Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

15 reviews

tors_tomes's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75


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diamondpwrites's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • 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? N/A

5.0


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its_apple_pie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • 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

4.0


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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • 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

 I received a copy of this book in my OwlCrate last year. I kept bumping it to read because I kept finding books I wanted to read more, but I wish I picked this up sooner!
"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!

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jazminnnnnnn's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • 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


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ailsaod's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

 Was very excited by the basic premise but wasn't really a fan of the execution. I don't read much low/urban fantasy so the presence of copious pop-culture references was more than a little jarring. I am also very much not the target audience of this book, i.e. I am not a black teenager from New York and this book contains many little things to appeal to these groups that just left me cold (if you wanted to read about the main character's haircare routine then boy do I have the book for you!). I am pleased for the people that can read this book and see something familiar but I just spent a lot of time being confused about America and wondering if New Yorkers do indeed speak like that? Another thing that may be cultural differences is that if I had a random person appear outside my house but not make any effort to cause issues I personally wouldn't immediately call the police? It just seemed like a weird reaction but I guess America has very different trespassing laws. I've read books set in America before but I don't think I've ever had such a sense of confusion about whether the characters are being weird or if this is accurate.

This book also features some borderline insta-love but luckily this doesn't feature too heavily. Briesis really is very ride or die about people she met like two days ago though.

The main positive is that the plant magic that drew me here was pretty cool. It was a bit heavy on aesthetic over specifics for my taste but very pretty nevertheless. I liked that Briesis' Moms were actual functioning human beings that occasionally would get to interact with the plot, unlike literally every other YA parent. Not sure what I think of the greek mythology aspect but it certainly wasn't bad and the climax of the book was nice and exciting! 

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decembermagpie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0


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thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition

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5.0

I loved everything about this book. Greek mythology, plant magic, the cutest moms, everything! Bri is a fantastic heroine and I loved her practical way of looking at things. Gimme the sequel, plz. 

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sarah984's review against another edition

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funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I was a little bit nervous picking this one up after not really enjoying Cinderella Is Dead, but it really surprised me. This is an urban fantasy story about a teen adoptee with plant powers and an immunity to poison who inherits a mysterious mansion from her birth mother. The powers are interesting and feel unique as we learn about them along with Briseis, and the mystery and gothic feel are compelling. I really liked most of the characters, particularly Briseis and her moms, who have a really great relationship. The romance is a little silly but it gets the job done.

I'm knocking off a star because the pacing got weird near the end (it's a bit of a slow mystery following a trail of breadcrumbs and then in the last 20 pages or so about 4000 things happen) but overall this was a huge improvement and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

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azrah786's review against another edition

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4.5

 **I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

CW: death of family members, self-injury, stalking, poisoning, blood, murder, violence

A retelling by Kalynn Bayron? I just knew it was going to be something unique and instantly draw me in.
If you enjoyed Tracy Deonn's Legendborn then you'll love this too! (And vice versa.)

This Poison Heart follows Briseis, a teenage girl who has a magical affinity for plants.
Since a young age plants have been physically drawn to her and she can make pretty much anything grow at will – a brilliant ability to have, though also one that has proven difficult to keep under wraps, when your mums own a flower shop. One day, she receives news that an estate in a rural town has been left in her name by her birth aunt, which provides Bri with the perfect space and opportunity to fully practice her powers and also the chance to get to know more about her biological family. However, the discovery of an old-school apothecary, a secret garden full of dangerous plants and with strangers turning up on the grounds it becomes clear that this inheritance involves more than it first appeared to.

Though it feels like there is a mish mash of different stories coming together in this retelling, at its heart it is very much a reimagination, and a very clever one at that, of the story of Medea from Greek mythology.

Bayron is absolutely masterful at merging fantastical elements into a contemporary setting. The writing itself felt as though it was giving off its own magic which encompasses you in the way of a classic fairytale, and this paired with the air of mystery that slowly creeps into the overall plot meant I was instantly hooked. The pacing is a little on the slower side however, I found I didn’t mind that much.

A big part of Bri’s character in this book is about self-discovery as well as her learning to become more comfortable with and opening up her true self to other people. I’ll admit she was a little too trusting and naïve at times but I really enjoyed following her development, discoveries and relationships with other characters. I particularly loved the family relationships, more YA books with supportive parents who are also present for the entire story please!!!!
The romance that came about felt a little rushed and underdeveloped though I was fascinated by the characters that this part of the plot helped to introduce and can’t wait to find out more about them.

I’m not going to say anything more but that explosive ending and the final reveals have got me pretty excited to see where the rest of the story goes!
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars 

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