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A review by purple_reads
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
3.0
I was really unsure whether I’d like this when I began. At first it wasn’t really my thing but then I found myself becoming more and more invested.
The pacing of the book is pretty good. The first one hundred pages are a build up of what is to come — which at the time was tedious, yet interesting, but it really kicked in when both Lou and Reid were forced into marriage (as stated in the description). This was when the story really flew and had me wanting to read more.
Character development was something I think was good but could’ve been better. I enjoyed seeing Lou and Reid grow together. In particular, Reid breaking away from his forced beliefs and Lou learning more about herself. However, I do think that we didn’t get to see much of Reid’s development from his own perspective. There isn’t a moment where he is questioning what he believes in unless he is witnessing/has witnessed something extreme, and even then it’s just anger?
The storyline just isn’t really there until the end, but I was there for the romance.
The ending does have me slightly confused. We don’t really get much intel as to what it’s supposed to mean for the characters, nothing to keep the stakes going or to keep me hooked on reading the sequel straight away.
Furthermore, a lot of things just didn’t make sense or weren’t consistent; the magic system being a good example.
I loved seeing them bond! This was my favourite aspect of the book and it definitely boosted my like of it. These interactions were what kept me reading!
It was definitely the characters that had me enjoying this!
Stars ~ 3.5
The pacing of the book is pretty good. The first one hundred pages are a build up of what is to come — which at the time was tedious, yet interesting, but it really kicked in when both Lou and Reid were forced into marriage (as stated in the description). This was when the story really flew and had me wanting to read more.
Character development was something I think was good but could’ve been better. I enjoyed seeing Lou and Reid grow together. In particular, Reid breaking away from his forced beliefs and Lou learning more about herself. However, I do think that we didn’t get to see much of Reid’s development from his own perspective. There isn’t a moment where he is questioning what he believes in unless he is witnessing/has witnessed something extreme, and even then it’s just anger?
The storyline just isn’t really there until the end, but I was there for the romance.
The ending does have me slightly confused. We don’t really get much intel as to what it’s supposed to mean for the characters, nothing to keep the stakes going or to keep me hooked on reading the sequel straight away.
Furthermore, a lot of things just didn’t make sense or weren’t consistent; the magic system being a good example.
I loved seeing them bond! This was my favourite aspect of the book and it definitely boosted my like of it. These interactions were what kept me reading!
It was definitely the characters that had me enjoying this!
Stars ~ 3.5