“There are some things that can’t be changed with words. Some things have to be seen. They have to be felt.”
Mahurin
Length: 513 pages
Rating: 4 Stars
Three words/phrases: Witches, Bad-ass heroin, enemies to lovers
I am a sucker for a lot of things, as it turns out. Those things definitely include witches, bad-ass heroins, and romance (good god the romance), so this book was kind of destined to end up in my repertoire. (A side note- I am also a sucker for coffee with too much sugar, anything starring Kristen Bell, and happy endings you can smell just by looking at the title. But back to the book…)
“A witch and a witch hunter bound in holy matrimony. There was only one way such a story could end- a stake and a match.”
Back Cover of S&D
With a quote like that, how could I say no?
So What is it About?
Not going to lie: this gif is kind of scary accurate.
Lou is a witch on the run. If the Dames Blanchesever found her, she would be toast. Not as toasty as if the Chasseurs found her though. While the Dames Blanches would slit her throat, the church and their holy soldiers (Chasseurs) would burn her at the stake. Then there are the other people, the ones she’s robbed and tricked to make ends meet. In short, Lou’s life is rich in danger and deficient (by which I mean utterly lacking) in nights where sleep comes easy.
There is, however, a glimmer of hope: a ring.
This one isn’t hidden in a cave or a hobbit’s trunk, although it can render her invisible. More importantly though, when she wears it, others can’t detect her magic. Armed with her magic, her friend, a stomach full of sweet buns, and a highly unreliable ex boyfriend, a heist ensues.
And then, as is the case in most good stories, something goes horribly wrong. Though perhaps not in the way the reader might expect.
““Love makes fools of us all, darling.”
Mahurin
On the other side of our coin we have Reid Diggory. Reid is a few things:
Utterly loyal to the archbishop and his religion.
(Freaking adorable.)
A Chasseur. (AKA witch hunter extraordinaire)
Orphaned as a baby and raised by the church, the archbishop is like a father to him, and he would never betray his trust or the rules of the church. One of those rules was laid down long ago, and it is one by which all Chasseurs live: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
So our story finds its heroin and hero on two ends of the spectrum, but fate decides to pull some strings. There’s some bloodshed. Some magic. Some more sticky buns. Some heartbreak. Some raunchy bar songs.
Some kissing…
You’ll have to read it to know the rest.
Why was it so good?
“Our lives reflect our hearts.”
Mahurin
Books with magic so often have their way with me. The unique intricacies of each magic system never fail to fascinate me, and this book was no exception. Magic was a very tangible thing in this book, and I was able to visualize it in a way that I often find myself struggling to in other books. There are also different kinds of magic, which is kind of a new take that I thought was intriguing and clever. (I think I would rather be a Dame Blanches than a Dame Rouge though.)
And while the magic was brilliant, as were its masters.
Lou le Blanc is a work of art. Funny, brave, loyal, with an artful vocabulary of curse words that would make rappers all over the world jealous. To me, she was reminiscent of Celaena Sardothien (for anyone who has read Throne of Glass), but because the story is told from first person, her voice comes across more clearly, and we see a little bit deeper into her persona right off the bat.
The vanilla to her dark chocolate, Reid had me swooning as well.
Reid as a character, I felt, was a perfect character to represent both sides of the situation between witches and church in the story. Sometimes, I feel as though issues are presented from one side’s point of view without taking into consideration the other’s. Although Mahurin initially seems to present a fairly firm view on the events and characters, by the end of the story the faults and values of both sides are clear, which was both compelling and refreshing.
There was also, of course, the fact that Reid happened to be devilishly handsome, kind, and so adorable he could star in a video of puppies and no one would know the difference.
Then, of course, there was the romance. It was brilliant. There wasn’t too much drama, and it left me with that thrill of anticipation and romance-novel bliss. It was not overpowering, however, leaving plenty of room for the plot, character development, friendships, and action scenes. The romance-to-story ratio should get a gold star in this one.
Speaking of things other than romance…
Strong friendships make my heart happy, especially between women, so another aspect of the story I adored was Lou’s relationship with her best friend Coco. The support and care between the two was just as strong as, if not more so, than Reid and Lou, and the two were both funny and real in their scenes together.
Plus, you couldn’t not love Coco. She and Ansel, a Chasseur in training, may have been side characters, but they were the icing on the cake. The other side characters were entertaining as well, but the two of them really pushed the story to come to life.
On the writing…
Mahurin’s writing style is captivating and fluid, which made the book easy to devour. With college starting and the anxiety surrounding the pandemic, my reading time has definitely declined, but whenever I picked up this book to read a chapter I felt myself dragged into the story, head over heels.
The chapters are split between Lou and Reid, and each chapter had a definitive feel. Lou’s brash whirlwind of thought and wit, sprinkled with some colorful word choice was a stark contrast to Reid’s more stoic take on life and his constant worry about displeasing the archbishop or the church.
Also, a random bit I enjoyed were the chapter titles! I read so many books that just number the chapter, and while I won’t complain about that, I kind of love chapter titles. It’s like a sneak peak of what’s to come. (Although I don’t think anyone could top Rick Riordan’s chapter title game.)
If you liked:
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
And the general plot of enemies to lovers romance and ya fantasy, this is a book you will not want to miss!
Have a lovely day all!
Where the Words Went 