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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
1.0
“There are some things that can't be changed with words. Some things have to be seen. They have to be felt.”
➽ Serpent & Dove was a massive letdown for me! Initially, I was excited to read it, as I love witchy stories and this was very popular when it came out. The story follows Louise, a young witch who has to hide her identity as her kind is prosecuted by witch hunters. She ends up having to marry Reid, a hunter of the church to cover up a scandal. Usually, I enjoy enemies-to-lovers romances, but not when they are written like that. I rarely give out 1-star ratings, but I had issues with every single aspect of this book. Apart from what I mentioned below, there were also some fatphobic and aphobic comments in the story.
➽ Worldbuilding: The magic system is lacklustre and the setting is shallow. The author wanted this to be a French-inspired world but it's obvious she didn't do proper research. Instead, she randomly uses French words/phrases whenever she likes (it's not even consistent in the story itself) but doesn't follow them up with anything else. It felt like she just translated what words she wanted and sprinkled them into the story. The idea of the different types of witches was interesting but didn't stand out to me at all. The whole world didn't feel cohesive, as the language is too modern but then the author keeps reminding us that this is supposed to be set circa. 15th century, so there's a ton of sexism and religious bigotry.
➽ Writing: The writing style didn't fit the story. Apart from the constant repetitions of some phrases (like 'my husband/wife'), the author used modern language in her medieval setting (I'm not sure what time period this is supposed to be set in, I think around the 15th century?). It was so jarring to encounter modern colloquialisms in the story at times, as no one would have spoken like that. Louise sings a song that starts with "Big Titty Liddy" multiple times throughout the story and apart from being cringey and vulgar, it didn't fit into the setting at all!
➽ Main Character: Louise was probably one of the least annoying things about this book. I liked that she's in hiding and trying to outrun her past, as she's sick of being seen as a sacrifice. In general, her feisty attitude and humor were endearing at first. I also liked her friend Coco, but she sadly didn't get enough page time. In the end, her vulgar song and language got on my nerves though. Her mindset was way too modern for the setting, but at the same time, she made SO many excuses for Reid's possessive and sexist behavior.
➽ Love Interest: Reid was a horrible character who never changed. He's a witch hunter and works for the church, so he despises witches but has no idea his new wife is one. Reid never makes an effort to unlearn his own bigotry and keeps treating witches like animals. His bloodlust and dehumanisation were unpleasant to read about. His possessive and aggressive behavior never changed and it often felt like it was Louise's task to 'fix' him. There was no nuance in their dynamic and obviously, Reid magically changes his opinion only in the very end via the 'power of love'. Even secondary characters like Ansel - a fellow hunter - slowly change, but Reid clings to the church's teachings, even when they become improbable.
➽ Romance: Reid and Louise's relationship was so offputting and unhealthy. The reason they have to marry is so fabricated and ridiculous, it didn't happen organically throughout the story. It's offputting from the beginning that he only marries her, as the city thinks he sexually assaulted Louise. This isn't true, but obviously, the church thinks that he has to 'save his image'. The church is full fo sexist attitudes and Reid isn't much better. He was controlling and possessive over Lou at times and definitely thought she was more like his property because she was his wife. Reid doesn't have any character development like I though and it's Lou who excuses his behavior and tries to fix him. Their relationship was just a big red flag for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Misogyny, Death, Sexual content, Murder, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Confinement, Self harm, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Suicide, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
selestre's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Death, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
Minor: Kidnapping, Self harm, Animal death, Death of parent, Sexism, and Child death
cait's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Cursing, Gore, Child death, Abandonment, Genocide, Torture, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Vomit, and War
ldermer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Vomit, Child abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual harassment
readabilitea's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this one, perhaps because I was expecting nothing special, but actually it ticked all my boxes: exciting plot, interesting and well-developed romance, witches. I found the coded-France setting to sometimes be a bit laboured and there were certainly similarities to other popular fantasy/romance series (e.g. From Blood and Ash) but I found this surpassed them because time was taken to develop the romance and it didn't fall into the instalove trap and there were some twists that I didn't see coming
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail
klimatyczny_bluszcz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Really liked that one!! A complex magic system, lovable characters (especially Lou!) and witches. I was involved and looking forward to reading it in the end of the day. I was quite scared that the ending will be a cheese-happy-ending one, but wasn't as predictable and easy as I thought. If you like witchy tropes and enemies to lovers then I really recommend!! I'll probably read the next one in the series soon
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, and Blood
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Suicide attempt
lilyane's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Self harm, and Animal death
ashybear02's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Self harm, Murder, Death, and Misogyny
pattyblom's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Overall a nice story, but it lacked some depth and world building in the beginning of the story. I also had to reread paragraphs to understand the story. And also the end was a bit anticlimactic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Murder, Abandonment, and Death
Minor: Vomit, Child death, Suicide, and Self harm
renettereads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
“A witch and a witch hunter bound in holy matrimony. There was only one way such a story could end – a stake and a match.”
Lou is a witch on the run, but when she let’s her paranoia get the better of her, she finds herself in a precarious situation with a witch hunter. Forced into marriage, Lou must navigate her new life, hiding her true self from her husband as well as the witch out to sacrifice her.
I absolutely adored this book. Lou is insufferable, but in the best kind of way and her chemistry with Reid, her husband and witch hunter, is spot on. Other than the delightful tension and yearning between the two, I enjoyed Lou’s strength as an individual, as well as sidekick Coco.
Good magic systems, in my opinion anyway, relies on an equal measure of give and take, and Serpent & Dove nails that balance really well, and in a way that, I thought, felt original.
This was a real page turner for me and although I don’t really like anything that relies to heavily on religious themes, I think this struck a balance and the commentary on the hypocrisy of the church was really interesting. The character growth was another strength of this book and I also though plot, pace, and prose were all enjoyable. A couple of twists later, I’m really excited to see where book 2 takes us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Self harm and Sexism