Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

23 reviews

beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic friendship, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Grief and Gore

Minor: Cursing, Racism, and Pregnancy

jazminnnnnnn's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Torture, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Stalking, Toxic friendship, Grief, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

toffishay's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

I'm interested in the plot and excited ton see where the series goes. I struggled with the writing that had a few too many pop culture references and teen speak. It's a modern YA book, so that isn't terrible but that sometimes has a way of pulling me out of the world. I really like Marie and I want to see more of her. There is a bit of a twist that I saw coming and has an element at the end that I always dislike in books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Murder

Moderate: Violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Pregnancy

relin's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

Minor: Death, Animal death, Classism, and Adult/minor relationship

shaipanda's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

I absolutely loved this 
Despite having read Cinderella is Dead by the same author, I did not expect how dark and horror ish the end of this book gets 
I think if it had less of that horror aspect at the end it would have been a 5 star read for me but it really fucked me up the way it was lol 
Otherwise amazing tho and if like/don’t mind horror would 100% recommend 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Torture, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Violence

em_of_swags's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

Didn't catch me quite as fast and much as Cinderella Is Dead did but it really picked up pace in the last hundred pages and I loved it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Toxic friendship

kyrstin_p1989's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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? No

5.0

This book had so many different intriguing elements. The Greek mythology, the poisonous plants, the magic. The characters are a delight — weird, funny, and somehow cool. The descriptions are so vivid I could picture myself in the middle of all the settings. I can’t wait for the next book in this series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, and Death

bubothereader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.5

This Poison Heart is the Greek mythological fantasy I’ve been looking for. It wraps mythology in without being overwhelming about it. Plus, plant magic!  I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that has this kind of Druidy plant magic and it was perfect. 

I appreciated how Bayron also mulled on gender divides. Like, how mythology about women is likely displayed in the manner it is because men wrote their stories. This is something we as women still face today in the way men write us vs how women write us. It’s a completely skewed lens. 

The characters are some of my favorite parts. I enjoy that Briseis is a botanist, but isn’t an overall nerd. The parent relationship was VERY present in the novel and they were lesbians. I appreciate when authors include parents in books about teens and I LOVE the representation. 

Dropping a full star for the 300-year old plus love interest. Have we learned nothing from Twilight?

This book was magic. I adored every second of reading it. Can’t wait to add it to my To-Keep shelf and get my hands on the sequel.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Toxic friendship

lunarxcross's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Violence, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Murder

msstearns13's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Amazing! I finished it in less than a week because it's so good and am no desperately waiting for the next to be released

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Gore

Minor: Death of parent and Toxic friendship