{Review} Serpent & Dove by @ShelbyMahurin @HarperTeen

Posted September 1, 2020 by Michelle @ Book Briefs in Blog Tours, Reviews, Young Adult / 0 Comments

{Review} Serpent & Dove by @ShelbyMahurin @HarperTeenSerpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Pages: 513
Published by HarperTeen on September 3, 2019
Series: Serpent & Dove #1
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal, supernatural
Source: ecopy from Publisher
four-half-stars

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.

Also in this series: Blood & Honey
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YA Review

My Thoughts

Serpent & Dove is the first book in the young adult supernatural/paranormal romance series by author Shelby Mahurin. It is the first book in the Serpent & Dove Series. If you are new to this series, now is the perfect time to pick up Serpent & Dove because not only is this an amazing book, but the second book in the series Blood & Honey releases tomorrow! You can come back to my blog tomorrow to check out my thoughts on book two! I can give you a sneak peek right now…I am completely in love with this series. Serpent & Dove is a fantastic read centered around the church and witches!

In Serpent & Dove, we meet our main character Louise, or Lou. Lou has been on her own after running away from her mother, and she does what she needs to to get by. Early on, we also find out that Lou is a witch. She can see patterns in the threads that connect all of us. Kind of like our life source. Lou can manipulate these threads or patterns with her spells. But we learn that magic is about balance, so if she wants to make something happen she needs to give something of herself up…maybe a memory or temporarily her sight, etc. The types of magic that witches can do and the how they create magic was fascinating to me. I loved watching it all unfold. Shelby Mahurin does a great job of revealing the magic to us through actions, not through info dumping, which makes for a really immersive and enjoyable reading experience.

The plot of Serpent & Dove was awesome. It is dark and atmospheric, filled with secrets a historical french setting and lots of magic! Serpent & Dove takes place in Franch (I think in the 18th or 19th century because that is the time period that the Chasseurs’ existed in the French military.) Historically, the Chasseurs were a French infantry unit, with the word Chasseurs meaning Hunter. In Serpent & Dove the Chasseurs are a witch hunting unit within the Church. Serpent & Dove features an age old battle between the Church and Witches, with the Chasseurs as the weapon against the witches. When Lou gets caught by the Chasseurs’ and makes a spectacle out of their captain, she finds herself in a fake marriage with him to help him save face and his reputation. Yes, a witch (in hiding) is married to a witch hunter. It was a fake marriage trope blended in with an enemies to lovers trope that I couldn’t get enough it. I loved Reid and Lou. Watching their relationship progress was fantastic! It never felt rushed and I feel like I got to know each of the characters so well. watching Reid and Lou fall for who the other person really is, was super satisfying.

I don’t want to spoil the plot of Serpent & Dove, but just know that it kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire book. There are twists, turns and secrets that took me completely by surprise. I caught on to one of the big secrets pretty early on and I was a little worried that I had the entire book figured out. But I was totally wrong! Shelby Mahurin does a fantastic job keeping some truly surprising aces up here sleeve. I loved that! If you are a fan of witch craft stories you will love Serpent & Dove. But even if you are not, I think you should give this book a try. Witches are sometimes hit or miss for me, and I absolutely devoured this book! It made me cry and it surprised me in the best way. I loved Serpent & Dove and I am so ready for Blood & Honey!

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About Shelby Mahurin

Shelby Mahurin grew up on a small farm in rural Indiana, where sticks became wands and cows became dragons. Her rampant imagination didn’t fade with age, so she continues to play make-believe every day—with words now instead of cows. When not writing, Shelby watches the Office and obsesses over her Twitter feed. She still lives near that childhood farm with her very tall husband, semi-feral toddlers, two dogs, and one cat.

Shelby’s favorite books include A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and, of course, Harry Potter.

Her debut novel, SERPENT & DOVE, will release from Harper Teen in Fall 2019, with a sequel to come the following year. She is represented by Sarah Landis of Sterling Lord Literistic.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2020 Tackle My TBR Reading Challenge
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