Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Pages: 519
Publish date: September 3, 2019
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 9780062971135
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD
Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.
As a huntsman of the Church, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. But when Lou pulls a wicked stunt, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage.
Lou, unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, must make a choice. And love makes fools of us all.
Serpent & Dove:
Firstly before I start this review, I do want to apologise for being away for so long. The past month and a bit have been a little hectic, but I feel like things have finally settled. So here we go.
As soon as I read the synopsis for Serpent & Dove., I knew that I wanted to read. It sounded like it had everything that I love in it. Then I started to see reviews coming out, and they were really positive. And I knew that there was no doubt that I was reading it. And I was right from the start, I loved Serpent & Dove.
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin follows Louise Le Blanc who fled her coven and now is trying to survive in a place where magic is strictly forbidden. Witches are feared, they are hunted and they are burned. She is surviving until she has a run-in with Reid Diggory. Reid is a huntsman of the Church and has always lived with the thought that all witches have to die. Forced into something that they both didn’t want, Lou and Reid not only have to navigate feelings for one another but also have their views on the world challenged.
Lou was such an interesting protagonist throughout Serpent & Dove. I’m not going to lie, it took me a little while to really connect with her. But once I did everything started coming together so well. I loved that Lou wasn’t easy to get along with. It made it so much more interesting. I feel that if she wasn’t such a complicated character, the novel would have fallen flat for me. Lou was tough as nails, she didn’t take no for an answer. But she was also really vulnerable. And I loved that combo. The reader is able to see that she feels a whole damn lot. Another thing that I loved about Lou was that she’s a strong female character. It’s something that I am always looking for and I found it very prominent in Serpent & Dove.
Reid was a really great match for Lou. And I’m not even talking romanticly. I felt that his characterisation was the opposite of Lou, but also complements her as well. Ried is a tough character to get along with. And not for the same reasons as Lou. Reid has a wall that he keeps up nice and strong, and the reader doesn’t get to really see him as a person until Lou starts to break those walls down. I loved that we got to see this “macho” man being brought to his knees by Lou. It’s just a great contrast of characters. I loved what Shelby Mahurin did with Reid’s character arc. The reader really gets to see him grow and really discover who he is.
The romance in Serpent & Dove utilised two of my favourite romance tropes; hate to love and fake marriage. And I loved how both of them were done. Lou and Reid are on two opposites sides of this war between Cesarine and witches. They have both grown up hating each other, but when they are pushed into this marriage. They both start seeing each other and who they are in different lights. And while it takes them both a little longer to find out they are not half bad. It was really great to see. One of my favourite things about Serpent & Dove was Lou and Reid getting to know one another, I think it was done really well and I loved it. In saying all this I did feel that their relationship went from 60 to 100 very quickly.
I loved the world that Shelby Mahurin created here in Serpent & Dove. There is so my fantasy world out there now, that it’s getting harder to be unique. But Mahurin found a great way of doing that. I loved the different types of witches and magic. It made everything way more dynamic. It added a whole new dimension. There were times where I was a little confused by the magic, but it didn’t take me too long to understand it.
I’ve read a couple of reviews recently, where people found parts to boring and I think I understand why. Serpent & Dove does have a lot of court intrigue. And for a lot of people, it’s not something that they are into. But I find it utterly fascinating. I think it’s where readers can see the characters’ true nature. It’s a time where the reader can see the character as more than someone of a page. They make them real. I think that Shelby did a fantastic job at this. These times didn’t just add more to Lou and Reid, but also other characters. As well as the world itself.
Another thing that I really enjoyed about Serpent & Dove was the sense of friendship and family. Both Lou and Reid come from next to nothing in terms of family. But the reader is able to see throughout Serpent & Dove, that they make their own family. I love seeing things like this espically in young adult novels. It just adds another dimension for me into the novel. It makes everyone, not just the protagonist way more interesting.
Overall, Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin is a fantastic novel. I keep on recommending it to customers at work because I want more and more people to read it. This is an intriguing debut novel from Shelby Mahurin and I cannot wait to see what else she has to bring. Serpent & Dove is a captivating fantasy novel that intwines magic in such an intriguing way. Combined that with a romance that is off the charts and you are in for a ride. Serpent & Dove is such a refreshing YA fantasy and I cannot wait for the next book.
Have you read Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Let’s Chat!
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