Maya Whitherspoon fled to England after her father’s death, hoping that her parents’ enemies won’t follow her. With her untrained magic and skills as a doctor, she starts to make a home for herself in England. Peter Scott has been tasked by the organization of Elemental Masters he belongs to to find the source of magic that has appeared in London. When he finds Maya, it doesn’t take him long to realize that she needs training in her magical abilities. But as death starts stalking London, will the two of them be able to put a stop to the murders and keep Maya safe?
The Serpent’s Shadow fits two of my favorite genres: historical fantasy & fairytale retellings, so I was eager to dive into it. This was a delight and a quick read. While it uses the same world building as The Fire Rose, it has much better characters and plot. Maya and Peter are wonderful lead characters and have great chemistry with one another. They both stand on their own as individuals The supporting characters are also well written and leave several avenues for further exploration of this world. I don’t know how accurate the representation of the Hindu mythology was or the experiences of someone mixed race in England, but I appreciated their inclusion. This is considered the first book in the Elemental Masters series, and I’m looking forward to checking out the rest of them. Four out of five stars.
Bingo – Refuge – Maya makes a refuge for herself in London.
