A review by lyderature
A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry

There were bits and pieces in this that I could appreciate—the magical realism, the diversity, the setting, the eerie lore—but all in all, I don't think the writing was strong enough to pull it all together for me. And it's such a shame because the premise was so strong and this had all the right ingredients, but the execution just wasn't there. I kept on waiting for the pieces to click together, for that moment where the story really hit me, but unfortunately, it never did. 

In short, I wanted this to be an Ava Lavender. Instead, I got something watered down and none too compelling. 2 stars.