The Serpent and the Firefly by Courtney Davis – Review by Ayla Phipps

The Serpent and the Firefly by Courtney Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awakening. This is the first book I have read by the talented Courtney Davis and oh boy do I still have chills. Told from a dual perspective, Jade, and Baal. A perfect representation of making your own fate in many ways, not following the “order” of things because its prophesied.
Jade is a 30-year-old female that has finally broken free of her abusive, mobster ex by way of turning into a federal witness to his many crimes. Baal is the first King of Hell and is determined to get his throne back and live to see his sister free. Her parents died in a car accident when she was eighteen years old, just as she was beginning her adulthood, but little things she remembers them doing odd habits and almost ritualistic ways begin to make sense after she wakes up to a stranger who vanishes. Baal goes to investigate the old antique shop when his warding’s indicates that someone is present and it’s not a human. Seeing her laying in bed knowing who she is according to the prophecy he knows he should kill her but then an opportunity arises. He has no time to dance around truths or to be gentle with the world-shattering news, telling Jade he knows she is not related to the late Mr. Williams, saying “the Williams family blood stinks of old troll magic. You smell delicious, and pure like freshly fallen snow.” Jade’s parents had a very powerful binding spell placed on her at birth to hide her powers from all including herself. With a rare set of powers unlocked in Jade, Baal is more and more intrigued with her knowing she can be more useful than he ever expected. The only thing that saved her life the moment Baal wanted to kill her was her ignorance, not knowing who or what he was, and not knowing what she is. His blood calling her me makes a promise to her while she is sleeping that she eventually will be his. She feels ignited in many ways; feels alive every time he touches her no matter how innocent the touch is. The only thing driving them is their goals, his having the book translated, and return to his rightful place; her goal is to survive her evil ex and all his associates that won’t hesitate to end her the moment they find her.
Will Jade learn the truth of who she is? Can Baal hold up his part of the deal to protect her from all dangers, human and not? Prophecies are meant to be broken right? The world the author creates is so original, yes, the world itself is reality but all the hidden parts not only in the shadows but in the light. Seamlessly the author weaves reality into fantasy with the plot and every little twist and turn the story takes. I have been terrified of snakes for as long as I can remember but now, I must admit I am crushing on Baal, the best crushes are the fictional ones. I cannot wait to dive into more of her work and discover another world of her creation.

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