Serpent & Dove By Shelby Mahurin

Few things compare to that feeling you get after finishing a book that lived up to your expectations. I started reading Serpent and Dove for a book club im currently in. I started reading this without knowing anything about it. I didnt read the synopsis, not the back cover, nothing.

Plot

Two years ago Lou left her coven (for reasons I shan't go into) and was forced to live a life of suppressing her magical nature and living in constant vigilence. She has to do what she can to survive. That being: lie, steal and kill if necessary. For life is hard in the city of Cesarine, especially for a woman. She's managed to live for two years undetected. She was careful... up until one burglary (gone wrong) set the wheels in motion.With the Chasseur on her tail and enemies of her past close on her heels, Lou slips up again and ends up in a compromising position with the Caption of the Chasseur. The Archbishop comes up with a solution: Lou can either go to prison for the rest of her life or she can marry the Captain and save his virtuous reputation. Lou, being the smart girl she is, chooses marriage to the handsome Captain Diggory ; ). Being married to a Chasseur also grants her the protection she desperately needs from those who (also) hunt her. She struggles to hide her identity from her husband -- a man who would see her dead if he knew what she was -- while also coming to terms with her growing feelings for him.

Writing Style

The first thing that I noticed right away was the writing. For a debut this was really really good. It was written in two POVs - Reid and Lou. We saw all their thoughts, worries and what happened to them in their past and present. My gosh, this book does not have the writing style like a debut novel. this feels as if its written by a seasoned fantasy author. its utterly divine. I got the Sarah J. Maas and Marissa Meyer vibes while reading every chapter.

Setting

the setting is a fantasy alternative to the 1700's era in France. I will say the language felt very modern, which could be a hit or miss for some readers who are picky about these details.

Characters

Reid Diggory

Reid Diggory is a dedicated witch hunter. He’s lived within the church all his life and despite his views on witches, he is honorable and loyal. I consider him such a goody to shoes and brown noser to the archbishop (Given that he’s also captain of the guard) Once lou comes into the picture he slowly comes out of his shell and learns to live a little. It was such a pleasure reading about him. He is so set in his ways and it was amazing to see him loosen up and change.

Louise le Blanc

To me Lou is a badass character. She is very blunt and she takes care of herself while on the run from the law. She steals things to live and is on the run while trying to cover her tracks from the Chasseur’s. I love that you get to listen to her inner monologue and see that her walls can come down to see the softy in her. You'll be cracking up with her on every page. With a tragic backstory, and, tbh, a tragic present, it's amazing she never once turned mopey or broody. She leapt off every page, and I don't think it took a single chapter before I knew she was going to be my best fictional friend. She's strong, funny, independent, and she puts Reid in his place often. So often. When life throws a challenge at Lou, she smashes it to bits and demands a sticky bun in return. SHE IS THE HEROINE YA NEEDS.

Romance

This forbidden love story was so compelling and addicting! However, I will say that this book is definitely upper-YA, as there is an explicit sex scene and tonnes of profanity, so be forewarned.

Friendships:

There were not one but two friendships that I loved between the main character and the secondary characters. First one being Lou and Coco: badass witches who aren't afraid of anything and they can just speak however they want
And the second was: Lou and Ansel: I loved how Ansel cared about Lou and vice versa, they had a cute kind of big sister little brother kind of relationship.

Big Things I loved in the book

• Addictive; easy writing
• Enemies-to-lovers
• Marriage of convenience
• Witch/witch hunter romance
• Slow burn of plot
• Intricate magical system
• Heart warming female friendship
• Morally grey characters
• Inner battle of right and wrong

Overall
I don't know about you, but I find it is a rare day that the hype lives up to it's nature, and what a glorious feeling it is when a book lives up to the promises doled out by publishers and early reviewers alike. Does anyone ever have a certain feeling where you love a book so much that you try to read as slowly as possible, just because you’re loving everything about it and don’t want it to end? Yep, that was me with this book. Serpent & Dove deserves every bit of praise that has been heaped upon it's name, and it will be a most excruciating wait for the second installment. i've been walking on air since i finished it. I have such a book hangover!

12 people found this helpful

Amazing

reminded me of throne of glass. loved it. can't wait to get the second book.

2 people found this helpful

a little rushed

the female narrator is well paced and comfortable, however the male counterpart is rushed and a little to quick. it ends up leaving the parts of the story from the male perspective feeling anxious.

2 people found this helpful

Just okay

The general idea is good but the male performance just take me out of the story everytime he talked

3 people found this helpful

decent but not great

It was okay. That's really all I can say. Main male lead wasn't very likable, I know that he was supposed to be a hardend witch hunter but I just couldn't seem to like him. His voice actor did him no justice either.

Perfect balance of fantasy, romance, and relationship building

The narration is amazing. Both Graham and Maarleved do an amazing job bringing Reid and Lou to life.

Serpent and Dove plays into the enemy to lovers trope beautifully and the storyline is well executed. And it’s awesome to finally have a story where the female MC is more worldly and experienced than the male.

A great read

This book easily kept my attention from beginning to end. Adventure was good, characters were good, plot was good, romance was good, spice was a little more minimal but there was a love scene. Will be getting the rest of this series. Not a waste of time. Enjoy

Story good, male performance super annoying

I felt that the story was great, but the male lead talks as if the story was slam poetry or something - super strange. The female lead is one of my favorites, so super sad they chose this male lead unfortunately... Had to buy the book and read it rather than continue listening - very disappointing...

Not life-changing, but a fun fantasy.

Did you want Matthias and Nina from Six of Crows in an arranged marriage trope? Did you want them to bone? Boom, this is the book for you.

Solid YA, an easy read/listen, magic, duty, romance and some fun twists. The plot wasn't life-changing or deep, but sometimes you just want a fun fantasy romance with some drama mixed in. A teen romance is exactly how I'd describe this because the "i can't live without you" devotion the book builds up to is pretty two-dimensional and hard to believe.

Saaskia Maarleveld was a great female narrator. She was definitely the high point of this audiobook for me. Holton Graham, the male narrator, was alright, but I feel like if a book contains as many French words as this one did, you should probably pick a male narrator that knows how to pronounce them.

The ending was cool and led into the next book quite well. Idk if I'll pick up the sequel unless I have a spare audible credit kicking around.

Good book, poor directing

I enjoyed the book. It wasn’t as good as Sarah J Maas books, but if you like those then you’ll probably like this too.

The narration was incredibly frustrating though. The female narrator is great, and the male was fine enough, but the two together was a disaster. The male constantly spoke as if he was in a rush or something. Way too fast compared to the female, who used pauses to create emotion and drama. They also gave the main character Lou entirely different personalities when she spoke. It felt like these actors were directed by two entirely different production teams that never spoke to one another. It was a super frustrating and often distracted me from enjoying the story.