Serpentine Valentine

A Medusa Retelling

By: Giana Darling

Narrated by: Rose Dioro, Quinn Riley

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Giana Darling comes a sapphic dark academia Medusa retelling about a woman who was wronged by her idols and refused to pay the price without getting revenge...

I was born a woman.
Raised by women.
In love with women.
Until I enrolled at Acheron University, I'd never known much of men. I certainly didn't know enough to fear them.
Then one stormy autumnal night, Professor Morgan tried to destroy me.
And when we were discovered by the university President, it was me who was punished for the unwanted seduction.
But they left me with two valuable lessons.
I would never let another woman be hurt by men again if I could help it.
And when someone hurts you, betrays you, and tries to rip out your soul, there is only one remedy for the pain.
Revenge.
And mine takes the form of the President's very beautiful, very virginal, very straight daughter, Luna Pallas.
Before the end of term, I'll destroy her innocence just as her mother and Professor Morgan destroyed mine.

©2024 Giana Darling (P)2024 Giana Darling

Sapphic Dark Academia Medusa Retelling

Serpentine Valentine by Giana Darling is a sapphic dark academia Medusa retelling that I listened to on audio narrated by Rose Dioro and Quinn Riley.

This is the first book of Giana's that I have read, and it definitely won't be last. I don't want to give any spoilers away. So, I will just say that I really enjoyed the relationship that bloomed between Lex and Luna. Their relationship was messy, but they brought the best out of each other. I loved getting both of their points of views throughout this book. It really brought the story to life.

Rose and Quinn did an amazing job on the narration. They both really know how to bring a story to life. I look forward to listening to more of their work in the future.

I would recommend this book if you're looking for a sapphic romance, modern day retelling, dark romance, or romantic suspense.

I DEVOURED this audiobook 🐍🖤

There aren't enough words to describe the journey that Giana Darling and this book took me on. This was my first Giana book, and I was not disappointed! Her writing style is absolutely beautiful and the way she painted such vivid pictures of Lex and Luna's love story kept me captivated from the beginning and left me wanting more! I can’t wait to dive into more of her work.

This was narrated in dual by Rose Dioro and Quinn Riley and they NAILED IT with their performances. Rose was the quintessential choice and really brought out the rough edge that is Lex Gorgon while also showcasing her emotions and making me feel everything that Lex was going through (and man does she go through some tough sh*t). She has quickly moved her way up my list of favorites!
Then we have Quinn and she was new to me but I felt she voiced Luna Pallas effortlessly. She brought a slight innocence to Luna while she was on her journey of self discovery and grew with her in a sense while Luna made the choice to explore her identity in a space that didn't want her to and both of these characters were empowering and inspiring. These two voices were a perfect pairing and at times I felt like I was listening to a duet instead of dual narration

The romance was everything I wanted in a sapphic romance and I loved the push and pull of the relationship. There was definitely some angst and spice and I just loved watching them fall for each other.

✨ this book deals with some dark themes so go into this carefully and always protect yourself and your mental health first 🖤

It was great!

If you are looking for a sapphic medusa retelling romance look no further!! This one sucked me in right away and I didn’t want to put it down! Luckily because this was an audio I didn’t really have to! This was pretty much a one sit listen! I thought Luna and Alex were amazing characters!! This book broke my heart but then it was put back together again.

If you enjoy anti hero, enemies to lovers, found family, angsty, grumpy/sunshine, dark academia, revenge and redemption romances you will love this book! There are some very heavy subject matters that happen in this book so be sure to check content warnings before reading if needed.

I really enjoyed listening to this one! I thought that the narrators did a great job of hooking me in. Sometimes my mind can wonder when listening to an audiobook, but I didn’t find that happening while listening to this one! Serpentine Valentine is a book that I’d definitely recommend!!

Loved it!

A beautiful story of betrayal, pain, revenge and love! I listened to this book in 2 days! I was hooked from the start and got deeper in with Lex and Luna’s s story. I loved having both MC’s points of view. I really enjoyed all the quotes from famous writers and activists at the beginning of each chapter. I was impressed with how much the quotes captured the essence of what was happening in that chapter. I will definitely read more books from this author!
The topic that this story tackles is heavy but one that needs to be brought to the light where monsters can be exposed. Excellent writing and amazing narrators!

Dark and twisted and oh so gooood!

Holy moly, people, where have I been? How have I not cracked into this one earlier? I absolutely smashed through this audio. And don’t even get me started on these two narrators’ performances. They OWNED this book. And the writing is perfection! This is Giana at her best. Dark, twisted, and filthy.

This is a dark FF romance set at a university. It tackles hard topics and there is tr@uma on the page, but it helps us understand the depth of emotions in Lex and Luna. This is a reve^ge story with a g@y main character and a character who believes she’s straight at the start of the book, but eventually, realises that the feelings she has for Lex are more than plutonic.

The cat and mouse, push and pull is delicious. The contrast between Luna and Lex is real but totally works.

Okay, so I am gonna rave about this audio because this is definitely a case of the audio was better. Rose morphs from the professor’s star student to the p@riah, and we feel it in her performance. She gives us all the venge@nce vibes with a window into the dark and twisted mind of Lex. She is the yin to Luna’s yang. This is my first time listening to Quinn, and her voice complemented Rose’s perfectly. We really feel how torn Luna is over her feelings and the relationship that’s developing between her and Lex, and it’s all because Quinn delivered the goods. These women make a powerhouse couple and they school us in the art of narration. Fifty million stars for their performance alone but couple that with a complex story that will drag you along kicking and scre@ming, b@rbed wire baseb@ll bats in hand (in the best possible way of course) and you have the recipe for GOLD!

Ten out of ten; highly recommend!

Loved this story of revenge and healing!

This is a dark academia, sapphic, Medusa retelling romance that has many dark elements. Please check the content warnings as there are some very dark themes that could be disturbing to some readers.

***I listened to the book via audio. The Narrators are Rose Dioro and Quinn Riley. They did a fantastic job.

This book was very well written and I enjoyed the audio immensely. The story was very emotional and the characters had some very traumatic things happen that set the course of their actions. Please, If you find certain content in books disturbing, you look into the triggers. The beginning of the book leads up to a scene that was so lifelike, that it was hard to listen too. I felt for Lex and understood where her need for revenge came from. I found the attitude and actions that the college took during Lex's incident extremely disturbing and hope that if any person has to go through what lex did, they get the support they need. The story held my attention and I enjoyed the rest of the book.

What a mesmerizing story!

Narrated by Rose Dioro and Quinn Riley, together they weave a captivating dark academia tale. Lex's fierce journey of revenge against betrayal unfolds with gripping twists. The narrators' tones and inflections enhanced the story and brought the characters to life, making it an unputdownable one-day listen.
I especially loved the revenge elements, and the inclusion of steamy scenes adds an extra layer of intensity. The Man-Eaters club were freaking amazing!! Total badass women. I really loved this story and this won't be my last book by this author. A must-listen for dark academia and sapphic romance enthusiasts.
There are dark themes in this story, please check TWs.

Amazing book and mesmerizing peformance

I loved a lot of things about this one. its so raw, cruel and real. it's a story about self love and self acceptance. Of course, it's a love story but it's so much more than that. I really loved this one. please listen thus one and grab the tissues!!!

Medusa inspired retelling

If you like dark, Medusa inspired retelling then this is the audiobook for you. Lex and Luna both are strong and bold. There is rage and revenge in this book, and it is a dark romance so check the warnings. Narrated by Rose Dioro and Quinn Riley they did a phenomenal job with this story. Thank you Valentine PR and Giana Darling for the ALC for my honest review.

finding you voice and finding true love

5 Stars!

“it takes courage to love someone who thinks they are broken,”

I love everything I've read by Giana Darling, so I instantly signed up for this ALC without even looking into the tropes. When I tell you I screamed in excitement that Giana Darling was gracing the world with a sapphic romance, I think I scared my roommates. It was such a beautiful story about a college student who was advantage of by a man in power, and how sometimes the systems meant to protect us fail us the most. This is a powerful story of a strong FMC who deals with an intense trauma, who must then find the new her amongst broken pieces as she makes a stronger version of herself while healing. This book was a deliciously slow, but extremely steamy romance. I loved Lex and Luna as a couple, and I love that Luna supports in her in so many ways. I love that it's not just a story of romance, but also one of justice for voices that were silenced in the past. It was just overall stunning.

What to expect:
FF romance
Medusa Retelling
Revenge / feminine rage
Dark academia
Story on trauma and finding you voice when society tries to silence you