Jack serpent had plenty of promise.
The issue for me was pacing. I felt the story was desperate for more concise movement in chapters. Some further editing iterations and limiting of descriptions could help with pacing.

I found it hard to connect with the characters, but in a Witcher-esque setting, i dont feel like it was pivotal if the story could be punching up with regards to pace, and energy. Some elements were quite interesting, but others seemed to be sloppily thrown in, rather than edged towards in a satisfying revelation.

Overall, i believe with further novels, the process could be refined to improve reading experience.

Thank you for the ARC, and I will look to any future novels in the series to hopefully see more depth and progress in writing!

This book had an interesting premise, but overall it struggled to hold my attention. The beginning was slow, and although the story eventually picked up, the pacing never fully evened out. Some characters were well-developed, but others felt flat or fell into stereotypes, and while there were moments of beautiful writing, they were scattered between repetitive or overly descriptive sections. I appreciated the themes around identity and belonging, but at times the execution felt heavy-handed, and a few unrealistic plot points pulled me out of the story. Ultimately, while there were powerful moments and good intentions behind the narrative, the uneven pacing, inconsistent character development, and clunky writing made this a solid three-star read for me — not bad, but not something I'd revisit.

Loved Jack Serpent (the book and the man). This was a great, dark fantasy, and I can't wait for more in this series.

worldbuilding that is reminiscent of The Witcher and One Dark Window.

Created by monsters to be destroyed by men.

Jack Serpent is the only person to have survived the Scriver Trials. With that, he became a lore keeper for the origin of monsters, a spy, and hybrid soldier able to withstand crushing magic. Ever since a coven of Strygan murdered his family, he's set out to discover and record what plagues the continents. It's the sort of highly valuable knowledge that could change wars and divide kingdoms.

In the dark places of Ocrana, an uprising of Strygan has begun. They use stolen magic to take over the realms. No one knows how to effectively kill the monsters summoned by Strygan, let alone the High Stryga herself. The military general only knows how to kill with bullets and fire, but he'll need more to challenge the encroaching threat. He'll need a Scriver's help. Jack is recruited to kill the High Stryga before she tips the balance of magic and takes the throne. To locate and destroy the High Stryga within a swamp poisoned with corrupted magic, Jack must reluctantly accept the help of others. As a man accustomed to working alone, cooperating with the ragtag group of soldiers, an old nemesis, and a tracker might prove more challenging than the monsters themselves.

When Jack finds more than a kindred spirit in the feisty tracker, he will have to choose between the mission and saving lives. There's more to the Strygan than they understand. Jack discovers a secret in his past that will either lead to a Stryga on the throne and the enslavement of humans, or the unraveling of his mind.

Sometimes knowledge is worth dying for."

Knowledge is everything!

Jack Serpent is very reminiscent of the Witcher book series but I felt like something was missing in this book. I liked all the monsters and creatures the book introduced and the overall world building was very promising, but ultimately I could not connect with the main characters. The pace of the book was a little slow and I could only read one chapter at a time before I lost interest.

While the plot is promising and the world-building intriguing, I found it difficult to connect with the characters, which made the book hard to get through. The flow of the story felt off, and ultimately, I DNFed this after 75%.

The first 150 pages were packed with world-building, but it felt like the author was trying to cram in too much information all at once, leaving little room for organic immersion. The writing leaned heavily on telling rather than showing, making the world feel more like an informational guide than a vibrant, lived-in place.

Jack, who’s meant to be the anti-hero, came across as flat rather than compelling. His brooding nature didn’t add much depth, and instead of drawing me in, he felt somewhat lifeless. There were times when I struggled to stay engaged, overwhelmed by the constant flow of details at inopportune moments. The chapters also began with excerpts from the Scriver Archives, which only added more disconnected bits of information that didn’t really enrich the world-building.

The romance subplot was unconvincing and felt forced. There was no real chemistry between the characters, and it seemed more like a box to check off in a fantasy story rather than a natural development.

In the end, this book had potential, but its execution didn’t live up to it. A round of deeper developmental editing, with a focus on balancing showing and telling, would have vastly improved the overall experience. A more engaged Alpha or Beta reader could have helped guide the story in the right direction. A better balance between world-building, character development, and pacing would have made this a much stronger read. As it stands, *Jack Serpent: The Scriver* is a dense, tedious read that struggles to bring its world and characters to life.

I enjoyed this book! I didn't necessarily devour it, but I thoroughly enjoyed the world, the story, the characters, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.

Let's start with the characters. I can see how Jack comes across as a somewhat shallow character, BUT I think that's the point! He has spent so much of his life serving other's purposes that he never got to flesh out a personality of his own, but I think with Aylla, we are going to see his personality shine a bit more, especially with all the craziness that I assume will ensue in the next book and the decisions he will have to make.
I liked Aylla as a character, though I don't feel like I got to know her suuuper well. A lot of Jack and Aylla's character rely heavily on their tragic backstory rather than their internal thoughts in the moment (which is what usually helps me really get a character). I don't find this too off putting, it's just the vibe of the book and I can appreciate that. I do think they went over their tragic backstories a bit too many times (like they talked about it or brought it up at least a handful of times EACH and I feel those conversations could have been used to learn new things about the characters rather than rehash what we already know).

As for the story line/world: I thought the world was super fun and I feel like I was thoroughly immersed in every location. I think the story line was interesting and set up a second book SO well because I will definitely be reading it when it comes out (I gotta know what happens next!). I did think it was quite gory (and a bit horrific at times!), so if you aren't into that, you may want to skip.

There were a few scenes that I felt like had no purpose or were way too drawn out. Pretty much every scene with Narim felt a bit unnecessary since they typically rehashed the same conversations or we got to see that Narim is a sucky human being without actually adding anything else to the story (like I got it the first few times - he sucks!). That's really my only huge complaint.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Aylla's story progresses, what will happen politically with Jack and the kingdom, and how their story together will progress throughout it all!

While I find the plot promising and the world interesting, I couldn't really connect to the characters, which made it hard to get through, it didn't flow well. Overall I gave it 2.5 stars.

I simply couldn’t stay engaged with this story or its characters unfortunately. Thank you to Net Galley and Rising Action for the ARC.

If Jack Serpent: The Scriver wasn’t an ARC, I would have DNFed it at 20%. Finishing this book felt like a test of perseverance.

The story and world have clear influences from The Witcher—a brooding monster hunter, a dark and gritty world, and a deep well of lore. However, Jack Serpent drowns the reader in endless lore dumps. The first 50 pages feel like the author was determined to unload every piece of worldbuilding in one go, leaving little room for organic immersion. The writing often falls into heavy telling rather than showing, making the world feel more like an encyclopaedia entry than a living, breathing place.

Jack himself, positioned as an anti-hero, unfortunately, leans more toward just being bland. His brooding nature lacks depth, and rather than feeling like a compelling protagonist, he comes across as lifeless. The writing doesn’t help—there were moments when my eyes simply glazed over, overwhelmed by information being dumped at the most inopportune times. Adding to this, each chapter begins with an excerpt from the Scriver Archives, which only serves to introduce more disjointed details that contribute little to the already exhausting worldbuilding.

The romance subplot? Forced and unconvincing. It lacked chemistry and felt more like a checkbox on a fantasy novel to-do list rather than something that naturally developed.

And on a more personal note—naming Jack’s hunter-mentor Alaric was a bold choice, considering The Vampire Diaries has already burned that name into pop culture. I couldn’t unsee that Alaric every time the name popped up (who is also a monster hunter and a teacher).

Overall, this book had potential, but the execution left much to be desired. A stronger balance between worldbuilding and storytelling, a more engaging protagonist, and more natural pacing would have significantly improved the experience. As it stands, Jack Serpent: The Scriver is a dense, tedious read that lacks the spark needed to bring its world and characters to life.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

E.A. Field's Jack Serpent is a complex protagonist.
As the protagonist, Jack, finds his journey is both thrilling and thought-provoking. The plot is layered with themes of vengeance, the pursuit of knowledge, and the moral ambiguities inherent in warfare. The wording vividly brings to life a world teeming with magic, danger, and political intrigue.

The novel is a compelling blend of dark fantasy and adventure, offering readers a richly detailed world and a . Fields has built a meticulously crafted fantasy realm with a diverse cast of characters, old, dark magic, and action at every turn!

I loved everything about this book! This was different for me, as books I normally read follows an FMC, while this story follows an MMC, Jack. The beginnings of the chapters have little notes from the Scriver Archives, which I love when chapters have things like that. This story is also a darker fantasy, but it's so good! From beginning to end, it's really keeps you intrigued.

Jack Serpent by E.A. Field is so so good. I couldn't stop reading this book for a bit. So so good. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.