"The Raven and the Dove" by Kaitlyn Davis

This book was a pleasant surprise. I honestly did not expect to like it as much as I did. The Raven and the Dove is the first book in a new YA romance fantasy series by Kaitlyn Davis. The world we read about is inhabited by winged humans (avians) who live on several floating islands. No one knows what exists on the ground below. No one ever ventures beyond the mist that they see from their floating world for fear of dragons who once in a while attack lower floating islands. We follow four main perspectives in this novel: Lyana, a dove princess, Cassi, an owl orphan and Lyana's friend, and two ravens: Xander, the raven prince and Rafi, his bastard half-brother.

The novel begins with the mating contest: all major houses with princes and princesses of mating age get together for a show of skills and forging of new alliances. The Ravens have not been successful of securing a mate for the last several years. They are therefore determined to turn their luck around.

One thing I'd like to note about this book is that it is filled with deceptions and lies. Pretty much every main character is deceiving someone who trusts them completely at some point in this book. Because there are so many manipulations going on and everyone is pursuing their own agenda, the author is able to keep the reader interested in what is coming next. At the same time, I think so much deceit can be a turn-off for some readers.

Overall, I did enjoy this book (but not all the lying), and will definitely read the sequel which is coming out very soon in September. 4 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com