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MischaS_'s Reviews > Serpent & Dove
Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove, #1)
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MischaS_'s review
bookshelves: disappointment, english, amazing-cover, expected-something-else, not-interested-in-the-romance, unsure-if-i-ll-continue-this-series
Apr 25, 2020
bookshelves: disappointment, english, amazing-cover, expected-something-else, not-interested-in-the-romance, unsure-if-i-ll-continue-this-series
This was a rather hard review to write. I have to say that it seems that with hyped/popular books, it seems that I either love them or hate them; unfortunately, this was the latter.
This book having an average 4,15* and 4,11* friends' average rating, seemed like a sure good read. Especially since even people who I "always" agree with seemed to like this book, the thing is while many people recommended this book to me, I still cannot blame it on having too high expectations for it. I honestly did not expect anything from this book. Yet, it did disappoint me.
I have to put the only/most positive thing right here at the beginning; the cover is truly gorgeous.
Back to why writing this review was hard, and it connects to why I found reading this book hard. It was hard to care for it. It took me a long time to finish; I fell asleep several times, I found different things to do rather than reading this. And when I was finished, it was hard to find the will to write this review because the book just left my mind. I usually think a lot about the books I read; I replay scenes in my mind etc. but not this one. I did not think about this book once since I finished it.
I found the story building and the background setting lacking. There was so little. Clearly, it was inspired by France even if it's totally fictional land. And for some reason, characters drop French here and there. Why is it necessary to say that they had chocolat chaud? Just say hot chocolate. Why they suddenly "speak" French? It does not make the book or the setting more french.
Same with "they were hunters, Chasseurs." So, they were hunters, hunters [in French]. What?
Also, since Belterra is clearly fictional why the religion is so clearly Catholic with the Bible and everything? It's just such a strange middle ground. On one hand, going full fiction creating a new kingdom but then sticking the Bible in there.
(view spoiler)
A few people told me that the romance part is the best thing about this book. I have to speak about it as well. (Btw, I just noticed that I did not mention anything about the characters so far.)
I don't like the romance part of this book; I don't get it. I don't see it. It feels very artificial. It does not help that I did not really feel them getting closer together more like deciding "we're married, so, we should care for each other and love each other." Did not really work for me.
Plus, Reid seemed to have a personality of a blank page which did not help much.
Note, I finished this review and only after that, I realised that I did not really talk about Lou. So, here I am with not much to say. She goes for a thief to a wife pretty fast, and while I like the glimpse, we got of her at the beginning of the book that person never returned.
(view spoiler)
But since this review was so far rather negative, I would like to mention a few more things which were the reason why this has two stars from me and not one.
The magic system had potential. I was interested in the difference between the Dames Rouges and Dames Blanches since in the "legend" only the latter were mentioned.
And I could get behind Beau and Coco that seemed like a potential for a fun arc. But then the author was clearly pushing Ansel to the mix, and I cannot suffer through another book just to get a love triangle or Coco ending with Ansel.
So, yes, this is me saying that I won't be continuing with this series. And yes, I know that this review is a mess, but I just cannot find the will to spend any more time trying to make it more presentable.
Reaction after finishing:
Big Titty Liddy? What was even that? Who thought that that was a good idea?
RTC but I can say that I was not a fan of this one.
This book having an average 4,15* and 4,11* friends' average rating, seemed like a sure good read. Especially since even people who I "always" agree with seemed to like this book, the thing is while many people recommended this book to me, I still cannot blame it on having too high expectations for it. I honestly did not expect anything from this book. Yet, it did disappoint me.
I have to put the only/most positive thing right here at the beginning; the cover is truly gorgeous.
Back to why writing this review was hard, and it connects to why I found reading this book hard. It was hard to care for it. It took me a long time to finish; I fell asleep several times, I found different things to do rather than reading this. And when I was finished, it was hard to find the will to write this review because the book just left my mind. I usually think a lot about the books I read; I replay scenes in my mind etc. but not this one. I did not think about this book once since I finished it.
I found the story building and the background setting lacking. There was so little. Clearly, it was inspired by France even if it's totally fictional land. And for some reason, characters drop French here and there. Why is it necessary to say that they had chocolat chaud? Just say hot chocolate. Why they suddenly "speak" French? It does not make the book or the setting more french.
Same with "they were hunters, Chasseurs." So, they were hunters, hunters [in French]. What?
Also, since Belterra is clearly fictional why the religion is so clearly Catholic with the Bible and everything? It's just such a strange middle ground. On one hand, going full fiction creating a new kingdom but then sticking the Bible in there.
(view spoiler)
A few people told me that the romance part is the best thing about this book. I have to speak about it as well. (Btw, I just noticed that I did not mention anything about the characters so far.)
I don't like the romance part of this book; I don't get it. I don't see it. It feels very artificial. It does not help that I did not really feel them getting closer together more like deciding "we're married, so, we should care for each other and love each other." Did not really work for me.
Plus, Reid seemed to have a personality of a blank page which did not help much.
Note, I finished this review and only after that, I realised that I did not really talk about Lou. So, here I am with not much to say. She goes for a thief to a wife pretty fast, and while I like the glimpse, we got of her at the beginning of the book that person never returned.
(view spoiler)
But since this review was so far rather negative, I would like to mention a few more things which were the reason why this has two stars from me and not one.
The magic system had potential. I was interested in the difference between the Dames Rouges and Dames Blanches since in the "legend" only the latter were mentioned.
And I could get behind Beau and Coco that seemed like a potential for a fun arc. But then the author was clearly pushing Ansel to the mix, and I cannot suffer through another book just to get a love triangle or Coco ending with Ansel.
So, yes, this is me saying that I won't be continuing with this series. And yes, I know that this review is a mess, but I just cannot find the will to spend any more time trying to make it more presentable.
Reaction after finishing:
Big Titty Liddy? What was even that? Who thought that that was a good idea?
RTC but I can say that I was not a fan of this one.
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Reading Progress
September 10, 2019
– Shelved
April 18, 2020
–
Started Reading
April 25, 2020
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 71 (71 new)
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❤️❤️~ Paulette & Her Sexy Alphas❥✘✘✘
(new)
Apr 18, 2020 11:40AM
Happy reading Lady
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Oooh! I'm definitely waiting for your review on this one.
❤️ Paulette Alphas Review wrote: "Happy reading Lady"Thank you.
Tani wrote: "Oooh! I'm definitely waiting for your review on this one."Well, so far I would rate very far from 4 stars, to be honest. It's just... a bit meh and I find that a lot of things don't really make sense. But I hope it will get better.
MischaS_ wrote: "❤️ Paulette Alphas Review wrote: "Happy reading Lady"Thank you."
💋 It's Always Pleasure MischaS ツ ! 🤝
MischaS_ wrote: "Tani wrote: "Oooh! I'm definitely waiting for your review on this one."Well, so far I would rate very far from 4 stars, to be honest. It's just... a bit meh and I find that a lot of things don't ..."
It's more romancey. I think it was the last part that changed my mind. I'm really not sure how it'll turn out for you. :-/
Cant wait for your review but that Big Titty Liddy song was not my cup of tea either 😂
I didn't love this one either, sadly.
Same here. Looking forward to your review!
Tani wrote: "MischaS_ wrote: "Tani wrote: "Oooh! I'm definitely waiting for your review on this one."Well, so far I would rate very far from 4 stars, to be honest. It's just... a bit meh and I find that a lot..."
Yeah, one hand it's totally romancey story between Lou and Reid. But then I don't even feel much chemistry between them which is not helping.
G. wrote: "LOL that was the same question I had."Thank you. 😂 I'm still so confused by that.
Phuong ✯ wrote: "Cant wait for your review but that Big Titty Liddy song was not my cup of tea either 😂"😂 Good to know that we all were not a fan of that song.
Val ⚓️ Shameless Non-Snowflake ⚓️ wrote: "I didn't love this one either, sadly."Honestly? I'm really glad that so many people are telling me that they were not a fan of this book. Because to be honest, it has 4,15 average and my friends' average is 4,12 and all the people I usually agree with the most gave this 5*. And it's a bit intimidating to write the review where the most positive thing I so far said was that I liked the cover. 🤦♀️
Jocelyn wrote: "Same here. Looking forward to your review!"Thank you. Should be done tomorrow or later today depends on your time zone. 😂
Definitely easier to write it now that I see people who were disappointed as well.
Agreed. I expected a soapy YA romance but was even majorly disappointed by those standards. Most of it was just dumb.
Karima wrote: "Agreed. I expected a soapy YA romance but was even majorly disappointed by those standards. Most of it was just dumb."I honestly did not expect anything from this book but it still disappointed me which is a pretty spectacular achievement.
Sounds really disappointing...
Dita wrote: "Sounds really disappointing..."It really was and I would get it if I had high hopes for this or something but that was not the case.
The part were you talked about the background setting killed me 😂 when I read the book I didn't really mind, but now that you've mentioned it it's really weird and unnecessary. The characters especially Reid were so bland in this story. I really don't know what everyone sees in them, but well that's where taste differentiate. Great review Mischa!
Phuong ✯ wrote: "The part were you talked about the background setting killed me 😂 when I read the book I didn't really mind, but now that you've mentioned it it's really weird and unnecessary. The characters espec..."Yeah, the setting part was where I ranted a bit and I even cut that part in half because yeah it was too much.
All the so-French names Labelle? Belterra? Beauregard? were just so... not good. I don't know was it supposed to create some sort of world-building? Like, you say hot chocolate in French and boom you have the whole world-building done because if something is unclear just look at France or what?
Yup, Reid was just so bland. I just could not get over it. It felt a bit like the books we used to get 8-10 years ago where the main female characters were usually the bland ones. I thought we were over that not that the male characters would become bland now.
Oh, thank you. 😊
Aw noo I really liked this one haha but your points are valid. Like the "La Voisin", the invisible ring or French thing. I also agree with the lack of world building, though most of the stuff I didn't even notice while reading 😂 Anyway great review, Mischa!
she got into this mess cuz she needed to pee real bad 😂 omg now i have to read this. great review!! <3
You're totally right about this being forgettable! Apparently I've read this - I know this because I do remember the cover and Goodreads says I gave this 3 stars. But having read your review, I went back and read the description and other reviews as well - and I don't remember the characters or the plot! Definitely lowering my rating to a 2 star!Also, I've recently noticed that a lot of YA books use an additional language in this way and it's really frustrating! Dropping a few French words doesn't make up for world-building!
Great review!:)
Great ranty review, Mischa! And applause for finishing it. I DNF it at 27% b/c I just didn't care anymore. It had such a great potential, though.
I soooo agree. The romance definitely didn't work for me. And everything about this was underdeveloped. I don't even like the cover 😂
Sorry this one wasn't for you. Hope you enjoy your next read! Don't be intimidated because we don't have same views. It's totally fine. ❤
I had the same exact issues as you! I think I gave this 3-stars, which was kind. Not sure why I did that. You’re so right—it was all completely underdeveloped and forgettable. I can’t even remember who Ansel is. There was no reason for the two main characters to like each other, much less fall in love. It was all just blah. WHAT ARE WE MISSING HERE?
Lien wrote: "Aw noo I really liked this one haha but your points are valid. Like the "La Voisin", the invisible ring or French thing. I also agree with the lack of world building, though most of the stuff I did..."I'm so happy that you liked it! It's just the stupid ring irked me so much! What's the point of having it when she never really uses it when necessary? I mean if there was something like that the ring works only during the full moon or something? But like that, it's just a bit stupid.
Anyway, no book is perfect, so, even me with books I love, I realise its issues once someone points them out. And I'm like: "I never realise that but then does not matter, I still love it!" 😂
Btw, since you liked this book, be prepared that I'll be asking for some summary what will happen next, cause I'm not planning on reading it but I still wanna know. 😂
mel wrote: "she got into this mess cuz she needed to pee real bad 😂 omg now i have to read this. great review!! <3"Well, that's not probably that kind of mess I meant but yeah, still mess. 😂
And thank you! Great to know that people find interest in a book even after reading a negative review! Love that. I'll be keeping an eye out for your review/thoughts on this!
Aadila wrote: "You're totally right about this being forgettable! Apparently I've read this - I know this because I do remember the cover and Goodreads says I gave this 3 stars. But having read your review, I wen..."I totally feel like in August I won't be able to remember what this book was all about.
And thank you! I usually have a problem with the additional language because usually there are a lot of mistakes in the language. And it often feels just plain wrong. For example, in Romanov (Anastasia retelling) it's set in Russia and clearly the characters are talking in Russian but then the author threw some Russian words in the mix. So, a) they were speaking some different language and then just used a Russian word or b) they spoke Russian and then some more Russian?
Like, here, I don't really get the use of French, what was the reason for it?
Monique wrote: "Great ranty review, Mischa! And applause for finishing it. I DNF it at 27% b/c I just didn't care anymore. It had such a great potential, though."Thank you! I just needed to rant a bit. 😂
Oh, thank you, and I do not blame you for DNFing because I thought about it as well.
The idea of the book is not bad but the final delivery is.
Mary wrote: "I soooo agree. The romance definitely didn't work for me. And everything about this was underdeveloped. I don't even like the cover 😂"Okay, and what did you like since you gave it 3*? 😂
Anyway, thank you! I'm so happy that we agree (again). Maybe if there was not so much time spent on trying to build-up the romance and rather on the actual plot it could be so much better.
Btw, are you planning on reading the next one?
Tani wrote: "Sorry this one wasn't for you. Hope you enjoy your next read! Don't be intimidated because we don't have same views. It's totally fine. ❤"Thank you so much! 😍 Anyway, since you liked it, you can let me know how will the rest of the series go. 😂
• Lindsey Dahling • wrote: "I had the same exact issues as you! I think I gave this 3-stars, which was kind. Not sure why I did that. You’re so right—it was all completely underdeveloped and forgettable. I can’t even remember..."Ehm, all of what you just said. Agree so much! And Ansel was the hunter or Chasseur 🤦♀️ who was supposed to guard Lou and who sort of liked Coco.
And yes, why are they suddenly in love? Why? How? When?
Aww boo. Sorry this one just didn't work for you 😞 I hope your next read is much, much better!
Sorry Mischa this was a let down:( better luck next one!
this book has been sitting in my shelf for awhile now and I havent got the chance to read it yet to know more. Why I bought it in the first place? The hype probably, lot of people keep talking about this book and I want to find out why but I'm sorry it wasnt good experience for you :(
Mischa, I’ve fallen into the ‘hunter + hunter’ trap before. Khaled Hosseini does it in ATSS. I suspect it’s meant to give more of a sense of authenticity: since the book is written in English, it doesn’t ‘feel’ French/Russian/Afghan. It’s useful if you don’t know the real-world languages, because then ‘chasseur’ feels like an exotic fantasy word instead of just... the French word for hunters.
MischaS_ wrote: "Tani wrote: "Sorry this one wasn't for you. Hope you enjoy your next read! Don't be intimidated because we don't have same views. It's totally fine. ❤"Thank you so much! 😍 Anyway, since you liked..."
Do you need spoilers? 😉
MischaS_ wrote: "Lien wrote: "Aw noo I really liked this one haha but your points are valid. Like the "La Voisin", the invisible ring or French thing. I also agree with the lack of world building, though most of th..."True to that! And I can definitely do that! I write summaries anyway so it wouldn't even be an extra effort for me to provide you with one haha ;)
ℓуηη, ℓσкιѕℓутнєя¢ℓαω wrote: "Aww boo. Sorry this one just didn't work for you 😞 I hope your next read is much, much better!"Thank you so much! While I did not like it, I'm happy to see that you did.
Kelli wrote: "Sorry Mischa this was a let down:( better luck next one!"Oh, thank you, fingers crossed that the next one will be better.
Kaddy wrote: "this book has been sitting in my shelf for awhile now and I havent got the chance to read it yet to know more. Why I bought it in the first place? The hype probably, lot of people keep talking abou..."I know that feeling. Sometimes I just buy a whole series and then I hate the first book and now I have 5 books on my shelf which I won't read. 🤦♀️ Why do I do these things?
And I don't blame you, the end of 2019 and the book was all over my feed. But hey, maybe you'll like it?
Tanvi wrote: "Mischa, I’ve fallen into the ‘hunter + hunter’ trap before. Khaled Hosseini does it in ATSS. I suspect it’s meant to give more of a sense of authenticity: since the book is written in English, it d..."Yeah, I get it that it's meant to give it a bit of authenticity but it so often fails. 🤷♀️
Plus here I don't get it, it was not set in France but in a fictional land.
But you're so right! Chasseur sounds so much better than hunter. 😂
Tani wrote: "MischaS_ wrote: "Tani wrote: "Sorry this one wasn't for you. Hope you enjoy your next read! Don't be intimidated because we don't have same views. It's totally fine. ❤"Thank you so much! 😍 Anyway..."
Yup, all the time. 😂 My mum says that I'm the unit of curiosity. 😂
Lien wrote: "MischaS_ wrote: "Lien wrote: "Aw noo I really liked this one haha but your points are valid. Like the "La Voisin", the invisible ring or French thing. I also agree with the lack of world building, ..."Love that! Cannot wait. 😂 And thank you, easier than trying to find some info on Wikia where it's often rather confusing.
MischaS_ wrote: "Kaddy wrote: "this book has been sitting in my shelf for awhile now and I havent got the chance to read it yet to know more. Why I bought it in the first place? The hype probably, lot of people kee..."Maybe maybe, soon enough I'll get to it!
Kaddy wrote: "MischaS_ wrote: "Kaddy wrote: "this book has been sitting in my shelf for awhile now and I havent got the chance to read it yet to know more. Why I bought it in the first place? The hype probably, ..."So many books, so little time.
I tried reading this novel, but for some reason, it didn't really click for me. I just felt this huge, gaping disconnect from the story and the characters. But I agree, the settings weren't very well-constructed, and the random French words were very jarring to read imo. Didn't get far enough to read the romance, but I guess I didn't miss out on much xD
Vibur wrote: "I tried reading this novel, but for some reason, it didn't really click for me. I just felt this huge, gaping disconnect from the story and the characters. But I agree, the settings weren't very we..."Oh, hello! Welcome back, long time no see. How are you??
I totally get it that it did not click with you, I also felt disconnected from it all.
Yeah, poor French people reading it in French translation they will totally miss all the setting with the character drinking chocolat chaud. I'm actually curious to see the "they were hunters, Chasseurs" sentence in french. 😂
From what I can say, you missed nothing. 🤷♀️
