This Poison Heart
- Downloads：9461
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-20 06:51:06
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Kalynn Bayron
- ISBN：1547603909
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron's new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power。
Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch。
When Briseis's aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York， Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer。 Hopefully there， surrounded by plants and flowers， Bri will finally learn to control her gift。 But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined--it comes with a specific set of instructions， an old-school apothecary， and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri's unique family lineage。
When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep， asking for tinctures and elixirs， Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them。 One of the visitors is Marie， a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends， only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community。 There is more to Bri's sudden inheritance than she could have imagined， and she is determined to uncover it 。 。 。 until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir。 Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth， Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family。
From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes another inspiring and deeply compelling story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her。
Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch。
When Briseis's aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York， Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer。 Hopefully there， surrounded by plants and flowers， Bri will finally learn to control her gift。 But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined--it comes with a specific set of instructions， an old-school apothecary， and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri's unique family lineage。
When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep， asking for tinctures and elixirs， Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them。 One of the visitors is Marie， a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends， only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community。 There is more to Bri's sudden inheritance than she could have imagined， and she is determined to uncover it 。 。 。 until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir。 Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth， Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family。
From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes another inspiring and deeply compelling story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her。
Reviews
Amy Aislin
，
This was awesome and I loved every second！Bri is the kind of heroine I can get behind。 Smart， capable， able to draw her own （sensible and realistic） conclusions。 She's not infallible but she's so relatable， and I loved her from the very first page。 Her moms are great and the cast of side characters added extra colour to this already vibrant and lushly descriptive novel。I loved how the author didn't info-dump on us。 We're given bits and pieces of information every once in a while， as their introd This was awesome and I loved every second！Bri is the kind of heroine I can get behind。 Smart， capable， able to draw her own （sensible and realistic） conclusions。 She's not infallible but she's so relatable， and I loved her from the very first page。 Her moms are great and the cast of side characters added extra colour to this already vibrant and lushly descriptive novel。I loved how the author didn't info-dump on us。 We're given bits and pieces of information every once in a while， as their introduction fit the story。 But at the same time， we didn't have to wait forever for new twists。 This was well-written and well-paced with a super interesting storyline featuring plant magic， Greek gods， hidden legacies， and a very cool old house with its own secrets。 。。。more
Sophie
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Briseis can control plants with her emotions and is immune to poison。 However， her skills and talents are wanted by people who may not just wish her good…。Overall it was an enjoyable read， it included diverse characters and I liked that aspect。However， I did find the story quite slow and the first 75% of the book nothing exciting really happened。It ended on a cliffhanger so I hope there are more books to follow。
Marissa
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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， t 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！ 。。。more
Charlie Clarke
，
Cottagecore lesbians with plant magic！I love riddles。 A mysterious house full of secrets to discover？ A secret garden that only the main character can access？ Ugh！ This was so good。
Bookish_Rona
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This was a nice read。 I enjoyed all the representation this book had。 The pace of the story was well done also。 I liked the MC， I just wished she was a bit more fearless， rather than so cautious and afraid to act。 Loved her and Marie so sweet 💜 also her mums are the best！！ I liked the magic system that kind of fed into mythology as well， beautifully done！ It's a nice YA fantasy that is an enjoyable and easy read would recommend this to young readers as well as adults also。 This for me was a 3。5 This was a nice read。 I enjoyed all the representation this book had。 The pace of the story was well done also。 I liked the MC， I just wished she was a bit more fearless， rather than so cautious and afraid to act。 Loved her and Marie so sweet 💜 also her mums are the best！！ I liked the magic system that kind of fed into mythology as well， beautifully done！ It's a nice YA fantasy that is an enjoyable and easy read would recommend this to young readers as well as adults also。 This for me was a 3。5 star read。 。。。more
vespie
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OKAY so I need book two like now。 Right now
Shara
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I really wanted to love this book。 The synopsis was captivating and Briseis on the cover was stunning。 Out of the 370 pages this book is， the slow build was like 250 of them。 For having the abilities she has， the disbelief anything else could be possible was kind of exhausting。 It took a long time and a lot of pages to even get the smallest amounts of actual information。 I was left just wanting more …。 If you absolutely love plants though， maybe you’ll love the beginning as you go through types I really wanted to love this book。 The synopsis was captivating and Briseis on the cover was stunning。 Out of the 370 pages this book is， the slow build was like 250 of them。 For having the abilities she has， the disbelief anything else could be possible was kind of exhausting。 It took a long time and a lot of pages to even get the smallest amounts of actual information。 I was left just wanting more …。 If you absolutely love plants though， maybe you’ll love the beginning as you go through types of plants and how they are cared for and their properties but if you happen to only partially be interested in plants and want a faster delivery of the synopsis， I think you’ll be left wanting more as well。 Not sure if I’ll read the second book when it’s available …。 Probably not。 I absolutely love synopsis of Cinderella Is Dead though as well so I look forward to trying something else from this author that may be a better fit。 。。。more
Peyyyreads
，
This was a good start to a series！ I did not realize it was a series until the end。 I am glad it is continuing and we are going to get more world-building。 I loved the greek mythology aspect and the I would love to get to know the characters more。
Hannah Brown
，
I was anxious to enjoy this book， due to seeing it everywhere on social media and the fact it's magical realism， a genre I absolutely adore。 Thankfully， though it's not a new top-favourite read， I did have a fun time with this novel！ The beginning of This Poison Heart was quite slow-going。 The first quarter or so takes place in Brooklynn， and it talks about Bri and her family making big decisions and learning about things， filled with clunky and awkward dialogue （the dialogue was my biggest pet I was anxious to enjoy this book， due to seeing it everywhere on social media and the fact it's magical realism， a genre I absolutely adore。 Thankfully， though it's not a new top-favourite read， I did have a fun time with this novel！ The beginning of This Poison Heart was quite slow-going。 The first quarter or so takes place in Brooklynn， and it talks about Bri and her family making big decisions and learning about things， filled with clunky and awkward dialogue （the dialogue was my biggest pet peeve！）。 It's a lot of information and quite slow in terms of plot， but it does pick up later。 I then loved it right up until the final 20 pages。 The pace picked up as soon as the characters arrived at the house， and I loved the scenes of Bri exploring the area。 The descriptions were quite vivid， and I felt like I could picture the house in my head。 The house itself seemed like its own character， and I kind of wish there were more scenes of Briseis and her family just learning the layout。 When Bri finally went into the garden， the writing really came alive; it was like Bayron was waiting for this， and that unfortunately showed in the earlier parts of the novel！ Anyway， the garden was luminous。 The plants were described in such visceral detail。 I really wish This Poison Heart had maps， so I could see in even more detail what Bri was experiencing。 I don't normally look at maps too often in books whilst I am reading， but I think I would have flicked back and forth with this one！ The final 20 pages bordered on the ridiculous and convenient。 I won't spoil it， but I did think it was a disappointing ending to the novel。 Nevertheless， I do want to pick up the sequel， because the middle of the story was still worth it: I was completely hooked。 The Greek mythology in this novel was thoroughly enjoyable， and I really want to go back to my Greek myths and read them again！ I also want to explore deeper into some of the myths I have always taken on face value。 These stories， written so long ago， have so many more layers than we know。 I also want to read more about Briseis！ I enjoyed her story， and her characterisation。 I wanted to see more internally， though it was first person。 She never seems to react to things in a human way， and I didn't always find her convincing - for example， who trusts people with their life when they've known them for like a week？！ But， I think she's going to go through a lot of growth in the sequel and I can't wait to see it！ Whilst this review seems to have a lot of negatives， they were quite small。 Ultimately， I gave this book 4/5 on Goodreads。 It was action-packed， fun， and full of all the kinds of tropes I love。 It's also got a lot of LGBTQ+ rep， and a creepy house setting - what else would you want？！ 。。。more
Jasmine Wilks
，
“To break an ancient curse she must let her power bloom”:🌸Honestly I thought I would enjoy this book a lot more than I did。 It was one of my highly anticipated relases of this year and a lot of people love Kalynn Bayron’s writing as well as her other books。 The first quarter of this book was good， very interesting and informative。 From there I just lost interest in the rest， it took me over two weeks to finish this book and that was because I just wasn’t interested in it anymore。 I hate not DNF’ “To break an ancient curse she must let her power bloom”:🌸Honestly I thought I would enjoy this book a lot more than I did。 It was one of my highly anticipated relases of this year and a lot of people love Kalynn Bayron’s writing as well as her other books。 The first quarter of this book was good， very interesting and informative。 From there I just lost interest in the rest， it took me over two weeks to finish this book and that was because I just wasn’t interested in it anymore。 I hate not DNF’ing a book so I did push through but I didn’t have a great time。 3 ⭐️ 。。。more
Heaven Ashlee
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A relatively simple， predictable plot， but with solid writing。 It was refreshing and beautiful to have a book filled with a wide range of powerful Black women， real Black Girl Magic and loving and supportive parents （a rarity in YA）。 I'm definitely intrigued by the last scene and am looking forward to reading the sequel！ A relatively simple， predictable plot， but with solid writing。 It was refreshing and beautiful to have a book filled with a wide range of powerful Black women， real Black Girl Magic and loving and supportive parents （a rarity in YA）。 I'm definitely intrigued by the last scene and am looking forward to reading the sequel！ 。。。more
Elsa
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3。5
Sangeetha T
，
Really liked it。 Some parts were a bit deux ex machina， like one of her mom's just happens to have a friend who is an expert on Greek myth and the heroines friend just happens to have a family member who can somehow decipher something even experts can't。 Lolol。 Love the characters， especially the mothers。 Adore the lesbian and bisexual rep。 Best part of this book was how it was so well linked to historical myths and the slow uncovering of them was a joy to read。 I stopped several times to put th Really liked it。 Some parts were a bit deux ex machina， like one of her mom's just happens to have a friend who is an expert on Greek myth and the heroines friend just happens to have a family member who can somehow decipher something even experts can't。 Lolol。 Love the characters， especially the mothers。 Adore the lesbian and bisexual rep。 Best part of this book was how it was so well linked to historical myths and the slow uncovering of them was a joy to read。 I stopped several times to put things tog in my head as the heroine does。 This made the book super engaging。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Char
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Oh my goodness， what a ride！ I loved this soooooo much。I need to find someone to talk to about this book ASAP。 Currently sat here in utter awe and shock。 My favourite read of the year so far！
Joy
，
A fantasy with plants？！ Sign me up right now。 I didn’t know there would be so much Greek mythology in this， so that was a nice surprise！I will say， the pacing seemed a tad off。 The beginning was slow， and then it speed up， and then it dragged for much of the middle and then the end just dropped a lot。 It did keep me intrigued， so it wasn’t a huge deal。 But it’s nice when reveals and plot twists are spread out a tad。 The ending packed a lot in and really set up for the second book， so I’m excited A fantasy with plants？！ Sign me up right now。 I didn’t know there would be so much Greek mythology in this， so that was a nice surprise！I will say， the pacing seemed a tad off。 The beginning was slow， and then it speed up， and then it dragged for much of the middle and then the end just dropped a lot。 It did keep me intrigued， so it wasn’t a huge deal。 But it’s nice when reveals and plot twists are spread out a tad。 The ending packed a lot in and really set up for the second book， so I’m excited to see where it goes！ 。。。more
Marit
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4，5 stars， i loved this book！ the writing was so interesting， i was completely hooked from the beginning。 the plottwist was so unexpected but very well written。 spoiler！！i wish i knew if bri brings her mom back （i would certainly hope so）
Alexander Martinez
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This book was amazing！ I started to really like it because I love how the author writes and the tempo of the book， I didn’t feel like the story was flying by but it wasn’t taking all day to get to the point。 Then learning about her power and reading about her using it hooked me in and I only started to love it more with every character I met and every mystery that popped up。 I’ll admit the ending had me literally shaking but it was so great that I literally can’t wait for the next book to come o This book was amazing！ I started to really like it because I love how the author writes and the tempo of the book， I didn’t feel like the story was flying by but it wasn’t taking all day to get to the point。 Then learning about her power and reading about her using it hooked me in and I only started to love it more with every character I met and every mystery that popped up。 I’ll admit the ending had me literally shaking but it was so great that I literally can’t wait for the next book to come out。 I don’t wanna spoil anything in case someone reads this who is interested in reading it but I will say this。 If you like magic， Greek mythology， mystery， a strong black cast， and family love then this book might be perfect for you。 While I’m crying over having to wait for the second book I’m putting Cinderella is dead in my cart right now so I can read more of Kalynn Bayron’s beautiful stories。 And in case she ever reads this I just wanna say that you’ve got a new lifetime fan❤️。 。。。more
Ambre
，
I loved the first book I read by Ms Bayron – Cinderella is Dead – so much that I immediately bought This Poison Heart and started reading it （even though I had other obligations）。 THIS BOOK IS SO COOL。 I love the mixture of poison plants， Greek mythology， and Goth vibes。 I also enjoyed watching Briseis’ growth （pun intended） throughout the book， and her relationship with her moms was so beautiful and real – you could just feel the love and affection coming off the pages。 And the last five chapte I loved the first book I read by Ms Bayron – Cinderella is Dead – so much that I immediately bought This Poison Heart and started reading it （even though I had other obligations）。 THIS BOOK IS SO COOL。 I love the mixture of poison plants， Greek mythology， and Goth vibes。 I also enjoyed watching Briseis’ growth （pun intended） throughout the book， and her relationship with her moms was so beautiful and real – you could just feel the love and affection coming off the pages。 And the last five chapters had me on the edge of my seat！！ Talk about some plot twists！！Briseis is a young woman with an amazing power – she can make plants grow and thrive just by touching them。 But trapped in the concrete jungle of Brooklyn， her power is stifled and so is she。 That is， until she mysteriously inherits a derelict old house and the massive estate upon which it sits， including a secret garden filled with the deadliest plants known to humans – and even some that aren’t…。 Briseis is suddenly thrown into a world of freedom to develop her skills and let loose – just breathe and be。 But that world isn’t without it’s dangers， as Briseis and her moms come to find out， when strange people start turning up in their lives and the mystery of Briseis’ past starts to grow clearer。 Greek gods， ancient family trees， a sacred duty… Where will it all lead？ You’ll just have to read This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron to find out！ 。。。more
The Tired Bookseller
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A fun and atmospheric read， but it took me a long time to get into it。 The ending also felt rushed。
Sage （SageShelves）
，
This is absolutely one of the top 5 books I've read this year。 I adore Bri， both as a person as the protagonist of this story。 The side characters were all interesting and well developed and I genuinely did not see the twist coming。 More importantly I kept hoping there would be another twist that showed how the first twist wasn't the whole truth because it broke my heart :（ I am desperate for the second one pls Kalynn Bayron I owe u my life This is absolutely one of the top 5 books I've read this year。 I adore Bri， both as a person as the protagonist of this story。 The side characters were all interesting and well developed and I genuinely did not see the twist coming。 More importantly I kept hoping there would be another twist that showed how the first twist wasn't the whole truth because it broke my heart :（ I am desperate for the second one pls Kalynn Bayron I owe u my life 。。。more
Mel
，
Holy！！ I have no words。 Fate kept pushing me to read this （no joke it kept showing up on my tbr wheel back to back and when I pulled named from a jar） and I'm super happy I did。 Sad the next book isn't out yet but super glad I read this now Holy！！ I have no words。 Fate kept pushing me to read this （no joke it kept showing up on my tbr wheel back to back and when I pulled named from a jar） and I'm super happy I did。 Sad the next book isn't out yet but super glad I read this now 。。。more
Sarah Draheim
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Bri a girl with an affinity for plants and an immunity for poison is left a huge estate in a small town。She there discovers her heritage and lineage。So it’s hard to write a review for this book without spoilers。 So let’s start with the easy part:The writing style is easy to understand and the plot is interesting。I had a hard time getting into the story， that is why it took me forever to finish it。 In the Last 100 pages everything happened at once - it was hard to keep up。 Most of the secrets are Bri a girl with an affinity for plants and an immunity for poison is left a huge estate in a small town。She there discovers her heritage and lineage。So it’s hard to write a review for this book without spoilers。 So let’s start with the easy part:The writing style is easy to understand and the plot is interesting。I had a hard time getting into the story， that is why it took me forever to finish it。 In the Last 100 pages everything happened at once - it was hard to keep up。 Most of the secrets are still secrets at the end of the book， actually leaving me with more unanswered questions。An open ending is what makes me want to read on but I’ll definitely have to take notes in my journal to be able to remember everything when the second book comes out。Now to my rating:⭐️ open end⭐️ interesting plot⭐️ unexpected turn of events 。。。more
Amber
，
So refreshing！ I loved this story。 And the twist at the end was so much fun。 A great and original concept。 I can't wait for Book #2 So refreshing！ I loved this story。 And the twist at the end was so much fun。 A great and original concept。 I can't wait for Book #2 。。。more
Sarina
，
i loved it
Jennie Louise
，
3。5But damn， what a cliffhanger to end on！
Tina
，
I really enjoyed this book。 Though I do feel like it started off kinda slow I think its well worth the read。
Kadie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 SPOILERS:Wow what a book！I very much enjoyed the book but also had a few minor issues with it。 I loved the main character， I thought she was really cool and different， but didn’t act as if she was super special and amazing。 I already love plant related topics， so this was a good choice for me。 I also love the open diversity in this book as well as Well as the main characters relationship With her moms。 After reading and falling in love with Kaylnn’s other book “Cinderella is dead” I had really h SPOILERS:Wow what a book！I very much enjoyed the book but also had a few minor issues with it。 I loved the main character， I thought she was really cool and different， but didn’t act as if she was super special and amazing。 I already love plant related topics， so this was a good choice for me。 I also love the open diversity in this book as well as Well as the main characters relationship With her moms。 After reading and falling in love with Kaylnn’s other book “Cinderella is dead” I had really high expectations for this book。 Although I do like the plot， I felt like even over halfway through the book nothing was really happening， and then then all of the sudden the climax comes out of nowhere， which is totally OK if it’s done correctly。 I also was so shocked with the plot twist in the end when Karter Is actually the antagonist as well as his mom， and after getting so attached with Breseis’s moms my head shattered when one of them died。 I will definitely will be reading the sequel and I 100% recommend this book！ 。。。more
Kailey
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This book had some delightful surprises！ One of my favorite elements appeared and I had no idea it was coming but man I'm glad it did！ Also I literally thought this was a standalone until the last two chapters 🤦♀️ This book had some delightful surprises！ One of my favorite elements appeared and I had no idea it was coming but man I'm glad it did！ Also I literally thought this was a standalone until the last two chapters 🤦♀️ 。。。more
Cato De Clercq
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THIS IS SOOOO GOOD GIVE ME THE SECOND BOOK RIGHT NOW！
Charlot
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Dit boek was een die ik in een opwelling heb gekocht en gelezen， omdat ik genoten heb van Cinderella is dead， was dit boek een goeie keuze。 Briseis is een karakter wat ik prachtig opgebouwd vind。 Je leert haar steeds beter kennen door het boek heen en ziet ook hoe naïef ze eigenlijk is。 Haar moeders voegen écht wat toe aan het verhaal。 Het is een LGBTQ boek， maar soms wordt dat er heel erg bovenop gelegd。 Hier is het gewoon logisch en dan geniet ik er zeker van dat er diversiteit naar voren komt Dit boek was een die ik in een opwelling heb gekocht en gelezen， omdat ik genoten heb van Cinderella is dead， was dit boek een goeie keuze。 Briseis is een karakter wat ik prachtig opgebouwd vind。 Je leert haar steeds beter kennen door het boek heen en ziet ook hoe naïef ze eigenlijk is。 Haar moeders voegen écht wat toe aan het verhaal。 Het is een LGBTQ boek， maar soms wordt dat er heel erg bovenop gelegd。 Hier is het gewoon logisch en dan geniet ik er zeker van dat er diversiteit naar voren komt in een boek。 Mo haar wafels daarentegen， die skip ik liever， stiekem ;-）。 Wat ik ook erg mooi vond in dit verhaal， is de manier waarop de planten naar voren komen。 Planten spelen zo’n grote rol in dit boek; zonder écht saai te worden。 Alles wordt mooi omschreven en ik vind het dan， na het lezen van zo’n boek， leuk om de planten op te zoeken en te kijken wat je ermee kan doen。 De Griekse mythologie die naar voren komt， is mooi verweven。 Ik ben niet zo’n fan van de verhalen die volledig hierop gebaseerd zijn， maar in dit boek is het op een goede manier aanwezig。 Ik hou ervan！ Waarom dan maar 4 sterren van de 5？ Je vertrouwt de karakters die de hoofdkarakters vertrouwen， je ziet ze alleen door hun ogen en maakt alles op die manier mee。 Het zou een prachtige toevoeging zijn geweest als dit net wat anders zou zijn。 Deel 2 staat helaas nog niet gepland， maar zeker wel op mijn TBR！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=This Poison Heart
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=This Poison Heart&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,This Poison Heart&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0