Author: Shelby Mahurin Rating: 92.5% | A- | ★★★★★ Warnings: + Mild violence + Sexual content + Profanity Synopsis (from 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. Spoiler-Free Section I picked up Serpent & Dove on a whim after seeing someone recommend it online, and I was not disappointed! This book was my first foray back into fantasy for quite some time (since my review of Deathless) and it made me remember just how much I love reading about magic and romance and good world-building. From the very start, Mahurin takes an idea and runs with it. The reader cannot fall behind or stop to think; much like Reid losing sight of Lou as she races down the city alleys, so too will the reader lose track of the fast-paced plot. The writing is lush with imagery and lore. It is just realistic enough in its descriptions of 15th-17th century France (by my own guess) to be convincing and whimsical enough to be able to not take itself so seriously. Most commendably of all, however, is how funny Serpent & Dove is. YA literature—especially romance—tends to be extremely angst-filled right now, and it was so refreshing to read a novel that knew exactly how to blend humor with drama. Readers will find a bright, witty, and tragic character in Lou, and and admirable, sympathetic character in Reid. The secondary characters are also not to be shunned: the loyal Coco; the noble Ansel; and the villainous Archbishop. (Click Read More for spoilers.) Spoiler Section
Plot (8/10, 10/10, 9/10) Overall, the plot was well-paced, with a few slow sections. Beginning (8/10) This was my least favorite part of the book. I was confused at the start because I didn't know what kind of world Mahurin was building. The novel's first scene in Madame Labelle's brothel immediately slaps the reader with a flood of details about magic and murder. With mentions of Belterra and the Church right away, it felt like I had flipped to the middle of the book and started reading rather than starting from the very beginning. I felt that the plot as a whole was off-kilter in this section, especially given how confused I felt. (I thought Babette and Madame Labelle were the same person for a few pages!) It wasn't until after the ring heist at the Tremblay's that I became fully engrossed in the story. The highlight of this section was Lou and Reid's scuffle at the theater. It really showcased how clever Lou is—implying that Reid was assaulting her—and how tenacious Reid can be. I felt that the whole meeting with the Archbishop afterwards and their subsequent wedding, however, was quite rushed, but I suppose that was the author's intention. What kind of Archbishop would eagerly marry the captain of his holy soldiers to a criminal? (An Archbishop with something to hide, of course.) Middle (10/10) Reid and Lou's married life. Need I say more? I remember smirking and sighing at the lack of awkwardness between the two of them. Mahurin did a wonderful job of portraying Reid's marital paradox; on the one hand, we have this: “I won’t stay here,” I seethed. “You’ll do as you’re told.” The words were flat—final. And on the other, this: “I heard she’s a whore.” I bashed the handle of my sword into the last one’s head, and he sprawled to the ground. Extending my arms, I turned in a slow circle. Challenging anyone who dared confront me. Blood ran from a cut on my forehead. “Does anyone else have a problem with my new circumstance?” The highlight of this book is the development of the characters' internal conflicts, such as Reid's. Even before he finds out Lou is a witch, he has to overcome his dislike of her character. Despite his clear distaste for her, the strength of his principles will not allow him to stand idly by while people slander her. His attitude is very touching, especially when the tables start turning and he begins to truly care for Lou. At the same moment that the excerpt above is taking place and Reid is defending his wife's honor, Lou is doing exactly what requires her honor to be defended. I laughed—at first, in shock at the bawdiness, and then in genuine humor—when she began singing her pub songs and tormenting Ansel. I absolutely loved how Lou wasn't just singing those songs to get a rise out of Ansel; rather, she simply is bawdy. She's often referred to as a man, or having the rough manners of men. Lou doesn't try to behave like a proper lady, and it's refreshing to see someone chafe against the societal standards of that time. Coco and Lou's reunion warmed my heart. I found myself liking the friendships in this book—Coco and Lou's, Coco and Ansel's, Ansel and Lou's—more than Lou and Reid's romance at certain times. I was glad Coco came back because after she and Lou parted ways near the start of the book, I had already prepared myself for the disappointing possibility that she would never reappear. But she did, and I was very grateful that Lou had someone to confide in and share her fears with. Additionally, Reid's shift of his views from hate to respect to love is such a gratifying metamorphosis. Watching him give Lou his copy of La Vie éphémѐre is truly a fist-pumping moment, as is the moment when they go see the story performed on stage. The bliss comes crashing down with Estelle. Much like Reid, Lou develops her own internal conflict in this section of the novel. The guilt that Lou feels when Estelle is executed and her subsequent decision to absorb Estelle's pain is one of the most fleshed-out and pristine moments. To this stake, they tied my sister. She still wore her chorus costume—a simple white gown that brushed her ankles—though it was bloody and soiled from whatever horrors the Chasseurs had inflicted on her in the dungeon. Just last night, she’d been singing and dancing at Soleil et Lune. Now, she faced her death. It was all my fault. I’d been a coward, too afraid to face death myself to save Estelle. To save my people. Hundreds of witches—dead. I clamped a hand around my throat—right over my scar—and bit down on a sob. Lou recklessly tells Ansel that she sympathizes with Estelle and uses magic in front of him (and in the midst of dozens of other chausseurs), though he is just as likely to report her to the authorities as Jean-Luc is. She does not care about the consequences, only that she can express the pain she feels at betraying her sisters. But onto lighter fare: the king's ball. While I am giddy about Reid's declaration of fidelity to Lou, I am more curious about Célie. Something that struck me about her reappearance was how abrupt it was. Why did she decide to come back? Was her grief truly the reason why she rejected Reid or was it because she didn't want to be with him? I don't think she has any ulterior motives, but in light of the struggles that Lou was going through, her pleas seemed childish—though I did feel for her when Reid let her go. All the events after that—Grue and Andre reappearing, Lou and Reid having sex, the reveal that the Archbishop is Lou's father, Reid's rejection of Lou—felt like they were stretched out over weeks. I didn't grasp the true time frame until Coco reappeared after Reid's rejection and said that she had been with Beau during all of the commotion. Which means that only a day or a few days maximum have passed between the ball and the reveal of Lou's heritage. I can't imagine being Lou and having to go through all of this. The one thing I really enjoyed at the end of this section was the handling of the sex scene. I felt that it was a nice turn of events to have the man be the virgin and the woman be the experienced one. It was also so sweet to see Lou guiding Reid and her realizing her feelings for him. End (8/10) The ending was very slow for me. For a book where everything had been building up to Lou's inevitable second sacrifice and where twist after twist had occurred, I didn't expect to feel so stifled by the last few chapters. I still enjoyed the final parts, but it wasn't quite as exciting as the rising action. I wish that there had been more detail to add to Morgane's sinister magic, because for some strange reason I wasn't completely sold on her omnipotence. Her character, however, was sufficiently sinister for me to shiver at this line: She bent down, brushing her lips against my scar. Déjà vu swooped sickeningly through my stomach as I remembered Reid kissing the same spot only days ago. “I think I would’ve enjoyed killing the huntsman’s baby.” I also wasn't convinced by the heroes' plan to get into Château le Blanc. It seemed haphazard to me (although perhaps that was the point). The emotions in this part of the novel were excellent. Because of the dual point of view, I didn't fully realize that while in captivity, Lou still thought that Reid had reneged on his love for her (and that he wouldn't come for her), but once I did, it made all of her musings on their marriage even more heartbreaking. In three days, I would be parted from Reid forever. The moment my soul left my body, we would be permanently separated . . . for where I was going, I was certain Reid couldn’t follow. This was what frightened me most. Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. But there was no place for a huntsman in the Summerland, and there was no place for a witch in Heaven. If either place even existed. I also thought that the scenes between Reid and Madame Labelle were beautifully done, especially the moment when Reid realizes that he can't let his mother die: “Help her. Please.” My voice shook—my eyes burned—but I didn’t care. I pressed my mother into her arms. “Please.” I don't know if the ending necessarily entices me to the idea of a second book (since with the whole gang together, I'd consider it quite a neat finale), but I'd be happy to read more of Mahurin's work, for sure. Characters (14/15, 15/15) Development (14/15) While I think that the plot of Serpent & Dove suffered in certain places, its characters rarely did. The author clearly took time to flesh out her characters, both primary and secondary. Each character had clearly defined goals and traits, and all of them faced some sort of shift by the end of the book. That being said, I deducted a point from this category because I wasn't fully convinced by Reid's development towards the end. For me, he turned rather suddenly against Lou and then rather suddenly back. I felt that for it to be realistic, Reid needed more than one pep talk from Ansel; he needed to stew for a few days. Lure (15/15) Mahurin does an exceptional job of making the reader care about her characters. By the time I finished the book, I had strong opinions on every single character. They felt real to me, as if I could know them in real life without their magical powers. I admired Lou's empathy and strength; Reid's chivalry; Coco's loyalty; Ansel's morality; and even Beau's strange charisma. And the villains were no different. The witches scared me with their zealotry, and the Archbishop with his. There was not a single character in this book that I wasn't completely devoted to finding more about (except for maybe Andre and Gru, but that seems self-explanatory). Writing (5/5, 5/5, 9.5/10) Descriptions (5/5) There were few purely visual descriptions in this book, but the emotion-based descriptions were excellent. I knew exactly what the characters were going through based on Mahurin's writing. I especially admired her use of body language to convey their feelings because Serpent & Dove is in first-person point of view and had she desired, she could have simply told the reader everything that was running through Reid and Lou's minds instead of hinting at it. Flow (5/5) Again, no criticisms. All of her words meshed together precisely as they should have. I rarely felt lost in the transition between events, and, if I did, it was because of the lore, not because of the writing itself. World Building (9.5/10) I made a half-point deduction because even now, after reading the book, certain things are still hazy to me. In the give/take balance of the Dames Blanches, when you "give away" one of your senses, is it temporary? How exactly did Morgane plan on using Lou to end the king's bloodline? What does Mahurin mean by "seeing patterns"? I don't have qualms with the world of Serpent & Dove per se; rather, it's the magic that has me puzzled. Closure/Set Up (10/10, 8/10) Closure (10/10) Serpent & Dove accomplished everything it set out to do. It outlined a successful enemies-to-lovers trope, revealed many, many twists, and gave the reader the final word on which characters would continue on the journey and which wouldn't. I didn't leave this book wondering about any loose ends (except for, perhaps, Célie). Lure (8/10) But with a perfect closure comes an imperfect lure. I care about these characters and I am interested in their world, but a part of me feels as though I don't need to see what comes next. As though I could happily imagine Lou and Reid on the run for the rest of their lives, and not feel the need to read every detail about it. Admittedly, my lack of interest is due to the fact that Lou and Reid are together; a happy couple, which is not something you often see after the first book in a YA series. They're together; they can conquer the world; they can escape Morgane and forge their own happy future. What more do I have to read? That being said, I would gladly take another book of Reid, Lou, Coco, Ansel, and the rest of the cast, and I can hardly wait for Blood & Honey! Total Score: 92.5%
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