Will Briseis be able to accept her duty as the guardian of an ancient power that lies in the middle of the Poison Garden? Can she harness her gift and keep her family safe? Pros And My Favourite Parts More than anything.” She glanced at the wall of glass jars, then set her hands on the counter, leaning in. “I read a study once. It said that if you have a plant and talk to it like you love it, it’ll grow faster, bigger. But if you keep a plant and talk down to it, insult it, it will wither and die.” Stiv Bators, former Dead Boys vocalist and Dee Dee Ramone's friend, recorded a version of the song which was released posthumously on the 1996 album Last Race. I praise the LBGTQ rep, except in one aspect: Marlon, Bri's nonbinary childhood friend, doesn't factor into the story in the slightest. They're in the past, in NY, to be forgotten about.) imagine plants are kind of like people. Tell a person they’re worthless, hurt their feelings everyday—they’d wither, too.” She let her delicate fingers dance over the surface of the counter, then up to her lips. Her eyes were like the centers of Velvet Queen sunflowers, brown and blazing. She held my gaze. “But imagine telling someone they’re beautiful, magnetic, stunning. Every single day. Imagine how they’d flourish.”

Firstly, Kalynn Bayron’s growth from Cinderella is Dead to This Poison Heart deserves applause. For me, the writing improved and the characters were suddenly more detailed. None of the characters fell flat to me and I’m incredibly impressed in how well written I thought they all were. They all had different personalities that came across through her writing. The depth they all had was excellent and I can tell she’s going to take it to the next level with the next book in this duology. I think Bayron was masterful in writing quirky, fleshed out, lovable characters in this book. Seriously, I loved every single character! The plot development, character set-up, and writing was definitely a step up from Bayron's debut novel, Cinderella is Dead, although I was also a huge fan of that book. Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron's new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power. I'm now going to throw up my hands and say "Eff it, let's get on with it,", and quote a line of Redmond's which perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with this "twist" - both to her character and the story - and how mindbogglingly incompetent it is. Here it is, bring on the cringe: I scrambled to think of what I’d meant to ask her. “There are stores—you know, online—that sell most of this stuff.”Oh, they also like to make dance videos on TikTok,” said Mo. “What’s that one called? The Renegade?” She did some weird move with her arm, then grabbed her shoulder, wincing in pain. “I can do it, but the way my ligaments are set up—” I was keeping them special, just for you,” I said. “I only have six. Ihope that’s okay.” The smile on his face made the little white lie worth it. When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. 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. There is more to Bri's sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.

Mainly DNFed because of the horrible age gap between the MC and love interest, (376 to 17 i'm pretty sure). The whole "immortal" love interest trope is overused and just gross. The pacing was weird and barely anything had happened. This book had enormous potential, but I feel like much of the plot missed the mark. I really enjoyed the characters, but the plot left something to be desired. But that's small weed pulling compared to the biggest problem the book careens and crashes into like an inferno: Mrs. Melissa Redmond. Me ha gustado mas de lo esperado me ha gustado la mezcla de poderes, alquimia, pociones, brebajes y demás temas relacionados con el misticismo y brujería algunos muy superficialmente, pero me han gustado las pinceladas. Y además todo ello macerado con temas de mitología. Nope,” Mo said. She took my hand and pulled me out from behind the counter, scooting me toward the door. She untied my apron and took it off, tossing it to Mom. “I love you, but you need to get out of here and go do some teenager stuff.”Nyx, Marie's bodyguard (does she really need one?)/butler, is cool, too. She's described as like Okoye. Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron’s new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power. I adore mysteries set in abandoned or inherited houses/mansions. It’s a brilliant setting for a story. The atmosphere was perfect, and I loved how the reader explored the mansion with Briseis and gained information alongside the protagonist. Interesting and unique magic systems always make me fall in love with a book. For me, that was one of the most engaging parts of this book. I loved how Greek Mythology was entwined throughout. The mystery around Briseis’ powers was so captivating, and I didn’t expect how mythology would eventually lead to answers to those questions. The pacing was just right. There was always a new thread unravelling, and each chapter enticed me to keep reading. I have a problem with slow books and this was anything but! Also, why didn't Bri figure out that Veruca Sore was the one who murdered her birth mother, Selene, and possibly more of her birth family? Veruca had to mention it in one of her villain monologues for the girl to put two and two together! It's so freaking obvious! I'd thought she already knew it! Why is everyone in this book so moronic?! I’m so sorry, Robert,” Mom said as Mr.Hughes, dressed in his Sunday best, came into the shop. “There was an accident, and we didn’t get our regular shipment. We should have a new delivery in the next few days.”