The raven and the dove – ARC review!

Title: The raven and the dove.

Author: Kaitlyn Davis.

Format: E-ARC.

Publisher: Kaitlyn Davis Mosca.

Page count: 506.

Release day: March 9^th 2020.

Genre: YA, fantasy.

Rating: 3 stars.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC, all opinions are my own!*

What is it about? (Summary from GoodReads)

Four fates collide in this avian-inspired, epic fantasy retelling of Tristan and Isolde perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo!

A princess longing to be free…

On the dawn of her courtship trials, Princess Lyana Aethionus knows she should be focused on winning her perfect mate, yet her thoughts wander to the open sky waiting at the edge of her floating kingdom. One final adventure calls. Upon fleeing the palace, the last thing she expects to find is a raven prince locked in a death match with a dragon.

A bastard aching to belong…

Reviled son of a dead king, Rafe would do anything for his beloved half-brother, Prince Lysander Taetanus, including posing as him in the upcoming courtship trials. When a dragon interrupts their secret exchange, he orders his studious sibling to run. After suffering a fatal blow, Rafe is saved by a beautiful dove who possesses forbidden magic, just like him.

Fate brought them together, now destiny will tear them apart…

Unknown to the world above, on the foggy sea ten thousand feet below, a young king fights a forgotten war. He believes Lyana is the queen prophesied to save the world, and with the help of his favored spy, hidden deep in the highest ranks of the dove royal house, he will stop at nothing to have her.

Three shocking betrayals. Two star-crossed lovers. One unforgettable journey. If you like fierce heroines, brooding heroes, forbidden romance, and action-packed magical adventures with twists you’ll never see coming, don’t miss The Raven and the Dove!

My thoughts:

Apparently this is a retelling of Tristan and Isolde, I’ve never heard of that before.. So I cannot comment on the accuracy of this retelling.

I really do not know how to feel about this book. I kinda enjoyed it, but there was nothing that really stood out to me?!

I loved that the people from different houses have wings from different birds!

I mean all the characters were just okay, didn’t hate any but no one was really special. Most of their actions made sense, they didn’t do any weird things.

The summary of this book ends with ‘two star-crossed lovers.’ Which makes it sound as if romance is a big part of the plot, but it is not?! I mean there is some romance but barely, it might become a bigger thing in the sequels though!

The plot also felt a bit random. Even after finishing the book I have no idea were the story is going. Based on the summary I thought the courtship trials would be a big part of the book, but I don’t think it took more than 15 pages?! I would have loved to see that a bit longer! After these trials we go to a different part of the world, of which the beginning feels a bit dull since nothing really happens. In this part Cassi’s POV was the most interesting since I didn’t really understand her storyline, and I wanted to figure it out! And then the ‘big’ event at the end of the book happens, but it doesn’t actually feel as big. Some things happen that I didn’t see coming, but I still think the author could have made it even bigger!

I know I do not sound very positive about this book. But the writing was very  good, and the plot did keep me intrigued in some way. Especially because of Cassi’s POV!

And I’m very interested in reading the sequel, which will already be released later this year!

Happy reading!