Reviews tagging 'War'

Game of Gold by Shelby Mahurin

14 reviews

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 I’ve 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 who’s 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? 5⭐️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, Body horror, Murder, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Death, Grief, and War

Minor: Abandonment

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

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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

kat1105's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Blood, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Body horror, Child abuse, Physical abuse, War, Gore, Murder, and Sexism

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

lorenasanz's review against another edition

adventurous medium-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

3.0

Este libro falla con la inexistente construcción del mundo, el desarrollo del personaje y tiene grandes problemas entre la protagonista (Lou) y sus amigos.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Sexual content and Fatphobia

Minor: War

marinasslibrary's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

 Enemies to lovers just never disappoints!
I am obsessed with fantasy that includes witches lately and Serpent & Dove surely did deliver.
I love the marriage out of convenience/ forced marriage trope because it mostly leads to close proximity and only one bed!
Many of my favorite tropes were present and so I already loved the book for that!
Regarding to the plot it was always keep exciting and mysterious and imo not predictable! That is one of my main icks with books but with this one I did not predict the ending the least!
Reid and Lou have a great chemistry from the beginning throughout their highs and lows.
I am really excited to read the next book :)
I highly recommend reading this if you like the same tropes as me! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Hate crime, War, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Blood, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, and Kidnapping

Minor: Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

rae42's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

Only thing I didnt like was one particular line where a character said that you are a woman if you can have a child, transphobic and wrong. I know cis women who can't have children

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, and War

Minor: Transphobia

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

neaky__'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

Things I liked: 
• The mechanics behind the white witches. I LOVE how their magic has limits and how the magic is presented. I also liked how the magic has a scent in this universe. 
• Relationship between Reid and Lou was fast but surprisingly believable. 
• I wasn’t expecting the final “twist” i guess you could say. A cruel twist of fate and i’m excited to see where it will lead in the next book. 

Things I didn’t liked: 
• I don’t think many of the side characters aside from the main few were developed. 
• Some parts are cringey and predictable but overall not too much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Murder, Misogyny, War, and Sexism

Moderate: Vomit, Suicide attempt, Genocide, Emotional abuse, and Eating disorder

c45p1n's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I see no reason to not give this book a 5. It was witty (vulgar), dark and mysterious, it was so hard to put down or stop and it was well written!! A perfect concoction of english literature. It was mysterious with it's magic elements but it made sense and wasn't overly complicated. 
There were many loose ends, but the book is a trilogy so I expect those to get cleaned up in the next book. It wasn't an appalling amount of loose ends, just enough to keep me satisfied with halting for a moment but also enough to keep me along a string to read the next book. 
Lou and Reid's development, both as a couple and apart, was incredibly intricate and well built. Both became better (relative term) people and both worked towards their goals but they confronted their problems!!! There wasn't a lack of communication between them (well, other than the fact that Lou's a witch..

Spoiler

and her all power mother, the monarch of all witches.. is after her blood. literally.

). 
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a magical, timley, 500-page enemies to lovers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Cursing, Death, Confinement, and War

Moderate: Blood, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Violence