TL;DR: Perhaps my expectations were a bit too high but I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t end up loving this more. I rarely say this, but I think Embrace the Serpent could’ve benefitted from being a duology for more detailed world-building, better exploration of the magic system, and deeper character arcs/relationship development. That said, I think it was a fairly solid YA romance fantasy with a unique magic system, and interesting settings and characters. I would recommend this for fantasy readers who aren’t looking for in-depth world-building and magic exploration, but enjoy being reeled in with a simple and unique system, plus those who love an innocently sweet romance with fairly decent stakes.

The story started strong and I was immediately hooked from the first few pages. I loved the unique gemstone-based magic system and how each gemstone had a different ability and strength based on the size, shape, cut, and setting. I enjoyed seeing Saphira utilizing her innate ability to understand what a particular gemstone wants and needs to be—it was fascinating and I really wished that we could have seen her use more of her ability.

Saphira was an interesting character. I did find her timidity and blushing shyness became a bit grating as the story went on (and still nothing changed despite all the things she survived), but it was easy to tell that she had a good heart. After a traumatizing upbringing, she’s desperate for safety and security, which she has found working as a secret jewelsmith for a smarmy jewel merchant pretending to be more than he is. Understandably, she would do anything to maintain that safety, until that choice is taken away from her. Her passion for understanding gemstones and how best to utilize them, as well as her enthusiasm for being a jewelsmith were infectious and seeing her work were some of my favourite parts of the story. Another favourite part of the story was Grimney, Saphira’s adorable and noble golem companion. I loved Grimney so much and his presence on the page never failed to make me chuckle and put a smile on my face! Saphira and Grimney had a very wholesome friendship and I loved their banter so much! 💜

The banter and occasional humour woven into the story was something that I think Mara did well. Although at times the humour felt a bit out of place, for the most part, those moments still managed to make me laugh. Even though I didn’t love the romance, I did enjoy the banter between Saphira and her love interest. A relationship that I struggled with was that between Saphira and her nemesis. I didn't understand what that girl wanted, and it seemed that neither did she. Ruining someone's life under the guise of "rescuing" them from a life of mediocrity when you "know" they could be more powerful doesn't make you the good guy! 🤦🏻‍♀️ Honestly, I thought Saphira was too kind to the enemies, lol. I wished she had been a bit more firm but I guess that would've strayed too far from her character!

Despite all of that, however, I was surprised to not feel an emotional connection to the story and I can’t pinpoint exactly why that is. Maybe it’s because, even though the writing wasn’t bad, the progression of the story felt very rushed, and as a result, it came across as more “telling than showing”. There were some major scenes that had “stomp on my heart and punch me in the gut” emotionally devastating potential, and yet, I was reading those scenes as if it was just another moment in the story due to how rushed the scenes felt. There was so much that I think could’ve been expanded upon and was instead packed into less than 400 pages, that the world-building and character development felt sadly undercooked at the end.

Overall, while I wished that I loved this more and especially felt a stronger connection to it, I don't think it was a bad story and I know many readers will enjoy it (many reviews have already proved that). I'd be keen to see what else Mara comes out with in the future—hopefully, it'll be a story that gets the proper time to breathe and grow because her stories deserve it!

Special thanks to the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

3.75⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an e-arc of this book!

Embrace the Serpent by Sunya Mara built a world where creatures were half human and sentient. However, they were being ruled over an oppressive emperor and only the Serpent King’s land was impenetrable due to some sort of magic.

The main female lead, Saphira, is a jewelsmith by choice but not entirely since her home and mother were killed by the emperor’s warriors. Through this book we follow her as she tries to hide from her past and make a life for herself. Eventually she is thrown into a marriage of convenience to the serpent king himself.

What I liked about this story was the world building and the details when jewelsmithing was brought up. I also liked the different magical abilities presented. Rane, the mmc, was a great addition to the conflict - if you know, you know.

I think what was not likable was her character arc. Although I loved where she ended up, I didn’t like why she chose to be different. It was again more so for another person rather than for herself. And I wish I could feel the connection more in the romance. It was a bit superficial and not as deep.

Overall, a good story and if you like unique fantasy worlds than definitely pick this up.

This was a change from the contemporary romances I’d been reading what seemed almost nonstop for the past weeks. And it was a great read! I was hooked right away and the story kept me turning pages (tapping on my Kindle that is) as quickly as possible to see what would happen next and how could Saphira get free of all that was keeping her down. The Serpent King was a bit hard to picture in my mind, but that is okay as I didn’t need to know that, especially if he was going to be a love interest.

I loved all the jewelsmithing ideas in the book. Such a neat magical concept. And her little golem friend Grimney was fun as well. The bit with Rane and the Serpent King was close to what happened in Shield of Sparrows if you’ve read that, hopefully I haven’t given too much of a spoiler there. But I had a bit of an inkling about that as I read. I wondered anyway. This is a YA book though, so the romantic parts were kind of alluded to, but it was nothing that was out there right on the pages.

For the first parts of the story it was mostly just the human characters, other than the djinn Lady Incarnadine and Grimney, and of course the Serpent King and his people. But as Saphira and Rane and the Serpent King’s huntsmen left they encountered many different people and creatures. Including some that sound like a type of fae or fairy, as well as some in the end at the wedding such as naiads. Towards the end I was feeling like there wasn’t much time left and this doesn’t say it will be a series, but the author wrapped it all up neatly, and now I am kind of sad in a way, because I really enjoyed all of this world’s magical aspect.

Definitely this will be one of my favorite books of the year!

I really enjoyed this. I was really anticipating this read, so I was very lucky to be able to read it in advance. The magic system alone, was so compelling and I could read an entire second book just about the magic system (please give it to me). I enjoyed the dynamics between the main characters, and the dialogue flowed really naturally. I do wish that the ending had hit more of a punch, as it felt a bit...standard (or predictable, maybe). And I wish I got more of this cool magic system and world, but to my knowledge this is just a standalone. *crying*

Short and Sweet Review

The Serpent King is one of the most eligible bachelors but he’s also known as being a cold monster. Saphira is an orphan and she likes being invisible to most, the only thing is Saphira is a skilled jewel smith, but to keep her presence on the down low she lets someone else take credit for her work. When the Serpent King enlists his huntsmen to find the most skilled jewel smith they find Saphira and she has the choice to fall into the Empires grasp or marry the Serpent King and she chooses the Serpent King.

One word I would use to describe this book would be captivating. It’s beautifully written and will have you hooked and engaged the whole time. Saphira is an orphan and she likes to stay invisible so that the empire won’t find her and she makes her days go by as a jewel smith. Saphira works for someone else as their apprentice and usually doesn’t get the credit for her work. When the huntsmen find Saphira she ends up accepting a deal to marry the Serpent King. One of the huntsmen Saphira meets is Rane and they end up hitting it off and I thought their blooming relationship was cute. The Serpent King comes across as cold and distant but he does want to make sure his people and kingdom are safe. The further we get in the book we see why and who the King needs to keep his kingdom safe from and we also see why Saphira was needed. Saphira’s magic was interesting to read about and so was the Serpent King’s. I liked learning more about these characters and the book has a great pacing. There was something that was revealed halfway through and I wasn’t expecting the twist but I ended up loving it and was so happy. The characters have a lot to offer in this book and they’re all unique in their owns ways and the romance was cute and left you rooting for the characters. I thought the climax was well written and everything made sense.

Overall, this book was amazing and one I’ll be thinking about for a while. I loved every minute of this magical romance. Definitely a book I would recommend!

This YA fantasy is folklore-inspired (and that's always so cool for me) and follows Saphira who has a rare magical gift. She has had a hard start to life, leading her to making a deal with the Serpent King.

Saphira's magical gift of jewel-smithing felt very unique, I really don't think I've read a book with that sort of magic before, so that was cool. I always like finding a new magic system. I would've liked to learn even more about it!

A lot of the characters seemed quite flat, especially the side characters. That's always a bummer to me because I love to fall in love with a funny little side character.

This did take me quite some time to get invested in, I think the strange pacing probably played some sort of role in that. Some moments that should've been quick and to the point were so dragged out, and moments of excitement were so quick that there was really no crescendo to any moment. Or even the whole book.

I just think that this book needed a little more oomph, a little more depth to the characters, the plot and that unique magic system.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I absolutely loved this. I loved this so much that I read this in one sitting and that doesn’t happen often.
The world drew me in immediately. We don’t get a full explanation in the beginning, we just follow our main character Saphira and learn along the way. Once she started to explain more I was intrigued, I wanted to know more and more. Especially about the jewels.
Saphira is a jewelsmith in secret. She does all the work for her master who then sells her work as his own. She’s content with this only because he saved her life, took her in when she ran away from a Djinn who killed her mother.
These jewels are not just ordinary stones, they’re each able to do a specific power and the potency of the magic depends on the jewelsmith’s abilities. Honestly that was one of my favorite parts. Learning about these stones were fascinating and when the main character is said to be the best you can truly see why she is the best. It’s not something the author puts just to make her look good. It’s shown on page.
But of course, this is a romantic fantasy so of course there’s going to be a romantic plot. Saphira encounters a man who works for non other than the terrifying Serpent King and is commissioned to make a jeweled piece for the king. I loved the romance so much, it had me giggling with joy. It was so sweet that I couldn’t help falling more for these characters.
I can’t wait to see more people reading this book and I hope they enjoy it as much as I have.

Embrace the Serpent is a lush, darkly romantic fantasy full of court intrigue, secret magic, and slow-burning tension that twists like a coiled serpent around your heart. Saphira’s struggle between invisibility and power is compelling, and her choice to wed a feared king rather than fall into imperial hands sets the stage for a captivating love triangle with dangerous stakes. The worldbuilding sparkles like the enchanted gems Saphira works with, and while the pacing stumbles slightly in places, the sharp dialogue, morally gray characters, and gothic atmosphere more than make up for it. A deliciously tense story of survival, sacrifice, and choosing the monster you can live with.

I loved this book! Was it perfect? No. Did I really really enjoy it? You bet!

This standalone book was exactly what I was looking for. A sweet romance, a really interesting world, and magic that centered around jewels. The magic didn’t play as large of a role as I would have liked but it was a good enough amount for a standalone book.

I’d love to see a spin off about a certain side character who was really interesting and had a somewhat open ended conclusion.

Overall, this book was a fast paced adventure and it’s perfect for readers looking for a standalone story with romance and action.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Embrace the Serpent is a swoony story about ambition, love, and monstrosity. It's about everything that can turn our hearts hard, our ability to trust closed, and the pieces of our heart that can be consumed by power. With jewelsmithing magic, I loved the unique world building premise of Embrace the Serpent. And if you love unusual but adorable companions, this is for you! But even more than that, Embrace the Serpent asks us whether we have to sacrifice our heart to survive. To be powerful, a good leader, the best in our field.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the free copy of this book!

Marriage of convenience is one of my god-tier tropes and I was immediately hooked on the concept. Sunya Mara does an amazing job with banter and that shone through in some of the earliest scenes with Sapphira and Rune.

I really enjoyed reading this, but I feel like it really needed another 50-100 pages to flesh out some of the character motivations and backstories. I would have loved to have gotten more scenes with Sapphira and Mirandel as children. Or given Sapphira a few more scenes with Rune and the Serpent King to show her developing trust of them.

I was hoping to walk out of this with my heart a wrangled mess, but despite this lacking the emotional devastation of The Darkening, it was a fun read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was really intrigued by the concept of magical jewelsmithing and thought that would assure a lush, glittering read, but unfortunately this was quite dull. If I hadn't looked at the promotional materials and other people's reviews, I wouldn't have been able to tell this world was Indian-inspired at all. Clothes, jewelry, architecture, and even people were described so generically it could've been set anywhere, and I had a difficult time picturing what anything looked like. The only exception was food, but even that could've done with more specific descriptions to bring out the sensory imagery. The main draw of the story is Saphira's talent for jewelsmithing but surprisingly, the author completely breezes through any specific description of her work. It's usually described as just that---"work" with no details as to what, exactly, she's doing to make/fix the jewelry she handles. This was extremely disappointing to me as I would've expected the author to have at least done enough research to make the MC's job feel real and tangible if it was going to be one of the selling points.

The characters and relationships themselves are similarly rushed through and bland. The prose itself isn't bad most of the time but throughout my read, I'd felt like something was missing. I think it was the fact that Saphira's emotions are described so little, to the point that what should be emotionally hard-hitting moments are extremely lackluster. There's a point where someone is shot in the heart with an arrow, yet there's no true horror or urgency from Saphira (nor from the fact that he seems to take so long to die), and another point where she reunites with someone she thought was dead but it's presented so quickly, it doesn't feel shocking at all (she also doesn't spend all that much time with this character after that which feels odd for the weight this reveal was supposed to have). Saphira's romance with Rane and the Serpent King also feels unconvincing. The reveal itself was similarly lacking in emotion (and kind of unsurprising considering the author's promotional materials), and, while I bought that they were attracted to each other, I just couldn't understand how Rane and Saphira were so deeply in love based off of the conversations they had (which weren't really anything special). Additionally, the fake marriage trope felt severely underutilized; there was no tension that was produced by the lie and there really wasn't enough time given to develop and blur the lines between what's fake and what's real. The Serpent King himself didn't really feel all that distinct from Rane, which I suppose could count as foreshadowing, but for all the hype over how otherwordly and how like a strong, dignified leader he's supposed to be, he just felt like A Guy, not swoon-worthy at all. Mirandel and Incarnadine were also pretty flat, and though I appreciate the depth the author tried to give them, their redemptions were too sudden to feel earned. I also appreciate the idea behind the Emperor being the true enemy but he just wasn't mentioned enough previously for him to be a believable figure of power (and his defeat was so fast and underwhelming), and I know this is a YA book but the thought that defeating one evil man in an imperialistic power structure means that none of the horrors the Empire has committed will continue feels extremely naive and childish in this day and age, even for YA. I will say, the one character I well and truly loved was Grimney; he was adorable, but that's kind of it for what I liked about the book. I definitely think the bones of a good story were there, but the execution just fell flat and in order to fill out, it would need a lot more editing.

Embrace the Serpent is a stunning young adult novel with an unusual and well-crafted magic system. I really enjoyed the clean romance, which is really refreshing in a sea of ​​spicy romance.

This was a fun, quick read! I really love the idea of jewelsmithing, and I feel like the author really let it shine through Saphira. However, sometimes I found the story to kind of jump around a bit and I found myself rereading certain parts. I really with the author spent more time in the 'other' world, it felt very rushed at the end. Overall, I think this was a really good premise, and enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

3.5⭐️- Embrace the Serpent was such a fun, quick read. It follows our FMC, a shy runaway magical jewel maker who is approached for a secret task. Enter a marriage of convenience and forced proximity and I was hooked.

💜 Marriage of convenience
🐍 A king with fangs and magical abilities
🌶️ Closed door romance
💎 Magical jewels
🪨 A pet rock who makes an amazing sidekick
🧞‍♀️ An evil djinn

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers and author Sunya Mara for this arc!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
I really enjoyed this. Non-spice romance with a Snake King and a Jewelsmith who has his heart. I love the inclusions of many different kinds of magical creatures in this book and the question that lingers what is freedom and home. 4/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

'Embrace the Serpent' is about Saphira, an 18-year old with the rare gift of jewelsmithing. Saphira has had a hard life as an Imperial ward after becoming an orphan and then finding refuge as an assistant to an arrogant jewelsmith. With this jewelsmith, she learns to harness her rare gift and ends up striking a deal with huntsman of the Serpent King to for a chance at a new life and her freedom.

Overall, this book has some elements that I did like. The first being the overall plot elements and the magic structure with the jewels. I thought that was unique and unlike anything else I've read before. It was refreshing to read that very few people have this gift. With that being said, I think it would have been interesting to learn MORE about the jewels and the art behind it. I think that plot element was just scratching the surface in the book.

The execution of the plot was a little flat for me. I didn't feel super connected to Saphira and a lot of the characters also seemed pretty one-dimensional. This does make sense to a degree, however, since it's a rather fast-paced YA standalone book. I would have loved to see more depth, personality, and overall growth from the main characters. Also, I would have preferred a little more of a realistic timeline for development of the love story between Saphira and Rane.

The pacing of the book was a little off for me as well. It took a little while for me to get engaged with the book. Once the story really got going and things started happening, it seemed a little chaotic and all over the place. There were points where I thought I missed something and was confused about who was actually involved and what was going on. I think in many parts of the book, I would have preferred a little extra detail in the writing for the overall flow of the action-packed scenes.

Overall, the concept of the plot is what intrigued me, but it fell a little flat for me. I do think readers who typically enjoy YA fantasy reads might enjoy this more than I did.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Embrace the Serpent by Sunya Mara is a first person-POV YA romantic fantasy set in a SWANA-inspired world. Saphira is a jewelsmith who’s master has been taking credit for her work but she delights in being an unknown instead of sitting in the spotlight. The spotlight finds her when the Serpent King wants to find the one responsible for her works and then chooses Saphira to be his bride.

What I really liked was the magic system. I’m a sucker for different kinds of magic being linked to specific gemstones and we definitely do get that. Aquamarines are linked to water and pearls can be used to purify unclean water and some gems are related to healing. Each gem has a purpose and Saphira can bring out that magic and it’s very cool. One of these days, I would love it if a group of fantasy authors who wrote this kind of magic system contributed to a book exploring the common pairings and one-offs and how different cultures can have different ideas tied to different jewels.

The romance between Saphira and the Serpent King runs fairly hot and cold as he sometimes seems to be growing feelings for her and other times doesn’t want to be around her at all. This does confuse Saphira and it helps lead her towards Rane, a young man who is on the journey with Saphira and the Serpent King back to the Serpent Kingdom. Saphira’s own desires to be in the shadows does push against the very public position of being a queen, but she does quickly prove to be a good match for the King who cares a lot about the people in ways that he needs a queen to.

I would recommend this to fans of YA fantasy with unique magic systems and readers of romantic fantasy looking for a SWANA-inspired world

𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐲𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐚 | 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, Sunya Mara and NetGalley for this ARC!

𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆, 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗷𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗨𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁!

Embrace the Serpent is an Indian folklore inspired romantic fantasy novel with epic stakes, dangerous adventure, magic of convenience, jewelsmithing and nāga folklore.

The magic system with jewelsmithing was very unique. I love how the magic played out with the mechanics of smithing jewellery. The nāga folklore was the most intriguing and mysterious part of the book that had me on the edge of my seat.

Saphira is the apprentice to a jewelsmith and a runaway Imperial ward. She was an absolute blast to read about! she has jokes, survival skills and emotional depth that makes her so interesting.

Overall, if you enjoy a rich fantasy world with a fast moving plot and marriage of convenience with folkloric customs and mythology, Embrace the Serpent is the perfect book!

If This Woven Kingdom and Aladdin had a romantasy baby, it would be Embrace the Serpent. The setting was lush and immersive, the magic system was beautifully unique, and the romance evoked that yearning that we love so much in YA.

That said, if I had one critique, it’s that this book was so rich in story and magic that I wish it had been stretched across a duology. Some of the plot twists and character arcs would’ve had even more impact with a bit more time to breathe. I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet!

Still, this was such an enjoyable ride from start to finish, and I will be shouting about it to my fellow romantasy lovers. If you love layered worldbuilding, dangerous bargains, and a bit of mythic magic woven into your romance, you need this book in your life.