Blood & Honey (Serpent & Dove #2) by Shelby Mahurin

"A continuation of the events of Serpent & Dove, following our band of star crossed heroes in their desperate attempt to escape the various parties pursuing them and to stop Morgane from basically destroying the world. At times it fell into the "second novel" trap, where the personality traits of the characters became a bit cumbersome but for the most part, it was a good addition and I'm excited to see how the series ends."

4 Stars

Pros: It flows well from the first book/The various epiphanies that the characters had were slow in coming but made sense/Claud Deveraux is an interesting characters indeed/Beau is also a likable if flawed character and one that I think will get more time in the spotlight.

Cons: The various personality traits of the various characters can at times, be a trifle tiring/Lou's hotheadedness/Reid's stubbornness etc/I had to read what happened at the end twice to fully understand it, it was a little complex.

Full Review: ***Disclaimer***- "If you haven't read Serpent & Dove by Mahurin, I suggest you do so and then cme back and read this at your leisure. That way you'll know what I'm talking about."

It's been only a few weeks since the miraculous but disastrous events at the conclusion of Serpent & Dove. Our group of Witches, Huntsman, Princes et al are on the run from the most dangerous enemy they can imagine and it's only by the help of Coco and Madame Labelle's magic that they have yet to be discovered.

Everyone is after them. Morgane. The Chausseurs. Bandits and bounty hunters from all over the kingdom, since King Auguste has now put up wanted posters of Reid and Lou, with varying amounts for both of their heads. Their travels lead them from the camp of the Dame Rouges, to teaming up with an acting troupe led by the mysterious Claud Deveraux. And through all of this, Reid must come to terms with what he's realized about himself at the conclusion of Serpent & Dove.

It's a satisfactory continuation of the story and there were definitely parts where I was left speechless. And it was a quick read, since I was invested in the characters and determined to know what happened. But it did fall victim to the many pitfalls of the "second novel", IE, main character goes running off into danger to save her friends, ad nauseum. For the most part though, this was a worthy addition to the series and I'm hoping that with that ending, Gods and Monsters will be a worthy conclusion.

Comments

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

"Obviously targeted to writers but honestly, anyone could benefit from Bradbury's practical yet poetic advice, this was a collection of esasys by Bradbury about his writing process and reflections on some of his greatest works." ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros: Bradbury, duh, though I'm biased, to me, the man's prose is pure poetry, every word beautiful/Since writing is not my career, it was an interesting way to view Bradbury's life. Writing was his job and he was the only income. If he did not produce material, he would not get paid. It help put things into perspective. Cons: The man can go on for a bit 😂/Bradbury's insane work ethic and endless endurance to just produce story after story seems insane and overwhelming but then again, this was his livelihood, so I'm sure it was insane and overwhelming. If he didn't write and get paid, they'd starve, so, it was a life or death situation. Full Review: This was essentially a collection of essays written by Bra...

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

“The tale of Andy Dufresne and how he served his time at Shawshank prison, as told through the eyes of his friend and fellow inmate, Red. Dark and disturbing but also compulsively readbale. I finished it in 2 days. Also enjoyable is Frank Darabont's 1994 film adaptation, "The Shawshank Redemption." ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pros : Red has a soothing, drawl, making the reading easy and flowing/Since I saw the film first, I couldn't help but compare the book though I was pleased to find that the two were very similar. Cons : Things got a bit rambling a bit at the beginning/Since I saw the film first I couldn't help but compare the book but this ended up not being a con. Full Review: The state of Maine has a prison. Shawshank Redemption. And Red is the guy that can get you things. He also happens to be the only guilty man in Shawshank but that's netiher here nor there. He meets Andy Dufresne for business purposes at first and he finds him to be a calm, cool man and Red likes him i...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

“Rick Deckard is a Bounty Hunter who's on the trail of six "Andys" (Androids) who have come to Earth illegally. His job is to track them down and "retire" them. Something he found easy to do until he met her, Rachael Rosen. The Android that does the impossible, passes the "Voight-Kampff" test. The story quickly devolves into a slow, drawn out and frankly boring mystery that was putting me to sleep by the end." ⭐⭐ Pros: I was more interested in comparing it to the film, "Bladerunner."/At first I kind of liked the drab, dreary atmostphere but it soon became soporific. Cons: I had no real idea what was going on with Mercerism/The end there had me blinking in bewilderment, like with Herbert's 29th Dune Book/There was a lot of idle chit-chat while they were in murderous/intense situations, it just seemed odd. Full Review: Rick Deckard, a Bounty Hunter, contracted with the San Francisco Police Department hunts down and retires rogue ...

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