Review--Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin

After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the Dames Blanches, Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel are on the run from coven, kingdom, and church—fugitives with nowhere to hide.

To elude the scores of witches and throngs of chasseurs at their heels, Lou and Reid need allies. Strong ones. But protection comes at a price, and the group is forced to embark on separate quests to build their forces. As Lou and Reid try to close the widening rift between them, the dastardly Morgane baits them in a lethal game of cat and mouse that threatens to destroy something worth more than any coven.

The hotly anticipated sequel to the New York Times and IndieBound bestseller Serpent & Dove—packed with even steamier romance and darker magic—is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas.

 

 

 

I finished Shelby Mahurin's Blood & Honey far quicker than I anticipated. Though it's been a long time since I picked up Serpent & Dove I was able to get back into the swing of things fairly quick and oh my, does this book pull on the heartstrings and feels If you haven't picked this one up yet, I can tell you you're likely not ready for this one because after finishing it I can say I am still not ready for this one!

Things were chaotic when we last left Reid, Lou, Coco, Ansel, Beau, and the newly discovered, Reid's mother, Madame Labelle. They had escaped certain death and still have to remain on the run from more certain death. Lou escape Morgane, her mother, from killing her, Reid had to kill the Archbishop who was like a father to him. It was a great big bag of crazy and now that they've all had a moment to breathe, it's time for the crazy to start right back up again!

They are going to need help and lots of it if they plan to defeat Morgane once and for all. But the help they need are powerful enemies, but you know what they say about enemies sharing a common enemy...

Despite discovering that he has his own brand of magic now, Reid is still having a hard time accepting magic and accepting Lou using magic so casually. Though that would seem to be a good idea, as Lou soon gets swept up in her magic and it seems to be having a dark effect on her. It's gradual, and a little scary because you can see if hurting the ones she loves most.

It's not long before Lou and Reid must separate in order to cover more ground quicker with gaining allies to their cause. Reid is left to join a mystical performer named Claud who has a traveling magic show of sorts that everyone thinks is pretend when it's not. For his safety, Lou wants Reid (and his mother, Ansel, and Beau) to stay with Claud while she and Coco go see the blood witches Coco left behind a long time ago to gather them to their cause.

This book was kind of nuts you guys! The group starts off so strong and yet, it seems the very thing that drew them together will be what drives them apart and that of course is magic. There will be hardships fought and battles to overcome, both from outside forces and from within. It's a book that will keep you turning the pages eager to see what the outcome will be.

The book wasn't without its happier moments too. Reid and Lou are definitely being challenged in this one emotionally. Though I remember they had a strong enemies to lovers going on in the first book, it's not all sunshine and roses for them now that they are a happy couple. In fact, this was a story meant to make or break them...and the results will be earth-shattering! Though before we got to those results can we say wowza?! Shelby writes some of the most intense and seductive romance scenes that leave me blushing. This is most definitely for a mature YA audience.

The pacing to this one was not quite perfect, but not terrible either. As I mentioned, the group has a lot of planning to do to ally themselves with people to their cause, and that naturally takes time. Especially when not all of these people are what you would call friendly. Then there are the personal battles that arise that must be met and challenged and overcome or succumbed to. There's a great deal of plot afoot here and it's not always at a fast pace. It's handled in a manner that will still have you eagerly turning the pages though with a few speed bumps in between.

The ending...oh that ending is one you will want words with! Not only was it intense and mind-blowing and how you say, revealing in a sense, it's one that's going to haunt you. It was the epitome of dramatic and holy cow, that cliffhanger, because yes, sadly, there's a cliffhanger. It's a dicey one too because it's one that presents questions and problems for the future! I worry it's borderline one of my greatest pet peeves/fears in stories which I won't re-mention for spoiler reasons. But whoa. Thankfully, I read this one now and only have 2 months to wait for the next one!

Blood & Honey was a superb conclusion to Serpent & Dove! It doesn't fall into middle book territory. It's a book that will have you on the edge of your seat turning those pages as fast as you can to rush into an ending that you won't be prepared for even with preparation! I felt like I knew what was coming, yet I still wasn't ready for it. This trilogy is a work of art that must be enjoyed by every fantasy and magic lover out there. It's read filled with action, suspense, friendships, romance, and betrayals...it's read that will leave you breathless and needing more by each and every ending! It is sure to delight every fantasy reader at heart. 

 

 

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars