Serpent and Dove Review

    Louise le Blanc is the daughter of one of the most powerful witches. That did not stop her, however, from abandoning her coven and magic, starting a new life as a thief in Cesarine. This has its own dangers, though. Witches in this city are burned at the stake after being hunted by Chasseurs, men sworn to the church with the goal of eradicating those they deem unnatural. Reid Diggory is a Chasseur, so he should kill her if they ever met. Then the unexpected happens, and they are forced into marriage. Lou must ensure her secrets stay secret, but things get harder as she starts to develop feelings for this man who is supposed to be one of her many enemies. Unable and sometimes unwilling to change parts of their nature, Lou and Reid must face the many impossible choices presented to them.

    Keep in mind that everyone has their own opinion. This review is only my opinion, and you may have your own, different one. I would take into consideration what I say, but do not make a decision about the book solely based off of this review. Let's begin:

    I feel like I have been saying this a lot lately, but I cannot express how much I love this book. I am SO sad to have to wait a couple more months for the sequel. I was a bit skeptical when I first started reading, but I ended up adoring it. I got this book because it was what was voted on as this month's book by my book club. I got a third of the way through it the first day reading, but unfortunately could not continue until today when I realized that I kind of forgot what happened in the part I already read. So, I got to restart, fall in love again, and read it all in one day. It seems that most of the other book club members agree with me in saying this was well worth the read (and partial reread). 

    Initially, I was a bit worried because I felt like there was a lot happening in the first chapter. I just kept asking myself if I would be able to keep up. The writing style was also a bit different than I am used to which did not ease my concerns. However, all was explained more later on, and after I got to know the characters I bit more, I did not feel confused like I did at first. Also, the writing style only took an adjustment. It was not something that I hated about the book. I simply needed to get used to it, and I hardly noticed that it was different from my normal within the first hundred pages.

    There were a couple of minor things that were a bit bothersome, but nothing worth taking a star away for or that truly hindered the reading experience. This, for the most part, was not an issue, but every once in a while there would be a word or phrase in French that was not translated into English. This meant that I would either have to look it up myself or stay confused. Again, the French phrases were translated 95% of the time, so it was not bad. For about the first quarter of the book, there is not too much world building, but this is fixed later on. For the first bit, you just have to use your imagination. Additionally, the story is set in 1800s France, but Lou tends to talk like she is in the 21st century. These things did not bother me personally too much, but I thought they were worth noting in case you are one that needs complete historical accuracy or a lot of world building right away.

    This story pulled me in without my even realizing that it was happening. I went from being mildly curious to absolutely enthralled super fast and had no idea that I started truly caring about the book and its characters. I truly loved all of the characters with maybe one exception, and that it only because I did not like his personality, not because the author did a bad job with him. Lou is a complete badass, and she does a great job at defying the typical gender stereotypes that were common at the time the book takes place. These roles and patriarchal ideas are very present in the book, but between Lou and Coco, readers get plenty of strong female characters. Reid is a total sweetheart, even when he did not want to be, that I completely fell in love with. He was very complex, and I liked seeing his different layers unfold as the story progressed. Ansel is amazing and gives off a lot of little brother vibes. He is such an adorable character and is impossible not to love. I especially loved the relationship Lou shared with him.

    The author also does a good job with different representation. There are characters that are part of a minority race, such as Coco and Jean Luc. There is also some LGBTQ+ representation among the witches. This was something discussed in my book club, and that I know readers appreciate. The author did not slack in this.

    The plot was very cool. I thought there were a couple of really good twists that threw me off and made me question what would happen next. These were sprinkled throughout the book, but the ending was filled with them, and I could not stop reading because of it. I think the story has some similarities to other books, but I did not feel as if it was an exact replica of anything. In fact, the author did a great job of making it her own. The magic was written and explained very nicely. I liked that there are two different types of witches. Both were interesting in what they could do and how they do it.

    The romance and tension related to it in this book were on a whole other level. I was screaming at characters to just kiss already. I mean, the tension was palpable, and I was rooting for Lou and Reid the entire time, so this absolutely killed me. It is certainly a slow-burn romance, which is my personal preference just because it feels more realistic and makes me care more about the relationship. Another trope it follows is the enemies-to-lovers trope (AKA the best trope). This did not feel forced or superficial in any way. It was yet another thing Shelby Mahurin did extremely well.

    On that note, this book undoubtedly pushed the boundaries of YA. I would say that it is not appropriate for younger audiences. Normally, even when I say this, I say that it is okay for readers in the actual intended YA age range of 12-18. This time is different, though. I would say it might want to be pushed to around 15 or 16. Of course, this depends on the individual person and what parents are okay with, but I want to put a warning. There is a lot of bad language on Lou's part. Some of the violence is also kind of graphic, and there are dark themes and ideas. The main reason for this warning though is the romance. There are numerous sexual references, a sexual song, and a very explicit scene. Again, this depends on the individual reader, but I wanted to warn that this stuff is very present throughout the book.

    Overall, this easily made it onto my list of favorites, and I am highly anticipating the second book (September 1st cannot come fast enough!). I would certainly recommend reading this book even if you are older than the target age. I will not be keeping tabs on this author and cannot wait to see what she comes up with next! This book is popular for a reason!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Author: Shelby Mahurin

Publisher: HarperTeen

# of Pages: 513

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance

Series: Serpent and Dove