BOOK REVIEW: Gods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin
One of the best epic conclusions I've read in a long time.
Oh my, oh my, oh my! How did we get here? Surprisingly, I have a lot to say, but it is not contained to just this final installment of the trilogy. The Serpent & Dove series has been a roller coaster ride for me. I loved book 1. I thought it was a great introduction to the world, the characters, the strong divide in moral beliefs. Basically, the Salem Witch Trials mentality. The world building set the stage for the magical ‘mis’adventures that were clearly going to follow Lou. However, book 2, Blood & Honey, fell on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. I think I may have struggled to give it three stars. I was so disappointed and as a result was hesitant to read book 3.
I expressed this concern, and was greeted with many similar opinions, but also many that persevered before me and finished book 3. They expressed how great the concluding book was, and how it was so worth making it through book 2. I buddy read this entire series with my dear British friend and podcast co-host, LIz, so I wasn’t surprised when this was the book she sent me for my birthday. It was a sign - “Let’s finish this thing.” And, finish we did, in buddy read fashion.
And, all I have to say is WOW! I absolutely loved this book. There was only one moment where I got really frustrated by the author’s choice (I’ll hint at it later), but that plot element grew on me and ended up working out perfectly. I may have enjoyed this one more than even the first book. We continue to see the multiple POVs that have been a staple throughout the series. This, of course, helps to establish character development and motives as well as to allow the reader to get the insight needed when you take into account what some of the characters have to endure.
The characters are fabulous. Lou and Coco are still amazing balancing acts to each other. I love their wit and sass which they both hide their softness and vulnerability behind. Beau continues to develop to be a great constant in the chaos. With everything that happens to Lou and Reid throughout the book, Beau tends to be the one who can keep his head, somewhat. The storyline with Coco is also well paced as a subtle secondary plot element to the overarching momentum placed on reaching the final, epic showdown.
“It doesn’t end in death. It ends in hope.” (581)
There were some great cameos by all the favorite new characters from Blood & Honey. I have always loved Claud’s little group of traveling misfits and their in and out sightings in the story helped weave together the magnitude of what the outcome of this clash of mother and daughter held. And, Celie. Where in the world did this little firecracker come from? She ended up having a decent impact on the characters and outcomes and grew to be a feisty little badass. Where I found her naive and annoying previous, she in many ways stole the show.
Besides my love for the characters and the White Dog, I loved the ebb and flow of the pacing. Where Blood & Honey seemed to drag and suffer from the sophomore slump, this book started and never took a break. Readers were taken seamlessly from one important action seen to the next. Tension was built effortlessly, and I found it difficult to put down at times. There was a continual urgency to the plot. Each event was just as important as the last and it just continued to flow together.
I will admit that I was concerned when the book started because of the situation with Lou and what happened with Nicholina and Josphenie at the end of Blood & Honey. The thought that this particular storyline would be dragged out too long had me on guard, but I was so pleasantly surprised on how it was resolved. It wasn’t resolved here, but the scene in the lighthouse was perfect! On the flip side, I will say that I was immediately frustrated with what happened with Reid in the Wistful Waters. Like really frustrated. I didn’t like it - at all. I thought it was going to completely change and impact my entire opinion of the book. I ran straight to message Liz, who I was buddy reading this with, to complain and vent. HOW COULD SHE DO THIS!?
Relax! My frustration didn’t last very long. It ended up being a very effective aspect of the plot. Reid’s behavior towards Lou and her banter and antagonizing behavior back created what could be seen as the comic relief that was needed to balance out the high intensity of the rest of the story. When it all comes together at the end, I couldn’t have imagined the story going any other way.
Conclusions are always a big deciding factor in my opinion of a book. Always has been, and good gracious, this book has one of the best endings I have read in a long time. Not only did we have the epic mother daughter showdown, but we see the sacrifices made, the true nature of the characters, and how the notion of “Hope” carries the power to overcome even the most impossible situations. The ending is fitting for the characters, and the epilogue was made more powerful by the unexpected POV taken. It was an emotional and perfect ending to this trilogy, and I honestly wouldn’t change a thing about how it ended.
The ideals of hope and family are the driving themes in book 3. They are present in the entire series, but never matter or meant as much as they do here. Hope comes up frequently as the characters move gradually closer to a war that they really have no business winning. All they can do is hope. Coco’s manta is the motivation to keep going, because they have nothing else.
“hope isn’t the sickness. It’s the cure.”(293)
Not only is found family a central concept, but here it goes head to head against blood, and blood isn’t always stronger. We have witnessed over three books, a group of characters who all have different beliefs, backgrounds, and prejudices come together to put each other before themselves. To love each other not in spite of their differences but because their differences aren’t really all that different. I feel that they all have become part of me.
Some of my favorite scenes:
The Wistful Waters and their time with “The Oracle”
The Truth of Dare scene
The cabin on the ship
The epilogue
Where does this book land on my bookshelf?
It’s probably pretty obvious, but it is securely on the top shelf. I loved this book so much that it made me completely forget how I felt about book 2. I couldn’t imagine not having finished this series. And, really, at this point there is absolutely nothing else that I even need to say that I haven’t already said, other than I highly, highly recommend this book and series. If you haven’t read this series and are planning on starting it, please, push through Blood & Honey, because Gods & Monsters is amazing!
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