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amandaplease50's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Amazing cover! Solid book so you know sometimes you can judge a book by its cover.
Some slight twists and turns but not overwhelming and so well written. It’s in first person POV and the POV changes every chapter which can honestly be terrible in books but I never felt like I was reading in first person. And the changing of POV really added to the story!
Small romance mostly about the witch and vampire lore which I loved.
Some slight twists and turns but not overwhelming and so well written. It’s in first person POV and the POV changes every chapter which can honestly be terrible in books but I never felt like I was reading in first person. And the changing of POV really added to the story!
Small romance mostly about the witch and vampire lore which I loved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Violence, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual harassment
micaelacccc's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Animal death, Death of parent, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Murder
vixenreader's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Repetition of themes and plot points, and hammering home said themes and plot points are the book’s weakness, but the central characters, romance, and immense folklore and imagination make up for the novel’s shortcomings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Confinement, Violence, Grief, Abandonment, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Medical content, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Cannibalism, Gore, and Kidnapping
Minor: Slavery, Ableism, and War
There is also destruction of nature, people being chained and imprisoned, and abusive mother-daughter dynamics.butyougotmysoul's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’m a little conflicted with how to rate this book. It was good, well written, but I feel like certain things could have been explained better such as the magic system within the book. I also feel as though some parts of the plot were just a little too convenient it seemed. I also think the end was left quite open. Is there a possibility of a series?
Overall, I would read more from this author and would recommend it to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC.
Overall, I would read more from this author and would recommend it to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
krisalexcole's review
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Death, and Murder
anastasia_raf's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
"Trust looks like a girl who wants to live so badly she forgot she's dead."
Ava and Kaye used to be best friends. Until everything changed. The two friends were not only separated by not only two different worlds- a witch bound by duty and a vampire bound by " call It what you will, fate, destiny... - A horse." ( See what I did there tangled fans?) but by actual life and death. Can the two build a bridge to connect these two worlds? Or shall I say, can they see the light in a society that uses hatred as a fog? Scary and malicious until you cross and get to the other side.
If you find all these themes interesting then my I guess is this book is for you, and I recommend you pick it up. But I'm not here to discuss only ideas, I'm here to discuss the execution of said ideas as well. Following is my personal opinion, what I want and look for in a book and in no way shape or form Is my intention to discourage you from reading this book. This audiobook was provided to me by Netgalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review! Many thanks to the publishers.
It was just trying to do too much. It was Vampire diaries mixed with first kill and twilight, with some Rapunzel themes involved. In my opinion, it had nothing going for it but vibes.
Sometimes one of the protagonists would have an epiphany about their beliefs and opinions starting to actually analyze them and question them, then next thing you know they're back like this whole act of thinking belonged to someone else entirely!
The characters felt two- dimensional. All we ever got about Kaye's past was that her mother was dead...And in a weird sense I felt like she was grieving her in everyone else's eyes other than her own? What I mean by this Is that death seemed like an excuse to everyone's actions but without necessarily having dealt with such grief or actually stop and feel it. Was she actually grieving her mother? because that's what it kept saying and yet not showing.
The end was unsatisfactory to say the least.
Ava was a mix of Bella with some nuances of Rapunzel and some sprinkles of a cliche ya protagonist. I just wish it would've done more. Especially from a such overused "genre" like vampires and witches. It relied too much on it being an inspiration of famous tales, series and stories that it forgot to bring it's own. Everything was so underdeveloped. Predictable. And calluna did never feel like a person that really existed. I guess in that sense it succeed in her being a memory but not actually empathizing with her or caring for Kaye's loss.
The characters felt two- dimensional. All we ever got about Kaye's past was that her mother was dead...And in a weird sense I felt like she was grieving her in everyone else's eyes other than her own? What I mean by this Is that death seemed like an excuse to everyone's actions but without necessarily having dealt with such grief or actually stop and feel it. Was she actually grieving her mother? because that's what it kept saying and yet not showing.
The end was unsatisfactory to say the least.
Ava was a mix of Bella with some nuances of Rapunzel and some sprinkles of a cliche ya protagonist. I just wish it would've done more. Especially from a such overused "genre" like vampires and witches. It relied too much on it being an inspiration of famous tales, series and stories that it forgot to bring it's own. Everything was so underdeveloped. Predictable. And calluna did never feel like a person that really existed. I guess in that sense it succeed in her being a memory but not actually empathizing with her or caring for Kaye's loss.
The only bonus for me was the queerness and the lack of the said word. Sexuality just existed and it didn't have to be analyzed or categorized.
The pace was satisfactory. The audiobook's narration was very pleasant.
The pace was satisfactory. The audiobook's narration was very pleasant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Emotional abuse, Violence, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
devynreadsnovels's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Death, and Murder
lydiareads247's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
"You deserve more than someone who only comes for you when it's almost too late"
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for granting me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This book had a lot of potential. Pitched as a rapunzel retelling with witches and vampires as enemies, the plot itself is captivating and interesting but the execution isn't the best. Some moments towards the end of the book are more enjoyable and better executed, but most of it could use a little more reviewing before it had been published. Some stories about their world could have been better told (or shown) - I felt like it was missing something.
Overall, though, the book was enjoyable. It had adventure, some good fighting moments, found family and the friends to enemies to lovers. I appreacited the little excerpts at the beginning of the chapters, they were a bit of an extra glimpse into that world and brought a bit more understanding to the reader (especially about Kaye's mom).
The characters were also pretty loveable and I was really rooting not only for the leads, but also for the trio to rekindle their friendship. Each character had their moment to shine and reveal a different side to themselves and I believe that was well done and made the reader appreacite the character's journey more.
In conclusion, some parts could be better but the book in itself is a fun read. I'll keep an eye out for anything else Francesca Flores publishes!
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for granting me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
This book had a lot of potential. Pitched as a rapunzel retelling with witches and vampires as enemies, the plot itself is captivating and interesting but the execution isn't the best. Some moments towards the end of the book are more enjoyable and better executed, but most of it could use a little more reviewing before it had been published. Some stories about their world could have been better told (or shown) - I felt like it was missing something.
Overall, though, the book was enjoyable. It had adventure, some good fighting moments, found family and the friends to enemies to lovers. I appreacited the little excerpts at the beginning of the chapters, they were a bit of an extra glimpse into that world and brought a bit more understanding to the reader (especially about Kaye's mom).
The characters were also pretty loveable and I was really rooting not only for the leads, but also for the trio to rekindle their friendship. Each character had their moment to shine and reveal a different side to themselves and I believe that was well done and made the reader appreacite the character's journey more.
In conclusion, some parts could be better but the book in itself is a fun read. I'll keep an eye out for anything else Francesca Flores publishes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Violence
lgbriteaaa's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
The cover... the cover.. the cover! Now, I'm a person who judges a book by its cover, and, as beautiful as it is, the narrative matches it wonderfully. Friends, to enemies, to lovers, is a trope that I'm now adding to my list of favorites. From the moment I dove into this book, I couldn't get enough. The way the author weaves her words is so beautiful, there were a couple of passages where they just touched me. I IMMEDIATELY pre-ordered the book so I could have a physical copy as well.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Death of parent, and Child abuse
diannasbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
*Thank you Wednesday books and netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!*
I was very excited to receive this book. Sapphic? Yes please! Rapunzel retelling! Yes! Witches, and vampires? It all sounded amazing. However this read as an upper middle grade rather than a YA for me. Which there isn’t anything wrong with that. I read it fairly fast. I really like the world that Francesca created. The romance was adorable, and I loved the world building as well. Overall it’s a quick and easy fantasy read!
I was very excited to receive this book. Sapphic? Yes please! Rapunzel retelling! Yes! Witches, and vampires? It all sounded amazing. However this read as an upper middle grade rather than a YA for me. Which there isn’t anything wrong with that. I read it fairly fast. I really like the world that Francesca created. The romance was adorable, and I loved the world building as well. Overall it’s a quick and easy fantasy read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, Violence, War, Death of parent, Death, Torture, Gaslighting, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit