The Serpent in Heaven: a gripping fantasy thriller from the bestselling author of True Blood (Gunnie Rose, #4)

by Charlaine Harris

'Immersive, involving, suspenseful, and intriguing, with a main character you'll love' LEE CHILD

No.1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Charlaine Harris returns to her alternate history of the United States where magic is an acknowledged but despised power in this fourth installment of the Gunnie Rose series.

Felicia, Lizbeth Rose's younger half-sister and student at the Grigori school within the capital of the New Holy Russian Empire in San Diego, is caught between secrets and powerful family struggles. As a distant relative to the Tsar, she provides an essential service to him by providing blood transfusions for his hemophilia, and she is thus given rare access and dismissed as if cattle. At the Grigori school she is seen as a charity case, a poor orphan with no prospects and no sign of magical prowess-the latter which Felicia keeps purposefully hidden. And yet, when a kidnapping attempt is made upon Felicia her past and her future crash together in violent ways.

Continuing immediately after The Russian Cage, this fantastical fourth book takes a side step, exploring the Holy Russian Empire while also showcasing the dynamic depths of magic within Harris's alternate North America in curious mysteries. Felicia, it turns out, is far more than the Russian-Mexican waif Lizbeth rescued, and the journey of discovery she is on is filled with magical assassins and desperation, but above it all is her courage to never give in to the limitations imposed upon her.

Love The Walking Dead, Westworld or True Blood? You will ADORE this gritty and wildly entertaining tale, set in a parallel reality of the United States where magic is an outlawed power.

__________

Praise for Charlaine Harris

'A gripping, twisty-turny, thrill-ride of a read' Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author
'Harris has a remarkable talent for world building' Booklist

'Will leave readers enthralled. [A] fascinating setting and a heroine who's sure to be a new fan favourite' Publishers Weekly (starred review)

'A master of her craft . . . dazzling' Seanan McGuire, NYT Bestselling author

'A gritty, action-filled story with a touch of magic' Anne Bishop

• ISBN10: 034943039X
• ISBN13: 9780349430393
• Publish Date: 15 November 2022 (first published 30 August 2022)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 23 November 2023
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: Piatkus Books
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Felicia is the half-sister of the famous (or infamous) Gunnie Rose. Yet that isn't the only thing that makes Felicia stand out. She's a distant relative of the Tsar, Alexie. Given his hemophilia, she is kept nearby should he need her blood, in a very literal sense.

On the bright side, this means Felicia has been granted opportunities she's never had before, such as attending boarding school and learning about the magic within her bones. Ironically, when danger comes calling, it is not due to her connection to the Tsar.

My Review:

First, can I just say that I love it when a series has multiple perspectives? The first three novels in the Gunnie Rose series were based on, well, Gunnie Rose. If we're lucky, this means two more novels will follow Felicia.

The Serpent in Heaven is the first of Felicia's stories, and she is a different leading character. She's accepted her connection to the Tsar, for one. For another, she has magic – though she is understandably hesitant at first.

I enjoyed the change of perspective and setting for The Serpent in Heaven. It was a refreshing change of pace while still getting to see more of this alternate history world. I'll admit that it took me a couple of chapters to get into the swing of things, but I was hooked once I did. Seriously, this book bounced around in my head for days after I put it down. I love it when that happens.

Highlights:
Dystopia
Alternative History
Historical Fantasy
Urban Fantasy
Series with multiple POV

Trigger Warnings:
Death
Illness
Animal Death

Thanks to Gallery/Saga Press and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy