Book Review: “Serpent & Dove” by Shelby Mahurin

“Serpent & Dove” by Shelby Mahurin (2020)

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Romance

Page Length: 513 pages (hardcover edition)

Synopsis:

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.

Review:

I am always drawn to fantasy stories so when I came about this book I was eager to pick it up. The magical element enticed me along with some of my favorite tropes: enemies-to-lovers and an arranged marriage. What really made this book work for me was the narration of the audiobook (15 hours long, but well worth the listen in my opinion). It got me instantly hooked into the story because the characters voice by the actors constantly got my attention.

Louise is a witch on the run from a prophecy she is destined for and entangled up with Reid, a Chasseur who hunts witches. The two are like cats and dogs for most of the story. And the dialogue of banter was hilarious especially in the beginning. Both characters are loyal, kind-hearted, strong, and brave. They also have their faults. Reid and Louise are too caught up in their own world views to really understand that they share more similarities than they think. Out of all the characters my favorite had to be Coco who is fierce, caring, and honest to a T.

The thing I enjoyed about this novel outside of the romance and fantasy elements (the way the magic system works is pretty cool) was the atmospheric feeling I got when I read it and the characters. I grew to love the characters so much that I didn’t want to finish the book! I am so excited that there is a sequel though and plan on reading it.

This novel gave me a mixed range of emotions and I got all the feels from the romance (almost like star-crossed lovers). I appreciated how Mahurin really builds up the romance. I also loved all the action-packed scenes this book had. I’ve read quite a few fantasy YA novels this year, but this is one that really sticks out among the rest for me.

Final Verdict: