pyromastyx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent and Murder
Moderate: Torture
befrazzledenby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Gore, and Blood
alys055's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Torture, Death, and Death of parent
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"This Poison Heart" follows a teenage girl named Bri. Bri has an extraordinary gift: she can manipulate plants and flowers. Her and her adoptive moms are really struggling to scrape by in their Brooklyn apartment, but it seems their luck is about to change because Bri finds out an aunt, she did not know about, has left Bri her estate. Now Bri and her moms are uprooting their lives to check out this new home, but they soon uncover that Bri's legacy has powers they had no idea about. Now Bri is in a new town, trying to uncover what her powers really are for, all while trying to keep her family safe.
This book was so atmospheric, and I had the best time reading about Bri and her plant power. The home she moves into is kind of abandoned and needs a little work because it is overrun with plants. This home and new town were so creepy but beautiful: the perfect vibe to get you into the spooky season spirit. I also really appreciated all of the diversity and representation in this book. I also really enjoyed seeing Bri explore all the different friendships she encountered in this story. She has some friends who seem to have a hard time accepting her, she has some friends who she wants to be more than friends, she has some friends that are endlessly supportive, and she has some sneaky friends who are trying to trick her. Navigating different friendships is difficult at any age, but it can be especially daunting in your teenage years. Kaylynn Brown is an immensely talented author, and you are doing yourself a disservice if you do not pick up something by her.
I cannot wait to pick up the sequel to this book, because that cliffhanger has me both angry and hopeful!
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Violence, Murder, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Torture, and Stalking
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Wow! What a fantastic read...and one I'm glad I read after book two has already been released 😅
Before starting this book I really had no idea what kind of story it was going to be, I knew that the main character had an affinity for plants but that's about it.
So we meet Briseis who was adopted as a baby by two amazing moms who've loved and supported her through everything...even the strange affinity she has with plants. I mean they opened a floral business, named after her, so that she could have a safe place to be near and work with plants.
Always needing to be hyper-vigilant to ensure no one outside of their little family finds out about her affinity...has led to a pretty isolating way of life. The few friends Briseis attempted to have never seemed fully comfortable around her when plants started acting abnormally so she never felt like she could truly express or explain herself.
Out of nowhere a mysterious estate lawyer shows up and says "hey, so you're aunt...oh you didn't know you had one?...well anyways she left you a family estate. Here are the keys and a few letters. Have fun!"
We get to go along with Briseis as she uncovers the rich and mysterious history of her birth family as she tries to learn more about her connection to plants and what it all might mean.
This was such a fun read! The first half of the book felt a bit longer than it needed to be but that second half felt like a whirlwind! I LOVED how we got so many mythology crumbs as Briseis was diving deeper and deeper into her bio-families history.
I look forward to getting my hands on This Wicked Fate so I can find out what more Briseis has to uncover.
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Toxic friendship, Death, Murder, Torture, Death of parent, Self harm, Grief, Blood, and Racism
karcitis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Gun violence, Confinement, Murder, Torture, Gore, and Death
Minor: Child death and Kidnapping
jazminnnnnnn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Stalking, Toxic friendship, Grief, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
shaipanda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Despite having read Cinderella is Dead by the same author, I did not expect how dark and horror ish the end of this book gets
I think if it had less of that horror aspect at the end it would have been a 5 star read for me but it really fucked me up the way it was lol
Otherwise amazing tho and if like/don’t mind horror would 100% recommend
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Torture, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Violence
dreareads_'s review against another edition
4.0
This book was so much FUN!
Mo and Mom are the dream parents! This book was fun sapphic vibes and it was really all I needed.
The mystery was interesting but fairly predictable, and while the middle felt a bit slow, the ending was extremely fun!
Also, I love a main character that appreciates the work of academics!!
TW:
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Sexism, Torture, and Toxic friendship
paracosim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, and Violence