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kris_pixie's review against another edition
4.0
Briseis is black Poison Ivy but better. The Greek mythology weaved in, the loving queer moms, the descriptions of Bri's plants, all of it was really fantastic to me. The first chunk of the book was a little slow, especially compared to the break-neck pacing at the end, but it still held me enthralled through the whole read.
The only thing bugging me really is Marie. The age gap with Briseis still being only 17 is icky to me, 376 and 17 just doesn't sit right with me.
The only thing bugging me really is Marie. The age gap with Briseis still being only 17 is icky to me, 376 and 17 just doesn't sit right with me.
gr3ysh4d0w's review against another edition
4.0
1st read of the year and I loved it! It's got herbalism, witches, greek mythology, POC main character and all the queerness. It's a tad tropey, and takes some liberties with the poison properties of plants, but hey, it's fantasy. The the pop culture references and the comedic moments make up for short comings. Would highly recommend
greenmtgirl's review against another edition
2.0
I love fantasy novels with slow, creepy starts, so much of the first 75% of the book was made for me. Unfortunately, the age difference between the MC and love interest was off-putting, as were the errors (if you're poisoned with water hemlock, it takes a lot longer than 15 minutes to die. Get yourself to the hospital asap. Also, two florists should know what poison ivy looks like. And again, it doesn't show up immediately and if you get back to the house and wash off the oils you'll probably be okay). I still enjoyed the book aside from those issues...until everything was turned on its head: a random antagonist and a bunch of contradictions emerged, characters' personalities and priorities shifted, the plot was ratcheted up from spooky old house story to death-defying epic, and all this was capped off with a deus ex machina pseudo-ending that sets up the sequel.
As another reviewer said, it was like a second author took over at the 75% mark, one who was woefully unprepared.
It's such a shame, because I loved all the queer Black women, the myth retellings, the rural Northeast setting, and the relationship between the MC and her moms. I also loved the theme of the MC with weird gifts finding a place where she can use those gifts and feel more whole. Most of the plant detail was accurate, too (which made the water hemlock and poison ivy errors perplexing), and I enjoyed that. But I can't get past the mess of the last few chapters, and have no interest in reading the sequel.
Bloomsbury YA, this could have been a great book. You owe your authors better editing.
As another reviewer said, it was like a second author took over at the 75% mark, one who was woefully unprepared.
It's such a shame, because I loved all the queer Black women, the myth retellings, the rural Northeast setting, and the relationship between the MC and her moms. I also loved the theme of the MC with weird gifts finding a place where she can use those gifts and feel more whole. Most of the plant detail was accurate, too (which made the water hemlock and poison ivy errors perplexing), and I enjoyed that. But I can't get past the mess of the last few chapters, and have no interest in reading the sequel.
Bloomsbury YA, this could have been a great book. You owe your authors better editing.
lvpokemons's review against another edition
4.0
What do I have to do to inherit a mansion from a relative I didn't know existed?
The plot twist was predictable. But it was a nice and light read. ;)
The plot twist was predictable. But it was a nice and light read. ;)
starrynews's review against another edition
5.0
This is a really neat blend of lore, magic, and family secrets. The fantastical aspects and related mysteries make this a fast-paced read. What the heck kind of family and town secrets has our main character, Briseis, and her parents stumbled into?! How does Bri's mysterious ability situate her in the town? The family went ahead and made some jokes amongst themselves about Get Out, so at least we were all acknowledging the serious creepiness factor going on! In addition to the magical aspects, this book touches on very real world and contemporary issues related to adoption and race. I really enjoyed this read and look forward to the sequel!
Also, this cover is magnificent - Bri looks amazing and powerful! I particularly love the colors used on this edition.
And, as someone who also wears glasses, I loved - and just about literally felt, in the sense that it made me check mine too - Bri's glasses needing pushed up. I hear you on that one!
Also, this cover is magnificent - Bri looks amazing and powerful! I particularly love the colors used on this edition.
And, as someone who also wears glasses, I loved - and just about literally felt, in the sense that it made me check mine too - Bri's glasses needing pushed up. I hear you on that one!
ashleyrae22's review against another edition
4.0
Reads really YA, not a bad thing, just something of note. It kept me engaged throughout the whole book and I look forward to the second one! Believable characters and the antagonist I love!
annlouise's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
cheskadee's review against another edition
3.0
I feel slightly let down by this book. I had quite high hopes after reading Cinderella is Dead.
The first 50 pages of the book and the last 100 pages were incredible. The middle 200 pages were incredibly boring for me.
I felt like too much detail was paid to irrelevant things and not enough detail was paid to other things. I wish Bayron had done much better character descriptions as I felt like I couldn’t get a good feel for both the mums and the side characters.
I felt like the relationship between Bri and Marie was rushed and seemed in-genuine. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good sapphic character but this was definitely a sub-sub-sub plot and made no sense to the story IMHO.
However, I have rated it 3 stars as I couldn’t stop reading for the last 100 pages of the book and was eager to find out what happened. Which didn’t actually happen as it finished on a cliff hanger.
Overall, the ending felt a bit anti-climatic and I feel slightly cheated.
The first 50 pages of the book and the last 100 pages were incredible. The middle 200 pages were incredibly boring for me.
I felt like too much detail was paid to irrelevant things and not enough detail was paid to other things. I wish Bayron had done much better character descriptions as I felt like I couldn’t get a good feel for both the mums and the side characters.
I felt like the relationship between Bri and Marie was rushed and seemed in-genuine. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good sapphic character but this was definitely a sub-sub-sub plot and made no sense to the story IMHO.
However, I have rated it 3 stars as I couldn’t stop reading for the last 100 pages of the book and was eager to find out what happened. Which didn’t actually happen as it finished on a cliff hanger.
Overall, the ending felt a bit anti-climatic and I feel slightly cheated.