Holy moly rocky! This was quite enjoyable. I am VERY much looking forward to the continuation of the story.

Honestly, my only gripe was the gullibility of a girl that supposedly grew up in Brooklyn. No way she was that street-stupid. I felt like that was done to make the storytelling easier. NO cheating, lol. ( )

Original story with really nice plant magic. Diverse characters with lots of women in key roles. Come to think of it, I can hardly remember any men in roles of authority. The characters are nice, sometimes perhaps a bit over-quirky. But I liked the relationships.
Two reasons for not going to 5 stars: the writing was a bit clunky at times. Not everywhere, and not so much it was really bothersome, but especially the dialogue was a bit off sometimes. And I think the characterisation as well here and there. Mostly the mothers, I find it weird that they never ventured into the garden. They have a flower store for crying out loud! They seemed to be there as supportive background.
And the story was going all over the place towards the end.
Ah, and note of warning, it ends on a cliffhanger. ( )

* I got this book for review from the publisher*

I really loved this read. I thought this was such a fast pace read. I also really loved how this story cobined both fairytale and mythology elements. I also really thought this book had so many twists and turns that I did not see coming. I also really enjoyed the magic system that developed throughout this read! I found this to be super engaging read and I am dying for book 2. ( )

* I got this book for review from the publisher*

I really loved this read. I thought this was such a fast pace read. I also really loved how this story cobined both fairytale and mythology elements. I also really thought this book had so many twists and turns that I did not see coming. I also really enjoyed the magic system that developed throughout this read! I found this to be super engaging read and I am dying for book 2. ( )

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. ( )