Review: Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove #1) by Shelby Mahurin

Serpent & Dove
(Serpent & Dove #1)

by Shelby Mahurin

September 3, 2019
528 pages

Goodreads     Indigo

Goodreads Summary:
Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou's, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou's most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.

Review

It's been a while since I found a fantasy story I thoroughly loved from beginning to end. Just when I've been skeptical I'd ever find one again Serpent & Dove came into my life. What a riveting book!

Class segregation was a main theme in Serpent & Dove. While seeing how the higher classes treated and reacted nastily to those whose societal standings were lower than them boiled my blood, it created conflicts that made for interesting reading.

I really shouldn't have been surprised to find myself loving Serpent & Dove. I've always enjoyed books with witches and witch hunters. The combination just calls to me. The story very clearly depicts why witches were hated and why there was a force dedicated to hunting them down. It then progressively shows how things aren't really that black and white. With a few shocking revelations, the storytelling was excellent.

The world in Serpent & Dove is quite vast with places we have yet to visit. From what has been introduced, it is a world full of danger and deceit but also of loyalty and sometimes mischief. I loved following Lou through the streets of Cesarine and into the twists and turns of the Chasseur Tower. She gets into trouble more often than not but they led to more interactions between her and Reid so I was all for it. I couldn't get enough of their bickering and jabs. Furthermore, both were stubborn and unrelenting which made for some delicious tension.

The hate-to-love romance was my absolute favourite! Lou and Reid were not fans of each other when they first met. However, as the story moved forward and they were forced to play nice with each other, their chemistry built. It built until the heat between them exploded and super sexy moment(s) happened. Their development was definitely more mature than your regular YA romances but it was everything.

Serpent & Dove features an expansive world full of magic and darkness, dynamic characters and a steamy romance. I cannot wait to see what will happen next! Can we get a title to make the wait a little more tolerable?

*I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.