I fell in love with Embrace the Serpent. I had high hopes considering Mara’s previous books. However, I wasn’t prepared to be swept away so completely! Keep reading this book review of Embrace the Serpent for my full thoughts.
Summary
The Serpent King has come to find his bride, and with his arrival festivities sweep through the city. Inside and outside the Rose Palace await women from across the six kingdoms determined to become his new bride-to-be—all except for eighteen-year-old Saphira.
After escaping life as a palace ward under the cruel djinn Lady Incarnadine, Saphira now works as the apprentice to the unscrupulous jewelsmith Galen. Out of fear of being discovered, she hides her rare gift for harnessing the magic in gemstones and lets Galen take credit for her craft.
But when Galen makes a boast that ruffles the court, Lady Incarnadine punishes him with an impossible task—one that threatens to drag Saphira back into Incarnadine’s grasp. Desperate to avoid this fate, Saphira strikes a dangerous deal with Rane, the enigmatic huntsman sent by the Serpent King to find the best jewelsmith in the empire.
Rane promises that if Saphira crafts a mysterious piece for his master, the Serpent King will grant her a new identity and freedom. But when their plans go awry and the only way out is to marry the Serpent King, Saphira becomes entangled in the dangerous affairs of kingdoms and empires—caught between the cunning, handsome Rane and her cold, serpentine husband.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Embrace the Serpent is a swoony story about ambition, love, and monstrosity. It’s about everything that can turn our hearts hard, our ability to trust closed, and the pieces of our heart that can be consumed by power. With jewelsmithing magic, I loved the unique world building premise of Embrace the Serpent. And if you love unusual but adorable companions, this is for you! But even more than that, Embrace the Serpent asks us whether we have to sacrifice our heart to survive. To be powerful, a good leader, the best in our field.
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What happens if the world treats us as monsters? Is it only a matter of time until we become one? Do we have to be a little monstrous to protect the people we love? Embrace the Serpent is also a story about agency and choices. In this world, so many people try to use us as their pawns, try to make their goals into our worlds. What would happen if we could follow our own dreams? With a love triangle angle, Embrace the Serpent is swoony paired with romantic tension and banter galore. I loved getting lost in Embrace the Serpent. I wish the ending had just a bit more space to unfold, but otherwise this was everything I wanted and more!
Find Embrace the Serpent on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.