ARC

Review: The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson

~ megs14malloy

The Forest Demands Its DueThe Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

❤️💚🖤❤️💚🖤❤️💚🖤❤️💚🖤❤️💚🖤❤️

The first thing that attracted me to The Forest Demands Its Due was the stunning cover. It’s 100% my go-to aesthetic.

The colors, the imagery, even the font, I had to know what it was about. After reading the synopsis, I wanted it ASAP.

In this story, set in Winslow, a small town in rural-Vermont, we follow Douglas Jones, a recently enrolled student at the prestigious Regent Academy.

Douglas differs from the other students. He’s there because his Mom works there and he got in a bit of trouble elsewhere. He’s a scholarship kid. He’s not rich like the other kids, and really doesn’t expect to get the same experience out of Regent as they do.

Douglas simply wants to keep his head down and quietly make it through the year. Unfortunately, some of his peers are bound to make that goal challenging.

Douglas is on edge at Regent as it is, but after the mysterious death of a fellow student, one which only he seems to remember, Douglas is more sure than ever that something is off at the ivory-towered school.

When he meets Everett, the groundskeeper’s son, and discovers that Everett remembers the murdered boy too, Douglas decides he needs to find the truth. What in the heck is going on at Regent?

In his search for answers, Douglas uncovers a giant horde of secrets kept by the locals. Not only that, he’s awakened the horrific entity hiding at the heart of the forest surrounding the school.

Will Douglas be able to harness his inner power and defeat this formidable enemy before all of Winslow is destroyed?

He doesn’t know, but he’s certainly going to try and his new friend, Everett, plans to be with him every step of the way.

This isn’t a perfect book, but I did enjoy a lot of what the author created here. Douglas was great MC to follow and learn about. I loved his narrative voice. Additionally, the ideas behind the Horror elements were strong.

I enjoyed the blending of Social Horror with the Folk Horror-evil forest elements. The private school setting was well done and Jackson successfully set an ominous tone from the start. I think this truly deserves a higher overall rating, which is why I decided to round up.

At the beginning, it was giving me heavy We Don’t Swim Here vibes, which I enjoyed a lot, so that really helped to grab my attention early. The way Douglas was noticing things at Regent that other people either weren’t noticing, or weren’t admitting to noticing, was hella intriguing.

It felt menacing and heavy. What was going on?

I will admit, some of the plot was hard to track, particularly towards the end when the pace increased. I think some of the confusion came from the magical elements. I never felt like I had a full grasp on the magic system.

Overall though, I felt like the characters and setting were well done, and I enjoyed thinking about the different social topics explored.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA Social Horror, or Haunted Forest stories. Also, if you are looking for a Diverse, or Queer YA Horror read, this is a strong recommendation.

Thank you to the publisher, Quill Tree Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am looking forward to reading more from Kosoko Jackson.

View all my reviews

Review: The Yacht by Sarah Goodwin

~ megs14malloy

The YachtThe Yacht by Sarah Goodwin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hannah has been best friends with Libby and Maggie since they were kids. As they’ve aged into adulthood though, their lifestyles have taken them in different directions.

Libby and her husband Ollie are incredible wealthy. Maggie, a successful fashion designer, and her husband, Leon, are quite wealthy as well.

Then there’s Hannah, who has struggled since Uni. She’s not flat broke or anything, but in comparison to the other two gals, she’s definitely the ‘poor’ friend.

Hannah would be lying if she said that the differences didn’t make her self-conscious. They do, but they’re her oldest and dearest friends. They love her really. Don’t they?

For New Year’s Eve, Libby decides to throw an intimate party on their yacht, located at a marina in Italy. It will be just her, her husband, Ollie, Maggie, Leon, Hannah, and their other dear friend, Harry, a recently successful artist.

Hannah is excited, but also anxious. It’s just another chance for Libby to rub her nose in their money. Nevertheless, Hannah decides to go and make the best of it. Of course, she has to drive like 11-hours, or something ridiculous to get there, because she can’t afford the plane fare.

The party is…let’s say, eventful. By the time Hannah gets herself to her cabin that night, she’s happy to be away from the lot of them. She’s ready for morning to come so she can get the hell out of there and never look back.

As she awakes the next day, hungover and anxious to leave, Hannah makes a startling discovering. The yacht, previously docked at the marina, has now been set free. They’re adrift, unpowered, with no harbor in sight.

The New Year’s Eve party has suddenly turned into a desperate fight for survival, but how and why?

When someone disappears, the stakes are raised even higher? Is there a murderer in their midst? Will any of them survive, or will they all go down with the ship?

The Yacht is the epitome of a Popcorn Thriller. We have an exciting destination, an OTT-circumstance, an unlikable group of characters and a fast-paced race to the end.

I had a lot of fun reading this. I enjoyed Hannah’s perspective. There were times, of course, when I wanted to shake her, but I was also fully in her corner.

Some of these other characters were absolutely reprehensible and I wanted to get away from them as badly as Hannah did.

I enjoyed how Goodwin truly turned this one into a survival story, in the truest sense of the term. That bit was unexpected and I liked that she actually took it there.

I was happy to go along with Hannah on this journey. Even though my heart broke for her at times, particularly in the last couple of scenes, I was pleased with her growth and the ultimate conclusion.

I would recommend this one to any Reader who loves OTT-dramatic, messy friendship stories. Particularly if you are into Survival Thrillers.

Thank you to the publisher, Avon, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to more from this author!

View all my reviews

Review: The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert

~ megs14malloy

The Bad Ones: A NovelThe Bad Ones: A Novel by Melissa Albert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

The Bad Ones is the latest from beloved YA-author, Melissa Albert. I was immediately drawn to this stunning cover.

It screams beautiful darkness and that’s definitely the mood that this story delivers. The dark atmosphere was a hit for me, as well as the moody, yet fluid and engaging prose.

In this story we mainly follow Nora, whose estranged best friend, Becca, goes missing at the very start of our tale. We also learn of some other residents of their town who all go missing on that same night.

While many adults in her life feel like Becca, who has had a tumultuous life, has most likely run away, Nora knows that isn’t the case.

It’s not just the cryptic message Becca left her on the night she disappeared, Nora can just feel in her heart that something sinister is afoot.

The Reader follows along with Nora as she steadfastly searches for the truth. As Nora begins her investigation, she receives what she believes are coded messages from Becca.

These lead her to examine a local legend, known as the goddess, whose forgotten origins, even played a roll in Nora and Becca’s own childhood games.

I really enjoyed this. I found the premise so interesting and enjoyed learning about the local lore that helped to build out the heart of this story.

I feel like Readers are going to be hit or miss on Nora’s narrative voice, but for me, I really enjoyed her. She’s blunt and a bit morose, but personally, I felt like that helped develop the overall tone of the story.

I did have the pleasure of listening to the audiobook and I feel like the narrator, Emma Galvin, did an incredible job bringing Nora to life. I truly felt like I was listening to this character relay her story. It was so well done.

Nora does end up making a new friend, James, who aids her in her search for truth. I enjoyed their relationship. Nora is the type of character who pretty much keeps to herself, but James was able to help break down some of her walls.

At first I wasn’t sure if I trusted him. He seemed too cool for school, but I liked the way his character was able to draw Nora out of her shell. Regardless of the ultimate outcome of their relationship, I feel like he played his part by giving Nora the confidence boost she needed in her search.

There were a couple of small things, in the reveal of the truth, that structurally, I may have preferred formatted differently, but who am I to judge how this author chooses to tell this story? I might not have written it this way, but then again, I’m not a writer, so what do I know?

I’ll be honest, not a lot, but I do know that I really enjoyed the reading experience. It delivered me the dark, supernatural vibes and ‘small town full of secrets’ atmosphere that I was hoping for. It kept me engaged and guessing throughout and it made me even more excited to read future works from this author.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Melissa Albert continues to impress me with her captivating concepts, interesting characters and beautiful writing. The Bad Ones is available now!!

View all my reviews

Review: Five Bad Deeds by Caz Frear

~ megs14malloy

Five Bad DeedsFive Bad Deeds by Caz Frear
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

💜💙💕💜💙💕💜💙💕💜💙💕💜💙💕💜

Five Bad Deeds is suspenseful Domestic Drama from one of my go-to authors, Caz Frear.

I really enjoyed all the books in the Cat Kinsella series by this author, so was looking forward to this standalone novel. The synopsis sounded intriguing and luckily, it delivered.

We do get a few different perspectives in this story, but our main perspective is that of Ellen; a wife, mother, and by all appearances, a good person.

Ellen has a lot on her plate, raising a head-strong teenage daughter, as well as toddler twin sons. She’s currently job-hunting and undertaking a fairly significant renovation on their beautiful family home.

She’s also balancing time with her sister and friends, just trying to keep all the balls in the air.

When the first sinister note arrives, Ellen can hardly believe it. Is someone threatening her? Who could possibly dislike her so much they would be this cruel? What has she ever done to deserve this kind of ire?

The anonymous enemy doesn’t stop with notes though, it seems this person is truly out to trash Ellen’s life and her reputation. As the threats intensify, Ellen scrambles to figure out who is behind it all and stop them, before it’s too late.

I had so much fun with this. I read 43% in the first sitting. I couldn’t put it down once I started. I loved the perspective shifts and how they were used to build-out the story.

As mentioned above, Ellen is our MC and we are getting her perspective the majority of the time. But every once in a while, mixed amongst the Ellen sections, we get the perspectives of various side characters in her life.

Their perspectives are pretty much solely providing their personal commentary on Ellen. So, in this way, it’s very how you see your life, versus how outsiders see it. It was interesting to me to have it formatted this way.

Ellen’s sister, Kristy, plays a big role in the story, and her thoughts on Ellen were some of the most enlightening, IMO. It’s very true that there are two sides to every story, and it was never more evident than in the sister’s thoughts about one another and their relationship.

This is just the kind of secret-laden, spite-filled Domestic Drama I love. I was captivated by the twisty storyline. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any crazier, it did.

The structure felt unique and I loved how the truth was revealed. It was a bit of a jaw-dropper. Well done by Frear!!

While I understand this type of Domestic Suspense/Drama may not be for everyone, I tend to have a lot of fun with this type of story. I eat it up like cake; it’s so good.

If you are the type of Reader who loves small town stories, with a cast of characters harboring a ton of secrets, than this story may be for you. Also, if you are reading for fun, or escape, and are mainly looking for something to take your mind off life for a while, this could fit the bill.

If the synopsis sounds intriguing to you, give it a go. Hopefully, you’ll end up enjoying it as much as I did.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Paperbacks, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Caz Frear is a go-to author for me. I’m definitely looking forward to whatever she delivers next!

View all my reviews

Review: What Feasts at Night (Sworn Soldier #2) by T. Kingfisher

~ megs14malloy

What Feasts at Night (Sworn Soldier, #2)What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

What Feasts at Night is the 2nd-release in the Sworn Soldier series by one of my favorite authors, T. Kingfisher.

When I read the 1st-book in this series, What Moves the Dead, an atmospheric reimagining of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, I believed it to be a standalone novella.

Having loved it as much as I did, imagine my surprise when I learned we were going to be getting more stories following the witty, charming and delightful MC, Alex Easton.

Alex has quickly become one of my favorite character perspectives to read from. Kingfisher channels her signature sense of humor beautifully into this character and reading their perspective feels like you are sitting with a friend, as they tell you the most horrifying vacation stories ever.

In this installment, Alex, along with some of the best side characters ever, including Hod, Angus and Miss Potter, travel to Alex’s family’s hunting lodge, deep in the dark, cold forests of Gallacia.

When they arrive the rest and relaxation they were hoping for is impossible to find, as the caretaker has died and the property is in disarray.

The local village is a titter, claiming that a breath-stealing monster, coming in the cover of night, has taken up residence at the hunting lodge.

While Alex generally doesn’t put much stock in local rumors, or the monsters of lore being real, having just survived what they did at the Usher manor, it’s hard to write off the possibility entirely.

Soon things that Alex could have never imagined, nightmare-like situations, begin to become reality. Maybe something is going on in the lodge after all?

I loved this. I’m already excited to read it again and to get a hard copy for my shelves. I’m not sure what the plans are for the Sworn Soldier series, but I truly, truly hope this is not the last we are going to see of these characters.

Whether there is one more to come, or sixty more, I am here for them all!!

Kingfisher succeeded again in making me care so much about these characters and what was happening to them. Even though this is just a novella, it packs a punch. The atmosphere, plot progression and horror imagery, were all so well done.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a dark, gothic story, following fun and engaging characters. If you enjoyed the first book, I definitely think you will love this one as well.

Thanks to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

I will be keeping my fingers crossed for more Alex Easton!!

View all my reviews

Review: The Traitors by Carissa Ann Lynch

~ megs14malloy

The TraitorsThe Traitors by Carissa Ann Lynch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

💙💛😱💛💙😱💙💛😱💛💙😱💙💛😱💛💙

Over 25-years ago, Beechwood Castle was the site of a grisly axe murder. Three teens lost their lives on that gruesome night, while one teen survived. A final girl.

In the aftermath of the killing, the local community was left reeling. In an effort to catch the person responsible, a local cop ended up killing a boy he suspected was the murderer, but as it turns out, he was most likely innocent.

The castle has had a rocky history every since, the grounds falling into ruin. Now six people have received invitations for an overnight stay at the infamous castle. The selling point, the chance to win a portion of a million dollar cash payout.

All they need to do, make it a full 24-hours on the property.

From the publisher:

Six people walk into the house. One of them is an imposter, all of them are traitors, which of them will survive the night?

The Traitors is a hoot! It definitely reads like a B-Horror film, but y’all know that I have no problem with that.

It gets categorized as a Locked-Room Mystery, and while I guess I can understand that comp, to me it’s the classic set-up for a blood bath of a Horror Thriller.

Sure, there’s some mystery as to who is killing people, but to me the blood and brutal slayings sort of take center stage. It is a And Then There Were None format, but with much more of a heavy-handed Horror slant.

That’s all semantics though, either way, it’s a fun time.

I enjoyed the initial character set-up. Getting to meet each of the six people who received a Willy Wonka-esque Golden Ticket invite for the overnight stay at Beechwood.

I was instantly reaching for the popcorn as the drama of this cast of unlikable characters began. They each had their own motivations for being there, but who wasn’t supposed to be there at all? That was the question.

It seems someone has infiltrated and they begin picking off the competition one-by-one. Is it as simple as that though, or is something else going on?

I had a lot of theories as to what was going on. It’s all a bit chaotic, but there’s never a lack of action. Lynch keeps the pace going at a nice steady speed throughout.

The twists and turns were surprising and they kept me engaged. I wasn’t just eating the popcorn, I was throwing it at some of these characters.

This is the third novel I have read by Carissa Ann Lynch and I’ve had fun with them all. They don’t take themselves too seriously. We’re all just here for a good time.

I would recommend this to anyone who just wants a fun, quick-paced, intense, OTT-dramatic weekend read. If you enjoy multiple kills, unlikable characters and an ominous setting, you absolutely need to check this out.

I enjoy all of those things and feel like this novel checks all those boxes.

Thank you to the publisher, One More Chapter, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I had fun with this and am definitely planning to pick up more from Carissa Ann Lynch!

View all my reviews

Review: Murder, She Wrote: Fit for Murder (Murder, She Wrote #57) by Terrie Farley Moran

~ megs14malloy

Murder, She Wrote: Fit for MurderMurder, She Wrote: Fit for Murder by Jessica Fletcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fit for Murder is the 57th, and latest installment, in the long-running and beloved Cozy Mystery series, Murder, She Wrote.

If I am counting correctly, this is the 36th-book that I have read in the series. I absolutely adore Jessica Fletcher. These are my go-to, number one, comfort reads.

They’re nostalgic, relaxing and always entertaining. I just love MSW and its intrepid amateur sleuth.

This mystery is entirely set in Jessica’s hometown of Cabot Cove, Maine. As much as I love when Jessica travels, getting to learn about different places and being dazzled by new settings, I do always love a story set in Cabot Cove.

I enjoy the comfort of being with Jessica at home, surrounded by her very best friends, and often nosy neighbors. This installment was no exception to that.

This mystery involves a new-to-town fitness instructor, Martin Terranova, who causes quite the stir by paying a little too much attention to some of his older clientele.

One woman in particular, Bertha Mae Cormier, whose property abuts Terranova’s gym, appears to be of particular interest to the trainer, decades her junior.

When one-time Cabot Cove Gazette editor, Evelyn Phillips, points out the startlingly-unbalanced relationship to Jessica, she can’t help but agree.

The optics aren’t great, but what could Terranova stand to gain from a relationship with Bertha Mae?

Shortly after Terranova comes to Jessica’s attention, he is found dead in his weight room. Before you even say it, no, Jessica didn’t do it. We all know that, but someone did.

We go along with Jessica as she digs into Terranova’s past and tries to suss out the killer.

With Jessica’s friend Evelyn as the leading suspect, the clock is ticking. Jessica needs to get to the bottom of this and quickly, before Evelyn takes the fall.

This was a fun one. I love how in a tither the whole town got about this guy’s presence. It was like they had never seen a personal trainer before. People flocked to him, but were also highly suspicious of everything he did.

There were a lot of interactions amongst the townspeople during Jessica’s investigation and I really enjoyed that. Many of the characters, most actually, we’ve met before in previous installments, so it was fun seeing them again.

I also enjoyed Evelyn being back and she and Jessica working together. Evelyn is bullheaded and has a tendency to steamroll through anything in her path, but Jessica seems to be a calming force for her. That worked well here.

There was some drama included involving the town Budget Office, which I wasn’t expecting and frankly, I’m not sure why was included. The book was exciting enough just following the mystery surrounding Terranova’s murder.

With that being said though, that was really the only thing I felt was a little wonky. Overall, I have been so delighted with Terrie Farley Moran being at the helm of this series.

Since the passing of the series original author, Donald Bain, Farley Moran has done the best job of capturing the original tone and feel of the series. I am so happy this long-running series is still going strong and I will continue to pick them up for as long as they are published.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Another great installment from Terrie Farley Moran. These books are the epitome of Cozy to me, and I’ll continue reading them until the end of time. Keep ’em coming!!!

View all my reviews

Review: Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon

~ megs14malloy

Business or PleasureBusiness or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Truth be told, I don’t actually read a lot of Romance. It’s not really a genre I actively seek out, or stock my shelves with. Not because I see anything wrong with it, it’s just not a genre I tend to gravitate toward on the regular.

With this being said, however, I do have a handful of Contemporary Romance authors that I gel with quite well. I do seek out their stories and pick up everything they put out. Rachel Lynn Solomon is one of them.

I love RLS. It’s her character work and dialogue that really does it for me. I enjoy how well-rounded her characters are and how they aren’t perfect. Each one will have flaws, or personal challenges, that they are navigating through in addition to the romance elements.

Business or Pleasure follows Chandler Cohen, a ghostwriter, who after penning a memoir for a social media influencer has become unsatisfied with her current career path. She’s not sure how much more she can take of being pushed to the shadows and overlooked.

Leaving a business event feeling down on herself and unsure of her future, Chandler heads to a bar. Relatable.

It’s there she meets an extremely charming man. He seems interested and she definitely is. One thing leads to another, and the most awkward hook-up ensues.

His moves left her cringing, but he did try. Feeling unsatisfied, Chandler takes off while he’s asleep; less uncomfortable that way.

She blames her bruised ego from the night before for allowing it to get that far and then vows to just get on with her life. It’s too bad, he was really cute though.

Her ability to get on with her life starts sooner than she expected when she gets a call from her agent, offering her a new project, to ghostwrite a memoir for a C-list actor, Finn Walsh, best known for his role in a cult classic werewolf television show.

We’re talking full on CW here, people.

Finn spends most of his time now traveling around to various conventions, where his fans still come out in droves. He’s had some other work, direct to television movies, that kind of thing, but he’s sort of stuck in a rut of his own.

This memoir will allow him to tell his story. To help people to see who he really is, versus his character’s persona.

Chandler never watched the show, but she definitely knows Finn. The man of the awkward one-night stand. How can this possibly be her life?

Nevertheless, awkward moments aside, Chandler accepts the assignment. She’s really going to get to know Finn now, whether she wants to or not.

The two end up traveling together, as he keeps up with his convention commitments and works on his memoir at the same time. There’s a huge elephant in the room and they decide to talk about.

When Chandler admits their encounter was well short of mind-blowing, Finn is mortified. No one has ever told him that he wasn’t performing as well as he could, or should. Trusting her, Finn requests Chandler school him in the art of satisfaction and she’s more than ready to teach.

I thought this one was a lot of fun. I always enjoy Solomon’s characters and romance plots. This one is extra steamy and promotes a message of sex positivity, as well as open and honest communication amongst partners.

I thought the relationship between Chandler and Finn was cute, although I could have done with more focus on the emotional areas and less on their sexual relationship.

That’s purely personal taste though. This is still an above-average Romance read, IMO.

This story includes some mixed media elements that added to the fun, such as excerpts from Finn’s show. I love fandoms and those excerpts definitely helped to build out that vibe surrounding Finn.

As a couple, these two are off the charts cute. I actually felt there could have been a bit more tension, miscues, or miscommunication between them.

I know that sounds crazy to say, as we all always complain about the pointless miscommunications, but it does add a bit to the basic problem/resolution format.

There was a little bit of that, but this almost seemed too easy. Either way, it was a ton of fun, I am glad I made time for it and I can’t wait to see what RLS comes up with next!!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Solomon’s characters and witty banter will keep me coming back each and every time. Well done!

View all my reviews

Review: Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry

~ megs14malloy

Good Girls Don’t DieGood Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good Girls Don’t Die was quite unique in both its construction and content. I had fun going on this journey and trying to figure out what in the hell was going on.

This was a 5-star read for me for the majority of the book. Unfortunately, the last portion lost me a little bit. Honestly, I found it to be a bit anti-climactic after the exciting build.

Nevertheless, I still really enjoyed it, and ended up only dropping a star due to my discontent with the ending. A 4-star read is still highly enjoyable and I would recommend it to fans of Christina Henry’s quirky and creative writing.

Three women. Three stories. Only one way out. This pitch from the publisher’s synopsis is a great way to sell this story and it’s accurate. We love to see that.

This story is told in four parts, the first three each follow a different character: Celia, Allie and Maggie. The fourth, ties everything together.

The three women’s perspectives were captivating. They each find themselves in a bit of a personal nightmare, but it’s clear that they’re awake. They’re confused, they don’t know what’s going on, and are desperate to figure it out.

I found it so easy to empathize with these women. To feel their fear and desperation. In fact, I started to feel it myself. I was intrigued by the goings-on; so creepy. There seemed to be a relation to stories, as each perspective felt like a perilous journey through a different genre.

When you think about it, it was such a great example of Henry’s skill as a writer. To be able to capture these different genre-feels in such a short space of time. It was really cool.

The fourth section, again, was a bit of let down for me, but it was eye-opening and interesting as to how these women were ultimately connected.

Sadly, I just felt the villain was a bit of a joke; cookie cutter. They felt like an animated movie baddie, or something of that ilk. Also, the messaging around the who and the why was a bit heavy-handed for my tastes.

Overall though, this is well worth the read. A lot of fun. A unique twist of a Thriller, impressive in its creativity. I’m glad I finally got around to picking it up.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’ll continue to look forward to any book wit Henry’s name on the cover!

View all my reviews

Review: A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel

~ megs14malloy

A Drop of VenomA Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

A Drop of Venom is a recent YA Fantasy release pitched as a retelling of the Medusa myth, steeped in Indian mythology, and happily, it is exactly that.

This story follows 16-year old, Manisha, whose naga people have seen their lives decimated because of the King’s army. Manisha was sent to a holy temple to become a priestess, where it was believed she would be safe.

But for girls, there’s rarely any place that is actually safe.

We also follow 17-year old, Pratyush, who is a Monster Slayer and one of the greatest assets of the King. Yes, the very same King who has terrorized Manisha’s people.

When Pratyush and Manisha meet when he visits the Temple, sparks fly and both see in each other a glimpse of the peaceful life that could be possible. Unfortunately, for them both, fortune is not on their side.

Before their relationship even has a chance to get off the ground, tragedy strikes Manisha. A visitor to the temple, a General in the King’s army, brutally rapes her and throws her off the side of the mountain into a churning den of vipers, where he expects her to die.

But she doesn’t die. In fact, she rises, stronger than ever, with a new set of unimaginable powers.

Pratyush’s next assignment leads him on a hunt for a hideous monster said to be killing and maiming men in the countryside. Little does he know this very monster is actually the girl he wishes to someday marry.

I liked this story, I did. Please don’t let my 3.5-star rating discourage you. Patel’s writing is strong and I appreciate the tough topics that she examined, as well as the rich cultural influences that gave such depth and beauty to this tale.

I loved the idea of a Medusa retelling and I loved watching Manisha regain her strength, power and new courage as the story got farther along.

For me though, I did have a bit of an uneven reading experience with this one overall. There were times I was so into it and then other times when I was bored. There’s no better way to explain it.

Additionally, at times I did find some of the plot elements difficult to track, and definitely felt the second half was stronger than the start. Also, I wasn’t completely sold on the alternating perspectives.

We’re mostly getting the story from Manisha’s POV, so when we would randomly switch to Pratyush, I didn’t care about him. I didn’t feel like I had the chance to get to know him in the way that I got to know Manisha, so I sort of felt like it either should have been more equal in their narrative time, or he shouldn’t have been a perspective we read from at all.

I think I may actually have enjoyed this more if we just had Manisha’s perspective.

With this being said, even though I have some slight nit-picky things I wasn’t crazy about, this is still a good book. It actually seems like the kind of story, that if you’re the right Reader, and you read it at the right time, it could be incredibly powerful for you.

I can see that potential. This is a solid Fantasy story, with strong world creation and compelling ideas. I am definitely interested in reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents and Disney Audio for providing me with copies to read and review. This definitely won’t be my last Sajni Patel!

View all my reviews