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saoreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
It has been stuck on my TBR for so long that I finally got to read it, and with my love for magic and fantasy, this was a real treat. The first book, Serpent and Dove, piqued my interest with its hint at unrevealed backstories and plenty of possibility for more investigation in possible sequels. The characters' deep family relationships with their convoluted secrets gave a level of complexity that really tricked the mind. The idea of a parent sacrificing their child and the contradictory emotions associated with parental love departed from the norm, revealing deceit and the disheartening knowledge that one is living a lie-based life.
The story explores the dissolution of values that have been imprinted since childhood, only to expose their falsity. It skillfully captured the possibility of love blossoming in the middle of disaster and presented endearing individuals in the midst of all of this upheaval. Together with highlighting the animosity between witches and chasseurs, which developed into an unexpected and intricate love tale, the story also touched on the themes of affection and teamwork among the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jullebullerulle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
loved the concept of witches and the magic system, really fun book. lou and reid were juat so cute even if reid is a ginger (its a shock i know, just push through).
i want to be a witch now.
i want to be a witch now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder
corine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
relaxing
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
accalia175's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
<b>โI was no one's sacrifice. Not then. Not now. Not ever.โ</b>
__________
This was a Goodwill store pickup book, mostly because it was a fantasy/witch-type. The cover artwork was eye-catching as well. I only read this book for something to pass the time as I'm waiting for two other books to be delivered of other series I'm reading. However, it's clear from the beginning chapter this is certainly a YA book, if not a mature YA. There's a lot of dialogue, not much description, and things seem to be jumping around. If you're not well-versed in French, fair not since there aren't too many terms/names that are hard to pronounce, but for me, there was enough that I was kinda struggling throughout the entire book.
The plot is a familiar church vs witches theme, with the witches having massive powers and out for blood, as well the church burning any witch at the stake, no questions asked. We've all seen/read of this before, so the originality is lacking. The slight difference is that the bad guys almost end up grouping together to become good guys, in a sense.
So, why the 3 stars?
- Lack of originality
- Little descriptions of people, cities/towns, events, etc.
- Too much dialogue (in a way I was able to breeze through most of it without actually "reading" it)
- For most of the book, the plot seems to vary, as do the characters' emotions. There are only two POVs, but it all seems so different each time it's switched. Almost like a whiplash of emotions/actions, so to speak.
I do want to mention the ending for anyone who's thinking of DNFing this book. It took until the last quarter or so of the book for me to fully have a grasp on the characters, where the plot is heading, and actually wanting to find out what happens. I don't want to give anything away, but it's almost sweet. There were actually a couple of spots that were heartwrenching. There's some humor mixed into the book, but most of it seems to fall flat.
This is certainly a YA book, but mature for language and there's only one "spicy" scene.
This will not a series I will be continuing to read.
__________
This was a Goodwill store pickup book, mostly because it was a fantasy/witch-type. The cover artwork was eye-catching as well. I only read this book for something to pass the time as I'm waiting for two other books to be delivered of other series I'm reading. However, it's clear from the beginning chapter this is certainly a YA book, if not a mature YA. There's a lot of dialogue, not much description, and things seem to be jumping around. If you're not well-versed in French, fair not since there aren't too many terms/names that are hard to pronounce, but for me, there was enough that I was kinda struggling throughout the entire book.
The plot is a familiar church vs witches theme, with the witches having massive powers and out for blood, as well the church burning any witch at the stake, no questions asked. We've all seen/read of this before, so the originality is lacking. The slight difference is that the bad guys almost end up grouping together to become good guys, in a sense.
So, why the 3 stars?
- Lack of originality
- Little descriptions of people, cities/towns, events, etc.
- Too much dialogue (in a way I was able to breeze through most of it without actually "reading" it)
- For most of the book, the plot seems to vary, as do the characters' emotions. There are only two POVs, but it all seems so different each time it's switched. Almost like a whiplash of emotions/actions, so to speak.
I do want to mention the ending for anyone who's thinking of DNFing this book. It took until the last quarter or so of the book for me to fully have a grasp on the characters, where the plot is heading, and actually wanting to find out what happens. I don't want to give anything away, but it's almost sweet. There were actually a couple of spots that were heartwrenching. There's some humor mixed into the book, but most of it seems to fall flat.
This is certainly a YA book, but mature for language and there's only one "spicy" scene.
This will not a series I will be continuing to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, Blood, and Murder
molls's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
melissafelicia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this story. I liked the vibe of the world, a sort of Renaissance French witches vs religious witch hunters story. I disliked the male mc at first but as his character developed, he started growing on me. The main plot was a bit predictable, but there were still some plot twists I didn't see coming. I'm curious about the rest of the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
mixed_emoticon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
TLDR Review for Serpent & Dove
3.5/5 stars
The first 100-200 pages read with all the pleasure of rubbing sandpaper on your face, but it's a necessary evil for background and believability. Thankfully, it gets better quickly after that.
Highlights:
๐ (Completed!) Trilogy Starter
๐ช multiple character perspectives
๐ซ๐ท French setting
๐งโโ๏ธ Witch trials
๐ญ Hypocrisy
๐ Forced marriage
๐งฒ opposites attract
๐ Mutual corruption
๐งถ Fluffy romance
๐ฅ How is this tame enough for YA!?
๐ข Emotional rollercoaster
๐ก๏ธ Sacrifice
๐ฉธ graphic murder, dying, and death
3.5/5 stars
The first 100-200 pages read with all the pleasure of rubbing sandpaper on your face, but it's a necessary evil for background and believability. Thankfully, it gets better quickly after that.
Highlights:
๐ (Completed!) Trilogy Starter
๐ช multiple character perspectives
๐ซ๐ท French setting
๐งโโ๏ธ Witch trials
๐ญ Hypocrisy
๐ Forced marriage
๐งฒ opposites attract
๐ Mutual corruption
๐งถ Fluffy romance
๐ฅ How is this tame enough for YA!?
๐ข Emotional rollercoaster
๐ก๏ธ Sacrifice
๐ฉธ graphic murder, dying, and death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
zoepagereader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was the best witch book Iโve read this year. The two main characters were perfect opposites of each other, and the alternating point of views made sure the reader never gets board with whoโs telling the story. I thought the use of French felt weird and out of place. Are they an English speaking country where everyone just says occasional phrases and swears in French? Why not on say it in full sentences? 5โญ๏ธ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and War
Minor: Abandonment
dlsmk's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
cosmicpasta's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I was contemplating giving this a 1.75 or a 2 but because goodreads only allows whole numbers it's getting a 2 there and 1.75 here.
This sure was a book I finished. I waited a few days after actually finishing to write this so I dont have the same level of anger and try to be as fair as possible. Lots of others have said what I dont like in their reviews so I'm going to keep this brief.
This is book largely feels like a debut novel that was rushed in the editing or suggestions were largely ignored. The pacing was inconsistent as was the tone, with poorly placed humor in between scenes that should've been more serious. Especially the use if the annoying bar song characters kept using in the worst times. Theme wise, it is incredibly white feminist who recently was told she needed to be more intersectional but doesn't know how. So any feminist ideas that don't conform to white cishet women is played poorly such as the use of "they are only female if they can have babies" or the catalyst of the story being "women fake sexual assult".
Character wise, the main characters were really lacking for me. Lou is constantly called smart and clever but majority of the book I found myself yelling because she was constantly making the stupid choice. Reid was slightly better but he still fell flat when it came to connecting clear dots. Not to mention their relationship did not click for me because while I love enemies to lovers, there is a difference between "different sides fall in love" andone love interest is part of a group that has a history of killing minorities and children, both you read in detail. I just cant see them falling in love with that background context.
All in all, it was a messy, disjointed time that ended up being more aggravating in the end than enjoyable for me.
This sure was a book I finished. I waited a few days after actually finishing to write this so I dont have the same level of anger and try to be as fair as possible. Lots of others have said what I dont like in their reviews so I'm going to keep this brief.
This is book largely feels like a debut novel that was rushed in the editing or suggestions were largely ignored. The pacing was inconsistent as was the tone, with poorly placed humor in between scenes that should've been more serious. Especially the use if the annoying bar song characters kept using in the worst times. Theme wise, it is incredibly white feminist who recently was told she needed to be more intersectional but doesn't know how. So any feminist ideas that don't conform to white cishet women is played poorly
Character wise, the main characters were really lacking for me. Lou is constantly called smart and clever but majority of the book I found myself yelling because she was constantly making the stupid choice. Reid was slightly better but he still fell flat when it came to connecting clear dots. Not to mention their relationship did not click for me because while I love enemies to lovers, there is a difference between "different sides fall in love" and
All in all, it was a messy, disjointed time that ended up being more aggravating in the end than enjoyable for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming