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Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove, #1)

Shelby Mahurin

Start date: November 19, 2022

Finish date: December 19, 2022

Discussion: Buddy Reads 2022

Why we're reading this: November Buddy Read
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What Members Thought

Oct 11, 2021 Ashley W rated it it was amazing

Shelves: genre-fantasy, 0part-of-a-series, 501-600-pages

⇘Quotes⇙
→His daughter's death had been a warning: one did not exploit the witches without consequences.
→You are wildly outmatched and woefully inadequate in the face of these women. Death is the kindest of their torments - a gift bestowed only to those who have earned it.

⇘Just the Archbishop creating his only army of incels⇙
→But witches didn't always smell evil. Only when they'd been practicing. The Archbishop had been clear in our training - every woman was a potential threat.
→"Once she is you ...more

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Oct 23, 2019 Kerri rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook

I'm having a hard time formulating my thoughts on this book. This book was an amazingly quick read because it was just exciting! We start off meeting Lou, a non-practicing witch who is living her life on the streets of a France-like country as a thief. But, beyond that, she is on the run from a past she barely survived. When we meet Lou, she is dressed as a man and in the midst of gathering intel on her next target: a witch artifact that she would like to acquire to help keep her past in the pas I'm having a hard time formulating my thoughts on this book. This book was an amazingly quick read because it was just exciting! We start off meeting Lou, a non-practicing witch who is living her life on the streets of a France-like country as a thief. But, beyond that, she is on the run from a past she barely survived. When we meet Lou, she is dressed as a man and in the midst of gathering intel on her next target: a witch artifact that she would like to acquire to help keep her past in the past.

Then we meet Reid, a Chassuer (read: witch hunter) who has dedicated his life to ridding the world of witches since he was rescued from an orphanage by the Archbishop himself. Reid is a very black and white kind of guy, but his principles also make him incredibly honorable. When the woman he loves rejects him so that he may focus on his career, he decides to do just that. Witch hunting is his passion and he is particularly good at it. When an attack happens early on in the book, he is the hero that saves the day.

But fate contrives to have Lou and Reid come together, though neither of them want anything to do with the other. Through a strange twist, they are forced to marry and the sparks fly from there. And I mean that in more ways than one.

This story had everything! Interesting characters, thrilling concept, and plenty of action. I sped through it and thoroughly enjoyed myself during the experience.

So why am I having a hard time formulating my thoughts on this book?

I think it’s because, after I finished the book, gave it a star rating, and actually sat and thought about it some more, I began to notice some problematic elements that my brain glossed over while I was reading. And one of those was one of the major plot points of the story: the forced marriage. It just… didn’t make sense! I remember thinking as I was reading the book that it didn’t make sense, but I was so engrossed in the story that I just didn’t care. Looking back, though, the incident that precipitated the marriage didn’t seem like it could be solved with a simple wedding…

But, then again, the patriarchy is STRONG in this book. Which is another thing that, upon further inspection, rubbed me the wrong way. I understand it as a sign of the time period that the author was trying to write, but it still felt incredibly… icky. And like it could have been handled better? I don’t know, I just wasn’t a fan. But, again, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book!

Maybe that’s the problem. I had issues with elements of the book, but I still really enjoyed it and my brain is trying to make that work, lol.

Final thoughts: I guess, in the end, this was a fun bit of escapism. I did enjoy the romance and the plot, though there were things that didn’t make sense. I am planning on checking out the sequel, though! ...more

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Feb 08, 2021 Shelley rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this story that delves into the world of witches hidden in plain sight. The setting is a fictious island of Belterra and it has an older feel which makes me think of early England. There are churches and play theaters and the man shops and trade stores that would give the feel of somewhere back in time. The creation of the world is very nicely done and I can almost see it as if I were there.

The two main characters are Lou the witch who is living as a downtrodden human and Reid a ...more

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