I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the narrator. The narrator did a good job of adding inflection to her voice, and trying to get all characters to sound differently.

This book had me laughing, double guessing and at the end GASPING! I can't believe I have to wait for the next installment to find out what is going on! Overall, I am excited to see where this story is going.

I received this book from NetGalley, Harper Teen and Harper Audio as an advanced listener's copy in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

A big thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollin's for providing an advance audio book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Serpent and Dove, but didn't care much for Blood and Honey and Gods and Monsters, but I feel like this book made it for those two's dissapointments.

The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin is a YA fantasy novel that is set in the same universe of her previous trilogy, Serpent and Dove. Six months have passed since Célie took her sacred vows and joined the ranks of the Chasseurs as their first huntswoman. With her fiancé Jean Luc as captain, she is determined to find her foothold in her new role and help protect Belterra. But whispers from her past still haunt her, and a new evil is rising—one that Célie herself must vanquish, unless she falls prey to the darkness.

Literally, it is Serpent and Dove....with vampires. I mean, I'm not mad about that fact. I just thought I wouldn't be reading vampire stories in 2023. I thought I was over it with Holly Black's Coldest Girl in Cold Town. And here I am, giving The Scarlet Veil four stars. Who knew?!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up

It was okay, not bad, not great, just okay!

I am a fan of the original Serpent & Dove series, even though I didn't like the ending of book 3 very much but I was still excited for this book. The cover is GORGEOUS plus the addition of vampires definitely had me interested.

The main reason this book didn't get a higher rating from me was because it was slow moving in my opinion. I found myself out looking forward to picking it up after work or on my days off.

I still would recommend this to people who enjoyed Serpent & Dove.

The book is fantastic! These voicegalleys....not so much.

I thoroughly enjoyed returning to Belterra, even though I was super nervous because I was not excited to learn this spin-off was from Celie's POV. Luckily, and this goes to show we should always trust in Shelby Mahurin, she has more than developed Celie into not just a tolerable protagonist, but a character I'd follow anywhere!

Lush, entracing, and all-consuming, welcome back to Belterra, dear reader. Something has been waiting for you.

The premise of this book was so intriguing and once I started it, I could not stop.

Celie has fought and overcome an incredible amount, and yet she is still treated by so many as though she is made of glass that might break at any moment. When she stumbles across the body of a woman she knows, she quickly learns there is far more going on than she realized, and that her friends and even her fiancé have been keeping secrets from her.

This was such an amazing story about personal growth and friendship, but also (and possibly more importantly) it is a fantasy murder mystery with vampires. The mystery in this book is a bit of a whodunnit, which I love. I absolutely did not guess the who in the whodunnit and was enjoyably shocked. It is however, more complicated than just a whodunnit as there are lots of politics at play and the murderer isn’t the only villain.

I am extremely excited that it seems this will become a series because I just need more.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harper Audio, and Harper Teen for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really like this book, but after reading the other comments think I need to read the other books in the series before leaving a review.

I like the characters, but found myself lost many times. I think if I had read the prior books I would have been able to make the connections.

I was given the opportunity to listen to the audiobook by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest opinion. While I did leave it 4 stars, I hope that will change after I read the originals. It is definitely not a reflection on the writing, but I felt myself lost too many times to give 5 stars.

Spinoff of a previous series. Will definitely go back and read it. Love the characters and writing. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

The plot combined a slowburn romance with a murder mystery beautifully. From dark castles full of secrets to decadent parties in Hell’s own image, The Scarlet Veil had every gothic dream imaginable. The pacing was spectacular, leaving enough time for character development while also moving quickly. There wasn’t a dull moment to be found. It helped that I was already very familiar with the world of Belterra, but the expansion of the world was welcome and well done. The lore development was subtle, and while this novel can stand on its own, I enjoyed getting glimpses of the rest of the S&D cast.

I would like to think I could be a heroine in a vampire romance novel. You know, the steely, strong woman who resists the vampire's charms until the bitter end. The truth, though? I'm not that girl. I would be the girl who gets her throat torn out by a bloodlust-ridden vampire because I couldn't keep it in my pants for more than three chapters. I know this because I am a total simp for a vampire romance...and The Scarlet Veil is one of my new favorite vamp romances!

(I would like to start this off with a preference by saying I do not care for the digital voice, as well as I really do not care for audiobooks) However, upon the long completion of this book I do have several thoughts and opinions. First the characters were relatable and had a lot of depth to them. We see our main character trying to find her place where she fits in and also trying to live up to ridiculous expectations. This is definitely a story of finding yourself and I also loved the closer look at Celie’s upbringing and origins. I do love the characters from Serpent & Dove making an appearance. I also loved the way Celie is very protective of her friends and it shows. In her actions. Overall very interesting read and aside from the constant and overly used AY, (which I am guessing is supposed or be a commonly used phrase or expression) I did enjoy and will be adding to my collection of favorite books!!!!

It was such a pleasure to return to the world of Shelby Mahurin’s books! This kicks off a new series within the same world of the Chasseurs, where Lou and Reed are still featured as characters. This book follow Celie as she works to become the first huntress. She is not necessarily welcomed by the others, and a strange sweep of murders challenges her and the other Chasseurs. Celie is abducted , and the story takes us to a whole new place were vampires reign. As he gets to know the vampires in this new place, she begins to see that while they are very deadly they may not be completely bad. Her friends are desperate to rescue her, and she is trying to decide what she will do with her life, knowing that the life of a Chasseur is not meant for her, and no matter where she is, she is in incredible danger from a necromancer.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The characters are well developed, the world building is excellent, and the plot brought twists and turns that I did not see coming. I strongly suggest you give this book a try, especially if you have already read the Serpent and Dove series.

I loved the Serpent and Dove Series so much. I was shocked a few months ago when I noticed this book out on NetGalley. I was even more surprised that I was able to get an ARC. It picks up right where Gods and Monsters leaves off. This time it follows Celie as the main character. She is pretty immediately kidnapped and taken to a world of vampires. It does end in a cliffhanger (which I hate) but over the book was so good and I will impatiently be waiting for the next one (hopefully in 2024).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

this audiobook was a computerized version so I can't honestly answer those audiobook questions.
Celie does not have a unique voice; I read this girl so many times. The contrast between the love interests was also a trope I've read many times over.
This book was unnecessarily long and very formulaic. As someone who reads a lot of fantasy, I guessed the villain, and the ebbs and flows of the storyline including Ceile's character arc.
There's just nothing new here for someone who reads a lot of fantasy. New fantasy readers will probably enjoy this.
I read the first two books in the the Serpent and Dove series so I'm familiar with Mahurin and this series. Based on Serpent and Dove, Mahurin has potential to be a really good critical writer but I feel like she dumbs down her writing. Celie has endured a trauma but besides refusing to get into a coffin, Mahurin doesn't do much with that storyline.

The Scarlet Veil follows events of the Serpent and Dove trilogy. If you have not read it, the beginning won’t make much sense - it assumes you’ve read the series for the world building, terminology and previous characters, it’s a large chunk of the background.

With that said, I’m finding it difficult to get into based on the digital ALC, the voice is too robotic without text to follow. Stopping at about 30% (chapter 16) and will pick it back up when the book comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ALC

I received a copy of this text thanks to Netgalley and HarperAudio; all opinions are my own.

I once again did not realize this book was a part of a series, as it was billed as "set in the world of" and not "a sequel to" Serpent & Dove, which I have not read. Unfortunately in the case of this book, about 5% of the way into the book there's a sort of impromptu gathering of characters that it seems the text is reliant on the reader having familiarity with. Not having that, it was a frustrating enough experience that I did not complete the story. HOWEVER, I will say what I had listened to was dark and gorgeous and rich in gothic fantasy, so if I do read Serpent & Dove, I may very well come back to this story.

TL;DR: DNF at 5%, due to unfamiliarity with the world restricting my enjoyment of the story.

Shelby Mahurin never misses. Serpent and Dove is one of my top 3 favourite YA books. The only thing missing from Serpent and Dove was vampires and this book delivered and then some. I was on the fence about Célie in S&D but I loved her here. I adored how she was not a ‘typical’ fantasy heroine and that she was still struggling through her own trauma. The cameos from my favourite Serpent and Dove characters were so fun and I loved the intricacies of the newly introduced characters. Even more impressive was how I did not see many of the twists coming. I also loved all of the tropes (I never knew that the only one coffin trope was something I needed in my life). The transition from enemies to lovers was so immaculate that I can’t recall the exact moment that it switched. I devoured this book and I have not shipped two people as hard as this for a long, long time. Michal was the best type of vampire and Célie is exactly what he hates that he needs. I would seriously consider selling my soul to read this for the first time again and have the sequel in my hands as soon as possible. This is strictly a Shelby fan page from here on out.

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for an audiobook ARC!

This book felt unnecessarily long, but there were some good parts! It was fun to read a book with vampires that were a little different than I have read before. I didn't care much for the main character, Célie, but there were a few other fun characters. I think this book was well-written, but it just wasn't a story that spoke to me or held my interest.

I really wanted to love this book.
I was drawn in by its beautiful cover, not realizing at first that The Scarlet Veil was another tale set in the world of Serpent & Dove. I loved the first two and therefore hyped it up in my own mind, thinking I'd enjoy this just as much. Sadly it was not to be.

This book just didn't click with me. I didn't feel as invested in the story and the FMC just seemed unlikable until around 50% into the audiobook. By that point I viewed her with a sort of neutrality and neither loved nor hated her by the book's end.
I really dislike when that happens to me as I'm reading! I want to have big feelings about the characters that evoke a definite positive or negative response in me and unfortunately I just didn't feel that.
It's probably the auto-generated voice that threw things off but even the English accent the book was read in couldn't save it, and that's a shame since I usually love hearing English accents. Listening to a voice I didn't enjoy made this feel long and unnecessarily drawn out.
I don't want to make a final decision on whether I loved or hated this based on the generated audio so I will try again once it's released with a human narrator.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Audio/Harper Teen and the author for making this audiobook available to me for review.

I know this is a synthetic voice, and not the true audiobook, but DANG! It hurt. Without inflection, voice change, tones, etc., I just kept zoning out and having to re-listen. FINALLY, around the halfway point, I found my grove and wasn't as bothered moving on.

That said, I felt much the same about the story itself. Not knowing this was a spinoff, I came in pretty blind to what was happening, and I couldn't find my grove. All the explanations felt drawn out and surface level. Then, again, around the halfway point, understanding clicked and I settled in to enjoy the latter half.

The vampire element works for the story, and the characters were well-developed.

Overall: 4 stars

I'll tell my students about: alcohol, drugs, infant death, language, trauma, murder, LGBTQIA+

**Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

*review is for the text*
I loved learning more about Célie’s story and experiences. The pace is quick, and the new characters introduced are so memorable. I enjoyed this immensely!