The Serpent in Heaven

Gunnie Rose #4

by Charlaine Harris

#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns to her alternate history of the United States where magic is an acknowledged but despised power in this fourth installment of the Gunnie Rose series.

Felicia, Lizbeth Rose’s half-sister and a student at the Grigori Rasputin school in San Diego—capital of the Holy Russian Empire—is caught between her own secrets and powerful family struggles. As a granddaughter of Rasputin, she provides an essential service to the hemophiliac Tsar Alexei, providing him the blood transfusions that keep him alive. Felicia is treated like a nonentity at the bedside of the tsar, and at the school she's seen as a charity case with no magical ability. But when Felicia is snatched outside the school, the facts of her heritage begin to surface. Felicia turns out to be far more than the Russian-Mexican Lizbeth rescued. As Felicia’s history unravels and her true abilities become known, she becomes under attack from all directions. Only her courage will keep her alive.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Alternate History, Magic, Fiction, Paranormal, Audiobook

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2022

About the author

Charlaine Harris has been a published writer for over forty years. Her first two books were standalones, followed by a long sabbatical when she was having children. Then she began the Aurora Teagarden book, mysteries featuring a short librarian (eventually adapted for Hallmark movies). The darker Lily Bard books came next, about a house cleaner with a dark past and considerable fighting skills.

Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.

When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.

A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.

She's thinking about what to write next.

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intrigue, romance, danger, suspense, and much more contribute to an exciting novel in the fourth book in the Gunnie (Lizbeth) Rose series. The Serpent in Heaven is a mix of historical fiction, urban fantasy, western, and alternate history and is set in San Diego which is now part of the Holy Russian Empire.

Felicia is Lizbeth Rose’s half-sister. This novel picks up with Felicia attending the Grigori Rasputin School. No one other than her roommate Anna knows that Felicia has any magic capabilities. Felicia’s father was Russian and her mother was from Mexico. As the granddaughter of Rasputin, she provides blood for transfusions to Tsar Alexei, and is seen as a charity case at the school. However, when Felicia is kidnapped, the facts of her heritage become known as well as her true abilities. As she is attacked multiple times, only her abilities and her courage can save her.

Felicia has a gift for languages, has started to show her true age, and gains confidence in herself and her abilities as the story unfolds. Her friend Peter is good-natured, agreeable, quick-thinking, and clever until she gets jealous and believes rumors about her. Other characters play secondary roles with varying degrees of depth.

Charlaine Harris is one of my favorite authors and she did not let me down with this addition to the series. The characters are compelling, led by strong and capable protagonist. However, I was excepting Lizbeth to play a significant role in the book instead of just a cameo appearance via a telephone call.

There was always something new happening in this story. Danger, action, training, and heart-wrenching moments are interspersed throughout it. Connecting with Felicia was easy. This well-crafted story hooked me in the beginning and kept me turning the pages.
Overall, this novel brings thrills, action, family drama, political intrigue, magic, loyalty, romance, power and much more making it a definite page-turner. Exceptional characters, intense fight scenes, and family drama made this an entertaining read.

If you like alternate history, action adventure, thrillers and fantasy, then this series is for you. I recommend reading the books in order. The first novel explains the alternative history aspect that is not fully explained in the succeeding novels.

I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was November 15, 2022.

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My 4.43 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll admit when I read the description for this book, book four in the Gunnie Rose series, I was a little disappointed it wasn’t about Lizbeth and Eli. I liked Felicia well enough, but I wasn’t sure I would like a book from her perspective as much as I did the books from Lizbeth’s eyes, but I really did. Chaplains Harris has created an odd but vivid world of magic and betrayal and I am now certain I would love anything set here. I hope that this is book four of many. Felicia has started to grow and appears much closer to what she believes her age to be, 15, than the 10 she arrived to the school looking. A strange occurrence leads to Felicia having to display abilities she had been keeping hidden. Danger seems to follow her as she figures out who she is and who she would like to be. I did like the brief mentions of Lizbeth and Eli, but I would like to see them together again.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery/Saga Press for gifting me an advanced copy. The following is my honest review!

I've really enjoyed the Gunnie Rose series so far, and this one was so refreshing! We got a story from Felicia's perspective, and I think it was a breath of new air that we needed - I mean how often can Lizbeth get into trouble? Her sister is just as big of a trouble-magnet, so I'm glad we get a turn to see some of her shenanigans.

Felicia's got a lot to deal with. She's literally growing up fast, she's in a new place, and she's got chaos around her in the form of unknown assailants.

This one has a little big of everything - magic, romance, intrigue. Definitely recommended, but I'd strongly suggest that you read the three prior books before picking this one up for some important context.

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/

This was really good! I was a bit worried when I found out this book would be from Felicia’s perspective instead of Lizbeth’s like the first three books in the series have been. I had no cause for concern because Felicia is just as interesting as her sister, maybe even more so. I was hooked by this story pretty early on and found it very hard to put down. I found this book to be an incredibly entertaining addition to the series.

Felicia attends the Grigori Rasputin. She has been given admission based on the Tsar’s need for her blood since he needs regular transfusions of a very particular type of blood. She does not receive magical training and keeps her talents hidden. That is until she is abducted and it becomes obvious that she is very valuable to someone quite powerful. Before long, Felicia must demonstrate just how powerful her magic actually is in order to keep the other students safe.

I loved getting to know Felicia better. She is such an interesting character and I have a feeling that we only scratched the surface in terms of her ability. I really appreciated that there was just enough romance in the story to keep things very interesting. The mystery was very well done and kept me guessing until the very end. I love the magic system in this world and the fact that anything really seems to be possible.

I would recommend this book to others. This is the fourth book in the Gunnie Rose series which I would recommend reading in order if at all possible. This was such a fun and entertaining read and I hope that we get more books featuring Felicia as the main character. I cannot wait to read more of this series!

I received a digital review copy of this book from Gallery / Saga Press.

Initial Thoughts
This was really good! I was a bit worried when I found out this book would be from Felicia's perspective instead of Lizbeth like the first three books in the series have been. I had no cause for concern because Felicia is just as interesting as her sister, maybe even more so. I was hooked by this story pretty early on and found it hard to put down. I think that we have only seen just a little of what Felicia is capable of.

[Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say I’m disappointed. Unlike the previous books in the series, this was a hot mess. It read like a series of jumbled events that somehow made a story.
The main character was barely likable. She was a whiny teenager who treated people poorly.

SPOILERS AHEAD

So let’s start with why this teenager continuously left the school knowing she was a target and didn’t take precautions every time.

Let’s say some times she used her powers, other times she’s didn’t without mentioning why she wouldn’t considering that power (invisibility) would have saved her. This power was only used as a plot device as there were a few occasions when she was on the run, it wasn’t considered and no reasons were given why she wouldn’t.

And oh, let’s mention death and resurrection magic. Felix was saved by resurrection magic by lisbeth who barely possessed the power. Yet when the boy was killed right in front of her, it wasn’t mentioned as a possible solution. Again, her powers are a plot device. Because why didn’t she try. He wasn’t days dead or even hours dead. He was seconds/minutes dead and she didn’t try. It wasn’t a thought or mentioned in any way why she didn’t try.

And this Peter mess. In the same paragraph this girl’s thoughts said “I don’t know how I feel about him.” In the next breath, literally, when he asked if he felt the same as him (meaning he liked her), she voiced the words yes. Even though her through seconds (a sentence before) was like I don’t know. Not to mention later in the story says she may like girls too. She treated Peter badly. And I’m not sure why the author forced this relationship when clearly she didn’t want them together.

But besides that. Peter is 19. And even though this is a fictional time, we readers are in the real world. I wouldn’t want my 15yo dating a 19yo. It’s creepy.

This same girl liked Tom who was older but then claimed she didn’t want physical relationship with Peter because she was too young. And she liked kissing Anna. While I get teenagers can be impulsive, this read like the author wasn’t sure what she wanted this character to be.

The story was all over the place. It felt unpolished, unedited, no beta readers, because it was like stringing random events and thoughts together just to finish the book.

I like this author and she hasn’t really let me down in the past. So I’ll give this series another try with the next installment. Hopefully she’ll decide what direction she wants to go with this character and story.

The narrator was okay.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read But...

Ugh! Such a long wait for such a short book! . Felicia is a strong and interesting character. But Lizbeth-the gunnie rose and her Eli are absent. This book feels more like a bit of back story and introducing the cast of characters. Where is the actual story? Furthermore, Peter may be underestimated but seems to be lacking enough chutzpah for the spirited Felicia. And if Felicia is one of so few necessary blood donors for the tzar, why is she so poorly protected? This book seems incomplete. Overall an unsatisfying segment. Warily loking forward to the next ... Hopefully meatier, installment.

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

We get a new POV for book 4 of this series, The Serpent of Heaven. Instead we view the young girl who is blood donor (essentially) to the Tsar and living at the school where Lisbeth dropped her off. Although this story doesn’t really have Lizbeth in it (except phone calls and letters) this was still an action packed, splash of romance (with some teen angst), survival story like all the books in this series have been. Charlaine Harris might not give us the same cowboy, gun toting fun with this one; but in reality it still has its witty, sweet, and action packed moments just like the first three books of the series.
If you’re enjoying the series to date then I definitely recommend continuing with this, book 4. If you are new to it, you’re best served to go back and start at book 1 so you understand the world and the characters. Harris doesn’t give us much more politics or world building and so what we’ve learned in previous books is critical to understanding the story this far.

[Elyse]

The title is "The Serpent In Heaven" and is being released in February 2022 (no exact date yet) per this answer!! https://www.goodreads.com/questions/2...

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Moley, this was a great book! I hadn't loved the series up until this book. Yes, this is a Young Adult book (more or less) all about Felicia, Lizbeth Rose's half-sister, who is now studying magic, among other things, at the Grigori Rasputin school. She is a relative of Rasputin and is a blood donor to the new Tsar.

She is finding her way, thinking she doesn't have much magic-but, SURPRISE! She has a very unique magic.

In this book, her estranged (and hated) Grandfather from her mother's side is trying to kidnap and maybe even kill her. Things heat up when she is kidnapped, and deaths happen.

There is a bit of romance and a great mystery, and I sure do hope there will be at least one more book about Felicia and her friends.


*ARC supplied by the publisher Saga Press, an imprint of Gallery Books and Simon & Schuster, Edelweiss, and the author Charlaine Harris author of The Sookie Stackhouse series, among other books and series.

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised to see that book four was about Felicia, Lizbeth's sister. I never read the blurb, just thinking we were getting Lizbeth again. I really liked her in book 3 and I'm glad the author decided to explore her character more. It was interesting to see her come into her powers. I think there is much more that can be explored about her abilities so I am definitely intrigued to see what will happen in the next book. I am a bit sad that Lizbeth was barely in this book. I just really love her character and I liked how she and Felicia worked together in book 3. But overall, this was a good read and I can see Felicia making a great main character as the series continues.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first 3 books in Harris' Gunnie Rose series feature sharp shooter Gunnie Lizbeth Rose as she navigates a very different world (alternate history with magic). Those 3 work as a sort of trilogy, with this 4th book shifting to Gunnie Rose's younger sister Felicia, a strong secondary character in the previous books. I enjoyed the shift to Felicia in terms of the plot shift, but I didn't think this one was as well written as the previous books. There are weird sharp shifts between scenes that didn't bring the kind of anticipation or worldbuilding found in the previous books. I'll definitely keep reading the series.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow this series just keeps getting better and more involved. Excellent read. Very recommended

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was at first disappointed with the direction the book seemed to be going, as I didn’t even read anything about it. I only knew it was a Gunnie Rose book, but it doesn’t have her in it! The book is all about Felicia, the half sister. It’s still a great read. I enjoyed it, and I look forward to seeing where the story goes!!

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit unsure at the beginning of this book because it focused on Lizbeth’s younger half-sister Felicia. But the story was great! Action packed with lots more depth to Peter and Felix.

In this fourth book I realized I was so caught up with the characters, I had almost forgotten this unique world they lived in. This story was completely set in San Diego, the heart of the Holy Roman Empire. We learned more about specific magic, spells and healing, and different Grigori specialties.

I’m not sure what Ms Harris has in mind, but I think there’s lots more to tell about this bunch! 😉

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, I was uncertain about this book. However, as the story progressed, it captured my attention. By the time I reached the halfway point, it had become a captivating page-turner.

With each revelation in the mystery, I found myself increasingly engrossed in discovering more about Felicia, her family, and her magical abilities.

I'm delighted to have the next audiobook in my possession. However, my Thanksgiving week plans will hinder me from enjoying it until much later in the week.

[John Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This speculative fiction novel continues the Gunnie Rose series, which is set in a alternative history of a fractured United States broken up among different countries after the assassination of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt. For example, the setting of this novel is San Diego, part of the Holy Russian Empire, which governs the former west coast of the U.S. Mexico and Canada have respectively expanded their borders northward and southward into the US, while Great Britain reclaimed the original 13 colonies.

The first three books in the series focused on Lizbeth "Gunnie" Rose, while this novel focuses on Lizbeth's half-sister, Felicia, as she navigates the challenges of her new life at a prestigious school for magicians. The challenges include threats to her safety, from within the school and outside, and learning how to use her blossoming magical abilities.

The novel blends together magical elements, intrigue, and personal growth. The author makes Felicia an engaging protagonist, one with quiet resilience and sharp intellect but still vulnerable. The supporting cast is equally rich, including the enigmatic students and teachers as well as the threats embodied outside of the school. Harris’s prose is lean and evocative, propelling the story forward with a sense of urgency periodically pausing for reflection.

This series reflects Harris's skill as a storyteller and a protagonist that you can't help but root for. Hopefully, Lisbeth "Gunnie" Rose and Felicia will come together in the next novel to have an adventure together.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would. I had really hoped for more Lizbeth and Eli. The characters were good, as was the story.

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tough review to write. This book is set in the same world as the Gunnie Rose series, but told from the point of view of Felicia, Lizbeth's younger half-sister. I really missed Lizbeth and Eli, but I got used to the shift. Felicia is a great character with a strong voice. However, the writing wasn't great. The plot was uneven and seemed to jump around. It often seemed like the author wasn't sure where she was going with it. It needed some editing, imo. Many times, it read like the author was intentially trying to make this a YA book--and I guess that makes sense because Felicia is supposed to be 15--but that's no excuse for sloppy plotting. Anyway. Overall, it was a fun adventure and fun if you enjoy the world of the Gunnie Rose stories. The narrator of the audiobook did a good job with the different voices, so that was a plus.

2.5 stars, but I will round up to 3 because of the narrator.

[Kimbot the Destroyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

These audiobooks are good for being stuck in traffic. The story is just interesting enough to prevent road rage, but not distracting. Overall, the alternate history is really neat, the boys are hot, there's combat, the girls are badass, and if my library never got the next one, I would not notice.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Serpent in Heaven is the fourth book in the Gunnie Rose series by Charlaine Harris and this series is one of my favorites. It’s an interesting mix of alternate history, magic, adventure and a bit of romance. The story takes place in the decades after the USA fell apart, some time in the first half of the twentieth century. What used to be the USA is now divided into different countries: Britannia, Dixie, Texoma, New America, and the Holy Russian Empire or HRE. The main character in the first three books, Rose (or Lizbeth Rose) is mostly absent from this book, and I missed her. She is a hired gunslinger, generally hired to protect cargo. Her adventures in the first three books eventually brought her to Mexico where she discovered her younger half-sister, Felicia, who is the focus of The Serpent in Heaven. The action takes place in San Diego, which is part of the HRE (what used to be California and Oregon, basically) and where the Tsar lives. Felicia is in a boarding school for training “grigori” - people who possess magical powers.

Felicia is a very complex young lady and she’s learning how to use her magical abilities. Harris does a great job showing how Felicia is gradually figuring out how powerful she can be. There are some well-drawn side figures, like Peter Savarov and Tom O’Day, as well as some of the teachers in the school and her roommate Anna. Felicia doesn’t really know her full family background and this gradually gets revealed over the course of the book, while Felicia finds herself in danger more than once.

As in many series, this book will work best if you’ve read the others in the series. Harris does a good job of providing some backstory, but I’m pretty sure you’d be lost without having read at least one of the other three first. I liked getting the backstory refreshed for me, as it’s been a while since I’d read the other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery / Saga for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Fantasy / Dark Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5

*Thoughts*

The Serpent in Heaven is the Fourth installment in author Charlaine Harris's Gunnie Rose series. The story follows Felicia Karakarova, Lizbeth's half sister, who is in a Grigori school for magic in the Holy Russian Empire located in San Diego. Felicia, who readers first met in An Easy Death and again in The Russian Cage, is a character who found her feet in the previous installment and now will face her own fears and challenges. Felicia has grown-up. Literally. Instead of being 11, as previously thought, we now learn that she's closer to 16 thanks to her fathers magic.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[Amanda Nieves · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to give this a 4 star but I don't think this book deserves it. I usually love Charlaine Harris books. This one was just ok. I think my first surprise was that it wasn't about Lizbeth. The main character is Felicia, Lizbeth's half-sister. And that would be fine, but this book had no cohesion. It felt like a collection of random events strung together, especially the last quarter of the book. I do think she did a good job of making the protagonist think like a 15 year old girl. But that made some of the dialog and reactions hard to follow sometimes. I constantly felt like I had missed something and had to go back and reread. I do love the characters and this world. These books are always a good time. I'll keep reading the series but this one wasn't my favorite.

[Keri Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I looked up the series to refer to a family member and was happy to see this 4th book! I listened to the audiobook and at first was disappointed at the shift in characters to Felicia, but ended up really enjoying the book. The author did a great job continuing with characters and story line, and if you’ve enjoyed the series so far you should like this one also.

[Monica Hills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great novel by Charlaine Harris. This one was a little different than the others in the series because it was from Felicia's perspective. Felicia has settled into the school and has just begun to grow when things really begin to happen to her. This one is filled with lots of action and magic. An enjoyable and fast read.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know when this novel started, I was disappointed to see that it was about some young girl (Felicia) at this school for magic users, and not about the MC of the series from the first three novels, Lizbeth Rose. But I quickly grew to not only become fascinated by this young lady’s life at this Grigori school, but I grew to love her also. Felicia is a little smart ass who is incredibly smart, and very gifted. She doesn’t take anyone’s shit, which I’ve always admired. And her whole life at this school was so engrossing, I sincerely hope that Harris writes about her a great deal more. I’m totally sold on her, and I want more please..!

Eva Kaminsky is the narrator for the audiobook version of this novel, and she was perfect for the job. She had so many different and singular characterizations for this very large cast of characters, and I rarely got any of them confused. Her accents were excellent, as were her emoting and pacing. I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for more of Kaminsky’s audiobooks at my library. Thank you Ms. Kaminsky!

Another solid novel in the Gunnie Rose series, this novel gets 4 stars.

[Kate McMurry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, mostly Young Adult entry in this series

The books in this series are definitely sequential, and it is recommended to read them in order. Felicia was first introduced in the previous book. She is the half-sister of 21-year-old Lizbeth (Gunny) Rose, the FMC of the previous three books. They have the same father. Lizbeth is the result of rape, but Felicia was born within a legal marriage. Due to a magic spell cast by her father, in order to somehow protect her from rapists who prefer adult women (apparently he wasn't concerned about pedophiles), Felicia stopped growing at 10 years of age, but her true age is currently 15. As the spell wears off, due to her father's death, she is rapidly growing into the height and adolescent development of her body that had been stalled for the past five years. She is attending a school for the magically talented in San Diego, and many exciting adventures occur due to multiple attempts to kidnap her by unknown enemies.

In my review of the first book in this series, I have described the world building for this series, so I will not repeat that information here. I continue to consider the entire premise of that world preposterous, but if one is willing to suspend disbelief, all of the books in this series, including this one, have a great deal of thrilling action. Similar to Lizbeth, Felicia is a kick-ass FMC. She has a very assertive, courageous personality, and she never shrinks from a fight against dangerous enemies. But, unlike Lizbeth, Felicia has an extremely powerful magical ability.

I also enjoyed the subplot of Felicia's romance with Peter, who is the younger brother of Lizbeth's husband, Eli. Because Felicia is 15, and Peter is 19, and their relationship never moves beyond kisses, this novel reads like a YA version of the previous three novels in this alternate-history, dystopian, action-adventure series. That did not bother me personally, because I am a fan of the YA genre.

I experienced this novel as a full cast, GraphicAudio production which, as always, is extremely well done.

[Minna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, Saga Press, and Ms. Harris for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I’ve been enjoying the Gunnie Rose series and, while I would probably have preferred another adventure with Lizbeth, I was pleasantly surprised by Felicia. (I was waiting for a bye, Felicia! Joke, but Ms. Harris clearly took the high road here.) I will say this, Felicia’s book comes across much more as a YA title than its fellows. Felicia is 15 (she thinks), and thinks and acts like it. There is some sulky teenage girl behavior here, for sure. On the other hand, Felicia provides an invaluable medical service to the tsar of the Holy Russian Empire (formerly, California) and is increasingly demonstrating a reserve of magical power that she never expected. She also discovers that she isn't exactly as alone in the world as she had thought. Felicia, like Shrek (and onions) has LOTS of layers, and it's fun peeling them back.

I really enjoyed this overall. There was a lot going on, but the pacing kept everything moving quickly and smoothly. I liked Peter’s character and it was nice to see Felix get developed more. One thing I was really impressed by with regards to Felicia was her relative unflappability. Like her sister Lizbeth, she is cool and effective under pressure. I look forward to more books featuring Felicia (although I wouldn’t say “no” to checking back in with Lizbeth!)

⭐⭐⭐1/2 stars

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out this review & more at Disorderly Daydreams blog!

Book #4 of the Gunnie Rose series has a change in main character but not a change in pace.

Felicia, half-sister to Lizbeth, is full of secrets that come crashing to the surface in this fast-paced story set in San Diego, the capital city of the Holy Russian Empire. She must navigate powerful family ties, hidden deceptions, and dangerous enemies while trying to keep secrets about herself, and her work for the Tsar a secret. Along the way she finds out where she comes from, how great her powers really are, and who she is deep down. She may also find a bit of love.

Being honest, I didn't really look forward to reading this book. I am a big fan of the Gunnie Rose series and thought that I'd be disinterested if the story wasn't about Lizbeth & Eli, but oh boy I WAS WRONG. The Serpent in Heaven was such a great listen on audiobook (it helps that they kept the same narrator). I can't say for sure how I felt about Felicia in the other books, but I just fell in love with her strong will, bravery, and determination in this one. She was an excellently strong young adult female character. While I missed Lizbeth, I thought this story did a nice job all on its own and Charlaine Harris kept true to the tone of the series.

I gave this book 4 out of 5. I will read/listen to this again in the future for sure!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Electronic ARC provided by Edelweiss.

I had no idea that this book was coming out, and so I was super excited to see it pop up for review. Charlaine Harris' work is always fun and I've really been enjoying her weird take on magic, US history, and the Russian monarchy.

The Serpent in Heaven follows Felicia, Lizbeth's half sister, who is in a Grigori school on the west coast. Felicia is a great viewpoint character. She's young (about fifteen), self-sufficient, and has a bit of an anger management problem. She also has major issues with some previously unknown family members.

I really enjoyed this book overall. The setting is the same as in the third Lizbeth book, which is nice because I found the dynamics around the Tsar to be one of the more interesting parts of Lizbeth's trilogy. Many of the characters from the previous book make appearances, and we get to see a lot more of the school. My biggest issue with this book was just that there was an awful lot going on, and sometimes it felt like a bit too many threads for one book.

I really hope that Harris is planning on continuing Felicia's story. I had a lot of fun reading about her adventures, and anyone who enjoyed Lizbeth's story should be looking forward to this continuation.

[Cedricsmom]

I picked up this book and thought it would be a quick read. Lesson learned: if it isn’t holding my attention, it won’t be quick and it’s not worth the time. DNF at page 81. That’s a fair chance.