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A review by sophielaura1
Serpentine Valentine by Giana Darling
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
3.5 stars ✨
I have kind of complicated feelings on this one.
On one hand, I feel as though it was maturely, thoughtfully and masterfully written regarding the sexual assault (+aftermath) plot line , with a very unique, modern spin on Medusa.
On the other, the plot line may have been too strong ‘for what I was looking for’(!). I went into this expecting it to be a dark, sapphic romance, with the SA plot line being a sub-plot. In actuality, it was the reverse. The plot was almost too strong that it overshadowed the romance. Now, I don’t think that this is an inherently bad thing for the book itself, but the marketing regarding this book absolutely needs to change. I get why it was marketed as a romance as that is Darling’s typical genre that she writes quite successfully in, however this story felt worlds away from her other novels.
Speaking of the romance, it did also unfortunately feel a little too lust filled for my taste. And this is going to sound strange considering the romance was sapphic, but it didn’t feel sapphic at all. I have no idea how to elaborate on that point, it was just the vibes.
Overall I do actually believe that this is a very strong novel with a strong plot- I would just switch the genre and how it’s marketed.
I have kind of complicated feelings on this one.
On one hand, I feel as though it was maturely, thoughtfully and masterfully written regarding the sexual assault (+aftermath) plot line , with a very unique, modern spin on Medusa.
On the other, the plot line may have been too strong ‘for what I was looking for’(!). I went into this expecting it to be a dark, sapphic romance, with the SA plot line being a sub-plot. In actuality, it was the reverse. The plot was almost too strong that it overshadowed the romance. Now, I don’t think that this is an inherently bad thing for the book itself, but the marketing regarding this book absolutely needs to change. I get why it was marketed as a romance as that is Darling’s typical genre that she writes quite successfully in, however this story felt worlds away from her other novels.
Speaking of the romance, it did also unfortunately feel a little too lust filled for my taste. And this is going to sound strange considering the romance was sapphic, but it didn’t feel sapphic at all. I have no idea how to elaborate on that point, it was just the vibes.
Overall I do actually believe that this is a very strong novel with a strong plot- I would just switch the genre and how it’s marketed.