Title- Gods&Monsters
Author- Shelby Mahurin
Series- Serpent&Dove Trilogy
Published- 2021
Page Count- 612 pages
Publishing House- HarperTeen
Genre- YA High Fantasy
Rating- 4.5/5 stars
About the Author
Shelby Mahurin is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of Serpent & Dove and Blood & Honey. She grew up on a small farm in rural Indiana, where sticks became wands and cows became dragons. Her rampant imagination didn’t fade with age, so she continues to play make-believe every day—with words now instead of cows. When not writing, Shelby watches the Office and obsesses over her Instagram feed. She still lives near that childhood farm with her very tall husband, semi-feral children, two dogs, and one cat.
Taken from Shelby's website.
Plot
The spellbinding conclusion to the New York Times and IndieBound bestselling trilogy Serpent & Dove. This stunning fantasy take on French witches and forbidden love is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas.
Evil always seeks a foothold. We must not give it one.
After a heartbreaking loss, Lou, Reid, Beau, and Coco are bent on vengeance more than ever before—and none more so than Lou.
But this is no longer the Lou they thought they knew. No longer the Lou that captured a chasseur’s heart. A darkness has settled over her, and this time it will take more than love to drive it out.
Evil always seeks a foothold. We must not give it one.
After a heartbreaking loss, Lou, Reid, Beau, and Coco are bent on vengeance more than ever before—and none more so than Lou.
But this is no longer the Lou they thought they knew. No longer the Lou that captured a chasseur’s heart. A darkness has settled over her, and this time it will take more than love to drive it out.
Taken from Goodreads.
Opinions
The time has finally come to share my thoughts on Gods&Monsters. This series has had an iron tight grip on me since October 2019 and now it's over. To get straight to the point, I loved this book. I reread the first two books in preparation for this and changed my ratings. I gave Serpent&Dove 4.5/5 stars and Blood&Honey 3.5/5 stars. I'll be honest and say I was nervous going into G&M because of how I felt about B&H. It did lead to me being pleasantly surprised.
From where we first met them to their journey throughout this book, I thought the character developments were quite strong. Lou and Reid's relationship was tested thoroughly, firstly by Nicholina possessing Lou and then Reid loosing all his memories of Lou. I liked that they were able to overcome those in a healthy way. It was never forced. Beau has to be the character that grew on me the most. I wasn't a big fan in book one, but I came to really like him in the gang. Adding Jean Luc and Celié to the group really changed up the dynamic. You could tell that these were characters who had been through an incredible amount of pain and trauma, yet they felt real. I have loved these characters since page one and can't believe we've reached the end of their stories.
Ending's are notoriously difficult to get right. I think my favourite of all time is Clockwork Princess as it just feels right and like it is an ending. I got that feeling from this as well. It felt right and was satisfying. Yes, I can maybe see some short stories or novellas in the future, but this does mark the end of their journey. I wasn't left wanting more, which isn't something you want in a finale. Shelby nailed this ending and gave us what we wanted.
The only reason I'm not giving this five stars is because I wasn't the biggest fan of the POV for the finale. While it was sweet that we got to read from Ansel's POV, I found it a bit jarring that for the final ever chapter we weren't with Lou or Reid. I understand why it was Ansel as he is a ghost (I think) and could show us both Lou and Reid's stories at once, but I just missed it being Lou or Reid. I've grown so attached to them and I wish we could get the POV from Lou or Reid one last time.
I read this book in three days, unable to put it down as I simply needed to know what happened next. These characters and this world have captured my heart and I cannot believe their story is over. I am very excited to see what Shelby does next as I think she is a great writer. Until then, I will have a sticky bun in Lou's honour and be proud to be a Virgo like Reid.
