aurora rising is a sci fi book cowritten by jay kristoff and amie kaufman. sci fi isn’t usually a go to genre of mine. i perhaps read one or two books a year in the genre, a handful of horror, and firmly a lot of fantasy. however, i was really impressed with aurora rising and it certainly helped me get out of the reading slump i’ve been feeling lately.
the kindle cover for the book aurora rising by jay kristoff and amie kaufman
aurora rising is told from the perspective of several characters throughout the course of the story. they each have a vital role within the squad and a valid input into what is going on so it’s hard to say who the main protagonist is. usually i struggle when books flip perspectives but as this pretty much keeps within the same timeline, bar a little back story, it’s really easy to follow and keep up with. aurora rising is incredibly well written and flows seemlessly from character to character. this is impressive for a collaboration piece. i can’t help but think the two authors just work amazingly well together.
the book is really fast paced which i loved but nothing feels out of place. everything is explained properly and appropriately. i loved the factfiles throughout the book too as a little addition, i felt they worked really well. you get a lot of insight into the world around you depending on what character you play. having the alien races in the book with customs and cultural differences showed a different inner dialogue when reading from that perspective so you learned more about the character.
i’ve also found it really enjoyable to readalong with the authors and that’s what inspired me to get the book. it’s so great hearing about them talking about the book (over on instagram) and sharing a bit more insight into the characters. it made me feel a bit more immersed in the story having some behind the scenes snippets too.
affiliate link to purchase aurora rising
there are lots of great characters in the book but i think my two favourite are finian and zila. zila i’d love to know why she is the way she is. she’s the brains in the squad and is the go to for facts, medical and scientific knowledge. she’s got a good hand with her weapon too. her chapters are really short and few and far between but her lines are brilliant. i can’t help but feel there’s going to be some sadness to this back story. fin is a great character and you already know his back story at the start of the book when he’s introduced. his interactions with scarlett are really moving and reading these from his perspective just shows what it means to him.
the rest of the squad are great too. i really like auri, she’s interesting and you can feel her grief throughout the book at what has happened but she kind of keeps on keeping on. i think the dynamics of all the characters make a really good team and they go through a lot in this book, it requires a good deal of character to be able to survive it all.
the sequel, aurora burning, will be available 5th may. i have an illumicrate special edition preordered which looks amazing and i can’t wait to jump back in and see what happens next. i purchased the first book aurora rising on kindle when it was on offer.
affiliate link for aurora burning
One of my goals for 2020 is to read 52 books or around one a week. Some might be new, some are ones I’ve had for a while or been meaning to read, some I haven’t quite finished yet and some will be recommendations from others. You can see all the books I’ve read so far on my Good Reads 2020 Reading Challenge.
Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin is the ultimate tale of witch hunter falls in love with a witch; after they’re forced to marry to save each others reputation. An epic enemies to lovers romantic witchy story.
Serpent & Dove Book Synopsis
Serpent & Dove is book one in a trilogy by author Shelby Mahurin and takes place a few years after that fateful birthday where Lou’s own mother tried to have her killed. Lou is now 18 years old, at the start of Serpent and Dove, and, with her friend Coco gets into all sorts of trouble. She’s also a Dame Blanche, a witch, and witches are hunted in Cesarine by witch hunters. Enter Reid, a witch hunter brought up to hunt and burn witches under the old adage ‘Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.’ When something goes wrong Lou and Reid find themselves thrown together in an arranged marriage where Lou needs to keep her heritage a secret from Reid, in fear that he will kill her. My short and snappy goodreads review is here.
Serpent & Dove is 528 pages long and for a book that focuses on romance and secrets it actually moves really fast. I think the dual perspective really helped move the story along because you weren’t ever second-guessing what the other character was thinking. There are some real laugh out loud moments and scenes in the book which I really loved.
Serpent & Dove Book Review
I first purchased Serpent & Dove on audible as part of my monthly subscription. I love listening to audio books as i fall asleep as i think the narration gives the fiction more personality. However, as i usually listen at night I often miss parts of the story and you can usually buy the kindle version of the book fairly cheaply if you already have the audible version and vice versa. I really liked the audiobook. Serpent and Dove is written in dual perspectives and I liked the casting for having a female narrator for Lou and male for Reid so it really feels like you’re getting two completely different perspectives when listening and I think each narrator conveys the characters personality really well.
Since becoming a bit more involved in the bookstagram community (you can follow me I’m @KatCandyfloss) I’ve seen so much love for Serpent and Dove so i thought i’d give it a read too and i’m so glad I did! This has helped me find some amazing Serpent & Dove merchandise, character art and discuss the book more in depth with fellow Witch lovers.
Serpent and Dove merch featuring an Illumicrate metalmark bookmark, the kindle ebook cover on iPhone 8+, Fairyloot Serpent & Dove Mug, Candles from Ash & Quill candles and Dame Blanche Hair Oil from Madame Alchemie
The best thing about the bookstagram community is getting involved in the preorder for the second book, Blood & Honey which I am really excited about. If you want to buy Serpent and Dove you can use my affiliate link below.
What I Loved About Serpent and Dove
Serpent and Dove is told from the perspective of two characters, Lou and Reid. Lou is angsty, tough, a theif, has to disguise herself and, most importantly, a dame blanche; a witch. After eaves dropping in on a conversation at a brothel her and her two accomplices, Bas and Coco, decide to steal a ring and this leads to a world of trouble for Lou.
Reid is a few years older than Lou, around 21 or so maybe and is a holy man, devout, strong, incredibly tall and very proper. He was an orphan raised by the church and then became one of the chasseurs, a warrior, a killer, a witch hunter. He’s there the night Lou tries to steal the ring. She gets away but they run into each other again and the chase resumes leading to both of them falling into a compromising position.
Enter my favourite bookish trope; Enemies to Lovers
The plot thickens when, to save the reputation of his captain, the archbishop forces the two to marry. A witch and a witch killer in holy matrimony. Of course, there’s more to this than meets the eye.
Throughout the story we see Lou and Reid deal with the difficulty in being married to someone they don’t know or understand. Their interactions together are funny, because it’s so obvious Lou has no care for the devout ways of her husband. Lou has had to toughen up for the last two years and she struggles with the lack of freedom her new life, stuck in the chasseurs tower. Reid, however, was in love with another woman who told him to put the church before marriage never expecting to find him married to someone so different.
Preorder Blood & Honey using my affiliate link
I really loved this story. The character interactions had moments of great tenderness as well as comedy. Both characters are fierce and stubborn in their own ways and dealing with a life they never saw for themselves. Lou has secrets that could get her killed at the hands of her husband if he knew she was a witch and is balancing on a knife edge throughout trying to keep her secret whilst trying to train her repressed magic to keep away from her enemies.
Serpent & Dove will be a trilogy
There is nothing I didn’t enjoy about this story. You really feel Lou’s anguish during the conflict of the book and it’s easy to start disliking the main antagonist when you finally meet them. The sub characters, Ansel and Coco are likable and really help to steer the characters concious. There is sexual tension which just makes you want to shout at the characters and get them to finally kiss. The writing just keeps you turning pages. I read this over a weekend as i just couldn’t put it down.
Serpent and Dove is an excellent young adult read with likable, interesting characters, great conflict, tension and surprise reveals. I loved it. lou is my new favourite, favourite female lead. blood and honey, (preorder with affiliate link) the sequel, will follow Serpent and Dove and i can not wait to get my hands on the next book! The author, Shelby Mahurin, is currently working her way through book 3 so it’s been confirmed that Serpent and Dove is the first book in a trilogy which is really exciting. I’m glad to know that there will be more to come in this world and I can’t wait to learn more about the characters and see what happens next. The Serpent and Dove age rating is Young Adult but it is fair to say that this book contains swear words and sexual activity so a book for the readers discretion to decide. It has been hinted at that Blood & Honey is darker (and sexier) so I would recommend this for older, more mature readers that enjoy YA books.
Serpent & Dove Book 2 – Blood & Honey
I have gone a bit mad for Blood & Honey preorder boxes and have got two coming in September. I went with the Beacon Box Blood & Honey collectors edition and managed to snag one of the Fairyloot Blood & Honey boxes. I’m also hoping to get the merch only Fabled Gifts box which I believe has full size candles and goes on sale in August. Shelby is currently running her preoder campaign where if you submit your receipt for a preorder you get some digital exclusives emailed back a few weeks after publication date including a Serpent & Dove excerpt from Book 3 which will be amazing. Find out more information about the preorder campain on Shelby’s instagram.
Have you read Serpent & Dove? What did you think? Have you already preordered Blood & Honey? Is there any exclusive merch you’re excited for? I will be unboxing my special edition boxes on my YouTube channel in late September and as I will have two copies of the books, one signed and one with a signed bookplate, I will be considering hosting a giveaway too.
One of my goals for 2020 is to read 52 books or around one a week. Some might be new, some are ones I’ve had for a while or been meaning to read, some I haven’t quite finished yet and some will be recommendations from others. You can see all the books I’ve read so far on my Good Reads 2020 Reading Challenge.
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard is the second in the Red Queen series and follows the story of Mare Barrow, a recently discovered Newblood as she evades the clutches of the new king. This book is quite different from the first being set all around the nation of Norta and features lots of new characters.
Mare is a pretty angry person that is very conflicted by her recent past and she is struggling with what’s expected of her. The relationships she has with the people around her are quite cold and held at an arms length throughout. There are some pretty gruesome scenes throughout the book which really go to show just how disturbed the king is.
I originally listened to Red Queen on Audible and then carried on the series by reading through for my reading challenge. I’m not sure how I really feel about this series just yet but I’m sticking with it because I do want to read on and find out what happens next however I have found myself skimming through some of the chapters. It’s not that it’s bad as the story is okay but some parts feel rushed that I wish weren’t and other parts feel lengthy and a bit like they’re just trying to fill out the plot. Some of the content is a bit too graphic for younger teenagers and it’s absolutely aimed at the older YA audience.
The thing is I’m not really sure I have much sympathy with the characters. I just don’t really know them well enough to decide whether or not I think of them as likeable or easy to relate to. None of the relationships are really very believable and it’s just clear that everyone is really angry. There is a lot of angst throughout the book and given the subject of a nation on the brink of rebellion after years of oppression you can see why. I’m interested to see how the plot continues in the next two books.
One of my goals for 2020 is to read 52 books or around one a week. Some might be new, some are ones I’ve had for a while or been meaning to read, some I haven’t quite finished yet and some will be recommendations from others. You can see all the books I’ve read so far on my Good Reads 2020 Reading Challenge.
The best thing, for me, about Everless, is that it didn’t focus on a romance. Honestly, that’s usually what draws me into YA Fantasy books, it’s that kind of first all encompassing love and passion and the fight of people being together and whilst I think a bit of love and passion might evolve through the story it’s very clear from the get go that it’s not the focus.
I love the magical element in Everless which was so full of twists and turns that I just didn’t really see coming at all. It’s a great read, quite different from some of the other YA books out there and really emotive driven. The main protagonist in the story, Jules, is very driven and has such a strong moral and ethical code when it comes to helping others and putting other people first which is nice to read in a character and makes her really likeable. She’s also very curious and seems to be drawn to a little bit of danger.
Everless does throw up a bit of self identity and self discovery which is really what being 17 is all about. I always found 17 an odd age between being a teenager and, technically, a young adult with all my legal rights just out of my grasp. I think that’s what makes it really interesting and different actually because it just steps away from that focus on relationships and steps more into that inner battle of stepping out of being a child and coming into being an adult. It’s got the balance down throughout the narrative really, really well.
I was a little skeptical at first because the blurb did describe Everless as a book I wouldn’t usually pick up to read but I’m very glad I did and I would recommend anyone that is drawn into fantasy fiction to give this one a read. I’ve just moved onto the sequel which came out in January and so far, so good – it’s a great follow on that I can’t wait to share.
One of my goals for 2020 is to read 52 books or around one a week. Some might be new, some are ones I’ve had for a while or been meaning to read, some I haven’t quite finished yet and some will be recommendations from others. You can see all the books I’ve read so far on my Good Reads 2020 Reading Challenge.
The Wicked King by Holly Black is the second book in the Folk of The Air series and is the surprising and enjoyable sequel to The Cruel Prince. It came out in January 2019 in Hardback and Audiobook and I’ve just finished it.
The Wicked King follows around four months after the end of The Cruel Prince and is told from the perspective of mortal girl Jude who has been brought up in the land of Faerie by Madoc, the Grand General, who murdered her parents. That in itself is an interesting and complex relationship which is something that really draws me into the story. Without giving too much away Jude is now in a position of power which she is quite desperately clinging too facing all sorts of humiliation and anger from the Folk and her family. The story very much feels like a power struggle throughout with a lot of tension, murder, betrayal and heated passion thrown in for good mix.
Despite being a fantasy the book is very political which I really enjoyed. It was interesting to see a mortal power struggle in a faerie land. I find most of the characters and their relationships with each other really interesting. Instead of being your typical young adult fantasy romance style book the relationships are full of more betrayal and displeasure at each other. The Wicked King challenges a lot of moral issues too, and instead of painting faeries in a cute or tricky way the focus is more on the mischievous.
What really surprised me about The Wicked King was the ending as I completely did not see that coming at all. It was a complete throw which actually, for once, left me wanting to know what happens next which of course is something I will have to wait to find out. I really enjoyed the ending even though those type of cliffhangers really frustrate me but this actually lead me to wanting to know more about the build up from the others characters point of view, why it happened and what will happen next.
The Wicked King is available to buy on Amazon. Here is the affiliate link for the book:
One of my goals for 2020 is to read 52 books or around one a week. Some might be new, some are ones I’ve had for a while or been meaning to read, some I haven’t quite finished yet and some will be recommendations from others. You can see all the books I’ve read so far on my Good Reads 2020 Reading Challenge.
