A review by booksplussky
Serpentine Valentine by Giana Darling

dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

While I really enjoyed parts of this story, overall it fell a little short for me and there were parts I just couldn't get behind. This is a sapphic Medusa retelling. Assault is a major plot point in this story and is what drives much of what the main character goes through and experiences. While I loved the lyrical writing that comes with any Giana Darling book, there were parts of the story I found completely unnecessary and almost harmful. Some of the dialogue felt unnatural and stereotypical. I also firmly believe that when authors are writing outside of what they know, they do not need to include slurs in any way even if it is to further the characterization of an antagonist. For example, a lot of the antagonists in this story use slurs towards LGBTQ people that are written out in their entirety, and they were very jarring to read. I think the same point could have been made if the author simply said "they called us slurs" vs using the actual slurs. I also think referencing Harry Potter in a story like this was unnecessary and harmful in it's own way.

I enjoyed the revenge plot and this felt similar to Mindf*ck, which is one of my favorite books of all time. I do think the parts of this story that I disliked could be taken out and it would better the story overall. I do not know if there were sensitivity readers for this book but it felt like more were needed. 

Overall, I love Giana's writing style and always will. I liked what she was trying to do with this book but the harm in it outweighed anything else for me. 

Thank you Valentine PR for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review! 
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