Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Serpent and dove. La strega e il cacciatore

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Serpent and dove. La strega e il cacciatore by Shelby Mahurin

64 reviews

kal1namal1na's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

3.0

Good prose, but whacky pacing. There were a lot of things that felt like the author gave up partway - character building, world building, plot points. This was less of an enemies to lovers book than a mild inconvenience to lovers - and even then, the romance came suddenly, with very little build. I did appreciate the twist at the end, but I take some issue with use of real religions - not just Christianity, but Wicca as well - in a fantasy world like this.

Content Warnings

mariereads_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

jub's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous 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

Content Warnings

thecatconstellation's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

knifewifestan's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

Content Warnings

gonnachangethislater's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I found the first half incredibly boring but the second half I really enjoyed. I never want to hear the phrase 'my husband' again and I forgot his name for half the book because that's all he was referred to as.

Content Warnings

ana24gs's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book may seem like it was written for ten-year-old’s, maybe the way the main plot begins is ridiculous, maybe the characters speak like nine-year-old’s, and maybe the characters are not very original in the fantasy world, but all that doesn't matter because I found the book to be verry entertaining.

I needed to read an enemies to lovers romance with a fantasy subplot, and I got it by reading this book. I wasn't expecting the super plot, I wasn't expecting deep characters, I wasn't expecting a complex world, I needed something easy to read and I got it. This actually was a really funny experience; I couldn't stop reading it.

But I suggest being prepared for how ridiculous it can be at moments, MANY MOMENTS. I can only prepare you for this with this quote, DIRECT FROM THE BOOK: “Big Titty Liddy was not very pretty, but her bosom was big as a barn. Her creamery knockers drove men off their rockers, but she was blind to their charms…”.

Speaking of this, I feel that because of the dialogues and how immature the characters were, you expect it to be a book for teenagers, teenagers from eleven to fourteen years old, but because of the serious topics they touch, such as prostitution, sexism, murder, witch hunt, an explicit sex scene, deformation, neglect of minors, religious extremism, self-flagellation in order to perform magic, and I don't know what else, you'd expect it to be a book for an adult audience.

Despite this, you may like it if you know what you're getting into, a romance of enemies to lovers that unfolds as you expect, with a fantasy plot that also unfolds as one expects it to unfold.

☢️ SPOILERS ☢️:

Okey, as I said the characters are very bland, we have seen them a thousand times in a thousand books with similar themes. But still, I am going to talk about them.

Lou: She is a girl who is not like other girls, because she thinks for herself and is super open with her sexuality, that is fine, it does not bother me, but it is nothing new, so it does not impress me. She is brave, strong, sarcastic, funny, kind, nothing I have not read before. She has the worst mother in the world and an interesting witch power. I take this as an opportunity to say that I like the magic system of this book, I like that there are limitations when using them because it creates tension in the reader, you know that the actions that the main characters carry out come with consequences.

Reid: The author does something with Reid that I liked. Reid is a super religious boy, extremely religious, and hates witches. But that's not what interests me about his character, he develops as anyone expects. What interests me about his character are his anger issues. It is very common to see extremely violent male protagonists, but it is never presented as something dangerous. In this book it is very clear that Reid has anger issues, he is aware of it, he is aware that it is not normal to feel so much anger and so much desire to strangle people and, although it is difficult for him, he is able to control himself. BECAUSE HE KNOWS IT'S NOT NORMAL, AND IT'S NOT OKEY TO BE SO VIOLENT AND HAVE SO MUCH ANGER. It’s shown how it should be shown, a mental health problem that can be managed with good control techniques (and I think medicine, but at that time that does not exist).

Coco: Cosette, she's here because I really liked her.

Anzel: My only opinion is that he's cute, I'm not even going to deny it. He is immature, yes, but it is understood because of his religion.

Labelle: I really liked this woman, super smart, she doesn't bite her tongue, she speaks her mind, and I'm very curious to see how she will handle her relationship with Reid now that he knows that she is his mother.

Lou's mother: The worst mother in the world.

Fangirl moment, let's talk about romance:

I LOVED THE ROMANCE GDABCSDJNLFKD, I walked in for an enemies to lovers romance and this book did not disappoint, from their banter with each other, to the moments where they cared for each other and got jealous. THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SEE. I don't care that Lou makes fun of everything Reid does and at times I have a hard time understanding why he, in the end, falls in love with her, and that Reid does the bear minimum that any good husband can do (not hit her), their scenes together are super cute and I super love them together because they really care about each other and understand each other. It broke my heart when Reid found out that Lou was a witch and told her that she was no longer his wife AUCH, it hurt a lot. But now they are fine, and I hope they continue to be.

Content Warnings