Review: Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Overview:
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Bookstagram made me buy this book, and I’m so glad it did! I was delighted by Mahurin’s strong character development, steady pace of plot, and decent usage of the enemies to lovers trope. I was also enthralled by her creation of a unique magic system. The only portions of the novel that failed for me were the poor attempts at exploring themes of gender.
Content Warning:
Serpent & Dove contains profanity, gore, sexual content, sexism, and violence.
Book Description:
Serpent & Dove is a YA Fantasy novel that explores the ancient feud between the witches and the religious elite in the land of Belterra. Lou is an ex-witch with a deadly secret. Reid is an orphan raised by the church to lead the crusade against the witches as a captain of the Chasseur warriors. After an accidental publicity stunt, both find themselves forced into matrimony with one another. Different as they are, both must reconcile with their contrasting beliefs in the face of a much larger conflict.
On the Character Development:
The characters in Serpent & Dove reflect major archetypes that are common in YA books: the strong female lead, the tough yet protective boyfriend, and the soft and loveable sidekick. Still, each character has their own nuances, fears, and inner conflicts that make them real and incredibly loveable. Mahurin backs up their portrayals by giving them each convincing background stories, unique ways of speaking, and frequent displays of individual habits and behaviors. So, even though the character types are nothing new, the author’s interpretation of them is both enjoyable and memorable.
On the Characters’ Relationship Dynamics:
Serpent & Dove‘s main characters play into the popular YA fiction trope of enemies to lovers. As a reader who lives for the drama, I always jump at books that claim a slow burn from foes to something more. As a critical reviewer, however, I find that such relationships are often rushed and unbelievable on the page. I’m happy to say that Serpent & Dove did fairly well in avoiding such pitfalls. Mahurin provides the reader with tangible evidence for Lou and Reid’s growing appreciation for one another through carefully crafted scenes and dialogue. Additionally, she allows her characters to still harbor doubt, mistrust, and skepticism towards one another after their feelings begin to develop. The messiness of it feels much more sincere than quick and extreme devotion to one another. All in all, this is one of the better representations of the enemies to lovers trope that I’ve read.
On the Plot and Pacing:
The major plot of Serpent & Dove is interwoven with two or three other minor plots, and they all seamlessly coalesce in the final chapters of the book. There were a lot of moving parts in the story, but that kept every chapter interesting and full of momentum. I was never bored or drawn out of the story due to slow pacing.
On the Magical System:
The system of magic used in Serpent & Dove was one of the most interesting I’ve ever encountered. When dealing with magic, many authors establish a system of balance and energy (i.e. each spell requires a certain amount of energy from the caster). Mahurin takes it one step farther, though, and institutes an interpretive “eye for an eye” structure, meaning that witches determine and make a comparable sacrifice for each use of magic. For example, a witch who wishes to blind someone might lose her actual sight, or she might lose her ability to see certain memories — it all depends on her interpretation of what an equal sacrifice might be! Not only is such a system incredibly unique to YA fiction, but it also provides an insight into the characters’ psyches. Since each witch’s magic depends entirely on their own rationale of equal sacrifice, it gives the reader a glimpse into their deeper values and thought processes.
On the Text’s “Feminist” Themes:
This book tried really hard to address themes of sexism and patriarchy but failed to do so comprehensively. Specifically, I thought it adhered too much to the gender binary (excluding non-binary, trans folks, and gender-fluid folks) and did not have a diverse enough representation of different women and gender-nonconforming people. Additionally, the book explicitly ties womanhood with the ability to give birth, which is dehumanizing to women everywhere and also exclusive to trans girls/women.