16 books like Serpent & Dove

This book wasn’t an immediate ‘love’ for me, but it quickly became one of my favorites as I was racing to finish each subsequent book. It uses multiple POVs in one of my favorite ways: to show the POV of the villain(s). I love reading the villain’s side of the story, even if it doesn’t make me like them.

This is one of those cases where adding the villain’s side actually made me dislike the villain even more. It spurs me to cheer for the main character harder and love her when she can prove how powerful she is.

This was one of my all-time favorite book series. The world-building is well done without pulling you out of the story for being so in-depth or long. But the characters are what really made me fall in love with this story. Kemmerer uses multiple POVs for the main characters, so we get to be inside the heads of both Tessa and Prince Corrick, two very different characters in terms of their values and actions at the start. I love seeing the motivations of each of the characters; it makes me understand and connect with them even more.

Another POV is added later in the series, which helps elevate that book even more, lending to a different side of a character I had overlooked mostly in the beginning. This is one of the reasons I love multiple POVs: the more of the story I get, the more intriguing and exciting everything… show more.

I found this a captivating read. It was morbid, dark, and grim, but it was also exciting. I was quickly drawn into the world of Immanuelle Moore, whose mother was called a witch and died giving birth to her. I loved the author’s attention to detail.

The villages of Bethel and the Darkwood are so vivid that I could believe the protagonists’ lives in the puritanical, secluded world full of zealots, idolatry, sexism, and racism. The book is also beautifully atmospheric—the village, the trees, and the large cathedrals are so well described.

One of the book's main themes was self-discovery, which is why I think it’s more aimed toward YA, but I recommend it to anyone interested in witches, small towns, religion, and feminist themes. 

A gorgeous story set in New York’s “gilded age” about magical women forming strong bonds. Also, it’s set in a tea shop called “Tea and Sympathy” and I just wanted to live in that world as I was reading. Not only is Ami McKay a terrific writer, her attention to detail and her research shines through in this book, as even the witchcraft the women practice is based on old folklore and tradition.

It doesn’t take much beyond the term “sapphic witches” to get me really excited about a book. Additionally, we’ve got elemental magic, blood rituals, and the store in Salem where the main character works is called the “Fly by Night Cauldron” and I was completely sold. This is a light, fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was drawn in by the conflict, not only with the main villain, but a tense history with an ex, and a potential new romance. I really enjoy finding fantasy books where the queerness of the character is not an “issue” or questioned at all. It was something I badly needed as a teen, and it's a relief to be finally getting this kind of thing in literature. I wish I could send it to my younger self!

I found the magic system to be delightful as well, with the elemental powers reminding me… show more.

Magnar is the Leader of the Wolves of Clan Sutherland, a band of shapeshifting warriors who fight to defend their kingdom in the Orkney Isles of medieval Scotland. This tale of the sizzling paranormal romance between Magnar and Elspeth is filled with Fae magic, Celtic legend, and men who transform into fierce, savage wolves.

In this dark fantasy, King Nikolai Lantsov harbors a demon that transforms him into a winged monster. The female general Zoya Nazyalensky—the woman he passionately loves but resists because of the evil which lurks inside him—helps the stricken monarch control the destructive beast and hide his ugly secret from the unsuspecting kingdom.

I loved how King Nikolai struggled with the monster within, finally accepting it as the darker half of his own soul and a source of immense strength for him as king. I also loved how the monster--a most unlikely romantic hero—knew Zoya and protected her, like Nikolai himself.

I loved how otherworldly mates Rhys and Feyre formed a fierce alliance with the winged Illyrian warriors of the Night Court. A fiery novel of passion, power, politics, and pain—all wrapped up in a sizzling, steamy, paranormal romance filled with fantasy and Fae!

To me, the passion between Rhys and Feyre is very much like The Phantom of the Opera, which I adored. Rhys is dark, mysterious, and dangerously seductive, like the Phantom. And Feyre, like Christine Daaé, is irresistibly drawn to the fiercely loyal man within the terrifying beast.

Did I mention that I love academies? Yes, this series is immersed in fantasy academics with twists I enjoyed throughout the books. And, of course, what novels about schools wouldn’t be complete without different houses for students with special powers. Throw in two heroines from the everyday world I know today, and the conflicts blossom.

Be forewarned, this, too, is a fantasy romance, so I kept my focus on the rivalries between the houses and enjoyed the fast-paced action.

The character development in this book was one of my favorite things ever. From the beginning the female protagonist is brave, but as she goes through all of these changes, you see her grow into her newfound place in the world and that bravery only grows with it.

I loved this book because although she is strong and powerful, she has a very real and emotional side, giving her character so much depth and relatability.