Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Genre: YA Fantasy
Blurb (on back of book):
For her sixteenth birthday, Louise le Blanc’s mother gave her three things: a sacrificial altar, a ritual knife, and a wicked scar. Lou’s death would have ended the ancient war between the Church and witches, but Lou refuses to become a martyr. Forsaking her coven, she escapes to the gloomy city of Cesarine and hides her magic as a thief in the criminal underworld. But life in Cesarine has its own dangers. Huntsmen roam the city revered as holy men. Witches burn without trial. And the Archbishop, the Church’s austere patriarch, revels in violence.
As a huntsman, Reid Diggory lives by one verse: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
He's devoted his entire life to eradicating the occult and making his surrogate father, the Archbishop, proud. Finally given the chance to capture a witch of his own, Reid is devastated when a foul-mouthed thief thwarts him—and doubly devastated when she too disappears. Hell-bent on bringing her to justice, Reid vows she won't escape again. But when Lou tricks him into public scandal trying to avoid capture, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage.
Marriage to a huntsman could provide real protection from the witches—if Lou can convince Reid she isn’t one herself. The secret proves difficult to keep as Lou begins practicing magic in secret within the heart of the Church, determined to prepare for her mother’s inevitable return. As time passes, however, Lou discovers yet another danger lurking: her own growing feelings for her husband. But Reid is still dangerous. He’s just as likely to tie her to the stake as defend her if he learns her true identity. With enemies closing in—and more than her own life at stake—Lou must decide who she can trust before it's too late…and she's not the only one with a secret.
MY OPINION: ****
I had really high expectations for this book because it's very hyped-up on TikTok. I LOVE the enemies-to-lover trope almost more than any other trope and this one did not fail. I would have liked it a bit better if there were more of the enemies-aspect than the lovers-aspect because then it makes the first beginnings of the relationship all the more enjoyable. However, I did love the overall concept of this book.
The plot involves a witch and witch-hunter who accidentally find themselves in such a bad situation that they are forced to get married. I loved their flirtatious/annoyed banter with each other because it added a levity to their relationship and the overall book that made it more interesting in the end.
Lou is a sarcastic, explicit, funny, adorable witch who you can't help but love. She's not afraid to be "unladylike" despite her husband's frustration and I loved that about her. I was scared for her throughout most of the book as I waited for the moment of truth when she would tell Reid what she really was. I loved her strength and bravery, though, because it's always nice and refreshing to have a "badass" female protagonist, for lack of a better word.
Reid was ADORABLE. I was expecting the almost-generic smoldering, dark and handsome, mysterious, cold bad boy that most YA fantasies seem to feature. However, what we got a was a soft, blonde, adorable boy whose biggest pet peeve was SWEARING. I loved everything about him because although my favorite book boys are the brunette-mysterious-bad-boys usually, Reid was a refreshing and unique love interest, at least for me when compared to most other books I read.
Ansel was a sweetheart and I adored everything about that boy. At sixteen, he's a gangly, confused, naive young boy who was fiercely loyal and was able to see past the outdated discrimination that the other Chausseurs (witch-hunters) seemed to foster.
I loved the other witches, though I think they could have been better-developed and had more prominent personality traits than just their witch-talents. Since I read this book a while ago and forgot to write the review, I honestly have forgotten their names and each individual traits they had but I remember liking their characters and the roles they played in saving Lou.
My biggest criticism would be the world-building. I would have appreciated more description about what their world looked like, how the interactions between witches and witch-hunters began, and more description about witches in general and the different types there were. It's a fast-paced novel for the most part but I think it could have been slowed down a bit at the beginning just to add in a couple of descriptions of the world around them and a proper introduction to the witches and witch-hunters.
The romance was well-written but as I said in the beginning, I would have loved for it to have been more of a slow burn than the almost fast-paced relationship that Reid and Lou developed. Obviously, it's just my opinion but a slow burn would have elevated their relationship to a higher level. Also, many people have stated that this book is graphic. I would strongly refute that statement. There's one main "scene" and it's not very explicit and would be fine for younger readers for the most part. Compared to Sarah J. Maas's novels, this book is perfectly appropriate.
The ending was PHENOMENAL and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book! I would recommend this book to readers looking for a YA fantasy, featuring an enemies-to-lovers trope, and a brilliant system of witches and witch-hunters.
Main Character: Lou, Reid
Sidekick(s): Ansel, Coco, etc
Villain(s): Mother, discrimination, etc
Fantasy Elements: This book was based on imaginary characters, worlds, and aspects.
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