Scan barcode
A review by eje_reads
The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I absolutely adored the first half of this book. The first half alone would warrant 5 stars from me. I adore Venus and the introduction of her world, both how Witcher society works along with her family and friends. The world building kept me turning pages and I was locked in for the ride
But then came the last half. While there were some great and tender moments, I feel there was too much talking and revealing things in conversation and inner monologue than action. Any action sequences were extremely rushed which was disappointing because they were done so well in the first few chapters. The ending felt rushed in the span of a few chapters, and the antagonist revealed at the end felt a little cartoony for me considering the heavy topics that went into the creation of this book. And it felt like every few pages was a big reveal/twist that wore me down after a while the more we came across. It didn’t feel thrilling as much as just hoping for an action sequence and not another chapter of talking.
I love Venus and consider her a fantastic character as well as a handful of others in the novel. I heard this was originally supposed to be two books which I feel could have solved the pacing issues in the last half for me. I would love a world of two books in this series to really flesh it out and live in the world like we do in the beginning.
I wish the author all the success in the world. Moments where you know she wrote from the heart shined through, and I’m so happy her novel was published.
But then came the last half. While there were some great and tender moments, I feel there was too much talking and revealing things in conversation and inner monologue than action. Any action sequences were extremely rushed which was disappointing because they were done so well in the first few chapters. The ending felt rushed in the span of a few chapters, and the antagonist revealed at the end felt a little cartoony for me considering the heavy topics that went into the creation of this book. And it felt like every few pages was a big reveal/twist that wore me down after a while the more we came across. It didn’t feel thrilling as much as just hoping for an action sequence and not another chapter of talking.
I love Venus and consider her a fantastic character as well as a handful of others in the novel. I heard this was originally supposed to be two books which I feel could have solved the pacing issues in the last half for me. I would love a world of two books in this series to really flesh it out and live in the world like we do in the beginning.
I wish the author all the success in the world. Moments where you know she wrote from the heart shined through, and I’m so happy her novel was published.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence