The Poisons We Drink
Ratings14
Average rating3.3
Added to listRead 2025with 121 books.
This reads as a very confident and assured writer, I was so impressed to discover this was a debut author. I signed up for this book as a pre-order after one of my favourites Xiran Jay Zhao revealed that Cait Corrain author whose debut fantasy novel Crown of Starlight was scheduled to be publish in 2024 had created multiple fake accounts on Goodreads to review bomb other authors of colour. Kamilah Cole's (So Let Them Burn), Bethany Baptiste's (The Poisons We Drink), Frances White (Voyage of the Damned), and K.M. Enright (Mistress of Lies). So I immediately pre-ordered these novels.
The worldbuilding and the mythos of how magic works in the contemporary greater Washington, D.C., metro area id intricate and interesting, but it's the family and relations between the characters is a real strength. Leading off by the protagonist Venus’ mother, the formidable Clarissa Stoneheart, used to be the Love Witcher. From Kirkus review "She broke her pledge to only brew love potions, lost her magic as a consequence, and then turned her attention to teaching Venus, the new Love Witcher, “her 3-B philosophy…Get your bag, brew, and bounce.” When Clarissa is murdered, Venus is tested to her limits as she fights external forces by using her calling (her magical ability to brew) for political gain while also struggling to quiet the deviation (or trauma-inflicted corruption of her calling) that infects her. The deviation, which she calls It, can give Venus access to immense power, but she’s still haunted, in more ways than she realizes, by the first time it was uncaged, when she was 15. Patient readers will eventually encounter unexpected twists and turns that provide an exciting and satisfying ending.
This reads as a very confident and assured writer, I was so impressed to discover this was a debut author. I signed up for this book as a pre-order after one of my favourites Xiran Jay Zhao revealed that Cait Corrain author whose debut fantasy novel Crown of Starlight was scheduled to be publish in 2024 had created multiple fake accounts on Goodreads to review bomb other authors of colour. Kamilah Cole's (So Let Them Burn), Bethany Baptiste's (The Poisons We Drink), Frances White (Voyage of the Damned), and K.M. Enright (Mistress of Lies). So I immediately pre-ordered these novels.
The worldbuilding and the mythos of how magic works in the contemporary greater Washington, D.C., metro area id intricate and interesting, but it's the family and relations between the characters is a real strength. Leading off by the protagonist Venus’ mother, the formidable Clarissa Stoneheart, used to be the Love Witcher. From Kirkus review "She broke her pledge to only brew love potions, lost her magic as a consequence, and then turned her attention to teaching Venus, the new Love Witcher, “her 3-B philosophy…Get your bag, brew, and bounce.” When Clarissa is murdered, Venus is tested to her limits as she fights external forces by using her calling (her magical ability to brew) for political gain while also struggling to quiet the deviation (or trauma-inflicted corruption of her calling) that infects her. The deviation, which she calls It, can give Venus access to immense power, but she’s still haunted, in more ways than she realizes, by the first time it was uncaged, when she was 15. Patient readers will eventually encounter unexpected twists and turns that provide an exciting and satisfying ending.
This reads as a very confident and assured writer, I was so impressed to discover this was a debut author. I signed up for this book as a pre-order after one of my favourites Xiran Jay Zhao revealed that Cait Corrain author whose debut fantasy novel Crown of Starlight was scheduled to be publish in 2024 had created multiple fake accounts on Goodreads to review bomb other authors of colour. Kamilah Cole's (So Let Them Burn), Bethany Baptiste's (The Poisons We Drink), Frances White (Voyage of the Damned), and K.M. Enright (Mistress of Lies). So I immediately pre-ordered these novels.
The worldbuilding and the mythos of how magic works in the contemporary greater Washington, D.C., metro area id intricate and interesting, but it's the family and relations between the characters is a real strength. Leading off by the protagonist Venus’ mother, the formidable Clarissa Stoneheart, used to be the Love Witcher. From Kirkus review "She broke her pledge to only brew love potions, lost her magic as a consequence, and then turned her attention to teaching Venus, the new Love Witcher, “her 3-B philosophy…Get your bag, brew, and bounce.” When Clarissa is murdered, Venus is tested to her limits as she fights external forces by using her calling (her magical ability to brew) for political gain while also struggling to quiet the deviation (or trauma-inflicted corruption of her calling) that infects her. The deviation, which she calls It, can give Venus access to immense power, but she’s still haunted, in more ways than she realizes, by the first time it was uncaged, when she was 15. Patient readers will eventually encounter unexpected twists and turns that provide an exciting and satisfying ending.
This reads as a very confident and assured writer, I was so impressed to discover this was a debut author. I signed up for this book as a pre-order after one of my favourites Xiran Jay Zhao revealed that Cait Corrain author whose debut fantasy novel Crown of Starlight was scheduled to be publish in 2024 had created multiple fake accounts on Goodreads to review bomb other authors of colour. Kamilah Cole's (So Let Them Burn), Bethany Baptiste's (The Poisons We Drink), Frances White (Voyage of the Damned), and K.M. Enright (Mistress of Lies). So I immediately pre-ordered these novels.
The worldbuilding and the mythos of how magic works in the contemporary greater Washington, D.C., metro area id intricate and interesting, but it's the family and relations between the characters is a real strength. Leading off by the protagonist Venus’ mother, the formidable Clarissa Stoneheart, used to be the Love Witcher. From Kirkus review "She broke her pledge to only brew love potions, lost her magic as a consequence, and then turned her attention to teaching Venus, the new Love Witcher, “her 3-B philosophy…Get your bag, brew, and bounce.” When Clarissa is murdered, Venus is tested to her limits as she fights external forces by using her calling (her magical ability to brew) for political gain while also struggling to quiet the deviation (or trauma-inflicted corruption of her calling) that infects her. The deviation, which she calls It, can give Venus access to immense power, but she’s still haunted, in more ways than she realizes, by the first time it was uncaged, when she was 15. Patient readers will eventually encounter unexpected twists and turns that provide an exciting and satisfying ending.
💬:N/A
📖Genres: fiction, fantasy, young adult, LGBT, queer
📚Page Count: 474
🎧Audiobook Length: N/A
👩🏾🏫My Rating: DNF
TW - <spoiler>Abandonment, Gun violence, Death, Cursing, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Blood, and Grief</spoiler>
Thank you so much to NETGALLEY and the PUBLISHER for my arc (advanced reader's copy) of this book.
This story is about Venus, a Witcher (a person who controls a type of magic) and her family of Witchers. Venus is a powerful brewer and her and her mother sell illegal potions to people for money. At around 25% of the way through the book someone <spoiler>kills Venus' mother.</spoiler> Eventually Venus is offered a chance at revenge, will she take it?
The pacing in this book felt slow and I had a hard time caring about the characters. The side characters all seemed one dimensional but I'm putting this novel on hold until the audiobook releases, so I can't be for sure. The world building felt very heavy but not in a good way.
The world building was interesting but the way it was delivered felt really clunky. At the beginning of each chapter there was exposition in the form of a newspaper article, an email, or some other source. On top of that at the beginning of every chapter, there was exposition littered throughout the conversations and through the narrator's comments. The information overload became too much.
What I read of this book was just okay, I'm going to DNF for now and then finish it once the audiobook is released.
DNF until later date.
💬:N/A
📖Genres: fiction, fantasy, young adult, LGBT, queer
📚Page Count: 474
🎧Audiobook Length: N/A
👩🏾🏫My Rating: DNF
TW - <spoiler>Abandonment, Gun violence, Death, Cursing, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Blood, and Grief</spoiler>
Thank you so much to NETGALLEY and the PUBLISHER for my arc (advanced reader's copy) of this book.
This story is about Venus, a Witcher (a person who controls a type of magic) and her family of Witchers. Venus is a powerful brewer and her and her mother sell illegal potions to people for money. At around 25% of the way through the book someone <spoiler>kills Venus' mother.</spoiler> Eventually Venus is offered a chance at revenge, will she take it?
The pacing in this book felt slow and I had a hard time caring about the characters. The side characters all seemed one dimensional but I'm putting this novel on hold until the audiobook releases, so I can't be for sure. The world building felt very heavy but not in a good way.
The world building was interesting but the way it was delivered felt really clunky. At the beginning of each chapter there was exposition in the form of a newspaper article, an email, or some other source. On top of that at the beginning of every chapter, there was exposition littered throughout the conversations and through the narrator's comments. The information overload became too much.
What I read of this book was just okay, I'm going to DNF for now and then finish it once the audiobook is released.
DNF until later date.
