Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Șarpe și porumbel

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Șarpe și porumbel by Shelby Mahurin

33 reviews

lizzyluck's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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corvidprince's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

I've heard mixed opinions about this book from other people, but I'm glad I gave it a shot because I loved it. I did find some of the dialogue kind of cheesy, but overall the character interactions weren't awful. I found the magic system interesting, and as someone who loves complicated magic systems, this book's magic system is a favorite. I can't wait to delve into it more in the next book.

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mariereads_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

I was no one's sacrifice. Not then. Not now. Not ever.

Exhilirating. Gripping. Intense.

I've had a bit of a book slump for more than a year and it's only been this month that I've had the courage to start reading again.

Serpent and Dove was one of the best books that got me out of my reading slump.

I love the exquisite and detailed world-building that Shelby Mahurin has created. It transports the reader to 17th century France and you could actually feel and experience that you were witnessing magic and mystery unfold.

This enemies-to-lovers, off-page marriage, daggers-to-throat relationship between Reid and Lou was off the charts! The balance between their vulnerability both as a couple and as individuals, and the turmoil, secrecy, and fear that they both are dealing with speaks to me on so many levels!!

I cried my eyes out when

Reid found out Lou was a witch and he said 'You are not my wife.' It broke my heart so much knowing that Lou already found a home in him but a part of her couldn't blame his reaction to the truth especially since she kept it from him because he was a Chasseur

More than that, I loved how Lou built strength to face her mother and take a hold of her fate. It's such a fascinating and empowering thing that one can make a path and fate of their own and not succumb to what was "phropecised"

The side characters were also very lovable! Throughout the book, Coco and Ansel has claimed a soft spot in my heart for them. Even Jean Luc despite being a total jerk, I'm rooting for his character development, if there is any, in the next books.

Some of the plot twists are shocking and surprising while others were heavily foreshadowed that I knew when to anticipate them or just guessed it outright.

Suffice to say, this initial installment of the series has me hooked and eager to buy the second book so I can journey with Lou and Reid throughout the series.

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nightfell's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

This really didn't have to be THAT long.
Lou was an okay character, I wasn't attached. She could have had some real character depth with her backstory, but that wasn't explored, at least in this first book, and she felt like a caricature.
Reid was so annoying and stupid, I understand where he's coming from with his 'I hate witches' propaganda, but it was still annoying. He had so many pointless and irritating reactions to a lot of the situations, and It made the book just that much longer.

Their relationship was developed over such a short amount of time, and felt really rushed (it was zero to hundred), and yet this book was over 500 pages long...the math isn't mathing. It felt like she just woke up and decided to she found him adorable and attractive, when the day before she felt nothing like that towards him. She never gave a reason for what it was that made her fall in love with him, or even develop feelings for him in the first place, so everytime later in the book they would give these dramatic declarations of love it just didn't make sense.
The one part of this book that I liked was the fact that Reid was a virgin and Lou taught him the ways of intercourse in a really nice way, I thought it was well done. She wasn't mocking or patronising or anything like that she just showed him, and it felt like a safe space for both of them. That being said it was a little too detailed for YA in my opinion, but whatever.
We will not be discussing Big Titty Liddy.

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mythical_molly's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is the book that got me back into reading. It is a beautiful star-crossed slow-burn enemies-to-lovers love story. The relationship is so well written that at some point in the book, you're probably going to sit back for a second and think "hey wait when did they develop feelings for each other?" but it feels so natural and so right that it just fits, and I think that's a testament to how well-written the slow burn is. All in all, this is a fantastic story with twists and turns that will always keep you guessing. Could not recommend it enough.

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ashcashtrash's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

there were definitely things i liked and disliked in this book. i loved lou and reid's dynamic together, and some of the later plot points broke up an otherwise predictable story. i found it really weird how french was the main language of belterra, despite it being a fantasy work - it brought me out of the world a little bit. i also found the magic system to be a little underdeveloped. it had a fanfiction-y vibe, so i did stay up til 2:30 to finish it in one sitting.

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