Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - A Drop of Venom

It’s a heavy book with a really heavy topic so PLEASE BE WARNED but honestly the thing I didn’t like was just that this was written in a YA way, which is fine because that’s what it was! I’m just like 15 years too old and found certain dialogue and actions kinda cringey but if I was 17 I would have eaten this up. I believe it’s going to be a series so I will for sure be checking out the second book

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sbrnamthla's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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jepha's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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alli_the_bookaholic13's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

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mariyakeeka's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

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

2.75

This is an Indian retelling of the Medusa myth, which I had thought was very interesting! It was a fantastic concept and it had a lot of potential, but it fell flat for me.

There are alternating POVs between the MMC and the FMC. The FMC is decently realized as a character and she has a nice arc as she gives into her rage, but her POV lacks a solid plot line. She's flitting from place to place and the plot/purpose is very vague and she just conveniently finds her way for the most part. The MMC has potential with an internal struggle but it's never given the depth it needs to be impactful, so I didn't feel connected to him as a character. I will say, though, that I enjoyed the relationships he had with his soldiers and friends as the FMC lacked consistent side characters. But his POV, at least, had a plot that we could understand and follow. He had a purpose. Some might say that the FMC lacked purpose on purpose because of what she'd been through, but it simply doesn't translate.

With the dual POVs, we also have alternating timelines with the FMC in the past and the MMC in the present and I still don't understand this decision? It slows the story down and it doesn't ultimately provide us with anything. A similar effect could have been achieved with them both in the present and the FMC just always ahead of the MMC.

The relationships were also lacking, overall. The FMC and MMC have an instant connection, which is just a trope that I am personally not a fan of. There was no depth. The FMC had a few side characters that she meets and then she leaves, so she's mostly solitary. This could have been used to flesh her out and give us more detail in her emotional arc, especially given that she is journeying for a large part of the book. The MMC had a few friends and it was his relationship with them that really was used to build his character. The king is just a regular evil guy and so is his general. The world building was a little unclear and it definitely could have been shown more.

The pacing definitely could have been tighter and the dialogue was a bit too modern for my taste. The amount of violence against women meant that unless they turned to violence themselves they were either presented as vapid or victims and this truly did not sit well with me. There was little nuance in that sense (a single scene towards the end did attempt to address this, I do think, but not enough to dispel this thought).

Overall, I don't think I'll be picking up the second book but I may pick up another by this author because I believe that this was her first foray into fantasy.

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mckennah's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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megansoetaert's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.75

This book is awesome & emotional. It deals with very challenging themes, namely sexual violence against girls and women, so take care when reading. Manisha, the main character, is incredible and so powerful. Her story is one that many women can identify with, although steeped in mythology. I loved the Indian & Greek mythology central to the story (Naga & Medusa retellings). Also, there’s absolutely no room for forgiveness for violent men in this book, and I love it.

I can’t wait for book 2 to see what Manisha’s sisters have been doing 👀

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sestrout's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

2.5

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