Francesca Flores's The Witch and the Vampire is a queer Rapunzel retelling where a witch and a
vampire who trust no one but themselves must journey together through a cursed forest with
danger at every turn. Ava and Kaye used to be best friends. Until one night two years ago
vampires broke through the magical barrier protecting their town and in the ensuing attack
Kaye's mother was killed and Ava was turned into a vampire. Since then Ava has been trapped
in her house. Her mother Eugenia needs her: Ava still has her witch powers and Eugenia must
take them in order to hide that she's a vampire as well. Desperate to escape her confinement
and stop her mother's plans to destroy the town Ava must break out flee to the forest and
seek help from the vampires who live there. When there is another attack she sees her
opportunity and escapes. Kaye now at the end of her training as a Flame witch is ready to
fulfill her duty of killing any vampires that threaten the town including Ava. On the night
that Ava escapes Kaye follows her and convinces her to travel together into the forest while
secretly planning to turn her in. Ava agrees hoping to rekindle their old friendship and the
romantic feelings she'd started to have for Kaye before that terrible night. But with monstrous
trees that devour humans whole vampires who attack from above and Ava's stepfather tracking
her the woods are full of danger. As they travel deeper into the forest Kaye questions
everything she thought she knew. The two are each other's greatest threat-and also their only
hope if they want to make it through the forest unscathed.
