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antimonium's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, Death, Racism, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
frannook's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Racism, Alcohol, Gore, Murder, and Police brutality
bellebookcorner's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Death, Cursing, Murder, and Gun violence
Minor: Vomit
jasminedaria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Grief, Police brutality, Hate crime, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Police brutality
Moderate: Kidnapping and Murder
Minor: Hate crime, Sexual content, and Vomit
daniellestarredpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
"The Poisons We Drink" by Bethany Baptiste was on my list of most anticipated releases of 2024 and I am glad to have read an ARC of it. I enjoyed the story and think this is a book that I could very easily recommend.
The magic system Baptise created for this story was well-crafted and a delight to read. I found the drawbacks to being a 'Witcher' in this world, whether it being the possibly deadly recoil of potion brewing or the pain of shapeshifting on your own, to be a great addition to the story as it not only added stakes and tension but it also does a job of reining in the magic so that it is not some all-powerful force Witchers possess.
I found it interesting that Baptiste wrote Witcher Stigma in the place of Racial Stigma, I was actually quite relieved at the fact that I didn't have to see the characters dealing with Racism AS WELL AS the discrimination due to their magic. The way it was handled however still made it obvious that the discrimination of Witchers was a critique and representation of real types of discrimination in the world. I am quite glad with how the characters fought back and took charge of their situations.
The relationships between the characters in this book were written well. The sibling relationships in particular felt very realistic, especially with how they cared for each other while being angry with each other. I found the dynamic between Venus and her mother to be particularly interesting and I love how it was written. I especially loved how even though Venus came to learn about how deeply her mother cared for her, her mother was not absolved of the things her mother did and the way she treated her and her sister Janus.
I do have to say though, while I was interested in the story from the very first page, I found myself just passively taking in the story until about 50% of the book, which is when I really started to love the story.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Cursing, Vomit, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence and Gore
Minor: Stalking and Child death
raikowlreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The story is about Venus, who makes money out of brewing illegal love potions. It's a dangerous business, and she gets in a lot of messed up situations after her mother get murdered. When the Grand Witcher, head of her coven, offers Venus the opportunity to avenge her mother's death, she must agree to a difficult demand: create harmful potions to control D.C.'s powerful politicians, all for the sake of justice.
Bethany knows how to write an emotion. The audiobook did a fantastic job of capturing these moments. Lynette R. Freeman knows how to voice act and drag you into the story, not letting you go. Her talent for voice acting truly brought the characters to life.
The Poisons we drink was high in my must-read list for 2024, and I was super honoured to see I got accepted for this copy. It exceeded all my expectations, leaving me eagerly anticipating owning a physical copy once payday rolls around. It took me a while to finish the book, pure because I lacked time, not because the book was slow paced. Furthermore, it was anything but slow paced. There are so many characters that you get to know. Some more likeable than others.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, and Death
jkreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I had really high hopes for this one which I probably should have tempered going into it, because it may have affected how I perceived the book overall. I was really drawn in at the start and it felt really promising, but I felt like there were too many characters and plot points going on towards the middle and end of the book which really impacted the author‘s ability to explore them all adequately.
The MC and the ensemble characters all showed great potential but I feel like we only got to know them on a surface level. Same with the world-building and magic system - it was interesting, with a lot of potential but the depth just wasn’t there.
I loved seeing a non-binary romantic interest, that’s something I’d love to see more representation for in YA fiction and just fiction in general!
I read this book on audio and would highly recommend doing that if you’re wanting to check this one out - the narration was great! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for books read by Lynnette R. Freeman in the future because her voice is gorgeous.
Overall this was a pretty solid YA fantasy, again I think if I hadn’t set my expectations so high I would have enjoyed it much more. This is definitely one I’ll recommend to anyone looking for a witchy YA read!
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
blakeandbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was super drawn into the premise of this book several months ago, and I was so excited to get the audiobook ARC!
What I enjoyed about the book: There was action constantly the entire book. I enjoyed the 1st 35% of the book and the last 15% of the book. There is something so intriguing about witchers with different magical abilities. I loved how everyone had their specific lines of magic that they focused on. I loved Venus as the main character. She is passionate about what she wants, and she will do anything and everything to protect her family and found family. I loved her relationship to Presley and how they continued to protect each other in whatever ways they thought best. When Presley sets this strong boundary with Venus to basically say that they’re going to be there for each other no matter what, and they have to stop pushing the other away when things get scary. Venus and J’s sister relationship was so good!! It felt so real and relatable. And wow, I honestly loved all the plot twists. The big reveals at the end were so good, and I am definitely interested in reading more of Baptiste’s work.
What I didn’t enjoy about the book: The pacing felt off to me. I think the book needed to be condense, because it was difficult to follow after about 35% of the book. The middle needed less and more focus on certain key points. It felt a bit confusing and hard to keep up with.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Grief, Cursing, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, and Abandonment
tatyana_'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Love is a messy thing…”
Graphic: Violence and Grief
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Xenophobia