Serpent & Dove takes place in Belterra - which is heavily inspired by France - with many terms, names, and places using a French name. I did find it a bit odd at first as it's not set in France, it's set in a fictional world, yet not much else in this world (besides the ploy being about witches) screams fantasy-land. A review I read from "Inside my Library Mind" mentions how this could have taken place in 15th Century France and it wouldn't have changed much. 

In this series, Lou is a Dame Blanche (witch) and are constantly hunted by Chasseurs (Witch Hunters) for their against nature use of magic. Magic use in this novel was a bit confusing as it's described as patterns in the air, and yes in a way needing a cost as

Lou wipes the memory of an ex-lover so he couldn't reveal information and it costs her the memory of biting his chin and scarring it. She later reflects on this scar of his and wondering where he'd gotten it - which I liked.

It's not often I read a book that I don't enjoy and that was true for this novel here. I enjoyed the banter between Lou and Reid  - even if it was a bit repetative - and I found the plot compelling enough to keep me reading. I found

Lou's secrecy from the reader who she was running from a little tiring        - as to Lou it wasn't a secret -  and the book was told in first-person yet that was information we weren't privy to despite being in Lou's head. Third-person omniscient or limited probably would have suited the narrative better.