A review by startjpw23
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a YA dark fantasy. The main character is Briseis. She lives in Brooklyn. It is summer. It appears to be between her junior and senior years of high school. Her mothers own a flower shop. Briseis helps out in the shop. She has special powers related to plants. She can revive almost dead plants very quickly. She can cause plants to reproduce very quickly. Plants are literally drawn to her. If she doesn't keep up her concentration, they noticeably bend toward her. This isn't a really bad problem while she is in Brooklyn because there are not that many trees and other plants in the locations she frequents. She can't let anyone besides her mom's know about her abilities. Her two friends have grown distant from her. She was adopted when she was really young. An estate lawyer informs her that she has inherited a house in upstate NY from her birth aunt (sister of her birth mother). She and her mom's move to the house for the summer. From there, Briseis learns more about her powers and heritage. The author does a great job revealing details. The last part of the book is thrilling and very tense. I really loved the book and the way it gradually revealed things. Briseis is an appealing lead character. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a YA dark fantasy with an appealing lead character. And a book that keeps the reader wondering what comes next.
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