Serpent & Dove: A Get-You-Out-Of-A-Slump Worthy Book

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Genres: Fantasy (YA)
Pages: 513
Goodreads

Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

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.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou's, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou's most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.

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So, this is going to be another odd review because I started reading this book in August of 2021. Then between the move, books getting packed into boxes, and then moving again, it got kind of lost in the shuffle. I finally picked it back up this month and finished it. Thing is, I was over halfway through when I picked it back up so most of the things I remember are simply my feelings and not specifically why I felt that way. So, you know, here I am saying bear with me, once again. Let’s dive in.

I’m going to start off on a negative note so I can end on a positive. There are two things I disliked about this book. One, I was a little confused on the witch-y politics of things. It took me a long time to understand what the heck was going on with Morgane and why Lou left her coven. Either it was my reading comprehension and shit memory, or it was because the book left you too much in the dark and things were a bit convoluted. Regardless, I do remember being vaguely lost in the beginning last year, and it wasn’t until I reached almost the end of the book that I was like oooohhhhhh okay.

The other thing I disliked was the ending. Look, the ending was alright. I’m intrigued enough to read the next one (but also, who the heck is the witch they mention at the end?) but I did feel everything was a bit convenient. I won’t go into too many spoilers, but everything that happens my response was “of course, that would happen“.

Now, what did I love? LOU. Lou is an amazing character. I absolutely loved her sass and independence. She was a wonderful POV to follow throughout the story. Oh, and her bestie, Coco, she was equally amazing. The pair was just chef’s kiss. I don’t think I’ve read a book with a female lead that I’ve totally adored in a long time so that was refreshing. Plus, it wasn’t just Lou and Coco, the whole cast of characters were wonderful. Everyone felt like they had their own voice. There wasn’t a single character I disliked (I mean, besides the bad guys, obviously).

Oh, and the romance – swoon! I didn’t realize how much I would adore a forced marriage, enemies-to-lovers story but, boy, did I enjoy it. I think it was especially great because of who Lou and Reid are and how utterly opposite they are – not just in roles but their entire personalities are opposite. So, it’s also an opposites attract love story as well! It’s got all the best tropes in one.

To top it all off, Mahurin’s writing is very engaging. She doesn’t waste a lot of time on fluff. It’s fast-paced, but not too much so that the plot or character development suffers.

Overall, I really loved this book! I’m only docking a star because I was a little confused on the witch-side of things and the ending was a little too convenient for me. Otherwise, it was a well-written book with a great cast of characters and an intoxicating love story. I definitely recommend this one, especially if you are in a slump! It’s a great get-you-out-of-a-slump book 😀