A review by cato_mertens
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • 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? Yes

4.25

This book was really good: the setting, the characters, the diversity and the representation and the magic (I loooove the kind of magic Briseis  uses). The parts about the mythology were also really interesting and towards the end the links between Briseis and some mythological people became more clear. I think the worldbuilding also deserves a special shout out, because it was done really well. I’m a visual reader, so worldbuilding is important to me. 

I read the first 2/3rds of the book rather fast, but after that the story kind of slowed down and was harder to get through. Then, the last 50 pages a lot happened and I just sat there, completely overwhelmed with information and realizations. I also think the relationship between Briseis and Marie could have been explored more in-depth. Comparing this book to Bayrons “Cinderella is Dead”, I can see some similarities between how Briseis’ and Marie’s relationship was written, and how Sophia’s and Constance’s relationship was written. They both feel a bit rushed. 

I do have to say that I really, REALLY enjoyed reading this book and I cannot wait for the sequel! 
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