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Snakesblood Saga #1
Serpent's Mark
A girl without a family. A monster who craves humanity. An alliance could bring the kingdom to its knees.
The fate of Firal's missing parents has always been a mystery, but her mother's necklace—the royal crest given to all court mages—could provide the answer. After a lifetime of training, a single trip to the capital could give Firal everything she ever wanted. All she has to do is cross the treacherous ruins of an ancient maze to get there.
But the ruins are forbidden for a reason. Exiled to the labyrinth for the scales and claws his wild magic gave him, Daemon could find freedom if he could only gain control of his power. His chance encounter with Firal changes everything. In exchange for safe passage, she can teach the control he so desperately needs. Sharing temple secrets could get her expelled. His reckless nature could get her killed. With her window of opportunity to meet with the court mages drawing closed, Firal is forced to make a choice—but with secrets lurking behind Daemon's exile and hatred fueling his motives, their alliance could cost her more than she ever believed possible.
The Snakesblood Saga is an epic fantasy adventure filled with intrigue, love, lies, and betrayal, beginning with Serpent's Mark, book one of a six book series.
The fate of Firal's missing parents has always been a mystery, but her mother's necklace—the royal crest given to all court mages—could provide the answer. After a lifetime of training, a single trip to the capital could give Firal everything she ever wanted. All she has to do is cross the treacherous ruins of an ancient maze to get there.
But the ruins are forbidden for a reason. Exiled to the labyrinth for the scales and claws his wild magic gave him, Daemon could find freedom if he could only gain control of his power. His chance encounter with Firal changes everything. In exchange for safe passage, she can teach the control he so desperately needs. Sharing temple secrets could get her expelled. His reckless nature could get her killed. With her window of opportunity to meet with the court mages drawing closed, Firal is forced to make a choice—but with secrets lurking behind Daemon's exile and hatred fueling his motives, their alliance could cost her more than she ever believed possible.
The Snakesblood Saga is an epic fantasy adventure filled with intrigue, love, lies, and betrayal, beginning with Serpent's Mark, book one of a six book series.
348 pages, ebook
Published March 28, 2020
76 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
Beth Alvarez
32 books35 followersAward-winning author Beth Alvarez lives in Memphis, Tennessee, along with her husband, daughter, and a very mean cat.
Once a visual arts major, she has worked as a freelance graphic designer. Against all advice, she makes her own book covers.
Reading The Hobbit at 8 led Beth to fall in love with fantasy at an early age. She later developed a love for vampires and the supernatural, which is unsurprising, given she never outgrew the goth phase.
In her free time, Beth enjoys drawing, hitting the road in her beloved Mustang, sipping tea, sewing for her Asian ball-jointed dolls, and making her prior-Marine husband spar in the kitchen for sake of writing more convincing combat scenes.
Once a visual arts major, she has worked as a freelance graphic designer. Against all advice, she makes her own book covers.
Reading The Hobbit at 8 led Beth to fall in love with fantasy at an early age. She later developed a love for vampires and the supernatural, which is unsurprising, given she never outgrew the goth phase.
In her free time, Beth enjoys drawing, hitting the road in her beloved Mustang, sipping tea, sewing for her Asian ball-jointed dolls, and making her prior-Marine husband spar in the kitchen for sake of writing more convincing combat scenes.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 27, 2020
Epic fantasy (and other branches of the fantasy genre) is my favourite genre of books and media in general, so I read books within this genre all the time, and I have to say, this is one of the best books I have ever read.
I came across this author’s work first through her YouTube, and then on Instagram, where art on both led me to become familiar with the characters and want to know more about them and their story. Thus, I waited patiently for the book’s release and bought it straight after it came out.
Serpent’s Mark had me hooked from the very beginning. Without spoiling anything, it has an extremely interesting introduction which sets the scene and introduces you to the characters in an excellent way that had me super eager to read more. I actually read the first few chapters in one sitting, and only stopped because I needed to sleep! I found myself constantly wanting to turn the next page and know more.
I actually can’t think of anything that I found dull or annoying or ‘bad’ in any way. The reading experience was really enjoyable and immersive, and written brilliantly. The description created vivid images in my mind that made it easy to imagine the characters and the setting they were within, and conveyed the emotion and overall mood really well, constantly making me empathise with and care about what the characters cared about. By the end of the second chapter I was already fully invested in each of the characters introduced.
I’m a huge fan of the ‘mentor character’ trope, there’s just something about it which is so fantastic to me and I find it often makes the main character a lot more relatable when she has to turn to someone older for advice, because we all do that from time to time - no one knows exactly where they’re going in life straightaway, and that’s what makes Firal’s relationship with her mentor (whose name I won’t spoil because that takes half the fun away) so enjoyable to read, even if it’s not the focus.
It’s really, really difficult to pick a favourite character, to be honest. They all have their own unique personalities and motivations and actions that make them feel unique and real, so picking one is really tricky. I don’t think I can pick just one, to be entirely honest. But out of the whole cast, Firal and Daemon have to take centre stage. It’s an obvious choice, being that they’re the main characters, but I just find myself caring so much about them, their wants and their needs, and thoroughly enjoying reading every interaction they have. This also applies to the whole of the book. Many times I found myself laughing out loud, grinning alongside them, or actually gasping or shouting out about a particular event. It was an emotional trip in the best way, and probably one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had in a while.
I cannot wait for the next book in the series, and am eagerly ( and somewhat impatiently) awaiting May 30th. I predict this is going to be an absolutely brilliant series, one that will likely sit amongst my top favourites (as I am an indecisive reader who can never pick just one! XD). I highly recommend you go get this book if you enjoy this genre and are looking to immerse yourself in an adventure (and really, what better time has there been than now?)
I came across this author’s work first through her YouTube, and then on Instagram, where art on both led me to become familiar with the characters and want to know more about them and their story. Thus, I waited patiently for the book’s release and bought it straight after it came out.
Serpent’s Mark had me hooked from the very beginning. Without spoiling anything, it has an extremely interesting introduction which sets the scene and introduces you to the characters in an excellent way that had me super eager to read more. I actually read the first few chapters in one sitting, and only stopped because I needed to sleep! I found myself constantly wanting to turn the next page and know more.
I actually can’t think of anything that I found dull or annoying or ‘bad’ in any way. The reading experience was really enjoyable and immersive, and written brilliantly. The description created vivid images in my mind that made it easy to imagine the characters and the setting they were within, and conveyed the emotion and overall mood really well, constantly making me empathise with and care about what the characters cared about. By the end of the second chapter I was already fully invested in each of the characters introduced.
I’m a huge fan of the ‘mentor character’ trope, there’s just something about it which is so fantastic to me and I find it often makes the main character a lot more relatable when she has to turn to someone older for advice, because we all do that from time to time - no one knows exactly where they’re going in life straightaway, and that’s what makes Firal’s relationship with her mentor (whose name I won’t spoil because that takes half the fun away) so enjoyable to read, even if it’s not the focus.
It’s really, really difficult to pick a favourite character, to be honest. They all have their own unique personalities and motivations and actions that make them feel unique and real, so picking one is really tricky. I don’t think I can pick just one, to be entirely honest. But out of the whole cast, Firal and Daemon have to take centre stage. It’s an obvious choice, being that they’re the main characters, but I just find myself caring so much about them, their wants and their needs, and thoroughly enjoying reading every interaction they have. This also applies to the whole of the book. Many times I found myself laughing out loud, grinning alongside them, or actually gasping or shouting out about a particular event. It was an emotional trip in the best way, and probably one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had in a while.
I cannot wait for the next book in the series, and am eagerly ( and somewhat impatiently) awaiting May 30th. I predict this is going to be an absolutely brilliant series, one that will likely sit amongst my top favourites (as I am an indecisive reader who can never pick just one! XD). I highly recommend you go get this book if you enjoy this genre and are looking to immerse yourself in an adventure (and really, what better time has there been than now?)
November 28, 2021
DNF- I can see the potential of the story and writing but something about the book did not catch my attention.
August 3, 2021
Im not a big reader to be honest. I find it often hard to immerse myself or keep my attention in many books if I have interest or motivation to read them at all to begin with. I could previously count all the books I had completed on 1 hand.
Had a similar introduction as other reviewers. My interest was peaked because i wanted to know more about the characters. An once I started reading I couldn't stop!
I loved the characters, the world and the story. I fell deeply in love with this series. I eagerly awaited the next book(s) and pre-ordered them soon as available because I knew I would love them as well! (And pending review.... But they did NOT disappoint!!)
This very quickly became my favorite book and story series of all time. If it were a movie/series it would also be my favorite.
Very highly recommend as a read, great fantasy. Some romance, conflict, and bit of all the best story aspects in my oppinion.
Had a similar introduction as other reviewers. My interest was peaked because i wanted to know more about the characters. An once I started reading I couldn't stop!
I loved the characters, the world and the story. I fell deeply in love with this series. I eagerly awaited the next book(s) and pre-ordered them soon as available because I knew I would love them as well! (And pending review.... But they did NOT disappoint!!)
This very quickly became my favorite book and story series of all time. If it were a movie/series it would also be my favorite.
Very highly recommend as a read, great fantasy. Some romance, conflict, and bit of all the best story aspects in my oppinion.
June 27, 2022
This was an AWESOME epic fantasy read. We're thrust right in at the beginning with an action-packed and slightly horrific sequence that will stick with me for a long time. Firal and Daemon are both absolutely brilliant characters, and their evolving friendship and allyship was very compelling. Very well written, very fun to read.
October 30, 2022
Read 1-3 box set. I was intrigued enough to figure out who the characters were, then wanted to reach the end of the set. While good, I was not enraptured enough to continue on the journey.
August 2, 2023
A bit on the slow side, but a solid read.
For my clean readers: no language, violence-murder, war, fighting, stabbing hands, etc. Romance-hinted sexual encounter, but no description.
For my clean readers: no language, violence-murder, war, fighting, stabbing hands, etc. Romance-hinted sexual encounter, but no description.
February 15, 2025
A bit slow to start, but got better along the way.
In the end it includes multi POV.
In the end it includes multi POV.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews