HarperTeen Blood & Honey

I was expecting the condition of the book to be better than the ones in my local bookstore. There are a few imperfections on the book but they're not as drastic as the ones in my local bookstores. All in all, the condition isn't that bad but I was expecting it to have none.

A bit slower than the first book but still very good.

Blood&Honey is the second instalment in the Serpent&Dove series, and I thought it was going to be the last book, but surprise... it's not, it's going to be a trilogy and after the way this one ended it's going to be a torturous wait for the next book.The story continues from where Serpent&Dove left off. Lou, Reid and their group are now trying to rally allies to defeat Morgane. And while they do this they must remain covert, to avoid the chasseurs, who have orders from the king to capture them at any cost but also to stay hidden from Morgane herself, who is still after Lou. But keeping a low profile isn't easy when the enemy has eyes everywhere and using magic only seems to create a rift between Lou and Reid. Loyalties are being tested and their relationship will either fall apart or become even stronger by the end.I have conflicted feelings about this book. The story is told from dual POV, with Reid taking the spotlight more often than Lou, and I enjoyed it because we get to establish a deeper connection with him, but I felt like some conversations were dragged out, and there was not enough interaction between the two of them. The atmosphere is darker than in the previous instalment and the writing style is still enthralling, but the pace of the story is slow and the romantic aspect of Lou and Reid's relationship went downhill. Reid was so lost in his thoughts and his disdain for magic that without realising it he kept pushing Lou away, and Lou, in her desire to help him see he was wrong in his convictions and to help the people she loves, ended up making rash decisions that took a toll on her soul. There are also many new characters introduced and while I love the diversity, I felt like most of them offered nothing important to the story and it was hard to remember who was who.What I like most about this book are the magic system and Lou's flamboyant personality. Even though her character goes through some changes during their journey, she never loses her sense of humour and tenacity. Her antics are adorable and seeing her embrace her darker side was definitely interesting. I can't help but love her even more.In terms of plot, there is action, there are secrets, mystery and suspense, but I feel like the story is more character-driven than anything else. This book ends with yet another cliffhanger that left me hungry for more. There are still questions left unanswered and a twist that brings new enemies into the light. I'm so curious to see what will happen next.

After surviving death as second time at the hands of Morgane, Lou, Reid and their friends are suffering from the fallout. The death of the Archbishop by Reid to save Lou has changed him and his views on magic have become even more conflicting as he refuses to accept his magical heritage. The clash with the Dame Blanches has also changed Lou. She is angry, volatile and more reckless with her magic. She is obsessed with revenge and it is clouding her judgment. Reid and Coco worry that Lou is not in control of her feelings or magic and that she is acting more like her power-crazed mother every day.As fugitives from the Dames Blanches, Church and Crown, they must find a way to defeat Morgane by locating other witches or supernatural beings to assist them. When the friends must part ways because Reid is not welcome by Coco's family the Dames Rough and he must seek the werewolves separately, troubles within the group deepen. Lack of communication causes a rift between Reid and Lou and as they go their separate ways that rift only widens. Lou cannot understand why Reid will not see beyond her magic to the woman he says he loves and stop trying to change her and Reid cannot reconcile the Lou that he fell in love with the drastically altered woman before him who is violent and dangerously irrational. But the one thing he takes issue with is the fact she continues to lie to him about her past.As their enemies close in on every side will they succeed in vanquishing Morgane once and for all or will they even survive the coming battle? One thing is certain – the fight ahead of them will leave earth-shattering consequences for all involved and ones that no magic can reverse.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. This instalment is much darker and the ending broke my heart. Even though these beloved characters have changed considerably and in unexpected ways, I still feel drawn to them. The escalating tension to the showdown with Morgane was thrilling but I found the interpersonal conflicts and connections to be even more compelling. I recommend tissues.

"Ask me no questions, mon amour, and I shall tell you no lies..."*Did I like this book? Yes, very much. Did I enjoy this book? Yes. Did I love this book? I hate to say it, but no.*"The wisest course of action isn't always the right one..."*In this sequel we see Lou, Reid and Co navigating the consequences from the end of Serpent & Dove whilst trying to anticipate an attack from La Dame Des Sorcieres.*What I really liked about this book was how we got to see more of the world and the magical creatures that inhabit it. There were lot of new and interesting characters introduced along the way. And that cliffhanger... Wow! I did predict it with some of the earlier foreshadowing but, my gods, it still hit hard!I also experienced a first whilst reading this book as I took part in an Interactive Art Read-A-Long through A Touch of Magic Designs on IG. This included five mystery prints labelled with a corresponding chapter. It depicted the scene beautifully and helped to bring the characters to life. It also had me rushing to read on to reach the next print. This read-a-long is a big part of why this review is 4 stars instead of 3.*"She wore secrets like armour, and she shed them for no one... "*Now, I loved Serpent & Dove and I was abolsutely hooked on it. I feel Blood & Honey just fell short of that. It honestly felt like Lou and Reid were strangers - that original spark was missing. The story between those two felt repetitive in this book and not fresh like in S&D. It felt like this was a 'filler' book before getting to the Finale. I'm a sucker for romance and theirs just seemed to dwindle. I'm hoping to see a revival in book 3.*"You are earth. And she is fire..."*

I found it a little hard to get into this book at first, it took me around 100-150 pages to really get lost in the world once again but once it picks up, it's amazing! I would say the second half of the book is where it's amazing, it made me feel so many things which is what book should do. I cried at the end and I was angry, needing to know what happens next so I have already pre-ordered God's and Monsters!The reason this book is a little slow I think is because Lou and Reed fell in love in book 1 but in book 2 their personality differences really come to light and butt heads. It's a refreshing take to see a couple struggle and compromise with each other rather than everything being perfect because that is now how things go. It led to some great character development which I am excited to further progress in book 3!

I'd like to start this review by saying, Shelby- I am HEARTBROKEN. Like, well and truly. As soon as it clicked in my brain what was going to happen I thought "okay. I can prepare myself for this." Then, IT happened and I sobbed. SOBBED.Right now that's out of the way, time to review.I really liked this book. Shelby's writing still has me totally mesmerized every time I pick up her books. I started with the intention of just reading a chapter and suddenly I was 100 pages in and it had felt like no time had passed at all.Now, while it didn't have the same 'wow' feel of Serpent & Dove for me, it was clear that it was all key for world-building; with the travelling and introduction of both the blood witches and the werewolves camps as well as new characters such as Blaise and Claud (Claud is BRILLIANT btw. What a reveal!) I also feel like our other characters did a lot of growth in this instalment. We learn a bit more about Beau, Coco, and Ansel which I was really happy about.When it comes to Lou & Reid, there were times where I just wanted to shake them both senseless!! Like, C'Mon!! COMMUNICATE !! PLEASE !!I eventually LOVED Reid's character arch in this instalment. Although it took a while to get there, his growth really started to shine through during part 3 of the book when he finally started to accept who and what he was and it made me love him even more.Lou on the other hand, I'm so so interested to see the journey her character is going on. She took some dark turns during Blood & Honey and after the implications from the blood witches and THAT cliffhanger, I can't wait till August to see what happens