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nebulasaurus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
evnfig's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
What I appreciated most about this book was the sudden dark turns it took. I tended to think better of the novel as a whole when things got twisted and kinda fucked up, like it legitimized it somehow.
My biggest hold up was probably the writing? Lots of actions and descriptions seemed overdramatic when they didn't need to be, it made the writing seem juvenile, but I guess this is YA, so?
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Body horror, Cursing, Death, and Blood
neaky__'s review against another edition
- 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
• 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.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
urreadtome's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexism, Torture, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, and Blood
Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy
victoriacp769's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Anyways, the book is good, really good, but the writing was not the best.
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- 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
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin is the first book her trilogy. We follow Lou, a headstrong and spunky witch, who is living in hiding as a thief in a French inspired city, where witches are hunted by Chasseurs. We also follow Reid, the captain of the Chasseurs, and he is stoic, self-loathing, and has a stick up his ass.
While Lou is attempting to steal a magical ring that could protect her from her mother, she is caught and somehow gets entangled in a forced marriage to Reid, to both of their dismays. We get a really good slow burn enemies to lovers that doesn't make me want to scream about unhealthy relationships. I loved Reid and Lou's banter, and how she got him to open up a little.
We get great side characters too! Coco is a badass blood witch of color and is also bi! I love her so much, and I hope we get more of Coco next book. Ansel is my baby and must be protected! Even Beau started to grow on me in the end, especially when Coco gets under his skin.
The world building was great, and I appreciated the magic system for both types of witches. Dames de Blanc get their magic from nature, and nature demands balance. Dames Rouges use blood magic, so their magic comes from within. Excited to learn more about them next book!
Although there was one really steamy part (🌶️❤️🔥🥵) I expected there to be more the way people on here talk about this book. It seemed pretty tame to me. Mahurin has infused messages about how at its core, religious patriarchy is about power and control, and if you can't control a thing, you must destroy it. We also get themes on how life isn't black and white, but many shades of gray. I love me some morally gray characters, and Lou fits that. Excited for the next book!
Graphic: Body horror, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide
zabeishumanish's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
themariner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
The second thing you need to know about S&D is that if you're going in expecting a deep dive into the development of prejudiced characters and the system of belief they were raised in or the gradual destruction of those beliefs as they learn to understand the other side of their conflict and to love one another or even a meaningful take on the real, historical witch-hunting and witch-burning this story was based on, you will be massively disappointed. No, I'm not salty about it. (Yes, I am).
I want to start with something posivite because I have a lot of negative points to raise but I don't want to appear like a debby-downer: some French puns were actually very funny. If you don't know/speak French, I urge you to translate them. Also, I actually liked Lou's rowdiness which was very refreshing and funny (Ansel being shocked by her song had me laughing out loud).
Now, onto the good (or bad) stuff.
There are several issues with this book, issues that other people might explain better than I would ever be able to explain but, if I had to identify the two points that bothered me the most, it would be the following:
1/ This is a 500-page long book with little to no evolution.
Hear me out. You are told at the very beginning that the story is set in a fantastical french alternative universe because of the use of french words and names (Louise being the single most popular name for girls in France) and then... that's it. No world-building is used beyond the use of occasional French, there is little to be said on the subject of world-building in general but you had so much to base yourself on when it comes to 16th century France... And none of it shines through. You are told this is a ennemy to lover story and, yeah, the book beggins with them being ennemies and end with them being lovers but that through no fault of their own as the characters litteraly never fall in love. Reid goes from "she is annoying" to "she is my wife/little heathen" within chapters and... that's it. No development, little to no moments that make you root for them/believe that they are actually in love (or, if those moments exist, they come in too late into the story).
Finally, and that may be the worst part of the book,
2/ Which leads us to 2/ : why, exactly, is Lou the one to change point of view?
Louise tells people, times and times again, that Hunters might not be that terrible in the book and realizes that some things about her coven aren't perfect and, yeah, that may be a good point to make when it comes to warring sides and the ever present theme of duality but it should always be secondary to Reid and other characters realizing that the brutal murdering of women and girls who are, for the most part, innocent is wrong, terrible and crual, a point that Reid doesn't seem to question.
The thing is, the conflict in the book is heavily influenced by the historic damages caused by Christianity and its systematic oppression towards suffering minorities so having the "minority character" (Lou) questionning herself while the Catholic white man (Reid) doesn't just feels... Bad ™.
Graphic: Body horror
mythical_molly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Self harm, Sexual content, and Blood
kokorobosoina's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Body horror and Emotional abuse