Here's the deal: if your kid devoured His Dark Materials and is begging for more Lyra, Serpentine delivers a beautiful, melancholy glimpse of her post-trilogy life. Pullman's writing is as elegant as ever, and the witch lore is genuinely fascinating.
But let's be honest—this is a $10-15 hardcover that you finish in under an hour. Common Sense Media calls it "just a few scenes," and they're right. It's a vignette, not a novel. Fans on Reddit loved the witch worldbuilding but acknowledged it's "very short and sweet." The 4.4 Amazon rating reflects this tension: great content, questionable value.
If you're buying this for a kid who hasn't read the trilogy, it'll be completely confusing. If you're buying it expecting a full story, you'll be disappointed. But if you're buying it as a love letter to a world your family already adores? It's a worthy, if brief, return visit.






