The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin
Publication Date: September 2023 | Thanks NetGalley for an ARC
Overall Verdict: Give it a read if you really enjoyed the Serpent and Dove series and it’s characters and are willing to put up with a slow moving and sometimes predictable plot.
3/5 Stars
Book Summary: Set after the Serpent and Dove series. Celie has taken her vows to become the first female Chasseur. A new evil is on the horizon, resulting in many dead bodies. As Celie works to investigate, she finds herself in the company of vampires. How far is she willing to go to do what is right? What will she learn about herself in the process?
My Analysis: I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it fell short for me. I am a big fan of Mahuin’s Serpent and Dove series, and as soon as I heard this was coming out, it was immediately on my TBR list. The same world and characters and the inclusion of vampires? Sounded like a win. Overall there were some really interesting parts to the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the vampire characters. To me, getting to know them was absolutely the best part. My biggest hang up with this story was Celie’s character development. I can understand the author trying to share the feminine side of this protagonist, but to me she seemed to come off as way too weak and innocent. More so than she really needed to be to get her point across. The Scarlet Veil is written as Celie’s story and as such the first 60% of the book was rough for me to get through because of her character. The story does pick up though towards the end and it is action packed (although somewhat predictable) until the last page. Ultimately, if you really enjoyed Serpent and Dove, want to read more about those characters and can put up with a slower pace, this is worth a read.
The Shelf Life 