Uptown Oracle Reads… The Raven and The Dove | A Magical Avian Adventure

The Raven and the Dove
Kaitlyn Davis

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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.

So The Raven and The Dove was definitely a cover choice for me. Yes I know you should judge, but it was just so pretty! I didn’t really have much information going in, but I’ve since found out it’s a Tristan and Isolde Retelling. I personally do not know that story, so I won’t be talking about how close it is to the original. 

The first thing I have to say is that this book has a really beautiful writing style which flows nicely. It’s easy to read, and is almost fairytale like in places. The descriptions and world building are brilliant, and even the character descriptions make you want to fly to these places floating above the clouds. Each of our main characters are a type of bird but also human. They just have wings I believe, but use their own feathers to adorn their garments and resemble The Raven and The Dove. 

The first house we’re introduced to is the House of Peace, which is the House of Doves and the central island for these bird human people. Each island is floating above the clouds and each house is a different type of bird, with different climates, cultures and terrain. The House of Peace is extremely cold and snowy, but beautiful. 

Lyanna is our princess and is extremely headstrong but naive to many aspects of life. She’s been rebellious to her family and doesn’t really want to leave her home to marry. She also has magic powers, which are a big no no in this society, people with magic get executed so she hides it from all but Cassi and her brother. I feel like throughout this book Lyanna doesn’t really grow as a person – she changes her actions for different people, but her actual thought process and her rebellious nature stays the same. Although I’m sure in the next book she will mature after the ending of this one. 

Cassi is her best friend and is very protective of Lyanna. As a reader you don’t quite know what to make of Cassi but her story is intriguing anyway. She also has magic, but keeps it secret from everyone including Lyanna – as she uses it to converse with King Malek who lives below the clouds. I love how Cassi’s story arc shifts and turns and you’re never quite sure what she’s going to do next. 

After a quick courtship ceremony which involves a lot of peacocking, Lyanna chooses the House of Whispers prince to be hers. Except the Raven house has swapped in the brooding half brother instead of their one armed ruler. Making Lyana angry and confused when she expects Rafe but gets Lysander instead. This brings us to the title of The Raven and The Dove as we see Lyanna and what I believe is Rafe and not Lysander on the cover.

Lysander himself is not the issue. He’s a sweet guy who loves his kingdom and wants what is best for his kingdom. He meets his subjects and he spends most of his time reading rather than learning to fight, which he leaves to his brother and guards. I loved Xanders development and we really could see how he’s insecure because of his arm, but that he truly does want to be a good ruler.

Rafe is a typical YA love interest to be quite honest. He’s hot but he’s also brooding with a tragic backstory. Oh and he also has magic which he hides from everyone by Lysander. His story is very all over the place as he is conflicted about what he wants from his life, and how he is to continue now that Lysander finally has a queen. 

The world is a brilliant concept with a world above which contains 7 islands which each of the houses resides in. There’s also a world below the mist, which is like earth and contains the sea and land as far as I can tell. We only really get world building for the above, where we have religions and ceremonies, and each house has a different terrain and climate etc. Above you also have a no magic rule, which is explained in the world below chapters. 

Currently the magic systems are unexplored due to it being illegal in this world. We know Lyana can heal others, Rafe can heal himself and Cassi can astral project – but we don’t know much more than this. I’m hoping the second book brings magic more firmly into this world. What we do know is that Dragons are attracted to magic and will chase those who use it – which I really enjoyed. 

Speaking of the below world, there is also King Malek who is arguably the villain of the story – although he’s not done much in this book. He’s definitely been set up as the mastermind behind the plot, and should be more involved in the second book. 

A key issue for me in this book is that there’s insta love, and there’s also other characters who love others, which can make it extremely messy. I’m hoping (praying) that a second book focuses more about the action than the romance, but I’m probably wrong. Especially since the title is The Raven and The Dove – and this sounds like a romance waiting to happen.

Overall I enjoyed most of The Raven & the Dove, especially the concept of winged humans and the whole islands and gods/magic holding them up. 

Positives of The Raven and The Dove

• World Building
• Character Development

Negatives of The Raven and The Dove

• Instalove

I received The Raven and the Dove by Kaitlyn Davis from the publisher. This is an unbiased and honest review