Review by mirroaoror - The Poisoner

mirroaoror 's review for:

The Poisoner by I.V. Ophelia

3.0

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

My feelings towards this book are quite complicated. On one hand, I loved the main character and the overall premise; however, I felt that the execution did not live up to my expectations. To start with a positive note, Alina as a character was so intriguing. We love women in STEM who kill abusive men. I just wished that the book could have delved further into this aspect of her character to give her more substance. She's also such a relatable individual because I, too, would be very curious as to know the bodily functions of my monster lover. Moving on......

For a dark romance that covers a variety of sensitive topics, this book felt as if it wasn't taking itself seriously. Oftentimes there were banters between Alina and Silas that felt like they belonged in a book of a different genre. If this book was going to be a gothic or dark romance, it should really have stayed consistent with the overall tone associated with the genre.

This especially an issue towards the end when Alina approached Luka, her abuser, just to make Silas jealous like some high school drama

. Aside from the tone, the book still managed to capture my interest. I love Alina's friendship with Phoebe, and I really liked the consistency in Alina's character of being independent and trying her best to be strong. I hope that she kills more people in the next book 🙏

Content Warnings