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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Embrace the Serpent is a fast paced YA fantasy about a young woman with a natural gift for jewelsmithing. She hides her real identity while working for a flamboyant man who claims her accomplishments for his own. When her work draws the attention of a king from a far away kingdom she has to step into the limelight to claim the life she truly wants instead of continuing to hide in the shadows. Did I mention that the king is a Serpent King with scales and fangs?
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 3.5⭐️.
I thought this book was a fast paced and fun YA fantasy with a good balance of romance and adventure. Around 60-65% of the way into the book the brakes come off and events happen at such a rapid pace that I flew through the rest of the book without stopping! I really appreciated the author keeping this book as a standalone-no drug out filler and fluff here. One of my absolute favorite parts of this book was the side character Grimsley, he was such a lovable little companion! I will absolutely be posting about this book on my social media (TikTok and YouTube) about this book closer to its release date as I think this was a fun diversion and will make a good summer read for teens.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 3.5⭐️.
I thought this book was a fast paced and fun YA fantasy with a good balance of romance and adventure. Around 60-65% of the way into the book the brakes come off and events happen at such a rapid pace that I flew through the rest of the book without stopping! I really appreciated the author keeping this book as a standalone-no drug out filler and fluff here. One of my absolute favorite parts of this book was the side character Grimsley, he was such a lovable little companion! I will absolutely be posting about this book on my social media (TikTok and YouTube) about this book closer to its release date as I think this was a fun diversion and will make a good summer read for teens.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This folklore-inspired romantic fantasy was such a quick and enjoyable read! It gave me One Dark Window vibes but make it YA and a fast read. The magic system surrounding jewels was super unique, and while I do wish it had been fleshed out a bit more, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. This book is successful as is but I also could see it being expanded into a much longer and more immersive duology. I definitely will read more by Sunya Mara in the future, and this cozy fantasy, marriage of convenience YA book deserves a spot on and YA fan’s shelf. Grateful to Harper Collins Children’s for the ARC!
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This might be the easiest 5 stars I’ve ever given a book.
It was so charming and funny and the romance was perfect and I just loved it.
Saphira was an incredible narrator and MC, she is so awkward and blunt and unintentionally hilarious, she genuinely made me laugh out loud.
Her romance with Rane was so wholesome and he is such a charming, lovable LI, and his banter with Saphira, going back and forth with her blunt honesty with little wholesome inside jokes was so good!
I loved seeing Saphira learn to be confident and sure of herself, and learn how to be brave enough to fight for something (even if she’s still working on the bravery thing). I also enjoyed her taking ownership of her jewelsmithing as something she loves and something that she can do to make a positive impact.
This was just so good. Highly, highly recommend!
This might be the easiest 5 stars I’ve ever given a book.
It was so charming and funny and the romance was perfect and I just loved it.
Saphira was an incredible narrator and MC, she is so awkward and blunt and unintentionally hilarious, she genuinely made me laugh out loud.
Her romance with Rane was so wholesome and he is such a charming, lovable LI, and his banter with Saphira, going back and forth with her blunt honesty with little wholesome inside jokes was so good!
I loved seeing Saphira learn to be confident and sure of herself, and learn how to be brave enough to fight for something (even if she’s still working on the bravery thing). I also enjoyed her taking ownership of her jewelsmithing as something she loves and something that she can do to make a positive impact.
This was just so good. Highly, highly recommend!
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Embrace the Serpent
3.75 Stars
Pros:
The plot was interesting and the jewelsmithing was a fun concept. I liked how the gems were able to give jewelry abilities for the owners. The characters were well done and didn’t drive me crazy like some YA main characters. The beginning was very good. The ending was decent.
Cons:
The middle of this novel. It just dragged. I’m not sure if it’s me or not but I dislike the running from the enemy plot. It just seems to go so slow and adds nothing of value to the story. I wish instead they would have spent more time in the Serpent Kingdom. The main MMC reveal was pretty predictable. The ending was just okay, surprise! The bad guy wasn’t really the bad guy and the heroine saved the day. Normally I’d be all about it but it just seemed easy. I was actually really hoping this would be a series. There was great potential to add on, make a journey to find a djinn’s lamp, etc etc.
All in all this was a quick fun read. The world building was fun and I would definitely recommend this to someone who enjoys a good YA fantasy.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
3.75 Stars
Pros:
The plot was interesting and the jewelsmithing was a fun concept. I liked how the gems were able to give jewelry abilities for the owners. The characters were well done and didn’t drive me crazy like some YA main characters. The beginning was very good. The ending was decent.
Cons:
The middle of this novel. It just dragged. I’m not sure if it’s me or not but I dislike the running from the enemy plot. It just seems to go so slow and adds nothing of value to the story. I wish instead they would have spent more time in the Serpent Kingdom. The main MMC reveal was pretty predictable. The ending was just okay, surprise! The bad guy wasn’t really the bad guy and the heroine saved the day. Normally I’d be all about it but it just seemed easy. I was actually really hoping this would be a series. There was great potential to add on, make a journey to find a djinn’s lamp, etc etc.
All in all this was a quick fun read. The world building was fun and I would definitely recommend this to someone who enjoys a good YA fantasy.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.