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Serpent & Dove

by Shelby Mahurin · 2019

Serpent & Dove is the 2019 debut fantasy novel by American author Shelby Mahurin and the first book in a trilogy. Set in a French-inspired kingdom called Belterra, it follows Louise "Lou" le Blanc, a young witch who fled her… more

First published 2019 · 513 pages · Serpent & Dove #1 · English

28 quotes ★ 3.96 (351,338) Fantasy

Quotes from the Book

I loved her. Despite everything. Despite the lies, the betrayal, the hurt. Despite the Archbishop and Morgane le Blanc. Despite my own brothers. I don't know if she returned that love, and I didn't care. If she was destined to burn in Hell, I would burn with her.
536
I was no one's sacrifice. Not then. Not now. Not ever.
332
There are some things that can't be changed with words. Some things have to be seen. They have to be felt.
315
Why the fuck is everyone in this kingdom trying to murder my wife?
312
Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from you.’” He trailed his fingers down my arm in slow, torturous strokes. My head fell back on his shoulder, my eyes fluttering closed, as his lips continued to move against my neck. “‘Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay.
286
Love makes fools of us all, darling.
283
Death couldn't take him away from me. He was me. Our souls were bound.
212
Maybe men can learn a thing or two from women.
182
Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay.
152
Such a love was not something of just the heart and mind. It wasn't something to be felt and eventually forgotten, to be touched without it in return touching you. No . . . this love was something else. Something irrevocable. It was something of the soul.
134
You're to be my wife." Catching up to her in two strides, I reached out to grab her arm, but stopped short of touching her. "That means you'll obey me." "Does it?" She raised her brows, still grinning. " I suppose that means you'll honor and protect me, then? If we're adhering to the dusty old roles of your patriarchy?" I shortened my pace to match hers. "Yes." She clapped her hands together. "Excellent. At least this will be entertaining. I have many enemies.
134
I-I've never seen anyone savor anything the way you do everything. You make me feel alive. Just being in your presence - it's addictive. You're addictive. It doesn't matter you're a witch. The way you see the world . . . I want to see it that way too. I want to be with you always, Lou. I never want to be parted from you again.
130
I leaned back, studying her as she finished my bun. A bit of icing covered her lip. Her nose was still red from the cold, her hair wild and windblown. My little heathen.
121
I like you, Ansel, but this had better be something good. Emilie and Alexandre just had a moment, and I swear if they don't kiss soon, I will literally die.
113
Wicked are the ways of women—and especially a witch. Their guile knows no bounds.
97
I never said it was your god. Your god hates women. We were an afterthought.
91
She was burning, Reid. I don't know how, but she took away that witch's pain. She gave it to herself.” He exhaled heavily. “That's why I didn't tell you. Because even though I knew Lou was a witch, I knew she wasn't evil. She burned at the stake once. She doesn't deserve to do it twice.
79
Idiocy is oft mistaken for sentimentality.
68
I've been thinking," he said finally. "A dangerous pastime.
67
That is love, to give away everything, to sacrifice everything, without the slightest desire to get anything in return. —Albert Camus
63
There was only one way such a story could end -a stake and a match.
63
Death couldn’t take him away from me. He was me. Our souls were bound. Even if he didn’t want me, even if I cursed his name, we were one.
60
What's your favorite color?” “Blue.” She rolled her eyes. “Boring. Mine's gold-or turquoise. Or emerald.” “Why doesn't that surprise me?” “Because you aren't as stupid as you look.” I didn't know whether to be insulted or flattered. She didn't give me time to decide.
58
Every aspect of Reid was precise, certain, every color in its proper place. Undiluted by indecision, he saw the world in black and white, suffering none of the messy, charcoal colors in between. The colors of ash and smoke. Of fear and doubt. The colors of me.
58
Ran into the wrong end of a knife.
51
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
47
If this woman is to be my wife,” he said, swallowing hard, “you will not touch her again.
45
If there was a God, he or she had a shit sense of humor.
45

Did you know?

  • Serpent & Dove was Shelby Mahurin's debut novel.
  • It debuted at number two on the New York Times bestseller list.
  • The book was the Barnes & Noble YA Book Club selection for September 2019.
  • It is the first installment of a trilogy followed by Blood & Honey and Gods & Monsters.
  • The story draws on a 17th-century French-inspired setting and the history of witch trials.

About Shelby Mahurin

Shelby Mahurin is an American author of young-adult fantasy, best known for the Serpent & Dove trilogy. Serpent & Dove was her debut novel.

More about the author →

About the book

Serpent & Dove is the 2019 debut fantasy novel by American author Shelby Mahurin and the first book in a trilogy. Set in a French-inspired kingdom called Belterra, it follows Louise "Lou" le Blanc, a young witch who fled her coven and now survives as a thief in the city of Cesarine, hiding her magic from the Church's witch-hunters. A chain of events forces her into marriage with Reid Diggory, a devout Chasseur sworn to hunt and destroy witches, and Lou must conceal her true identity from her new husband or face execution.

The novel is built on the tension between its two enemies-to-lovers leads and the clashing worldviews they represent, alternating between Lou's and Reid's perspectives. Its central themes include faith versus magic, prejudice and indoctrination, identity and self-acceptance, and the bonds of found family, played out against the backdrop of a society that condemns witches as evil. The romance and the slow erosion of Reid's certainties drive much of the story.

Marketed toward older young-adult and new-adult readers for its mature content, Serpent & Dove debuted at number two on the New York Times bestseller list and was a Barnes & Noble YA Book Club selection. It became a popular, widely discussed title in the young-adult fantasy space and launched a trilogy continued in Blood & Honey (2020) and Gods & Monsters (2021).

Key characters

  • Louise "Lou" le BlancA witch in hiding who survives as a thief in Cesarine
  • Reid DiggoryA devout Chasseur (witch-hunter) who is forced to marry Lou
  • Cosette "Coco" MonvoisinA witch and Lou's loyal best friend
  • Morgane le BlancHead of the Dames Blanches coven and Lou's mother
  • The ArchbishopChurch leader who raised Reid and commands the Chasseurs

Book details

First published
2019
Length
513 pages
Series
Serpent & Dove #1
Reading time
9 hours
Genre
Fantasy
Goodreads rating
3.96 (351k ratings)

Critical reception

  • Debuted at number two on the New York Times bestseller list.
  • Selected as the Barnes & Noble YA Book Club pick for September 2019.
  • Was a nominee for the Goodreads-community Readers' Favorite categories for debut and young-adult fantasy in 2019.

Series & reading order

  1. 1 Serpent & Dove
  2. 2 Blood & Honey
  3. 3 Gods & Monsters

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