Reviews

This Poison Heart, by Kalynn Bayron

libbypops's review

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

I loved the family dynamics in this book! The way the author managed to show the embarrassment that a teenage girl feels from the overprotectiveness of her parents was great. The dialogue really built up relationships between characters. 

The ending was a complete surprise! And I’m looking forward to reading more. 

librarycatnip's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Loved the combination of gothic atmosphere, greek mythology and Black lesbians. 

emily_n106's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Couldn’t put this book down! It was such a great story and loved the characters and even the other smaller characters that we got to meet briefly that lived in the area. The addition of plants and poisonous plants were very intriguing and it was really cool to see how it was incorporated into the story

That ending was insane and I’m so excited to read the second book.

abandonfires's review

mysterious medium-paced

4.0

tkreadsbooks's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

carolined314's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious 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

5.0

A fantastic brew of gothic horror, poisonous plants, Black girl magic, loving and supportive adopted gay family, and murdery Greek mythology. 

gmcoen's review

4.0

Wow that ending!!!! I really enjoyed this book, but the last 2 chapters were what really pushed it into the awesome category. I'm so excited to see how things continue in the next one!

insomanyworlds's review against another edition

5.0

A gorgeous urban fantasy with gothic vibes, witchcraft, Greek mythology, and a powerful understanding of representation. Felt like entering a video game world in the best possible way

reading_robyn's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

When my daughter saw the cover, she said, “Oh! This is pretty. What is it about?” My response? “Black Girl Magic”

Plot: Briseis is a teenage girl living in Brooklyn with her moms. They own a flower shop and Bri loves plants. She can make them grow with just a touch. Every day it is a struggle to keep her powers a secret. Then an aunt, that she didn’t know of, dies and leaves her an estate surrounded by plant life and a garden with every known species of poisonous plants in it. Brie is the only person left who can safely tend to the garden thanks to her gift. Before she can get settled in her new home, she meets some colorful character and uncovers dangerous secrets. Soon Bri is drowning in secrets, questions, and warnings about her birth family. Who can she trust?

Characters: I loved all the characters. Bri’s moms were great. They loved the hell out of Bri and neither of them hesitated to show her that. They were funny and protective and it was refreshing to see a black character with a good home life. They were just happy and dealing with having a magical daughter the best they could. 

Briseis very quickly moved onto my Fave Female MC list. She was a good-natured, down-to-earth (literally 😂) girl. She was a bit lonely since she had to keep her powers secret. Then when she moved to the estate she made a few choices that made me 🤦🏽‍♀️ shake my head but I understood why.

Full review at https://readingrobyn22.wordpress.com/2022/06/27/this-poison-heart/ 

I’m off to read book 2 

mjwhitlock18's review

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I feel like the ending left something to be desired (mostly because the set up for the second book left this one feeling unfinished). But I LOVED the magic system and mythology tie in.