Author: Francesca Flores
Series: Possible StandAlone
Genre: Fantasy/ Sapphic Romance/ Paranormal
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: March 21st, 2023
Edition: Kindle Edition
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Book Depository | Bookshop | Thriftbooks
Synopsis:
Ava and Kaye used to be best friends. Until one night two years ago, vampires broke through the magical barrier protecting their town, and in the ensuing attack, Kaye’s mother was killed, and Ava was turned into a vampire. Since then, Ava has been trapped in her house. Her mother Eugenia needs her: Ava still has her witch powers, and Eugenia must take them in order to hide that she's a vampire as well. Desperate to escape her confinement and stop her mother's plans to destroy the town, Ava must break out, flee to the forest, and seek help from the vampires who live there. When there is another attack, she sees her opportunity and escapes.
Kaye, now at the end of her training as a Flame witch, is ready to fulfill her duty of killing any vampires that threaten the town, including Ava. On the night that Ava escapes, Kaye follows her and convinces her to travel together into the forest, while secretly planning to turn her in. Ava agrees, hoping to rekindle their old friendship, and the romantic feelings she'd started to have for Kaye before that terrible night.
But 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.
Kaye, now at the end of her training as a Flame witch, is ready to fulfill her duty of killing any vampires that threaten the town, including Ava. On the night that Ava escapes, Kaye follows her and convinces her to travel together into the forest, while secretly planning to turn her in. Ava agrees, hoping to rekindle their old friendship, and the romantic feelings she'd started to have for Kaye before that terrible night.
But 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.
Francesca Flores's The Witch and the Vampire is a queer Rapunzel retelling where a witch and a vampire who trust no one but themselves must journey together through a cursed forest with danger at every turn.
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Where to start. At times, this book read a lot younger than I would have liked, even for a YA book. There is content that is better suited for an older teen audience, like 16-17, but there are times when things are presented in a way that makes me wonder if this book is for young teens (13/14). Things that are over-explained or simply glossed over. I feel like that was a missed opportunity to delve into the world.
The characters were fine, but we're constantly told about their past without getting enough backstory. I would have liked more flashbacks or something to show their friendship that was developing into something more before the main part of the story takes place. I would have also liked to know more about Tristan, their other "friend". His role in the story could have had more of an impact. He was a former friend turned somewhat bully, back to being a friend, then nothing. His character almost didn't need to be there.
Ava and Kaye were also just okay as characters. A lot about them felt surface level. Their conflicted feeling for each other, that also could have gone deeper. They both miss their friend, but they are also on opposite sides of a conflict that grow back together to fight a common enemy. They flop back and forth with trust too much, in an "all or nothing" way. It would make more sense to just be reluctant to trust each other again, not for them to profess to fully trust the other, and then when something happens that seems suspicious to them, talk to each other before acting like they were betrayed and turn on the other.
With Ava being an undead Vampire, would she still look the age she was when she was turned, or does she age? These things aren't ever really explained. The magic was also a little confusing before each chapter is either a journal entry or a passage from a handbook, and there we learn that their gods gave people magic, but we don't learn how the magic works. Another thing is, I have no idea how old these characters are supposed to be. I'm going to assume they're around 15/16 based on their actions.
The characters were fine, but we're constantly told about their past without getting enough backstory. I would have liked more flashbacks or something to show their friendship that was developing into something more before the main part of the story takes place. I would have also liked to know more about Tristan, their other "friend". His role in the story could have had more of an impact. He was a former friend turned somewhat bully, back to being a friend, then nothing. His character almost didn't need to be there.
Ava and Kaye were also just okay as characters. A lot about them felt surface level. Their conflicted feeling for each other, that also could have gone deeper. They both miss their friend, but they are also on opposite sides of a conflict that grow back together to fight a common enemy. They flop back and forth with trust too much, in an "all or nothing" way. It would make more sense to just be reluctant to trust each other again, not for them to profess to fully trust the other, and then when something happens that seems suspicious to them, talk to each other before acting like they were betrayed and turn on the other.
With Ava being an undead Vampire, would she still look the age she was when she was turned, or does she age? These things aren't ever really explained. The magic was also a little confusing before each chapter is either a journal entry or a passage from a handbook, and there we learn that their gods gave people magic, but we don't learn how the magic works. Another thing is, I have no idea how old these characters are supposed to be. I'm going to assume they're around 15/16 based on their actions.
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