Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

32 reviews

onemamareads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Misogyny, Death, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Genocide

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I wanted to read this book because I had seen this book all over bookstagram and booktok and wanted to read more new authors this year. My first sort of thoughts is that I wanted more from this book, and I didn’t get it. 

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they get burned. As a huntsman of the Church, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. But when Lou pulls a wicked stunt, the two are forced into an impossible situation – marriage. Lou, unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, must make a choice. And love makes fools of us all. This is a young adult romance fantasy novel. 

Okay, Ansel and Coco saved this book. I love Ansel. If he was the main character – this book would have been so much bloody better. Coco is a badass protective friend and I want her in my life. But that was about it that I liked. They saved the book. The storyline took me a while to get into as it was quite weak and I was hoping it was a bit of darker romance even with YA but it just barely felt like YA or NA and just felt . . .  average. Reid really annoyed the crap out of me and as the main character he just wasn’t “OH MY GOD I WANT HIM TO SAVE ME!” It was just a bizarre and strange read. There wasn’t any slow burn either. It went from we hate each other to we would die for each other in the space of like three chapters. 

I really struggled with this book and hopefully now I’m understanding the characters and the world, hopefully I will be able to enjoy the next book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, War, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Torture

michelerr55's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Body horror, Child death, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide and Torture

gimmiiie's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

3.0

🐍: 3.0/5.0 

My initial thoughts were that it was a 4.0. But the more I thought about it I think it's a 3.0. Reflection has pinpointed some things I didn't enjoy. 
 

~~~SPOILERS BELOW~~~ 

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What I enjoyed:
 -The growth that both Lou and Reid went through. They were able to work through their biases and see who they had dehumanized as human (Reid more so and he still needs to grow). 
 -Cosette is my favorite character. I wish she had more time in the book. Though I loathed how the nickname the author gave her "Coco". 
 -The Enemies to Lovers trope. One of my favorite tropes and I will read nearly any book with this. 
 -I appreciate that the book didn't end with a betrayal. I'm sick of reading fantasy books where the love interest betrays the MC. 

What I didn't like:
 -How Ansel was treated by adults.  He's such a sweet and innocent character. The 2 main female MCs flirted with him and he's a minor. And that's never okay. 
 -I wish this was a standalone book. I'm not too interested in continuing the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture

Moderate: Animal death and Grief

safety_pin's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Abandonment, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Vomit, Child abuse, and Child death

Minor: Alcohol

ajboyd_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, and Religious bigotry

urreadtome's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Torture, Gore, Death, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, and Misogyny

Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy

prof_pelon's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Abandonment, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Torture

some_summer_writing's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Cursing, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Torture

Minor: Vomit and War

emmahe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Religious bigotry, Violence, Torture, Abandonment, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Cursing

Moderate: Child abuse, Vomit, Sexual content, and Animal death

Minor: Child death