The Serpent of the House of Hua

Those Who Break Chains #2.5

by Maria Ying

In a world of potent magic, they will do everything possible to fulfill their goals.

Warlock Viveca and her demon wife Yves have come to an otherworldly gambling den to retrieve a grimoire that once belonged to Elizaveta Hua. But to win their prize, they'll have to do more than politely negotiate: they must participate in a tournament of mortal combat—in which losing would mean true death even for Yves.

The Serpent of the House of Hua is an F/F urban fantasy heist novelette that takes place during The Might of Monsters.

Genres: Queer, Lesbian

67 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 15, 2023

About the author

Maria Ying is both a fictional character and the joint pseudonym of Devi Lacroix and Benjanun Sriduangkaew, who have challenged themselves to write fiction with no speculative elements for once.

Devi Lacroix can be found at

Website: devilacroix.com

Twitter: twitter.com/DeviLacroix

Benjanun Sriduangkaew can be found at

Website: beekian.wordpress.com

Twitter: twitter.com/benjanun_s

Reviews

[Dan Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tasty mid-meal snack. I love how this series has 2 novellas to break it up.

This one revolves around a tournament to win a treasure of the winner’s choice from a snake-demon who has a history with the Hua family. Plot and romantic throughlines from the other books intertwine, and the main action is a lot of fun. It felt like a side trip in the series to me, and while I enjoyed it plenty and devoured it in a day, it didn’t move me the way The Demon of the House of Hua did in terms of the larger series. I loved Karla, the burly axe-wielding butch, and I hope we see more of her in future books. I’m very eagerly awaiting the finale!

[AmEricaNo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

A memorable and short novelette which uses its established cast to put a queer spin on two mythologies (Bai Suzhen, of The Legend of the White Snake and Cliodhna, the Queen of the Banshees).

[Anne, V · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️. This was really romantic and sexy and vulnerable. I loved seeing Viveca and Yves on their honeymoon. The side characters were all really engaging too!

[Ace Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect addition to the second book, they were wise to split it this way

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light 4