Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

7 reviews

lj_mx18's review

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

3.0

I really enjoyed many aspects of this book, but the age difference between
marie and Bri
really ruins a lot of this series for me, because even if she is in the body and mind of a 17 year old/teen, she still has 300 years of life experience. So their relationship feels predatory. I think the fact this is YA makes it a bigger issue, because young teens will be reading it. My 13 year old sibling read this. I think all of the parts I really enjoyed about this book are overshadowed by the complicated implications. Because if Marie is in the body of the 17 year old and Bri ages, then the issue arises of Bri being physically older and being into a 17 year olds physicality. 

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relin's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0


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kyrstin_p1989's review

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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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bubothereader's review against another edition

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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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missrosymaplemoth's review

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4.0


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bookiewithacookie's review

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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

4.0

Eeeekk I loved this book!

I picked up This Poison Heart in a bit of a reading slump. It was the perfect story to dive into and get wrapped up in. It was fast-paced, and towards the end became a real page turner. This has been my first Kalynn Bayron book, and I'm hooked on their unique writing style and gorgeous book covers.

Book blurb:

'Briseis’s control over flowers and plants wreaks dangerous consequences as she discovers long buried secrets in the garden of her rambling inherited home in this gripping, empowering fantasy from the author of Cinderella is Dead.

Ever since she can remember, Briseis has had power over plants. Flowers bloom in her footsteps and leaves turn to face her as though she were the sun. It's a power she and her adoptive mothers have spent her whole life trying to hide. And then Briseis inherits an old house from her birth mother and suddenly finds herself with the space and privacy to test her powers for the first time. But as Briseis starts to bring the house's rambling garden back to life, she finds she has also inherited generations of secrets.

A hidden altar to a dark goddess, a lineage of witches stretching back to ancient times, and a hidden garden overgrown with the most deadly poisonous plants on earth. And Briseis's long-departed ancestors aren't going to let her rest until she accepts her place as the keeper of the terrible power that lies at the heart of the Poison Garden.'

The first 80% of This Poison Heart I LOVED, but I won't lie I got pretty lost in the final 20%. The ending made minimal sense to me and felt oddly unexpected, but it wasn't enough to take away from this exciting, well thought out and intriguing book.

How to explain this book in a sentence? A fun, fast paced novel where Percy Jackson meets the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. My ideal VIBE

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tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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