Audiobook Review – This Poison Heart (This Poison Heart, Book 1) by Kalynn Bayron, Narrated by Jordan Cobb (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 10 hours and 17 minutes
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Release Date: June 29, 2021
ASIN: B097HQ57J2
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in This Poison Heart series
Source: Borrowed Audiobook from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.
When Briseis’ 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 whom 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.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the This Poison Heart series. I borrowed a copy of this on audiobook from my library.
Thoughts: This was incredibly well done and I really enjoyed this. I have never read a book by Bayron before and I definitely plan on picking up more books by her in the future.
Briseis has always had a way with plants and those powers have only gotten stronger and harder to control as she gets older. Her and her family are struggling to make ends meet at their flower shop in Brooklyn, when she gets notification that her birth-mom’s sister has left her an old estate in rural New York. When Briseis and her moms journey out there, Briseis starts to unravel a lot of the secrets behind both her power and her past.
I really loved the fun relationship Briseis has with her two adoptive moms. They are all so supportive and caring and there is a lot of humor as well. The mystery Briseis starts to unravel is fascinating and dark, and I love how it ties into mythology.
There are excellent supporting characters here too. I loved learning about both all the plant lore and the mythology relating to Hecate and Medea. This was a very engaging story that had excellent pacing and was well written. I loved how it balanced elements of mystery, family, friendship, romance, and mythology.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this book and look forward to reading “This Poison Fate” soon. I loved the characters and family dynamics in this book. I also really enjoyed the mystery, mythology, and all the intriguing info about plants. I would recommend to those who enjoy well-done young adult reads about mysterious magical powers in a modern day setting.
