Are there any content warnings for Serpent & Dove?

Yes. Serpent & Dove contains graphic violence and gore, torture, and references to sexual assault (the central plot turns on a false accusation of assault, and the book includes mentions of past sexual violence). It also touches on domestic and emotional abuse, misogyny, and self-harm. Readers sensitive to these themes should be aware before starting the book.

Is Serpent & Dove part of a series?

Yes. Serpent & Dove is the first book in Shelby Mahurin's Serpent & Dove trilogy, followed by Blood & Honey (book 2) and Gods & Monsters (book 3). All three books are also sold together as a boxed "3 Books Collection Set," but that set is a retail bundle of the three separate novels, not a single combined edition.

Serpent and Dove

Reader reviews of Serpent and Dove

Wistful Bibliophile · 2026-09-10T19:25:47.000000Z

I loved the first half of Serpent & Dove, especially because of the enemy-to-lovers trope and the interesting premise of terrorist witches vs. witch-hunters. The characters were well-fleshed out and the writing was good. Unfortunately, the second half dashed my hopes. It soon became another formulaic story that has been done too many times. I'm giving it three stars for that first half otherwise it would be a two-star book, in my opinion.

Fantasy Young Adult

Pages: 519
Published: 2019
Language: English

Synopsis

Shelby Mahurin's Serpent & Dove is the first book in a bestselling YA fantasy trilogy, a slow-burning enemies-to-lovers romance set in a French-inspired kingdom where witches are hunted and burned. Louise "Lou" le Blanc is a witch in hiding, having fled her coven two years ago to disappear into the streets of Cesarine, thieving and scheming to stay one step ahead of the Church that would see her dead.

Reid Diggory is a Chasseur -- a devout witch hunter sworn to protect the kingdom from Lou's kind. When a scandal throws them together, the two are forced into a marriage neither wants: Lou bound to the very man trained to kill her, Reid unknowingly wed to the thing he despises most. Trapped under one roof and one vow, sworn enemies must learn to live a lie while an old and far deadlier threat closes in on them both.

Sharp-tongued, sensual, and propelled by crackling banter, Serpent & Dove pairs a morally flexible heroine with a rigid, honorable hero and lets the sparks fly. With its witchy magic, forbidden attraction, and rising stakes, it launched a hugely popular trilogy and became a staple of the "romantasy" wave.

13 reviews