Scan barcode
A review by ebonwilde
This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska
4.0
I used to be obsessed with Alicia Jasinska's Midnight Girls when i was young, so this was one my most highly anticipated arcs of the year, and it didn't disappoint at all. I did expect it to somewhat grittier due to what Midnight Girls was like, but this was more of a soft, whimsical Disney version of a fairytale, rather than a Grimm Brothers' edition. Despite this, and my usual dislike of cozy type books, this was very enjoyable.
The worldbuilding is usually what makes or breaks a fantasy book for me, and the worldbuilding in this was beautiful. I loved the quaint, picturesque atmosphere. The writing was exactly what I wanted from this (fairylike, enchanting, otherwordly), which is almost something I never get from ya fantasy (except for Allison Saft, and I absolutely recommend this for fans of Allison Saft). The characters are witty, well developed, and easy to connect to. The romance is quite delightful as well. I loved the banter between Gisela and Kazik and how their relationship progressed, and Kazik's finally admitting how much he cared for Gisela was one of the main highlights of the book. The relationship between Kazik and Aleksey was equally satisfying, but the Aleksey-Gisela end of the relationship felt underdeveloped. Of course,, so I suppose it doesn't really matter.
I did assume this was a standalone, and I would have preferred it to be, but if it is, the poly part in the blurb is highly misleading. I do hope we get a sequel for the actual poly relationship.
I enjoyed most parts of this book, but I don't reloy like how queerphobia was portrayed. The main queerphobic incident of this book, and it's like a major "thing" for some reason, is a lesbian being biphobic about Gisela choosing to date men rather than women. And it's just?? Why is this the queerphobia being highlighted, when no other types are given the same attention?? When actual wlwphobia or homophobia is far more rampant and quite literally deadly?? Lesbians are not killing bi girls who date men. In fact, men are killing bi girls who date men, and bi girls who date women, and also all other categories of queer people, and it's just icky to me to have the one queerphobic character be a lesbian.
Other than that, I really liked this book. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy.
The worldbuilding is usually what makes or breaks a fantasy book for me, and the worldbuilding in this was beautiful. I loved the quaint, picturesque atmosphere. The writing was exactly what I wanted from this (fairylike, enchanting, otherwordly), which is almost something I never get from ya fantasy (except for Allison Saft, and I absolutely recommend this for fans of Allison Saft). The characters are witty, well developed, and easy to connect to. The romance is quite delightful as well. I loved the banter between Gisela and Kazik and how their relationship progressed, and Kazik's finally admitting how much he cared for Gisela was one of the main highlights of the book. The relationship between Kazik and Aleksey was equally satisfying, but the Aleksey-Gisela end of the relationship felt underdeveloped. Of course,
Spoiler
they don't even end up togetherI did assume this was a standalone, and I would have preferred it to be, but if it is, the poly part in the blurb is highly misleading. I do hope we get a sequel for the actual poly relationship.
I enjoyed most parts of this book, but I don't reloy like how queerphobia was portrayed. The main queerphobic incident of this book, and it's like a major "thing" for some reason, is a lesbian being biphobic about Gisela choosing to date men rather than women. And it's just?? Why is this the queerphobia being highlighted, when no other types are given the same attention?? When actual wlwphobia or homophobia is far more rampant and quite literally deadly?? Lesbians are not killing bi girls who date men. In fact, men are killing bi girls who date men, and bi girls who date women, and also all other categories of queer people, and it's just icky to me to have the one queerphobic character be a lesbian.
Other than that, I really liked this book. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy.