Reviews with content warning for Hate crime - Serpent and dove. La strega e il cacciatore

I found the first half incredibly boring but the second half I really enjoyed. I never want to hear the phrase 'my husband' again and I forgot his name for half the book because that's all he was referred to as.

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

Um.

Well.

This book is immensely overhyped. And I just don’t get the appeal.

Okay, so the world building is really good. You can tell early on that Mahurin has put a lot of time and effort into the magic system and political hierarchy and I would have loved to know a lot more about these things! This world is ripe for a good witchy story, or an ill-fated adventure. All that was marvelous. It was there, haunting in the background, ready to be used and exploited! But it wasn’t. Because this is not an adventure book. It’s a romance. Alas.

I don’t understand what everyone sees in Louise and Reid. Both protagonists were exhausting. Louise was underwhelming, unfocused and unoriginal. Reid was all over the place with his emotions. He made dramatic turns when it suited the story, despite the lack of build-up and evidence to lead to these major changes of heart. I just, bleh. I couldn’t be bothered to care about either of these characters, so I really couldn’t be bothered to care about their enemies-to-lovers Romeo and Juliet-esque romance story.

There was exactly one good character in this book, and that was Ansel. Although he was a supporting character, Ansel showed nuance and consistency, as well as being likable. It’s not a complaint strictly about the writing, but neither Lou nor Reid was particularly likable. Ansel’s decisions and changes of heart were driven by the information he received in the world around him. He was hesitant and thoughtful and generally undramatic. I liked him.

Coco had potential, but I don’t feel it really played out. There were certainly moments where she stole the show.

Some of the writing was a little odd to me. At times, Mahurin whipped through a scene so fast that we were there and gone in a blink, while at other times, the scenes seemed to writhe on and on and on and on to the point of exhaustion. Sometimes scenes were general and dialogue driven. Other times (at least three) she took the time to point out frosting on the tip of someone’s nose or cookie crumbs still dusting their lips. How someone could go from room to room and not notice that there were still cookie crumbs on their lips – crumbs that are apparently visible from across the room – I don’t know. It was inconsistent, so it was really difficult to get into the rhythm of the book. All the way to the end.

This is set in 17th century France, but the language is very modern. I didn’t even realize it was historical fiction adjacent until I’d finished the book – I thought it was pure fantasy. Yikes.

So here is the truth, dear reader.

Many people loved Serpent & Dove, but I was bored. Oh so very bored. Ansel helped me stagger my way through this extremely popular book, but even his saving grace was not enough to change my mind. Dear Ansel, I am so sorry you’re in a book this underwhelming. I wish you much happiness and success in your fictional life, but I will never know the end of your adventures because I simply cannot bring myself to pick up Blood & Honey – I couldn’t be much less interested.

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