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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
Going to dnf for now. Honestly, some books are not meant to be audiobooks. This one is too long and drawn out, with way too much going on, and too much that needs further explanation. I've spent 20%of wondering if there was another book I was supposed to have read first for world and character introductions...
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So so so good. Author you better have a good happy ending planned for the next book or I’ll cry so hard.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
4.5 stars
Thank you to the publisher, Frenzy Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Six months after the events of Gods and Monsters, Célie Tremblay is the first female Chasseur and is determined to prove herself in the role. However, her fiancé Jean Luc, who is also the Captain, is equally determined to protect her from everything, keeping her from training and hiding the news of grim events afoot in the city, much to Célie’s frustration. When she finds out that bodies dead under mysterious circumstances have been turning up with the latest being a blood witch, she has had enough of being coddled and decides to investigate on her own – only to run headlong into trouble lurking in the shadows. Her brush with darkness still haunts her, but as a new evil rises, Célie must find the strength to overcome it.
To be very honest, I had my doubts going into this book. First, it’s a spin off and those usually aren’t to my taste. Second, Gods and Monsters was a struggle to get through and really soured the whole Serpent and Dove series for me to an extent. And finally, it has been two years since the trilogy ended, so I basically had zero recollection of anything that happened in that beyond main characters and a fuzzy outline of the plot. In fact, I had to think for several minutes to remember who Célie even was and read through my reviews to remind myself of the major plot points (I was certainly not going to muddle through all three books again). Still, I wanted to give it a chance because I was curious to see what storyline could still be there in this world, after all, Gods and Monsters had a pretty conclusive ending. All in all, my expectations weren’t high for this book, but one of my favorite things about reading is how a book can turn around and surprise you – and this one certainly did.
The author really has tried to provide as much context as possible to the original trilogy which was a boon because I’d forgotten most of the story. It also makes this book possible to read without having read Serpent and Dove, though you will be missing out on a lot of stuff and knowing the previous story will add a whole new layer to this one and make you appreciate it even more.
Shelby Mahurin has done a wonderful job in expanded on the world building with this book, from the hidden Isle of Requiem, darker magic in Belterra, to introducing Les Eternels, or vampires. Vampires were pretty much the only supernatural character missing in this world and this book completed the set.
I really liked that the core of this story was a murder mystery because it set the mood beautifully and inched up the tension chapter by chapter, maintaining that dark, gothic atmosphere. It wasn’t just a murder mystery though, there was plenty else going on – politics, old and forbidden magics, and villains on multiple fronts.
I suppose you could say the pacing was a bit slower in the first half, but I barely noticed it. The Scarlet Veil is over 600 pages long, and while it did take me two sittings to finish it, it was an effortless read. The writing style was engaging and I really enjoyed Célie’s POV. She made for a great narrator and seeing everything through her eyes only showcases just how much she grows over the course of this book.
Célie was not your typical YA heroine, which was what intrigued me most about the blurb because I was curious to see what kind of protagonist she would make. She wasn’t physically strong, nor did she wield any weapons or flashy magical powers to stand in place of that – she was a soft and gentle and completely ordinary girl who has been through traumatizing events and only wanted to do her best to help others and make a difference – and this book showed that such characters can make fine heroines too.
It took me a while to begin connecting to Célie as a character, but once her story began to unfold, her arc was an absolute delight to follow as she set out to find her own path and prove everyone who thought her to be just a pretty delicate thing wrong, and in the process finds out that she is much stronger than she ever believed she could be. She was scared and naive and reckless at times, yes, but her motivations were always good, and it was such a refreshing change to see a main character like this.
I’d forgotten how much I adore a slow burn romance and this book reminded me of that. The ending did me no favors on this front and I’m just about ready to scream because I need to know what happens to them. Ansel was hard enough to deal with and I really hope the author doesn’t decide to take that route again.
Many familiar faces made a reappearance too, practically the entire gang from Serpent and Dove. It was a little odd to see them, particularly Lou and Reid in the role of secondary characters, but it was lovely to see them on page again.
As far as the whodunnit goes, I had figured it out well before the climax, if only by process of elimination – there weren’t that many characters the story focused on particularly so it wasn’t hard to guess. But those final chapters still had much more in store! I was so wrapped up in the story for that last 15-20% of the book that I don’t think I blinked, much less moved. What an absolutely devious cliffhanger to end things on – and that epilogue especially! I have a ton of questions right now and I need to know what happens next!
I am completely astounded at how good this book turned out to be and extremely satisfied after reading it – there’s nothing quite like the feeling of finishing a book you thoroughly enjoyed and knowing there is more of the story yet to come.
This was such an exciting read but it was also so very gratifying to sink back into an enthralling fantasy novel after such a long time. The Scarlet Veil is one of very few novels I’ve read this year that has held my attention to this extent and I am thoroughly glad I decided to pick it up. The sequel is undoubtedly going to be one of my most anticipated titles next year and I wish I had it already! If you loved the Serpent and Dove trilogy – or even if you didn’t – I would highly recommend picking up this book when it’s out. This is the most unexpected addition to my best of shelf all year, but it certainly deserves it!
4.5 stars
Thank you to the publisher, Frenzy Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Six months after the events of Gods and Monsters, Célie Tremblay is the first female Chasseur and is determined to prove herself in the role. However, her fiancé Jean Luc, who is also the Captain, is equally determined to protect her from everything, keeping her from training and hiding the news of grim events afoot in the city, much to Célie’s frustration. When she finds out that bodies dead under mysterious circumstances have been turning up with the latest being a blood witch, she has had enough of being coddled and decides to investigate on her own – only to run headlong into trouble lurking in the shadows. Her brush with darkness still haunts her, but as a new evil rises, Célie must find the strength to overcome it.
To be very honest, I had my doubts going into this book. First, it’s a spin off and those usually aren’t to my taste. Second, Gods and Monsters was a struggle to get through and really soured the whole Serpent and Dove series for me to an extent. And finally, it has been two years since the trilogy ended, so I basically had zero recollection of anything that happened in that beyond main characters and a fuzzy outline of the plot. In fact, I had to think for several minutes to remember who Célie even was and read through my reviews to remind myself of the major plot points (I was certainly not going to muddle through all three books again). Still, I wanted to give it a chance because I was curious to see what storyline could still be there in this world, after all, Gods and Monsters had a pretty conclusive ending. All in all, my expectations weren’t high for this book, but one of my favorite things about reading is how a book can turn around and surprise you – and this one certainly did.
The author really has tried to provide as much context as possible to the original trilogy which was a boon because I’d forgotten most of the story. It also makes this book possible to read without having read Serpent and Dove, though you will be missing out on a lot of stuff and knowing the previous story will add a whole new layer to this one and make you appreciate it even more.
Shelby Mahurin has done a wonderful job in expanded on the world building with this book, from the hidden Isle of Requiem, darker magic in Belterra, to introducing Les Eternels, or vampires. Vampires were pretty much the only supernatural character missing in this world and this book completed the set.
I really liked that the core of this story was a murder mystery because it set the mood beautifully and inched up the tension chapter by chapter, maintaining that dark, gothic atmosphere. It wasn’t just a murder mystery though, there was plenty else going on – politics, old and forbidden magics, and villains on multiple fronts.
I suppose you could say the pacing was a bit slower in the first half, but I barely noticed it. The Scarlet Veil is over 600 pages long, and while it did take me two sittings to finish it, it was an effortless read. The writing style was engaging and I really enjoyed Célie’s POV. She made for a great narrator and seeing everything through her eyes only showcases just how much she grows over the course of this book.
Célie was not your typical YA heroine, which was what intrigued me most about the blurb because I was curious to see what kind of protagonist she would make. She wasn’t physically strong, nor did she wield any weapons or flashy magical powers to stand in place of that – she was a soft and gentle and completely ordinary girl who has been through traumatizing events and only wanted to do her best to help others and make a difference – and this book showed that such characters can make fine heroines too.
It took me a while to begin connecting to Célie as a character, but once her story began to unfold, her arc was an absolute delight to follow as she set out to find her own path and prove everyone who thought her to be just a pretty delicate thing wrong, and in the process finds out that she is much stronger than she ever believed she could be. She was scared and naive and reckless at times, yes, but her motivations were always good, and it was such a refreshing change to see a main character like this.
I’d forgotten how much I adore a slow burn romance and this book reminded me of that. The ending did me no favors on this front and I’m just about ready to scream because I need to know what happens to them. Ansel was hard enough to deal with and I really hope the author doesn’t decide to take that route again.
Many familiar faces made a reappearance too, practically the entire gang from Serpent and Dove. It was a little odd to see them, particularly Lou and Reid in the role of secondary characters, but it was lovely to see them on page again.
As far as the whodunnit goes, I had figured it out well before the climax, if only by process of elimination – there weren’t that many characters the story focused on particularly so it wasn’t hard to guess. But those final chapters still had much more in store! I was so wrapped up in the story for that last 15-20% of the book that I don’t think I blinked, much less moved. What an absolutely devious cliffhanger to end things on – and that epilogue especially! I have a ton of questions right now and I need to know what happens next!
I am completely astounded at how good this book turned out to be and extremely satisfied after reading it – there’s nothing quite like the feeling of finishing a book you thoroughly enjoyed and knowing there is more of the story yet to come.
This was such an exciting read but it was also so very gratifying to sink back into an enthralling fantasy novel after such a long time. The Scarlet Veil is one of very few novels I’ve read this year that has held my attention to this extent and I am thoroughly glad I decided to pick it up. The sequel is undoubtedly going to be one of my most anticipated titles next year and I wish I had it already! If you loved the Serpent and Dove trilogy – or even if you didn’t – I would highly recommend picking up this book when it’s out. This is the most unexpected addition to my best of shelf all year, but it certainly deserves it!
Celie's innate goodness was a bit much at times but by the time the book ended I was hooked.
She was strong but kind and caring and I loved how much of herself she was willing to sacrifice for those she loved.
The chemistry between Celie and Michal was hot and I cannot wait to see what happens next
She was strong but kind and caring and I loved how much of herself she was willing to sacrifice for those she loved.
The chemistry between Celie and Michal was hot and I cannot wait to see what happens next
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Célie got a little annoying towards the end but damn that was good. Every fun gothic vampire trope I could’ve ever wanted. I adored Michal, so glad the vampires were truly ruthless. I wasn’t surprised by who the killer was, but I was VERY surprised by what he accomplished and by that epilogue. Next book’s going to be wild, I can’t wait
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The ending was a bit predictable.