Scan barcode
emmahe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Religious bigotry, Violence, Torture, Abandonment, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Cursing
Moderate: Child abuse, Vomit, Sexual content, and Animal death
Minor: Child death
mariereads_'s review against another edition
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
5.0
I was no one's sacrifice. Not then. Not now. Not ever.
Exhilirating. Gripping. Intense.
I've had a bit of a book slump for more than a year and it's only been this month that I've had the courage to start reading again.
Serpent and Dove was one of the best books that got me out of my reading slump.
I love the exquisite and detailed world-building that Shelby Mahurin has created. It transports the reader to 17th century France and you could actually feel and experience that you were witnessing magic and mystery unfold.
This enemies-to-lovers, off-page marriage, daggers-to-throat relationship between Reid and Lou was off the charts! The balance between their vulnerability both as a couple and as individuals, and the turmoil, secrecy, and fear that they both are dealing with speaks to me on so many levels!!
I cried my eyes out when
More than that, I loved how Lou built strength to face her mother and take a hold of her fate. It's such a fascinating and empowering thing that one can make a path and fate of their own and not succumb to what was "phropecised"
The side characters were also very lovable! Throughout the book, Coco and Ansel has claimed a soft spot in my heart for them. Even Jean Luc despite being a total jerk, I'm rooting for his character development, if there is any, in the next books.
Some of the plot twists are shocking and surprising while others were heavily foreshadowed that I knew when to anticipate them or just guessed it outright.
Suffice to say, this initial installment of the series has me hooked and eager to buy the second book so I can journey with Lou and Reid throughout the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Genocide, Murder, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Child abuse, and Child death
mythical_molly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the book that got me back into reading. It is a beautiful star-crossed slow-burn enemies-to-lovers love story. The relationship is so well written that at some point in the book, you're probably going to sit back for a second and think "hey wait when did they develop feelings for each other?" but it feels so natural and so right that it just fits, and I think that's a testament to how well-written the slow burn is. All in all, this is a fantastic story with twists and turns that will always keep you guessing. Could not recommend it enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Religious bigotry, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Self harm, and Sexual content
kazik's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, and Sexism
Minor: Child death, Self harm, and Torture
mybookishdelights's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.25
[Second Read - 2021 - 4.25 stars]
Heat Level: Highon page sex scene
CW:burning alive, blood, gore, violence, attempted murder
I read this in a few sittings and it was a fun read. It's not amazing, but I enjoyed the romance.
I think the world-building might have been the most confusing part, mainly in that there were a lot of names being dropped and I felt like I didn't know who half of them were. It also didn't help that they were in French, but then I'm an English speaker so take that with a grain of salt. I don't really have a lot of things to say about it. I reread it to continue on with the series as the third and final book is coming out soon. I know a lot of people don't like the second one, and while I'm interested to see if I like it, it also means I'm not really that excited to pick it up.
I thought the writing in this was really good. I'm sure there are those who would disagree, but I had no problem visualizing what I was reading and I was feeling the emotions of the characters. I think that Lou and Reid were decently written characters. I liked their banter and their enemies-to-lovers thing they had going on. I also liked when they were sweet to each other. It was very angsty and I loved that. I did, however, think this was very insta-love. Even though Lou's words about him being in her very soul were beautiful and romantic, it felt too soon in this first book.
I would recommend if you're looking for a book about witches or enemies-to-lovers.
CAWPILE Score: 7.71 = 4.25 stars
Characters: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Writing: 8
Plot: 7
Intrigue: 8
Logic: 8
Enjoyment: 8
*************************************************************
[First Read - 2019 - 4 stars]
No written review.
Heat Level: High
CW:
I read this in a few sittings and it was a fun read. It's not amazing, but I enjoyed the romance.
I think the world-building might have been the most confusing part, mainly in that there were a lot of names being dropped and I felt like I didn't know who half of them were. It also didn't help that they were in French, but then I'm an English speaker so take that with a grain of salt. I don't really have a lot of things to say about it. I reread it to continue on with the series as the third and final book is coming out soon. I know a lot of people don't like the second one, and while I'm interested to see if I like it, it also means I'm not really that excited to pick it up.
I thought the writing in this was really good. I'm sure there are those who would disagree, but I had no problem visualizing what I was reading and I was feeling the emotions of the characters. I think that Lou and Reid were decently written characters. I liked their banter and their enemies-to-lovers thing they had going on. I also liked
I would recommend if you're looking for a book about witches or enemies-to-lovers.
CAWPILE Score: 7.71 = 4.25 stars
Characters: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Writing: 8
Plot: 7
Intrigue: 8
Logic: 8
Enjoyment: 8
*************************************************************
[First Read - 2019 - 4 stars]
No written review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Child abuse
folkofthebook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, and Cursing
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
lonelyeyesonly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Blood, Self harm, and Religious bigotry
athousandlives's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
When I read the blurb of Serpent & Dove, and the raving reviews on bookstagram, I thought: this could be a 5-stars book. I finally settled on 4,5, because overall I had a good time, but I didn't like it enough for it to reach the very select 5-stars club.
I was over the moon at the beginning of the "arranged marriage" trope. It was fun, the characters were perfect for an enemies-to-lovers trope, and those two tropes mixed together and sprinkled with witch lore, were the perfect recipe for something I would love.
And it worked, for a while: I watched Reid and Lou's feelings for each other grow, while they were both (okay, mostly Lou) questioning their beliefs, and I liked their character growth. Also the constant bickering was all I was living for.
But the ending was... meh. I don't really know why, but I wasn't very interested in what was gonna happen. I didn't feel like the stakes were that high, while really they were, but somehow I wasn't quite into it.
Spoilery part of the review : Maybe that's because Lou gave up at the end, while I would have loved more drama about the fact that if she dies, so does Reid.
Maybe because there were too much plot twists about our lovebirds's parentage. "Omg the Archbishop is Lou's father! AND Mme Labelle is Reid's mother! AND the king is his father!" Though all these new parameters made for interesting new dynamics between these characters, it felt like an escalating of reveals that was just too much. Because of that, I felt like anything could happen by the mean of another plot-twist, and maybe that's why the stakes didn't feel high at the end.
And then the ultimate plot-twist happened: Reid can do magic. For me, it was too much. Not only Reid, who has been raised to hate witches and kill them, discovers that his long-lost mum AND his one true love are witches BUT he also discovers he is a witch himself? While it's not even something known to exist in this world? Nah. I didn't enjoy it.
What I did enjoy was Reid's reaction to finding out Lou is a witch: how his first instinct is to defend her and let her use him as a weapon, then he rejects her without any tact because she lied and she's, you know, evil, and then he comes to understand that he loves her no matter what, and that maybe all witches aren't evil (thanks to Ansel, my babe <3 <3). I thought it flowed well and was a good character development.
One strength of the book was the characters. They are fleshed out, they interact well, they are funny and lovable, and I enjoyed meeting them.
Lou was a nice main character. She was hilarious, with her unapologetic cursing and her constant banter with Reid or Ansel. Her questionings about loyalty, right, and wrong were touching.
I would have loved to read much about Reid. He didn't have as many own-voice chapters as Lou, and I would have liked to be more in his head, to explore how Jean-Luc's behaviour made him feel like, how his relationship to the Archbishop evolved, etc.
Ansel was the best secondary character. I loved that while everybody treats him as a child because he's the youngest of the cast, he stood up to defend what he tought was right, even against people who impressed him or meant a lot to him. I didn't expect to like him so much when I first read about him, but he became one of my favs along the way.
And I can't wait to read more about Coco in Blood & Honey, the blood witches got me intrigued!
Also, one last thought about this book... The use of French was hilarious as a native speaker. Some expressions (mostly the curses) were meant to sound authentic but were subtlely off-key, and it was very funny. I don't really understand why so many French words were used. I supposed it was part of an aesthetic?
Overall, it was a nice book, I loved all the lore about witches, Dames blanches and Dames Rouges, and the characters, but the plot lacked something to reach that 5th star.
I was over the moon at the beginning of the "arranged marriage" trope. It was fun, the characters were perfect for an enemies-to-lovers trope, and those two tropes mixed together and sprinkled with witch lore, were the perfect recipe for something I would love.
And it worked, for a while: I watched Reid and Lou's feelings for each other grow, while they were both (okay, mostly Lou) questioning their beliefs, and I liked their character growth. Also the constant bickering was all I was living for.
But the ending was... meh. I don't really know why, but I wasn't very interested in what was gonna happen. I didn't feel like the stakes were that high, while really they were, but somehow I wasn't quite into it.
Spoilery part of the review : Maybe that's because Lou gave up at the end, while I would have loved more drama about the fact that if she dies, so does Reid.
Maybe because there were too much plot twists about our lovebirds's parentage. "Omg the Archbishop is Lou's father! AND Mme Labelle is Reid's mother! AND the king is his father!" Though all these new parameters made for interesting new dynamics between these characters, it felt like an escalating of reveals that was just too much. Because of that, I felt like anything could happen by the mean of another plot-twist, and maybe that's why the stakes didn't feel high at the end.
And then the ultimate plot-twist happened: Reid can do magic. For me, it was too much. Not only Reid, who has been raised to hate witches and kill them, discovers that his long-lost mum AND his one true love are witches BUT he also discovers he is a witch himself? While it's not even something known to exist in this world? Nah. I didn't enjoy it.
What I did enjoy was Reid's reaction to finding out Lou is a witch: how his first instinct is to defend her and let her use him as a weapon, then he rejects her without any tact because she lied and she's, you know, evil, and then he comes to understand that he loves her no matter what, and that maybe all witches aren't evil (thanks to Ansel, my babe <3 <3). I thought it flowed well and was a good character development.
One strength of the book was the characters. They are fleshed out, they interact well, they are funny and lovable, and I enjoyed meeting them.
Lou was a nice main character. She was hilarious, with her unapologetic cursing and her constant banter with Reid or Ansel. Her questionings about loyalty, right, and wrong were touching.
I would have loved to read much about Reid. He didn't have as many own-voice chapters as Lou, and I would have liked to be more in his head, to explore how Jean-Luc's behaviour made him feel like, how his relationship to the Archbishop evolved, etc.
Ansel was the best secondary character. I loved that while everybody treats him as a child because he's the youngest of the cast, he stood up to defend what he tought was right, even against people who impressed him or meant a lot to him. I didn't expect to like him so much when I first read about him, but he became one of my favs along the way.
And I can't wait to read more about Coco in Blood & Honey, the blood witches got me intrigued!
Also, one last thought about this book... The use of French was hilarious as a native speaker. Some expressions (mostly the curses) were meant to sound authentic but were subtlely off-key, and it was very funny. I don't really understand why so many French words were used. I supposed it was part of an aesthetic?
Overall, it was a nice book, I loved all the lore about witches, Dames blanches and Dames Rouges, and the characters, but the plot lacked something to reach that 5th star.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Misogyny
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Murder
sophie_larisa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Serpent & Dove wasn't for me. I didn't feel any attachment to the characters which meant I didn't care about the romance which takes centre stage. It was also too slow in my opinion. It's a shame because the writing is beautiful and the magic system and setting is really intriguing. I can imagine these aspects are explored and developed better in the second book but I'm just not invested enough to continue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Self harm, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Child death
More...