Gods & Monsters

Better than the middle book but still not as amazing as the first in the trilogy. But I digress. The book opens up with Lou acting weirder than normal. They all just suffered an unimaginable loss, but is she taking it worse than the others or is something wrong? A darkness is settling over her and if they can't drive it from her than nothing that they've worked towards will matter. They have to find and kill her mother, but traveling across the kingdom with their faces on every wanted poster is proving difficult. Are they out of option? Out of allies? Not fast paced till you reach the last 200 pages but then it flies by in a satisfying conclusion. The first book is amazing but if I were to judge the series as a whole I would only give show more it 3 out of 5 stars. show less

Did this book come out this morning ?
Yes.
Did I finish it already ?
Yes, Yes I did


I read Serpent and Dove ( and Blood & Honey) for the first time in June 2021 so my wait for Gods & Monsters wasn't as long as the other fans ( god bless yall the amount of patience required is crazy.)
Nevertheless I was eagerly anticipating the third ( and final ) part of this series. DAMN IT WAS SOO WORTH THE WAIT!


I'd Loved Serpent & Dove right off the bat. What's not to love right ? Enemies to Lovers , forced marriage, one bed. Shelby Mahurin's writing is FANTASTIC and I fell in love with every single character , their nuances and the quirks of the book ( even especially Big T Liddy ).Blood & Honey was slightly slower in the middle but an excellent read show more overall.

This book started with a bang , ended with a bang and had multiple bangs in the middle. A definite rollercoaster ride. There was a point in the book where I thought that the gang wouldn't be able to dig themselves out of this mess but as always , they came through.

Shelby Mahurin also gets bonus points in my book for FINALLY mentioning periods in a fantasy book.


There were a TON of points where I thought Shelby Mahurin was making vague Harry Potter references ( maybe I'm too much of a potterhead I guess ) and I LOVED it .
Beau is definitely one of my new favourite characters ( he's hilarious! ) I also adored Father Achille and Madame Sauvage.
The only (minor) complaint I have is that I wanted more page time for Lou and Reid romance. On the flipside I loved how they basically went back to book1 chemistry .


All in all Gods & Monsters is a rollercoaster ride that will make you laugh, cry ,scream and jump around in an empty room at midnight show less

"Deep down, I'd known how this would end all along. I'd sensed it from the moment we'd first met, from the time I'd first glimpsed the Balisarda in his bandolier - two star-crossed lovers brought together by fate or providence. By Life and by death. By gods, or perhaps monsters.

We would end with a stake and a match."

This book was a rollercoaster with (thankfully) more highs than lows (but man those lows and lulls sometimes made me want to stop, but I stuck it out and I'm very glad I did.)

Reid losing his memory & struggling with his feelings for Lou did something to me on an emotional level.

And that epilogue?! How dare Shelby Mahurin make me feel things. >:(

This was the perfect way to finishing up this trilogy. The book immediately picks up from where “Blood & Honey” left off. There was a knot in my stomach for most of the book as Lou, Reid, Coco, and Beau navigated the challenges that were put in front of them. I will say, I cried twice in this book and both parts were beautifully written and a surprise appearance by one of my favorites. Shelby is a masterful storyteller who wrapped up Lou and Reid’s story wonderfully, yet threw in a few surprises. I think my favorite chapter had to be a tie between “The Final Verse” and “Truth or Dare” or even “Take Me To Church” or “The Epilogue”. There were so many wonderful quotes throughout the book that will stay with me long show more after I finish this book. I’m glad for the ending but sad to see this series ending as it’s so special to me. Here’s to the many rereads I’ll do and will forever love Shelby for creating Lou & Reid’s story. show less

Wow! This book was 100% my favorite in the entire series. It immediately pulled me into the world all over again, and it kept me turning the pages so I could discover what happened (even though I did try to savor it since it was the last in the series). I loved seeing all the growth of the characters, especially Beau. I fell in love with his character in this book. Also, Ansel coming back wrecked me. I sobbed so much in that chapter. The epilogue was bittersweet, and having it in Ansel's perspective was the perfect creative choice. Shelby's first book series has been a success with me, and on top of it all, she's a sweet person in real life too. I can't wait to read more of her books in the future.

3.5 stars. Once again, I ask—where are the editors?! This story would have been perfect as a duology, but as a trilogy, it was too drawn out. Plot lines and characterization really started to thin out by the time things were coming to a close like the author was getting tired of being in this world. I like the overall story, but I’m not sure that this is something I would recommend to others.

I really really enjoyed this book and I feel that it was the perfect way to end things, though a teensy bit cliched.

One element that I rather enjoyed about this whole series that continued right through the end of this one was how the characters spoke, especially Lou and Coco. They were crass, hilarious, sweet, and just downright FUN. I loved that they spoke closer to how real people their ages would actually speak, curse words and all.

The story itself was totally enthralling and had so many exciting moments that I absolutely FLEW through this book. This author has cemented herself onto my "insta-buy/read" list.