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theintrovertsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Hate crime, Gore, Child death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Animal death, Alcohol, Grief, Abandonment, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Infidelity, Stalking, Misogyny, and Cannibalism
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: Violence, descriptions of blood and gore, gruesome deaths, self harm, death of a parent, sexual content, cursing
"Hope isn't the sickness. It's the cure."
Gods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin is the third and final installment of the Serpent & Dove Series. I'm glad to have finally finished this series, but I don't think overall it quite lived up to the hype. I found the whole middle of this to be quite slow and unnecessary, but the ending really picked up the rating for me. I think part of my problem with this is that I waited so long between reading Blood and Honey and this one, that I forgot most of what happened and who the characters were, so I wasn't in the same headspace when I read this one. Spoilers ahead.
We pick up with Lou, Reid, Beau, and Coco after that nasty cliffhanger. Lou and Coco are heavily grieving as they also try to figure out how to kill Morgane. We find out that Nicholina, Queen of the Creeps, has possessed Lou, so the gang brings her to L'Eau Mélancolique to exorcise her. Nothing goes as expected of course, but they are saved by Angelica and The Oracle. In the process, Reid has pulled a thread that makes him and Lou's mother forget she exists. Reid trying to get his memory back and erasing all his character development is basically the whole middle of the book, which was kind of annoying.
As always, Beau is a treasure and Coco is fierce if in denial about her feelings for him. Célie was an unexpected favorite of mine in this book! She has a lot of development, and is very endearing. She even kind of grew on the rest of the group. She is delicate and strong and brave, all while being the perfect lady.
The last battle really save this for me. Having everyone we've met throughout the series in one place was nice. I think Lou's whole story is about self sacrifice. Isla says she isn't extraordinary, but no ordinary person takes pain onto themselves for others so they don't have to be in pain. It really showed a strength of character for Lou.
"Hope isn't the sickness. It's the cure."
Gods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin is the third and final installment of the Serpent & Dove Series. I'm glad to have finally finished this series, but I don't think overall it quite lived up to the hype. I found the whole middle of this to be quite slow and unnecessary, but the ending really picked up the rating for me. I think part of my problem with this is that I waited so long between reading Blood and Honey and this one, that I forgot most of what happened and who the characters were, so I wasn't in the same headspace when I read this one. Spoilers ahead.
As always, Beau is a treasure and Coco is fierce if in denial about her feelings for him. Célie was an unexpected favorite of mine in this book! She has a lot of development, and is very endearing. She even kind of grew on the rest of the group. She is delicate and strong and brave, all while being the perfect lady.
The last battle really save this for me. Having everyone we've met throughout the series in one place was nice. I think Lou's whole story is about self sacrifice. Isla says she isn't extraordinary, but no ordinary person takes pain onto themselves for others so they don't have to be in pain. It really showed a strength of character for Lou.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Self harm, Sexual content, Death of parent, Death, Blood, and Gore
lexie_edmunds's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gore
kat1105's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Classism, Death of parent, Murder, War, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Kidnapping, Death, and Torture
golden_like_dior's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Animal cruelty, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Genocide, Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Violence, War, Abandonment, Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Murder
holliesatchell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
After reading the first two books in this series, I was unsure how to go into this one. The first one was amazing and I rated it 5/5, but the second one was more disappointing and got a lower rating from me. Because of this I started this book quite slowly, afraid that it wouldn't be good, but thankfully, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, I admit that the first half(ish) was kind of all over the place - which truthfully, is the reason I rating this book 3.57/5 - but I believe the last half made up for it. After a rocky start, I devoured the last 300 pages of this book and now I don't know what to do with myself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Gore, Grief, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Cannibalism, Child death, Death, and Death of parent
leedolee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
This series has easily stolen a place in my heart and these characters will truly remain favorites of my mine.
The world, the magic, the action, the drama, the twists, the relationships, and the plot were outstanding! Yes, my least favorite trope was found in this book but I enjoyed the novel regardless.
Lou and Reid will be one of my favorite ships. Always.
The world, the magic, the action, the drama, the twists, the relationships, and the plot were outstanding! Yes, my least favorite trope was found in this book but I enjoyed the novel regardless.
Lou and Reid will be one of my favorite ships. Always.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcohol
jessannderson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Wow. My new favourite series. The character development was so natural and the ending was amazing. Can’t wait to read it all over again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This review does contain spoilers, but I won't be hiding them because they'll be throughout - hence this warning.
Oof. This was an interesting end to this series. If you've read my reviews for the previous two, then you already know that this is not even close to my favorite series. I had a tough time with Serpent & Dove, primarily because the narrator of the audiobook really ruined the experience. I thought Blood & Honey would redeem it and that could possibly be one of my least favorite books of all time. Gods & Monsters was the final chance and... well, you can see my rating.
I will state right now that this was leaps and bounds better than Blood & Honey. But there were just so many things I disliked about it as well. It was really, really slow for the first 2/3 of the book. There were exciting moments, to be sure, but nothing that really made my heart race or keep my attention plastered to the page. The entire time that Nicholina was possessing Lou, I thought that she would lose her memories. That's what it was leading to - especially when she forgot Ansel and Beau while talking to the crowd of lost souls in her mind. Instead, she comes to with The Maiden's power and all her memories and within moments of that occurring, Reid loses all of his memories?! It was at this moment that if I was any other reader, I probably would've DNF'd. However, I kept going because this had to get better, right?
We go right back to the vibes from the first book: severe enemies-to-lovers. Reid absolutely loathes Lou again and wants to kill her for being a witch. Eventually, it's his lust for her that begins to redeem his memories and helps him see the "gold threads" again. Let me repeat that: sex helps him get his witchy powers back. Excuse me? That was the most anticlimactic and frustrating way for him to have that breakthrough.
Also, there was hardly any final battle. Beau lights Lou on fire, Claud kind of took over with his tree god thing, and Coco's mom dies (that entire scene is so gruesome that I was actually nauseous). There are several holes in the story that bother me now and I'll forget about later because I just don't care that much.
The only redeeming parts of this book were when Ansel showed up. Yes, yes, I know he's dead. He should never have died in the first place though and his character is really the only one I ever liked, so his appearances helped a little bit. Finding out at the beginning that he was the spectral dog - and the way he helps Lou beat Nicholina - was really sweet. The final chapter being his perspective of Reid and Lou's official wedding was also sweet. If only he was ALIVE.
Big sigh. This series just isn't it for me. A grand total of 2-stars for the whole trilogy.
Oof. This was an interesting end to this series. If you've read my reviews for the previous two, then you already know that this is not even close to my favorite series. I had a tough time with Serpent & Dove, primarily because the narrator of the audiobook really ruined the experience. I thought Blood & Honey would redeem it and that could possibly be one of my least favorite books of all time. Gods & Monsters was the final chance and... well, you can see my rating.
I will state right now that this was leaps and bounds better than Blood & Honey. But there were just so many things I disliked about it as well. It was really, really slow for the first 2/3 of the book. There were exciting moments, to be sure, but nothing that really made my heart race or keep my attention plastered to the page. The entire time that Nicholina was possessing Lou, I thought that she would lose her memories. That's what it was leading to - especially when she forgot Ansel and Beau while talking to the crowd of lost souls in her mind. Instead, she comes to with The Maiden's power and all her memories and within moments of that occurring, Reid loses all of his memories?! It was at this moment that if I was any other reader, I probably would've DNF'd. However, I kept going because this had to get better, right?
We go right back to the vibes from the first book: severe enemies-to-lovers. Reid absolutely loathes Lou again and wants to kill her for being a witch. Eventually, it's his lust for her that begins to redeem his memories and helps him see the "gold threads" again. Let me repeat that: sex helps him get his witchy powers back. Excuse me? That was the most anticlimactic and frustrating way for him to have that breakthrough.
Also, there was hardly any final battle. Beau lights Lou on fire, Claud kind of took over with his tree god thing, and Coco's mom dies (that entire scene is so gruesome that I was actually nauseous). There are several holes in the story that bother me now and I'll forget about later because I just don't care that much.
The only redeeming parts of this book were when Ansel showed up. Yes, yes, I know he's dead. He should never have died in the first place though and his character is really the only one I ever liked, so his appearances helped a little bit. Finding out at the beginning that he was the spectral dog - and the way he helps Lou beat Nicholina - was really sweet. The final chapter being his perspective of Reid and Lou's official wedding was also sweet. If only he was ALIVE.
Big sigh. This series just isn't it for me. A grand total of 2-stars for the whole trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Cannibalism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Grief
alexiab's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was exactly what I needed after Blood & Honey. Holy wow did it deliver.
So much of the turmoil and pain from B&H filled me with rage, but G&M healed all my wounds in ways I didn’t expect. It provided much needed peace and resolution, and I can’t imagine a better conclusion for this trilogy.
Part of me wants to be upset that Lou and Reid spent so much of B&H being a hot mess, and then continued into G&M and spent most of their time not themselves, but I think they really needed to rebuild their relationship to make me love them again, and man oh man do I deeply love them.
Wonderful characters with beautiful relationships and so much heart. I’m very glad this book was what it was.
So much of the turmoil and pain from B&H filled me with rage, but G&M healed all my wounds in ways I didn’t expect. It provided much needed peace and resolution, and I can’t imagine a better conclusion for this trilogy.
Part of me wants to be upset that Lou and Reid spent so much of B&H being a hot mess, and then continued into G&M and spent most of their time not themselves, but I think they really needed to rebuild their relationship to make me love them again, and man oh man do I deeply love them.
Wonderful characters with beautiful relationships and so much heart. I’m very glad this book was what it was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gore