Hello friends! Welcome back to the ol’ blog. Today I have my advanced readers copy (ARC) book review of

The Raven and the Dove, by Kaitlyn Davis.

A huge Thank You to Netgalley, for allowing me to read The Raven and the Dove in exchange for an honest review.
This in no way has impacted my review.

Trigger Warning: Blood, Blood mention, Torture, Torture mention.

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!

Release Date: March 9, 2020.

The Raven and the Dove has a strong prologue. The prologue didn’t even begin to warn me of the entirety of chaos that makes up The Raven and the Dove. It’s a great way to start the story–if only it wasn’t completely misleading.

The intrigue of the story kept me reading, and I’m so glad I did. There was a moment there where I thought I’d end up DNF-ing this book just because I felt that the story was starting to drag. However, not long after that, the story picks up at such a fast pace!!

There are so many ups and downs within the plot, and there’s just *so much happening* behind the scenes, that we, the reader, don’t necessarily get to know while reading. It makes me feel that I’ve got a huge case of whiplash.

The Raven and the Dove was nothing as I expected it to be–which is both fantastic and mildly disappointing. The way that the plot and story progressed is entirely different than I had imagined, but nevertheless, the story was very intriguing.

There are quite a few different points of view within The Raven and the Dove.

Everyone’s different points of view were wildly different from each other—which is such a good thing since I could very easily differentiate between characters.

The points of view that I liked reading from the most is Lyana and Rafe. I love their spark, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them within the next book. Yet at the same time, I’m distressed at the thought of what awaits them in book 2, The Hunter and the Mage. Yikes!!

There are 2 other points of view that I want to talk about, and without spoiling anything, can I just say that I think that they’ll end up being an item? They’re so perfect for each other I can’t even.

I’m still shocked by the brutality of this book, to be honest. I’m even unsure of what to say just because I don’t want to spoil anything, but also because…I’m sitting here with my jaw dropped that’s how shocking the ending to The Raven and the Dove was to me.

Bottom of the line is that The Raven and the Dove surprised me in so many freaking ways! There’s nothing that I could really trust in this novel, to be honest. There are quite a few lies, and all the intrigue. Paired with that whirlwind of a story–The Raven and the Dove certainly packs a punch!

I’m giving The Raven and the Dove, 3.5 stars.

Have you read The Raven and the Dove? If so, what did/do you think of it?