Gods & Monsters (Serpent & Dove #3) Book Review

Gods & Monsters

By Shelby Mahurin

Let’s begin!

If you have not yet known, Gods & Monsters is the third and the last installment of the Serpent and Dove series (Serpent & Dove, Blood & Honey) by Shelby Mahurin.

This book is kind of a drag. I was so excited to read it since book 2 was such a cliff hanger but I was disappointed, a bit. 🙂 It took me a while to finish it.

What I did not like about the book was that it had too many plot twists. Warning, a few spoilers ahead!

• Lou having been trapped somewhere while her body was hosted by Nicholina
• Too many characters being introduced in the story that made it too much of a fantasy.. (hello the melusines and all!)
• Too many mother-child dysfunctional relationship – there’s Lou and Morgane for one, Coco and Angelica, another was Nicholina’s past with her child Mathieu and let’s not forget Reid and Madame Labelle’s relationship! Too many unruly mother’s placed in one book!
• Reid’s coma and memory loss – I hate that he became worst than before he even met Lou in the story! When he lost his memory he sounded more like of a Jean-Luc than Reid himself!

What I liked and what redeemed the whole story;

• Jean Luc’s character build up from being someone I hated to someone I really liked — all for the love of Celie!
• Beau is more lovable too.
• The last few chapters about 1/4 of he book did gave justice though. The part where Reid was trying to regain his elusive memory — and what was that rated-R scene with Lou in the cabin! I’m not sure if I should place this in the like or the I don’t like but anyway this paved way to a better relationship with Lou.
• There were also characters that helped them along the way, most of these were introduced on the second book.
• Ansel! -Loved that the author gave Ansel a part! 🙂 Love his point of view
• And lastly, that wedding..

I won’t add more I might be giving too much spoilers.

Overall, it was not how I expected it to be but then again, the last parts gave it a good spin so our conclusion is still good. Only gave it a four ⭐⭐⭐⭐on Goodreads, if not for the last few chapters’ resolve I would have given it a 3. Sorry Shelby, I still love you though. 💛💛💛

Check out Gods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin!

My Best Pandemic Reads

It must sound cliche but reading is my escape. With this pandemic going on, all I’ve got is time to do things in my own pace. I’ve got all the time in the world!

Fortunately, the books I got are timely and riveting. I have published in my previous posts about the books I’ve read earlier (The Lock Down Series, The Lockdown Series Pt. 2) when the pandemic started, this post highlights my favorite books. This comes in no particular order from my Goodreads page.

1. Circe by Madeline Miller

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

Jouana Farlin Seva‘s review

I was looking for book recommendation about self-discovery when I saw a Vlog on Youtube (Thank you Jenny Im!)that suggested this.

I love it! It is all so powerful and fascinating. This is an added plus because I love books about Mythology and Gods and Goddesses. Circe is a book of it’s own and I have never read a book as beautiful as this. Though a lot of people said that ‘The Song of Achilles’ is still better which I have yet to read. This just got me through the core and held me up in this pandemic. Circe’s journey from being vulnerable to being powerful is oh so wonderful. How she learned to not rely on others but herself is astonishing and how she fell in love a lot of times. I will recommend this book in my mini book club of all girls and I hope they will love it!

Favorite Highlighted Quotes

You can teach a viper to eat from your hands, but you cannot take away how much it likes to bite.

I’ve found that courage is not a matter of age, but true-made spirits.

~~~~~~

2. Where the Lost Wander by  Amy Harmon

In this epic and haunting love story set on the Oregon Trail, a family and their unlikely protector find their way through peril, uncertainty, and loss.

The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds and a stranger in both.

But life in a wagon train is fraught with hardship, fear, and death. Even as John and Naomi are drawn to each other, the trials of the journey and their disparate pasts work to keep them apart. John’s heritage gains them safe passage through hostile territory only to come between them as they seek to build a life together.

When a horrific tragedy strikes, decimating Naomi’s family and separating her from John, the promises they made are all they have left. Ripped apart, they can’t turn back, they can’t go on, and they can’t let go. Both will have to make terrible sacrifices to find each other, save each other, and eventually… make peace with who they are.

Jouana Farlin Seva‘s review

Oh God, it’s so beautiful and sad.. but happy and enlightening..

I couldn’t even describe it.

I have never been disappointed with all the Amy Harmon books I’ve read, though I have yet to read some of her previous books.

****This is probably my fourth book from Harmon and true enough, you cannot describe Harmon’s books. You experience these mixed emotions while reading. I have so many highlights of the lines that hit to the core.

Favorite Highlighted Quotes

Love is the only thing worth suffering

The hardest thing about life is knowing what matters and what doesn’t. 

If nothing matters, then there’s no point . if everything matters, there’s no purpose. The trick is to find firm ground between the two ways of being.

The pain. It’s worth it. The more you love, the more it hurts. But it’s worth it. It’ the only thing that is. 

That’s what marriage is. It’s shelter. It’s sustenance. It’s warmth. It’s finding rest in each other. It’s telling someone ‘You matter the most’. 

There are more engrossing scenes and quotes if you read the book. Check it out now!

Other books to review on my next post! 

The Lockdown Series

Hey!

It has been declared a community quarantine here in my city. Since WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic all precautionary measures where being done by the government. I believe their good intentions for the country and as I good citizen, I follow. 😉

I came prepared with the mandatory leave I got from work. I’ve got some good books and some movies and series to binge watch before the quarantine was declared. It’s kind of expected already, once one city declares another one follows. Domino effect.

Okay, I had a few good books all rated 4+ in Goodreads. First up;

The Beautiful by Rene Ahdieh

This book is what it is — as its title says! I love the setting and the characters. I thought I was already over with vampire stories and such, turns out I’m still as hooked as I was. Ok, I confess I still watch Legacies. The setting was in New Orleans which I adore (does Klaus ring a bell?). I want to go there someday and witness the French Quarter and it’s festivities.

Ahdieh’s characters are always the ones with the strong personality. I love how each one is built up in the story,  both for Bastien and Celine. Love their full names by the way.

What I really love about the book is that it has diverse characters, different races and oh! Celine’s mother is Korean right?!( spoilers!) The book did not mention the country where her mom came from but only stated Far East. But from her dream about her mother, she told her to flee in Korean and also told her to do it quickly in Korean. I cannot imagine how she looks like in Ahdie’s mind but from the book’s description she has a good mix of Asian and European roots.

Anyway, I did not expect the plot twist especially towards the ending! It better have a good sequel.

Go check out The Beautiful by Rene Ahdieh, gave it a 5 on Goodreads! 🙂

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien’s guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.

 

February Hindsights Part II

I told you about the books I’ve read on February on my last post. I finished three, two of them I gave a four star rating on Goodreads and one I gave three. Let me give you a glimpse of the books I’ve enjoyed.

Yesternight by Cat Winters

This is the second book I’ve read from her. To me, she’s the best researcher. She writes about the era where women are marginally oppressed and subdued. The first book I read from her was The Cure for Dreaming, one I enjoyed so much. Somehow, Cat brings out the feminist inside of me. I really hate it when women are controlled, not given choices and mostly discriminated. Here in Yesternight, it’s still in the same theme she writes about. It’s about Alice who is struggling to place herself amongst men in the field of psychology. She is a forthright intelligent woman who wants a name for herself in her chosen field. She was assigned to a school called Gordon Bay to conduct psychological exams to students where she met Janie. Janie is a seven year old girl who has lived and specifically remembers events of someone else’s life in the past.  This negates everything Alice believes in the field of psychology, furthermore as she investigates about Janie’s case she is beginning to believe in Janie herself. The situation gave Alice this dilemma of wanting to engage a different tract from her current field that she has pursued for almost all her career. If she desperately wants a name for herself, how can she be believed and respected in a career when she has a different version of discipline she is pursuing to. Another that spices Alice’s life is Janie’s father, Michael whom she got herself entangled with and also, her past whom she wants to forget.

The book got my interest as a career woman who is also in the field of psychology (industrial/organizational). Although today, women are rocking the world in all fields as we have stepped up in this crazy jungle of establishing a career. Equality in all forms has been the advocacy nowadays even in paychecks where there are still professions where men and women are not equality paid.

I was just not satisfied with the ending though. In my opinion, I  feel it was cramped up though it justified the events from the beginning of the story. But still I gave it four stars on Goodreads because of course it’s a good read. 🙂

See Yesternight on goodreads

Verity by Colleen Hoover

I have read about five books from Hoover and there’s one book I did not finish because it was too emotional for me to handle. Emotional was the strength of most her books but not the one I ditched. So for Verity, I gave it a try although its blurb said it was disturbing. I already anticipated the emotional aspect but the disturbing part was new to me but I like how it was written. I always see a pattern of Hoover’s characters,  they usually have this baggage that explains each characters. Most of its story  has a deep psychological background from childhood brought up by the family. It was the same for Verity.

Summary:

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

The story was wicked as I described it. I cannot imagine someone like Verity in the family, she’s a psychopath. The romance made the story light. Hoover is always best at it I think. She compensates a turn around of the story by giving a good part in the romantic side.

The ending made the whole story more disturbing to me. Haha.. I would love to have a second book of it but Hoover already explained that the book was a sort of experiment that’s why it would be a stand alone. Well, for an experimental venture, she nailed it really good. So I gave it a four star on Goodreads. 🙂

The Dictator (The Banker 2) by Penelope Sky

The Dictator is the second book I’ve read form Penelope Sky. I have read it’s first book of this trilogy The Banker. Compared to the first one this was a so so. I greatly enjoyed The Banker’s story, the second book was as like an addition to the spice from the first’s ending but still I’m determined to finish the trilogy. The last book is  to be released this 19^th March.

Summary:

The only reason I’m still alive is because of the baby growing inside me. 

My baby saved my life. 

Now I’m a prisoner inside Cato’s fortress. He’s pissed at me, livid every time he looks at me. He refuses to sleep with me because now I’m the enemy. 

But I miss him…and he misses me. 

I only slept with Cato to save my father, but now he means something to me. I care about him, and I know he cares about me. 

Can I earn his forgiveness? Can I earn his trust?

Gave this three stars on Goodreads.

So these were my February good reads while also getting into netflix’s vibes. March is up on my next blog!

My Year In Books 2015

https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015/24510421-jouana-seva

Febrero Uno: The Book of Ivy

Hola!

Today is February first in my country. A very rainy and cold Sunday here in the Philippines and I’m spending some lone time with my younger brother. My parents are out of town and my brother and I decided to stay home because of the  weather. We usually go out on Sundays when we are together so we opted a stay-at-home Sunday while waiting for our madre and padre to arrive from their 3-day vacation.

Anyway, I was being productive today. I just finished a book (YA) that I really like because I’m such a dystopian addict. I don’t know why I love this type of young adult genre. Maybe because it reflects the government status in the Philippines somehow.

The book is entitled ‘The Book of Ivy’ by Amy Engel.

It’s like a post-apocalyptic Romeo and Juliet love story. I love how the author balanced the characters. Most dystopian genres I’ve read with female leads have a very strong character than their male counter parts. So I gave 5 stars for this on Goodreads, I can’t wait for the next book! Ivy and Bishop’s story was written so nicely.
I hope the second book this November 2015  ‘The Revolution of Ivy’ won’t disappoint me.

I encourage you to read it too! Here’s a brief intro of the book.

The Book of Ivy: After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual.

This year, it is my turn.

My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power.

But Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel, heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him.

So get this now on your tablets! 🙂