Title- Blood and Honey (Sequel to Serpent and Dove)
Rating– 4.5/5
Genre- Fantasy
Trope- witches, unknown magical powers of the hero, secretive family connections, self sacrifice
My emotions- Overall I was super engaged, but during the time early in the novel when Lou & Reid were in separate places physically for their plan
Characters–
Lou went a bit lop-sided crazy and i can imagine how fun it was to write her “spiraling towards insanity” scenes.
I haven’t found myself to be attracted to Reid at all and I’m hoping I am more in the third. This is the first novels I’ve ever read where I’m attracted to the heroine.
Best part-
I loved the sequel but not as much as Serpent and Dove. Learning about the blood magic was fun. I loved the ending It felt complete enough with at least some resolution while leaving me wanting the third. Page 457 was a pleasant surprise. This is a series I’d actually buy AFTER borrowing them from the library, just to have a copy because I liked them so much. I even bought some gorgeous bookmarks from Etsy with quotes from this series.
What I’d change-
I had to reread dialogue often. Other critique: They survived a bit too many times to be believable.
Plot/Blurb-
Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and church—fugitives with nowhere to hide.
To survive, they need allies. Strong ones. But as Lou becomes increasingly desperate to save those she loves, she turns to a darker side of magic that may cost Reid the one thing he can’t bear to lose. Bound to her always, his vows were clear: where Lou goes, he will go; and where she stays, he will stay.
Until death do they part.
Prose-
I felt frustrated when dialogue got cut off mid-thought so often.
Quote-
“When a person brings you more hurt than happiness, you’re allowed to let them go.”
“What you are now is not what you’ve always been, nor is it what you always will be. You are a snake. Shed your skin if it no longer serves you. Transform into something different. Something better.”
Cassie Swindon 