Georgia Kostopoulou

 

“There is no rose without a thorn.”
― Shelby Mahurin, Gods & Monsters

Blood & Honey left us with a killing ending. I cannot say what it was, but it certainly made for an awesome cliffhanger! Many things were on the stake after that ending, where we faced a big loss and something more, I cannot really describe. My mind was trying to grasp the idea of what just happened and where that would possibly lead. Well, it led to many places but the path it actually took was pretty outstanding!

“You gave me life,” I continued, stronger now, the words spilling faster than I’d intended. Cathartic. “Of course I loved you. Why do you think I allowed them to chain me to an altar? At sixteen years old, I was willing to die for you. My mother.”
― Shelby Mahurin, Gods & Monsters

I wish I could tell you what is in store for us. All I can say is that Lou is not herself any more. She is not the Lou we met and loved in Serpent & Dove. The charming young lady in love with her Chasseur, teasing him all the time and making a new friend in Ansel. She is a darker Lou, one that has her mind set to something she would not otherwise consider, not without precaution anyway! But something dark has set upon her and her friends, devastated by the loss they had, by the unexpected turn of events, do not recognize it from the very beginning.

“Do not mistake me for porcelain. Do not mistake me for weak.”
― Shelby Mahurin, Gods & Monsters

We had a lot going on in this one and it made for an amazing ending of the series! The book is full of action, new dangers and new aspects, love and friendship and rivals no one expected to see. There are so many moments that the reader did not expect. I mean, after how Blood & Honey ended, there was enough agony on how this would progress. There was a lot of inner struggle and battle and maybe a feeling of fondness for a character at I least I would never expect to have this feeling. It didn’t last long, but it helped me understand more and I expect this to happen to other readers as well. I speak in riddles, I know, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone! All I’m trying to pen down is that it’s multidimensional and it will keep hitting you with unexpected turns.

“Constantin extended his arms. “I am cursed eternal, huntsman, because I yearned for more.”
― Shelby Mahurin, Gods & Monsters

The main theme of this book was hope. We start to see it from the very beginning and it lasts throughout the whole book. It’s about keeping your faith and hope even when everything feels so dark and blue, even when you don’t see a way out of the dark clouds. Even when every plan you’ve made seems to have been a total disaster. Even when you are buried in grief and the world seems to come apart at the seams. Hope is the light that can take you out of the tunnel and will lead you to a better future. Hope will give you the strength you need to overcome all obstacles and thrive.

“Hope isn’t the sickness. It’s the cure.”
― Shelby Mahurin, Gods & Monsters

Buddy reading with Menia, Marilena, Geo, Christina and Vaso.