Early Review – Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove, Book 1) by Shelby Mahurin (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 528 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: September 3, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-0062878021
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Serpent & Dove series
Source: ARC from Edelweiss.com
Rating: 4/5 stars
“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.”
This is the first book in the Serpent & Dove series. I got an ARC to review through Edelweiss (thank you to Edelweiss and HarperTeen for the opportunity to review!) This was a good fantasy and engaging story.
This story is set in a French-like past where the church and witches are constantly fighting each other. Lou is a witch in hiding trying to survive in Cesarine. Reid is a huntsman of the Church. They end up bound together in circumstances that force them to marry or be prosecuted. As part of this a larger plot is revealed.
This book starts out interesting and overall I did enjoy it. It’s well written and takes place in an interesting world. The book was a little uneven for me; the first part is a lot of action and some intrigue and then the middle portion is flat-out romance….kind of like the story wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. For me the first half of the book was 5 stars and the second half was 3 stars…so yeah mixed feelings.
Initially I really enjoyed Lou, she was snarky and fun, but her character changes throughout the book. I felt like half-way through the book her character changed completely and she became needy and overly serious.
I also am not a huge fan of the whole church versus witches theme, but to each their own I guess. This book ends at a good spot but definitely doesn’t complete the story.
Overall this is a solid fantasy. It’s well written, engaging and takes place in an interesting world. I thought both character personalities and story theme were a bit uneven. I also didn’t really enjoy the church versus witches theme but some people will. I don’t plan on continuing the series.
