Reviews

Serpentine Valentine by Giana Darling

shanayaareads's review

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3.0

I don’t really have much to compare this to, in terms of sapphic romances. But as far as Giana Darling books go, this was one was great. Not the easiest sapphic romance to start with, but still a good read.

The subject matter, I think might be triggering for some individuals, so reading with caution is super important here, but I think Lex & Luna’s story, trauma aside was adorable.

I definitely enjoyed it. Still, i can recognize that there were moments with the dialogue seemed outright pretentious and weird ie. Lex saying she tastes like “salted pasta water…” really?

There are also glaring plot issues, like Lex & Luna both being daughters of women who were supposedly best friends & somehow having never met, Beckett getting away with assaulting Luna & the fact that Lex is covered in snakes and the symbol for the vigilante group being snakes, yet nobody seemed to put it together.

In any case, I think the story was enjoyable despite its dark themes and slight faults. Even if you couldn’t relate to Lex’s trauma per se, the feminine rage here was real and i think we’ve all been there at some point or other.

maleareads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

occions's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

2.5

vale_8's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

amberreadsromance28's review against another edition

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5.0

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶🌶🌶

Serpentine Valentine is THE best sapphic romance I have ever read. Giana Darling managed to combine dark academia with a Medusa retelling in such a moving and impactful way. The beginning is very dark since it starts out with the SA of our heroine Lex, so please check your triggers. I can honestly say that these scenes, while hard to read, were so moving and relatable. Giana described Lex's thoughts and feelings during the SA in such a real and truthful way. I think many women will be able to connect/relate to this if they have experienced SA in their life.

Lex Gorgan is such a strong and badass heroine. She returns to the school after her SA to get vengeance on the professor who attacked her and the school president who covered it up. She plans on seducing the President's daughter Luna. However, she falls for her beautiful and open spirit. 

I loved Luna's self-discovery in this book and how she was learning about her sexuality. She had such a sweet nature, and she was perfect for Lex. Lex needed her to bring some light into her life and show her there was more to accomplish than just beating on the predators with her Man Eater group. SA is too common, and a lot of universities sweep it under the rug. This book shows the importance of speaking out and the need for change.

Giana always writes beautifully and manages to put me through all the feels. She was very descriptive during the SA scene, and it felt so real. I loved the mentions of mythology and literature in this book. It gave me all the Dark Academia vibes.

Please just make sure to check triggers.

TW: SA (on page), attempted SA, drugging, homophobia, PTSD, and assault

phammart7's review against another edition

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4.0

The fact that lex changed to be a better person but also didn’t change that fact that she was going to kill her rapist and wasn’t going to change for lux. They became a better version of themselves. Ughhh everything about them so good, reading about college and how so many uni will keep hush so they can look good to the public 

spacepixel's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

stfucatalina's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.5

i adore female rage and i’m glad to see it written with such a strong justifiable hunger rather than feeling guilty because it’s something people would say to get over.

one thing that did cause me to pause was when
morgan’s dna was tested against the dna from lex’s rape kit and matched. nobody thought to test his dna when she first accused him? also, did lex ever get her name cleared for “beating” luna? did beckett ever get exposed?

asmith1102's review against another edition

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

3.0

sheinac's review

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dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense 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

3.75