A review by kmartbooks
Embrace the Serpent by Sunya Mara

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Featuring:
💖 A marriage of convenience
🐍 Fairytale king with fangs
🗡️ Huntsman with a silver tongue
💎 Magical jewelry
🤘 Golem sidekick
😳Shy young woman who just wants not to be perceived (same girl)
🧨Heaps of trauma for them all

This felt like stepping straight into a fairytale. It’s romantic, magical, tinged with folklore, and layered with just enough darkness to keep things interesting. If you’re into arranged marriages, dangerous bargains, and soft-burn romance between two trauma-scarred but tender-hearted leads, you’re going to eat this up like I did. 

Saphira is a quiet and unique powerhouse of a heroine. She's clever, deeply scarred, talented, and just trying to survive while hiding her magical gift. Rane is silver-tongued, loyal to a fault, and so clearly masking his secrets with charm. The slow connection was one of my favorite parts. It’s a romance rooted in protection and emotional honesty rather than instant attraction, and I loved that. And, I mean, suddenly she's married to his King for her safety, which only complicates things. The whole setup is deliciously dramatic. Also, shoutout to the golem bestie. Loooove him!

If I have one gripe, it’s that I wanted more. The world (especially the Serpent King’s eerie, fascinating kingdom) had so much potential that didn’t get fully explored. This could have easily been a duology or a trilogy, and I would’ve devoured every page. Still, even as a standalone, it delivers something emotionally rich, romantic, and mostly satisfying.

Charming, sweet, and full of swoony romance. Embrace the Serpent feels like an old myth retold through a dreamy, magical-jewel-studded lens. And I loved every minute of it.

Thank you to Epic Reads, the author, and Storygram Tours for the beautiful, complimentary copy! This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.