Reviews with content warning for Genocide - Game of Gold

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.

Content Warnings

c45p1n's review against another edition

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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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prof_pelon's review against another edition

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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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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

Spoiler

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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