This was a strong start to the Scriver Archives series, it had that fantasy element that I was looking for and was engaged with what was happening. I enjoyed this as a opening chapter and am excited to read more in this universe. It had that darker element that I was wanting and was glad it was everything that I was expecting. The characters had that overall feel that I was wanting and enjoyed the concept. E.A. Field wrote this well and was engaged from the first page. It worked was a fantasy romance with great use of time-travel.

The book is so immersive and immediately draws you in with thorough descriptions and thoughtful explanations of different aspects of the world. I found the idea of Scrivers, and the trials to become a Scriver, super interesting and honestly wanted more backstory on it all. I would totally read a prequel about the trials! The FMC was presented as a really strong, well-written character but sometimes the MMC was boring to follow, and the romance subplot honestly felt a little forced (where was the chemistry?!). Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I'm sad to say that I had to DNF this. I didn't like the writing style at all. It's to much information at once, not included in the story, just plain text. Not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to Rising Action Publishing and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jack Serpent follows mains characters Jack and Aylla, both young adults living in a world wrought by complicated, dark magic. Jack is a Scriver – a kind of magically endowed monster hunter that roams the lands killing magical beings that terrorize humans. Aylla is a young woman of previously hidden magical means living in the forest with her two domesticated wolves.

The plot of the novel clearly takes inspiration from the Witcher series, with its monster hunting, potion taking, and magical being tropes. MMC Jack attempts to take after Geralt, with the purple eyes and brooding, guarded nature, but ultimately, he comes across flat and confused. The majority of the secondary characters seem to be wooden plot devices, multiple of whom are killed off after making no impact on the story at all.

The prose is complicated and lacking line edits. The author repeatedly info-dumps massive swathes of world building or character background that seemingly has no relevance and is often difficult to remember or contradicted later in the novel. While the seed of an interesting, fast-paced action fantasy novel is there, the story and writing style needs a lot more work.

Perfect for fans of the Dark Fantasy genre or even those looking to try it.

In a world where only humans were able to adapt and transform magic. Would you explore the origins of monsters to preserve life and knowledge?

This book is well-paced, with strong world-building and very cool descriptions of the geography, characters, and the monsters they fight.

The creative magic system is very reminiscent of The Witcher series, but it holds its own. The magic extends to weapons, guns, vials, and runes. Our main character, Jack Serpent, is the last one of his kind, and he wields magic better than others.
“Jack hadn’t stayed alive this long without maintaining some deep-seated mistrust of all beings.”

This dark fantasy is the first in The Scriver Archives series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing Co. for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Jack Serpent by E.A. Field.

I had to DNF around 22%. I really wanted to keep going, but the story was so tedious, and nothing exciting was happening. I need some action from the beginning, or I will get bored and stop reading. This book also has the Witcher vibes. The main character reminded me a lot of Geralt. His weapons, his eyes, his training, his manners. It just screams Witcher.

The Scriver Archives at the beginning of every chapter was intriguing. It was the only part I really liked.

So sadly, this book isn't for me. I might give it another go in the future.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.
Release date: May 27th.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a slow start but I found the book to be a captivating story that held my interest after the initial part.

This is more of a 3.5 stars for me.

The book has rich world building (think Brandon Sanderson) and well-written strong female main characters, but I feel like the plot at times was hard to follow. The beginning is a bit dense, as the universe is explained, and the story can get a bit muddled with all the flashbacks. Jack (the MMC) is a brooding hero, who can sometimes feel a bit flat, but overall the story was engaging. The story ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

DNF. I tried to get into this - super interesting concept, and the characters were fine. What made me quit was the constant infodumping. It just never ended. I love worldbuilding, but the style in which it was done happened to really annoy me.

As someone who adores intricate dark fantasy, I was pretty excited about this book and it did not disappoint.
Jack Serpent follows a brooding anti-hero who explores the origins of myths and legends, which at first I worried might fall flat, but I was surprised at how Field managed to write the book in a way that maintained the focus on myths and legends while simultaneously managing to create its own unique fantasy world that wasn’t hard to follow or fall into.

I didn’t feel like I got to know the main characters as well as I might have expected, yet well enough that I got invested in what might happen to them - and I’m sure Field has a plan to give us more character building on them in the follow up. Still, I wasn’t bored for a single page, and the way the plot were building up alongside the stakes has me eagerly waiting for the sequel and whatever she might write next.

What If the Weapon Thinks for Itself?

This book got under my skin, starting like a monster-hunting adventure reminiscent of The Witcher, but quickly turned into something far more unsettling and personal. Jack Serpent isn’t just chasing creatures; he’s chasing answers, haunted by a past that leaks into every decision he makes. The swamps of Ocrana are beautifully grim, filled with poison, half-whispered magic, and monsters that feel like nightmares pulled straight from the edges of old stories. But what really hit me was how much of the danger came from people in power. It is not just about the beasts in the dark. Kings and covens treat human lives like pieces on a board, and Jack finds himself stuck in the middle, trying to decide whether he is a weapon or something else entirely.

What makes this story stand out amongst other books of this nature is how it balances sharp action with quiet, emotional moments. Jack’s connection with Aylla, a lone tracker with wolves at her side, feels natural and steady. Their bond builds slowly but becomes one of the book's strongest parts. The pace is intense and rarely lets up, which can sometimes feel overwhelming, but it reflects Jack’s inner spiral as secrets about his past rise to the surface. The monsters are terrifying, but it is the choices Jack faces, the cost of knowledge, and the weight of power that truly linger. By the end, you can't help but start to question who the real monsters are.

If you like dark fantasy that pushes past surface-level fights and digs into grief, power, and identity, this is one to pick up. The story doesn't wrap everything up, leaving a few questions unanswered (which I'm sure is set up for the next book), but it sticks the emotional landing. I will be thinking about that last scene for a long time.

*ARC was provided by Rising Action Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jack Serpent
by E.A. Field
The Scriver Archives #1
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: May 27, 2025
Rising Action Publishing
Ages: 16+

Jack Serpent is one of the few who survived the Scriver Trials, but now is the last of these hybrid soldiers who is able to use magic. Alone, he continues searching for the monsters, and with trial and error, finds their weaknesses to destroy them, recording his findings for others.

The Strygan, powerful users of the magic they steal, are gathering. Ordered by the King, Jack sets out with four soldiers into the poisoned swamp to find and kill the High Stryga before she can gather enough followers.

Aylla, a young woman hiding in the woods with two wolves she raised from cubs, crosses paths with Jack in the city, then again in the woods as she heads towards her cabin. The lieutenant/captain(?) in charge of Jack's group, a rival from their younger years, then orders the woman to accompany them since she knows Jack, the woods, and has tamed two wolves.


I liked this story! It started right off with detailed descriptions and backstory of a Strygan, mixed with the action of tracking the monster, nicely including Jack's and the world's backstory, so both aspects complemented each other.

There's a wide range of monsters, though they need more frequent descriptions. It seemed as if they were only detailed upon first meeting/talking about said monster, and after that, it was one word descriptions... "'green' blood"; though some monsters were more deeply described than others.

This also applies to the characters: for me, the MCs have generic faces and hair. Yeah, upon first meeting, and sprinkled here and there were tidbits, but those descriptors need more depth so they make an impression!

The minor characters were typical, but the world, monsters, and the Scriver Trials/competitors are really interesting, but they need more history. Jack and Aylla both stood out as strong, well-developed characters.

Because of the violence, this book isn't suitable for readers under sixteen, but the romance is kept behind closed doors.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series!

4 Stars

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.