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catsandbookstacks 's review for:
A Touch of Poison
by Clare Sager
**I am Clare Sager's PA and have been a massive fan since discovering her over two years ago. I read TOP during beta and ARC stages.**
A Touch of Poison is an incredible sequel about human connection, and of course female rage. With dual POV, action, political machinations, magical monsters, groveling and slow burn spice, you will not be disappointed after A Kiss of Iron!
I can't count the amount of times I yelled CLARE while reading this (both during beta and ARC stages). She knows just the right way to draw the reader in and when to pull the rug out, whether that's with reveals, more secrets, edging and cliffhangers. She leaves me drowning in emotions after every single book.
Every single chapter moves the story along through plot and character development. The spice is intertwined with Kat and Bastian's personal journeys in such a meticulous manner that when it all finally happened, it just felt right for the characters. Okay, the edging was maddening but holy was it well worth it! Besides, this is about the characters and not my personal needs.
Kat, Katherine Ferrers, ranks in my top tier romantasy leading ladies. She is fierce, strong and loyal with a confidence that slowly builds through the series. The portrayal of her experienced traumas, both past and present, make Kat who she is at her core. The feeling of required obedience and low self-worth can be hard to read, but feels realistic.
Bastian. Swoon! Getting his POV throughout was icing on the cake. Seeing how much he cares for his people while keeping himself at a distance connects all the dots from KOI. He is absolutely tortured by his past, and while wanting to fix what he can, Bastian will sometimes lose sight of what's right in front in front of him.
They both have their trauma and struggles, which manifests in the way they seek human connection both in romantic and platonic relationships. I am in awe with Clare's mastery at writing heroes, villains and those who fall in between.
There are so many beautiful and tender moments in TOP, you can tell that Clare writes directly from the heart.
I loved seeing returning Sabreverse characters and highly recommend that folks seek out the Bound by a Fae Bargain duology, as well as the Beneath Black Sails series.
A couple favourite quotes (I literally had 103 pages of highlights when I pulled them from my Kindle):
"There is beauty in the world, Kat. And beauty has value."
"Let's burn this whole world and build a new one."
"Locking me up isn't safe. It's torture."
"You're not a monster. You're glorious."
"Fuck. She saw. She saw everything."
"I was wrong. There is no 'just' between us. Only everything."
CW: death, suicide, violence, torture, DV, characters who have grown up in abusive homes, flashbacks to war, misogyny, fat shaming, mention of SA/rape, medical content (operation/treatment), animal death, alcoholism
A Touch of Poison is an incredible sequel about human connection, and of course female rage. With dual POV, action, political machinations, magical monsters, groveling and slow burn spice, you will not be disappointed after A Kiss of Iron!
I can't count the amount of times I yelled CLARE while reading this (both during beta and ARC stages). She knows just the right way to draw the reader in and when to pull the rug out, whether that's with reveals, more secrets, edging and cliffhangers. She leaves me drowning in emotions after every single book.
Every single chapter moves the story along through plot and character development. The spice is intertwined with Kat and Bastian's personal journeys in such a meticulous manner that when it all finally happened, it just felt right for the characters. Okay, the edging was maddening but holy was it well worth it! Besides, this is about the characters and not my personal needs.
Kat, Katherine Ferrers, ranks in my top tier romantasy leading ladies. She is fierce, strong and loyal with a confidence that slowly builds through the series. The portrayal of her experienced traumas, both past and present, make Kat who she is at her core. The feeling of required obedience and low self-worth can be hard to read, but feels realistic.
Bastian. Swoon! Getting his POV throughout was icing on the cake. Seeing how much he cares for his people while keeping himself at a distance connects all the dots from KOI. He is absolutely tortured by his past, and while wanting to fix what he can, Bastian will sometimes lose sight of what's right in front in front of him.
They both have their trauma and struggles, which manifests in the way they seek human connection both in romantic and platonic relationships. I am in awe with Clare's mastery at writing heroes, villains and those who fall in between.
There are so many beautiful and tender moments in TOP, you can tell that Clare writes directly from the heart.
I loved seeing returning Sabreverse characters and highly recommend that folks seek out the Bound by a Fae Bargain duology, as well as the Beneath Black Sails series.
A couple favourite quotes (I literally had 103 pages of highlights when I pulled them from my Kindle):
"There is beauty in the world, Kat. And beauty has value."
"Let's burn this whole world and build a new one."
"Locking me up isn't safe. It's torture."
"You're not a monster. You're glorious."
"Fuck. She saw. She saw everything."
"I was wrong. There is no 'just' between us. Only everything."
CW: death, suicide, violence, torture, DV, characters who have grown up in abusive homes, flashbacks to war, misogyny, fat shaming, mention of SA/rape, medical content (operation/treatment), animal death, alcoholism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Suicide, Alcohol, War
Minor: Animal death, Rape