Serpentine Valentine

A Medusa Retelling

By: Giana Darling

Narrated by: Rose Dioro, Quinn Riley

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

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!!

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 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!

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.

Quinn & Rose 😍😍

What a dream team. Lex and Luna were torturously bound and brought to life with such complexity by Quinn and Rose. This was my first Giana Darling book, and what a story to start with. It has been a long time since an audiobook has gripped me right in the beginning and has made me want to listen from start to finish. The emotions and trauma are at the forefront of this story, but underneath the darkness there is a stunning love story trying to snake its way out through the cracks. Beautifully performed!

Salted pasta water

“Salted pasta water” I BEG YOUR FINEST PARDON

Wild thing to say if I’m being honest

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

So damn good

Do not think about it, just read it it’s worth all the credit. Trigger warning!

Absolutely Loved It!

This. Book.

Every once in a while you read a book that you know will stay with you - this book is definitely one of those for me. It’s heartbreaking and savage, romantic and sensual, ruthless and everything in between.

I loved the dance of dark and light and the layers that the author wove into every interaction. It was captivating and addictive and I absolutely devoured it.

This book contains sensitive topics but in my opinion, they were handled incredibly well. Dark academia isn’t my usual read but I loved every second of this one!

Rose Dioro and Quinn Riley were perfect as Lex and Luna. They took a fantastic story and gave it so much life and emotion.

Still reeling over this book and cannot wait for what’s next from Giana Darling!