Audiobook Review – This Wicked Fate (This Poison Heart, Book 2) by Kalynn Bayron, Narrated by Jordan Cobb (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Length: 9hrs and 16 minutes
Publisher: ‎Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Release Date: ‎June 21, 2022
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the This Poison Heart series
Source: Borrowed Audiobook from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Briseis has one chance to save her mother, but she’ll need to do the impossible: find the last fragment of the deadly Absyrtus Heart. To locate the missing piece, she must turn to the blood relatives she’s never known, learn about their secret powers, and take her place in their ancient lineage.

But Briseis is not the only one who wants the Heart, and her enemies will stop at nothing to fulfill their own ruthless plans. The fates tell of a truly dangerous journey, one that could end in more heartache, more death. Strengthened by the sisterhood of ancient magic, can Briseis harness her power to save the people she loves most?”

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the This Poison Heart duology. I borrowed this on audiobook from the library.

Thoughts: This is the second book in the This Poison Heart duology and it did a really good job of tying up the series. I didn’t like this book quite as much as the first one. I think some of the wonder, warmth, and elements of friendship that were present in the first book were missing here. This left the book feeling just a bit less spectacular than the first one (which I absolutely loved). This review does contain spoilers for the first book.

Briseis is recovering from so much betrayal. Her new best friend has betrayed her and is missing and people who she thought were helping her have left her mom for dead. In order to save her mother in time she must do the thing no one has ever done, recombine the fragments of the Absyrtus Heart. To do so she will need to journey far and delve deep into mythology.

I enjoyed this, it is very well written and I loved the relationship Briseis’ family has together. It was fun to meet additional members of Briseis’ birth family and to learn more about the mythology around Medea and Circe. I also loved all the magical deadly plants and discussion about plants throughout the book.

I did think that the beginning of the book was a bit slow. It takes some time for our characters to start on their adventure to find the last piece of the Absyrtus Heart. When they do start on this journey it feels somewhat anti-climatic. I also missed the friendship elements that were present in the first book. Things are tied up nicely at the end though.

I listened to this on audiobook and it has the same narrator as the first book did. The narration is excellent for this whole series and I would highly recommend listening to this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this conclusion to the This Poison Heart duology. I did think the story started fairly slow and that the adventure was a bit anti-climatic. However, I enjoyed meeting more of Briseis’s family and seeing more crazy deadly plants. I will definitely keep an eye out for future books by Bayron. I would recommend this if you enjoy YA novels with some magic and a bit of romance that focus on family and mythology.