However, falling asleep in the middle of day completely disorientated me and I did struggle to follow the ending. It was not at all the book’s fault, but rather tiredness and stress. It is deliciously dripping with vibes and the feeling that there is a lot under the surface for Bri to unpack and discover, though it might not be the answers she wants to hear. Given that contemporary fantasy is usually not my thing, I think the atmosphere and more rural setting is what really made this book work for me. The garden here (with secret bits within secret bits) mixes the magical escape of Bri being able to use her abilities without fear alongside the creeping unease of “why are there all these deadly plants?”Īn overgrown garden, full of vines that Bri can’t exactly control, a small town full of secrets, attacks by a shadowy group of men, and a hidden family past help to keep building the atmosphere. You couldn’t really have any sort of The Secret Garden-inspired story without a lot of plants, and a walled garden. In this second novel, we get The Secret Garden and Greek Mythology as the genesis for a contemporary fantasy that takes full advantage of the creepy woods set around the crumbling, dilapidated house. THIS POISON HEART is not quite a retelling, just like CINDERELLA IS DEAD wasn’t quite a Cinderella retelling but a re-imagining. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family. until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it. 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. When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. 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. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. 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. Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.

This poison heart book 2