My sister originally told me about the Serpent and Dove trilogy, and it was at her urging that I read this book. It is soooo very good!
Format: Hardback
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Page Length: 528 pages
Publisher: Harper Teen (September 3, 2019)
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mr. Darcy‘s Rating: “You have bewitched me, body and soul.”
A Chasing Mr. Darcy Review
Here’s a plot synopsis from GoodReads: 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.
Serpent and Dove is a fabulous debut novel by Shelby Mahurin. I completely fell in love with the magical whimsy of the story, and I really liked that the story had both light and dark overtones to the plot. I do see some criticism online re: the lack of world building in the story, so be forewarned...there's not a lot of building going on at the beginning of the story; Mahurin basically just drops you into the world of Serpent and Dove (and you learn as you go).
First, I was swept away by the chemistry between Lou and Reid. There's just something that gets me about an enemies to lovers trope, and this one grabbed me by the heart. I love how laissez faire Lou attempts to be, all the while she's plotting and scheming internally. She's the ultimate smart ass protagonist who acts flip about her emotions intentionally. Lou's experienced a lot of hurt in her life and whether she wants it or not, Reid is the perfect salve for all those burns. I've never fancied myself attracted to gingers, but Reid Diggory is the epitome of hot. I found a fan art depiction of him from the second or third book, and oh my stars...I love his stubbornness, and I'm a sucker for a man who (in a story) holds himself in perfect control until, well, he doesn't anymore...and that is precisely what happens with Reid in this story. He's held himself in check for so long, denying himself from his true being, and once those chords are snapped, there's no going back. I also really enjoyed the rooftop scene...IYKYK.
Second, the supporting characters in this story are just as good as Reid and Lou. That is a rarity in YA fiction, but I really enjoyed all the backstories and additional elements of the whole cast. I also, ashamedly, kind of like Jean Luc in a "I hate him but I like him" way. I'm not sure where that feeling will go moving forward, but for now, he's tentatively in the "maybe" column for me. Overall, I thought the characters Mahurin molded together to form a family were perfection from start to finish, and I love that they're all little schemers at heart.
I love this book so much; I wish I could go back and re-read it for the first time because I want to feel all those feelings all over again. Read Serpent and Dove...you won't be sorry!
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