I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin Series: The Scarlet Veil #1
Published by HarperTeen on 2023 September 26
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 640
Format: E-Arc
Source: Edelweiss
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This dark and thrilling vampire romance—set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Serpent & Dove series—is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas!
Célie Tremblay has always been a good girl: kind and beautiful, a daughter of whom every parent would be proud. She surprises the entire kingdom when she defies tradition to become the first huntswoman—including her new captain and fiancé, Jean Luc, who rules the huntsmen with an iron fist. He isn’t the only one concerned for Célie’s safety, however. Though her friends try to protect her from the horrors of her past, mysterious whispers still haunt her, and a new evil is rising in Belterra—leaving bodies in its wake, each one drained of blood.
Determined to prove herself in her new role, Célie tracks the killer to the lair of Les Éternels—ancient creatures only spoken about in nursery rhymes—and catches the attention of their king, a monster who hides his plans for her behind beautiful words and sharp smiles. Now Célie has new reason to fear the dark because the closer he gets, the more tempted she feels to give in to his dark hunger—and her own.
I’m actually torn about this book. I enjoyed it and at the same time, it frustrated me a lot. For one, I enjoyed Celie’s growth as a character and how she coped up with her horrid past. I also like the how the story was structured and how it flowed seamlessly. No scenarios, no convos were forced. And surprisingly, I have grown to like all the characters despite the fact that I did not even read the prequel series of this series. Yes, when I jumped into Scarlet Veil, I was quite disoriented for the first few pages because I was asking myself: “ What the fuck? Why do these scenes make me feel like I am missing something here? And why are these characters referring to some past events that I know nothing about?” It was only then that it dawned on me that there must be a series or a book before the events in Scarlet Veil. So color me very surprised that when I checked Goodreads, I found out that there’s already a finished series before Scarlet Veil. Anyhow, I was not deterred in continuing with this read. So here we are.
Luckily, despite not reading the prequel series, I still managed to follow and understand the point of the story. Well, I will always have my handsome vampire bias so this helped a lot with me enjoying the book. I was already rooting for the brooding handsome and muscular vampire instead our Mr. Goody Two Shoes but secretive fiancé. What I did not enjoy about this book, however, is that it was too verbose… long winded that there were moments that I need to take a break and read something else.
Anyhow, I really enjoyed the Scarlet Veil but I am not sure if I want to immediately dive into Book 2 once it’s available in the market. As I’ve gotten older, I find that my taste in books is now shifting to straightforward, no-nonsense writing. But that is just me. Go ahead and read this. You read the prequel too so you won’t be disoriented like I was during the first few pages.