Serpent & Dove

By: Shelby Mahurin

Narrated by: Holter Graham, Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

An Amazon Best Book of 2019

New York Times Best Seller

B&N's YA Book Club Pick

Indiebound Best Seller

Number Six on the 2019 Kids’ Indie Next List

"A brilliant debut, full of everything I love: a sparkling and fully realized heroine, an intricate and deadly system of magic, and a searing romance that kept me reading long into the night. Serpent & Dove is an absolute gem of a book." (Sarah J. Maas, number one New York Times best-selling author of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series)

Bound as one, to love, honor, or burn. Book one of a stunning fantasy duology, this tale of witchcraft and forbidden love is perfect for fans of Kendare Blake and Sara Holland.

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.

As a huntsman of the Church, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. But when Lou pulls a wicked stunt, the two are forced into an impossible situation - marriage.

Lou, unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, must make a choice. And love makes fools of us all.

Set in a world of powerful women, dark magic, and off-the-charts romance, book one of this stunning fantasy trilogy will leave listeners burning for more.

©2019 Shelby Mahurin (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

Unexpected!

Honestly I wanted to DNF this book at the start, but I saw the reviews and decided to push on. After all, it has one of my favorite tropes. Romeo and Juliet. The story took me by surprise as I started to find myself engrossed with the characters and my emotions turning with them as they went on their journey. The surprises had me started as well and I’m so glad I pushed through this book. Started slow but then before you know it- you’re going Down hill with no brakes. Can’t can’t CANT wait for the next book.

The ONLY issues I had was the narrators. The woman kept a whispering and was hard to hear/understand at times. And the male reader read with passion. But he read way too fast and used odd accents that rolled together after a while. While they were’t terrible, it was part of the reason I almost DNF’d this book.

Loved it!

The only thing I didn’t like was the male narrator. He was inconsistent with the different characters’ voices.. However, the story is great. I fell in love with Lou. She’s funny and so real. I adore the world Mahurin built. I could imagine everything easily and I want to go back into it already. I wish I had gotten a hard copy instead of getting the audiobook, but I’m glad for the experience overall.

Just not my kinda book

too depressing for me
I like the idea of powers and powerful people, however, not completely ruthless people. This was a story of people held back so strongly by their societal box that it caused countless harm to others. Suppressed minds, habits unconquered and mental conditioning, it was all just sad to the very end.

WOW

Anything recommended by Sarah J. Maas is a must read in my book.

Very well narrated and the story kept me on the edge of my seat toward the end.

If you have nothing else to read

This book satisfied a need for a read when the last three books I tried didn’t work out. Good book but not anything I’m going crazy over. I might get the next one to see what happens next but if I don’t won’t be a great lose

Really enjoyed, highly recommend

I really enjoyed this story. I was worried to get it because so many people complained about the narrator who voiced Reid but I didn't mind him he wasn't what I imagined for him but he was still a good narrator.

She is a serpent, he is a dove!

I need to elaborate later, putting it simply: I'm in LOVE with this book. I laughed, swooned, cried and felt it all. I NEED more. Lou is naughty and Reid is yummy! They have the same vibe of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler.

This book is definitely set in France, the atmosphere is old, you can imagine big puffy dress, witches burning at the stack, the whole country wearing black, except for the witch hunters "the Chasseurs", shining with their blue coats.

Lou is a witch hiding in a city filled with running witches and witch hunters, she is after a ring that holds magical power that could hide her from a witch from her past who wants her dead. Many are after the ring, she gets it but a Chasseur named Reid, tall, redhaired and ethical, plans to put her in jail for "stealing", little did he know she IS a witch! He sees her one night and in a public display knocks her down, witnesses think he is trying to rape her, so the Chasseur commander forces them to get married so the scandal will be hushed. A witch hunter AND a witch in holy matrimony! She is a serpent, he is a dove. The story only gets better from that point. It's such a good book. READ IT!

wasn't impressed with male narrator

the male narrator was hard to listen to, wasn't the greatest but thoroughly enjoyed the book! will be grtty the second one!

Male narrator terrible

The story is pretty typical YA pseudo fantasy. The switching between French and English doesn’t really lend itself to an audio format as much as I’d like, but the real issue is the male narrator. His intonation, pace, cadence, etc are all wrong. The different voices he uses for different characters grate at you as you listen. I dreaded every single time his chapters came. Makes it hard to even finish the book as it keeps pulling you out of the story.

Good story male narrator is awful.

Unless you like William Shatner. The girl narrator is awesome the male makes this almost impossible to get through over and audible platform.