I thought this series was done. We do not see Lizbeth or Eli but they are mentioned a lot. Instead the author focuses on Felicia and continues to expand the world. It was a good story and I hope it does well enough to warrant a next chapter as I would like to know what happens next.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. I really liked this story, I found it to be very good.

4.5 out of 5.

A Netgalley ARC, courtesy of Simon & Schuster, with an anticipated publication date of November 15, 2022.

Picking up immediately after THE RUSSIAN CAGE, Felicia Karkarova is enjoying her lessons at the Rasputin School, a boarding school for budding Grigoris, even if she isn't allowed to take any of the magic lessons. Of course that is partly due to her keeping her magic abilities a secret. Despite revealing them during the attack on the Savarov mansion, word hasn't apparently made it to the Head Mistress or any of the teachers.

Then Felicia is kidnapped while on her way to the Savarovs for dinner. While she manages to escape, another attempt is made before she can make it safely back to the school. This is followed by an attack on the school that ends in Felicia killing the two intruders who have no care for the flu-ridden children and caregivers in the area. It reveals just how strong a magic user the young teen actually could be.

Who is after Felicia? There is no family left other than Lizbeth and Eli, but they couldn't possibly afford to ransom her back. So what is the point? As the danger arises, long hidden secrets about Felicia's maternal history is revealed.

I've been a fan of this series from the start, so I was beyond delighted to be approved to receive this ARC. I've been equally fascinated by Felicia as a potentially strong character and here she really shines. It may be blasphemy, but I think I'd rather follow her adventures in the New Holy Russian Empire than tag along with Lizbeth and Eli. Well, possibly because I'd worry about what Harris might have in mind for the couple.

While a few scenes didn't make sense to me, even if I enjoyed them. I believe some were meant to describe the difference between the magic of Russian Grigoris and Mexican witches. We'll see, I guess.

As I'm a character-driven reader, having strong characters with realistic human failings and strengths is a big plus for me, certain to pull me deep into the book. The ending was satisfying, but left enough threads to keep me eager for the next installment. I really look forward to the future of this series, although the author may have to change the series name!

Review crossposted on Goodreads, Tumblr, StoryGraph and linked on Twitter.

A nice addition to Harris alternate reality that explores a bit more the world of the grigori. I liked the continuation of the world but wasn’t enamored with the main character, Lizbeth’s younger sister, Felicia. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it overall. I found the young narrator to be too headstrong and there were certain interactions between her and her roommate, boyfriend, and the adults that I found hard to buy. It seemed odd to me that the narrator could handle so many disasters and yet have so few of the adults in her life believe her version of the events. I didn’t understand why they seemed so inclined to believe the worst of the girl.

"#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns to her alternate history of the United States where magic is an acknowledged but despised power in this fourth installment of the Gunnie Rose series.

Felicia, Lizbeth Rose's half-sister and a student at the Grigori Rasputin school in San Diego - capital of the Holy Russian Empire - is caught between her own secrets and powerful family struggles. As a granddaughter of Rasputin, she provides an essential service to the hemophiliac Tsar Alexei, providing him the blood transfusions that keep him alive. Felicia is treated like a nonentity at the bedside of the tsar, and at the school she's seen as a charity case with no magical ability. But when Felicia is snatched outside the school, the facts of her heritage begin to surface. Felicia turns out to be far more than the Russian-Mexican Lizbeth rescued. As Felicia's history unravels and her true abilities become known, she becomes under attack from all directions. Only her courage will keep her alive."

Charlaine Harris is a must buy author for me. In fact I've already preordered my signed copy.

Thanks to Netgalley, and Gallery Books, Gallery, and Saga Press for this ARC of Charlaine Harris' Gunnie Rose series, #4, The Serpent of Heaven. Surprisingly, this book is not about Lizbeth (Gunnie Rose), but about her half sister, Felicia, a student at the Grigori Rasputin school in San Diego (capital of the Holy Russian Empire). You might remember that Felicia is also a granddaughter of Rasputin, and so has the right blood to provide transfusions to the hemophiliac Tsar Alexei and keep him alive.

I was at first disappointed that this fourth entry of the series was not about Gunnie Lizbeth Rose, but I was quickly caught up in Felicia's life and the real facts of her family and heritage. At the school, she is a charity case and is not permitted to take the magic classes that would make her into a real Grigori. But as it turns out, Felicia has truly tremendous magic abilities and is repeatedly attacked by various factions of her family. Each family faction wants something from her, and her courage, coupled with her magic abilities, keep her alive.

I have read most of this author's work, and let me assure you that when you are reading one of her books you are in the hands of a master storyteller. Trust her to get you to the finish line; Charlaine Harris has created an alternative history here that you will never forget. Felicia's story does deserve it's own book. I'm sure we'll get back to Gunnie Rose in Book 5. Frankly, even if we continue with Felicia's story, I am still all in, because it seems that she may be the most powerful witch in many generations. And this story, Book Four in the Gunnie Rose series, is filled with so many twists and turns that there is truly never a dull paragraph. I wish it were longer!

I was both intrigued and excited to read this! Intrigued because this book is a departure from the first three books in the Gunnie Rose series as it features Felicia, Lizbeth Rose's younger half-sister, and excited because I love Charlaine Harris' books and have been a fan of this series from the start. It did not disappoint!

Such a fun series; these books are dystopian/speculative fiction/urban fantasy with a gritty western vibe and set in North America with an altered history. The U.S., splintered by the assassination of Franklin Roosevelt and the Great Depression, is a wild, desperate, and dangerous place. Magic is out in the open but mistrusted, and the topography has changed. San Diego is part of the Holy Russian Empire. It is there we find 15-year-old Felicia, the Russian-Mexican half-sister of Lizbeth Rose, the main character from the first three books in the series. Felicia is an outcast at the Grigori Rasputin School-a student with no magical talent in a school that teaches magic. As Rasputin's grandaughter, Felicia is there to donate blood to keep hemophiliac Emperor Alexei alive. But Felicia is in danger from several factions. She will learn about herself, her family, and the awakening of her magical abilities.

This has the paranormal elements, strong world-building, and fast-paced, action-packed plot you expect from Harris. She is a gifted storyteller with a knack for expressing the internal dialogue of her underdog MCs. They are very human women who face deadly challenges with pragmatism and strength, and I love rooting for them! Felicia is coming of age, dodging bad guys, and coming to terms with her past and current situations.

I loved this page-turner! The shifted focus from Lizbeth to Felicia, felt like a natural departure and a chance to understand a different part of this magical and turbulent world. This could be a stand-alone, but I suggest reading the series in order. The backstory makes the stakes more pressing; plus, it's just entertaining reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed and recommend it!

This fourth story from the Gunnie Rose series features her sister Felicia, newly installed at the Rasputin School, with only several references to Gunnie Rose. Felicia starts to come into her own strengths with continuous threats and long-lost family keeping her busy. I loved the development of previously minor characters and can't wait to see where this series is heading.

The fourth book in the Gunnie Rose series focuses on Felicia, Lizbeth Rose's half-sister. We met her in the previous books.

While mildly disappointed that the story was not about Lizbeth, I quickly grew to really like Felicia. Because it's Charmaine Harris, we get to know all the interesting surrounding characters, some likable, some not so much.

I appreciate that like all Harris' main characters, Felicia is complex and nuanced. She is who she is because of her history, which we kind of know, and learn more about as the story proceeds. She learns more about her new life and the world she now has to navigate, including social and gender norms. I love how she processes and deals with those aspects. The world-building is interwoven beautifully, as you would expect with this author. Of course, much of that work has already been done in the earlier books.

Having said all that, this story is majorly plot-driven. This happens! And then this! And then this! While Felicia is having to process and sort out all kinds of complex things! Don't start this one late at night before you have to go to work the next day.

Can you start the series with this book and enjoy it? Yes. Absolutely. But you don't need to, with the other fabulous books already out there.

Thank you to Netgalley. I was going to reread the first three books before this one, but then they kindly provided me with a free review copy and a deadline of mid November.

Welcome back to a very different United States, where the Russians rule over the Holy Russian Empire on the West Coast and magic exists. Despite this series being the Gunnie Rose series, the focus in this novel is on Felicia, Lizbeth Rose's younger half sister, who is living in the HRE and attending school for grigoris, or magic practitioners. Felicia is about to learn a lot about her family and herself - with plenty of action along the way!

Charlaine Harris is such a fun author and I will read anything that she writes. Her stories are always quick, entertaining, and full of wild crazy fun. While I love Lizbeth Rose, I wasn't mad about the departure from her story in this novel, and loved learning more about Felicia (oh right - did I mention that Harris's books usually have some kick-ass heroines?)

If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a magical bend, or if you are a Charlaine Harris fan, you will enjoy The Serpent in Heaven.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that book four was about Felicia, Lizbeth's sister. I never read the blurb, just thinking we were getting Lizbeth again. I really liked her in book 3 and I'm glad the author decided to explore her character more. It was interesting to see her come into her powers. I think there is much more that can be explored about her abilities so I am definitely intrigued to see what will happen in the next book. I am a bit sad that Lizbeth was barely in this book. I just really love her character and I liked how she and Felicia worked together in book 3. But overall, this was a good read and I can see Felicia making a great main character as the series continues.

I’ll admit when I read the description for this book, book four in the Gunnie Rose series, I was a little disappointed it wasn’t about Lizbeth and Eli. I liked Felicia well enough, but I wasn’t sure I would like a book from her perspective as much as I did the books from Lizbeth’s eyes, but I really did. Chaplains Harris has created an odd but vivid world of magic and betrayal and I am now certain I would love anything set here. I hope that this is book four of many. Felicia has started to grow and appears much closer to what she believes her age to be, 15, than the 10 she arrived to the school looking. A strange occurrence leads to Felicia having to display abilities she had been keeping hidden. Danger seems to follow her as she figures out who she is and who she would like to be. I did like the brief mentions of Lizbeth and Eli, but I would like to see them together again.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5078027223

This features Felicia, Lizbeth Rose’s half-sister . Lizbeth is mentioned but is not around. Felicia has a lot to live up to. She meets a lot of danger and tension is on every page. A very nice side story that adds to the series through character development and world building. Hard to put down and a must read.

Charlaine Harris is back at it again with her Gunnie Rose series, although we have a new person telling the tale, her half sister, Felecia. Charlaine had announced this after the las book came out, so it is not s surprise to me, although obviously a large change. Lizbeth is an adult, who’s life is quite different from her younger sister. Felicia obviously isn’t completely on her own and able to do whatever she wants. She in enrolled in the Rasputin school, only for her value of her blood to the tsar. However, she does have magic. When she is kidnapped on an outing, things quickly escalate.

Full disclaimer, I love everything Charlaine writes, and I try to get my hands on it as soon as possible! I actually met her when the first Gunnie Rose book came out at New York comic con book signing. I told her I didn’t know what the book was about, but she wrote it so I knew I would love it. She actually took time to tell me what it was about! I was embarrassed for myself taking up her time like that, but she didn’t make me feel that way at all. I loved all previous 3 books, and this one is also excellent. I was brought into the story immediately. It only took a little bit to adjust to a new person telling the story. It is full of interesting people, situations, settings, and plenty of twists. I will be looking forward to the next installment.!

The Serpent in Heaven is the 4th installment in the Gunnie Rose series and in this one we follow Lisbeth’s half sister Felicia picking up about a year after she has been place at the Grigori Rasputin School. However, Felicia was spelled by her father to look 10 or 11 to conceal her true age of roughly 15 to protect her from her mother’s family’s. She hides the fact she has very powerful abilities so she is not placed in Gregori classes as she is simply thought to be a blood donor for the Tzar who needs her Rasputin blood to aid his illness. However, after her fathers death she begins to rapidly age and her Grandfather finds her. A life and death struggle ensues after a botched kidnapping attempt by her family and she is forced to explain she does have not only strong magic but a very powerful linage. To complicate matters as Felicia’s school is under seize from multiple attacks to take Felicia the school is ravaged by the Spanish flu.

Truly gripping book with a brave and strong MC coming into her own quickly and with very little formal training. Felicia is a force to be reckoned with as it appears she can intuitively use her abilities when agitated or threatened. Her training towards the end of the book begins in earnest to make sure she learns to discover and harness her full potential as a Gregori in training. I absolutely loved the book and can’t wait to see more of what Felicia can do and see more of Lisbeth who is near and dear to my heart! Love the series and I highly recommend it! Start with book one so you can get the full experience and character backstory.

Having read the previous books in this series I was happy to see it highlighted Felicia in this story. There is mention of Lizbeth and Eli frequently, but it is a story of her half sister. Felicia, what little we knew of her was a horrible early childhood, ignored, barely surviving by her father's neglect and her late mother's family turning their backs on this child, she basically knew nothing of them. The previous books tell how she ended up to be at a Russian school in more detail, but it is covered enough here. The alternate history world is fascinating, and this story is fast paced and slows down on occasion, but the pacing is perfect. I liked all the characters good as well as the bad and enjoyed the read. Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for an advanced read

I have been a fan of this series from the beginning and it’s a joy to return to the Gunnie Rose world and get to learn more about Felicia. Harris has not only created an interesting alternate history world but has written incredibly likable kick-butt women. Be sure to check for all CWs but they do include the Influenza epidemic (historic). This is a non-stop action packed journey from the first page and I can’t wait for what comes next. This is book four in the Gunnie Rose series and can be read as a stand-alone as it focuses on Felicia as the main character. But if you want to learn more about Felicia’s backstory and LIzbeth in particular I would strongly suggest picking up the first three books, starting with An Easy Death.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books, Gallery / Saga Press in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

I am a huge fan of Harris’ work. She is a marvelous storyteller and world builder, and such a good writer that, whatever genre she is working in, she always rises to the top of that field. I also have a weakness for strong female characters (the creation of which is also firmly in Harris’ wheelhouse), so it’s no surprise that I have enjoyed the Gunnie Rose series. I expected to miss Lizbeth in this fourth book in the series, knowing that her sister, Felicia, would be taking the lead. But I found that I absolutely loved this book, which is one of Harris’ best. I’m hoping that Harris has a contract for more books in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

I went into this book completely blind. I only saw the next book in the Gunnie Rose series, so I was slightly, like the smallest amount of disappointed to find it was not following Libeth and Eli but her younger half-sister Felicia who we have met previously. But, I was so happy to read this! I enjoyed it just as much as the first 3 books in the series and I was fascinated to learn more about Felicia and her past.

When Felicia is kidnapped her first thought is that this has to be a mistake. However that doesn't really help her in her present situation, thankfully she is fully resourceful and manages to escape. Only to be knocked out and almost kidnapped again... Jeeze she is having a really bad day.

Turns out the kidnapping may have something to do with her mother's family, who we know next to nothing about at this point so I loved learning all about her past, and why her family could possibly want her back in the fold enough to try and take her from a school full of people that practice magic. I really enjoyed everything in this book, Felicia is making friends and enemies and growing closer to a certain someone and while it seems to have wrapped up this story arc pretty neatly I'm sure between her and Lisbeth there is no end to the trouble they could find themselves in the middle of in future books. (keeping my fingers crossed that there will be more)

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This was a GREAT addition to the Gunnie Rose series. I do agree with one of the other reviewers though, it certainly felt like it wrapped up in a way that I'm not DYING for another book, but that might have been Ms. Harris's intention. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.