobook to listen to! The plot is quite fast paced, but both narrators made it easy to follow the plot.

Unfortunatly, the actual book had some issues that made it just an okay read for me. First of all, it is marked as a Rapunzel retelling, but I would say that the book is just inspired by the tale (girl trapped in a tower and abusive parent figures). The world building was very superficial and such I couldn't get invested into the vampire/witch/human conflict. Also while I enjoy a good enemies to lovers (especially sapphic ones), making the main couple childhood friends was unnecessary in my mind. The moral dilemma of falling in love would have been more interesting if they would have had the same aim, but opposite worldviews.

Overall it was an enjoyable audiobook, but nothing mindblowing.
3/5

I was sadly so underwhelmed and let down by this book. It didn’t seem like the world or magic system was all that fleshed out. The characters and relationships between everyone also didn’t feel complete or real.

I was so excited for sapphic Rapunzel and don’t feel like I really got that.

I struggled with this book and in the end, I just could not get through it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fantasy is not usually my thing, but after seeing the cover, I had to read it! I liked that the world building wasn't overwhelming and I could wrap myself up into things quickly. The narrator was amazing and I really attached myself to the characters based on their reading.

This book really filled a gap for my Twilight-loving heart. It has two strong female leads that I enjoyed even though they were both so different. While I could see why some would find Eva cloying at first, her arc was rewarding and I would love to see a sequel.

I saw a lot of negative reviews of this book and maybe that is because some people have certain expectations for these types of books, but I found this more refreshing and enjoyed the queer feminist lense, which most fantasy books don't have.

Overall, I would absolutely have this in my classroom and I think my students would really enjoy it as fantasy is quite popular at the moment.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this retelling of Rapunzel as it was an interesting twist with having vampires and witches. I do wish the book would have delved more into the system of magic in this world because I did find the little bit of information that was provided intriguing. The romance that was built up throughout was also very sweet.

This book has been so hyped, I keep seeing it pop up on all my book websites so I was super excited to get the chance to read it- and really, did you see the gorgeous cover?

Well, this was not what I was hoping for unfortunately. The story had a lot of potential, with a war between witches and vampires, but I found that the story overall fell flat. The world building was vague, the plot meandered and at times did not make sense or contradicted itself, and the romance lacked any spark (I think this was supposed to be enemies to lovers but there was too little romance going on).

Also, the ending just stopped. It was basically in the middle of an action scene and then the story ended and I am pretty sure this is a standalone so this is all you get and I did not like the ending.

I kept finding reasons to not read, it was the opposite of compelling and I really hate saying that. Maybe my expectations were too high and if you go into this with no previous thoughts it would be a more enjoyable read. Overall this was not a read for me but maybe give it a go if you like magical worlds, friends-to-enemies- to-lovers relationships, lots of action and plenty of danger with hints of abuse.

If you like audiobooks then I suggest you listen since this had 2 narrators, both with different personalities and narration style which really helped to show that there were 2 different main characters. I have no complaint with the audio portion of the book, just the content.

the witch and the vampire by francesca flores: 3/5 stars

before reading, i did not see that this was supposed to be a rapunzel retelling, so i was not disappointed that this was definitely not a rapunzel retelling.

i enjoyed listening to this. i don’t think it was the best fantasy book i’ve ever read, but the story interested me enough to stick through and the narrator’s voices kept me interested. i didn’t like the ending, and i think the pacing could have used some
work.

thank you to netgalley and dreamscape media for an alc in exchange for an honest review