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A review by jroeads
The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores
4.0
“She pauses, then whips around to face me. Raising my hands that glow gold with the flames waiting to be unleashed, I whisper, ‘Hello, blood beast.’”
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a galley of this book for review! When I tell you I was so excited to read a sapphic retelling of Rapunzel with witches and vampires…
Honestly, I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. Obviously the concept seemed really intriguing, but it takes a certain type of finesse to pull off a retelling of a familiar fairy tale and still keep the audience invested. The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores does that, and does it well.
Ava is a Root Witch who has the magic that allows her to influence the earth and plants. Her mother, a vampire who has been pretending to be human, turns Ava in order to siphon her Root Witch powers and keeps her locked in the attic of their home. Kaye is a Flame Witch, training to be a vampire hunter. She also used to be Ava’s best friend, before Ava turned and Kaye’s mother disappeared mysteriously the same day. What happens when Ava decides to escape and Kaye decides to follow her and bring her in? A whole lot of fantasy action and sapphic romance, that’s what!
What I appreciated in this book is that there was just the right amount of world-building. The magic system and nature of the vampires were introduced to us right off the bat, but it didn’t feel overwhelming. And there wasn’t a super deep dive into why all of it exists in this world, it simply does, and I appreciate that.
We LOVE a best friends-to-enemies-to-lovers! When I tell you I was squealing from this G A Y romance. I was so invested in the dynamics of Ava and Kaye’s relationship, especially because they started out as close friends who bonded over their mommy issues. It was also so interesting to explore the dynamic of what happens when friends change over time. If you really love someone, what happens when they wake up as a different person one day? Would you still fight for them?
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, it was COOKING. Once you get past the exposition, the plot keeps the novel moving pretty well. There were some twists that KNOCKED me out; I did not see them coming at all. The plot was also made a lot more interesting because of the dynamic between the two main characters. Flores does a great job of weaving their conflict (internal and external) into a larger story.
Overall, The Witch and the Vampire was a pleasant surprise for me. The ending of this novel seems like it could offer at least one more book, and if that’s the case, I would definitely read it. I want to see more of Ava and Kaye’s relationship! If you’re looking for a high-stakes, queer, heartfelt fantasy novel, this is for you. Highly recommend for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree, Cinder, or A Curse So Dark and Lonely.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a galley of this book for review! When I tell you I was so excited to read a sapphic retelling of Rapunzel with witches and vampires…
Honestly, I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. Obviously the concept seemed really intriguing, but it takes a certain type of finesse to pull off a retelling of a familiar fairy tale and still keep the audience invested. The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores does that, and does it well.
Ava is a Root Witch who has the magic that allows her to influence the earth and plants. Her mother, a vampire who has been pretending to be human, turns Ava in order to siphon her Root Witch powers and keeps her locked in the attic of their home. Kaye is a Flame Witch, training to be a vampire hunter. She also used to be Ava’s best friend, before Ava turned and Kaye’s mother disappeared mysteriously the same day. What happens when Ava decides to escape and Kaye decides to follow her and bring her in? A whole lot of fantasy action and sapphic romance, that’s what!
What I appreciated in this book is that there was just the right amount of world-building. The magic system and nature of the vampires were introduced to us right off the bat, but it didn’t feel overwhelming. And there wasn’t a super deep dive into why all of it exists in this world, it simply does, and I appreciate that.
We LOVE a best friends-to-enemies-to-lovers! When I tell you I was squealing from this G A Y romance. I was so invested in the dynamics of Ava and Kaye’s relationship, especially because they started out as close friends who bonded over their mommy issues. It was also so interesting to explore the dynamic of what happens when friends change over time. If you really love someone, what happens when they wake up as a different person one day? Would you still fight for them?
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, it was COOKING. Once you get past the exposition, the plot keeps the novel moving pretty well. There were some twists that KNOCKED me out; I did not see them coming at all. The plot was also made a lot more interesting because of the dynamic between the two main characters. Flores does a great job of weaving their conflict (internal and external) into a larger story.
Overall, The Witch and the Vampire was a pleasant surprise for me. The ending of this novel seems like it could offer at least one more book, and if that’s the case, I would definitely read it. I want to see more of Ava and Kaye’s relationship! If you’re looking for a high-stakes, queer, heartfelt fantasy novel, this is for you. Highly recommend for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree, Cinder, or A Curse So Dark and Lonely.