SERPENT & DOVE by Shelby Mahurin
SERPENT & DOVE by Shelby Mahurin
I’m going to begin my review with a disclaimer: this was the first fantasy novel I picked up as an adult. I rarely (until this moment) considered myself a fantasy reader. Therefore, I have zero frame of reference for this book. And I think a lot of the people I interact with on this platform and on bookstagram are in similar boats. So, if you’re completely, totally closed off from the idea of world-building and fantastical elements, my 5 star review may lead you astray. Or, maybe you’re like me—not always into the world-building but willing to give it a chance for some kickass characters and an epic love story? If you fall into the latter category, keep reading.
YOU GUYS. I honestly don’t really have words. I was sucked into the story, mesmerized page after page, GASPING FOR AIR BECAUSE I COULD NOT BREATHE. To be honest, it took me 100 or so pages to get to that point. I was skimming a little bit, my untrained eye not totally following the world being created on the page. But once our heroine Lou—who is a firecracker and I LOVE her—met her fate with Reid—who I also loved intensely but mostly for how irritated Lou made him, OH THE BANTER—I was sucked. In.
The secrets.
The marriage of convenience.
The enemies to lovers.
The risks.
The forbidden love.
The twists I did NOT see coming.
ALL. OF. IT. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Reading this book reminded me of the thrills in my heart as I stayed up all night finishing THE HUNGER GAMES series when I was a teenager (not that these books are at all similar, they just both evoked that ‘can’t eat, can’t breathe, can’t take a break’ vortex that only books can do to you).
In addition to my love for Lou and Reid, I equally became invested in our more minor characters, Ansel and Coco. I want to see more of them in the next book, and I think that wish will be granted (or at least I hope so!).
ALSO - did I mention we get dual perspectives in this book?! One from Lou and one from Reid—and I cannot TELL YOU how in love I am with multiple POVs in books with high tension like this one. Sometimes I crave to hear the other person’s perspective, what’s going on in their mind, and this book gave me the satisfaction of knowing what both Lou and Reid were thinking.
There were a few things I think could have been done better (in my very, very humble opinion): I wanted to understand the world just a little bit better, but also—I didn’t want hundreds of pages of that because then I’d be bored. I just wanted to understand the tension between the witches and the Church a little better BEFORE the very end of the book, when all the pieces started to fall into place. But I’m not knocking a star off for that because it did all come together eventually, and knowing there is a second book out there makes me excited to learn more and see this world continue being built. There were also a lot of characters introduced at the beginning that became important throughout the book and I found myself having to go back to reread their introductions so I could remember who they were. That could also be my fault due to my *slight* skimming/difficulties reading the beginning 50 or so pages.
But regardless of these few nits, I freaking loved this book. I’m not about to go read a ton of other fantasy—because I still don’t think it’s my jam—but I WILL be anxiously awaiting the sequel to this one because the book hangover is REAL.
UPDATE: SERPENT & DOVE is officially a trilogy! Check out BLOOD & HONEY (the sequel to this book), which will be available September 2020!