Even amongst books with queer protagonists, this is unique.

Of particular note is the fact that Briseis’s parents are queer women themselves. The rest of the supporting cast are majority women and majority Black. Briseis is a Black queer woman, as are at least five other characters. The standout elements of the duology as a whole are the interesting premise, the easy-to-read writing, and the valuable representation it provides. I merely found it more on par with Bayron’s first work than a worthy successor to This Poison Heart. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy This Wicked Fate (I definitely did). I often found myself bored by the plot or feeling as though certain side quests were being invented merely to make the book an appropriate length. Unfortunately, I was let down by This Wicked Fate, which I thought felt victim to many of the same flaws that I saw in Cinderella is Dead. I liked the main character a lot more, and I felt that Bayron’s writing had improved. This Poison Heart was significantly better on both fronts. Prior to the publication of either book in this series, I read Bayron’s Cinderella is Dead, and while I did enjoy it overall, I found some of the characters one-dimensional and thought the plot details were a bit contrived on occasion. It is a wonderful story about self-discovery, overcoming the impossible, and the importance of family. This series beautifully weaves Greek mythology with elements of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. She and her parents decide to visit, only to find that both the estate and Briseis’s family tree are far more puzzling than they’d originally imagined. She lives in Brooklyn with her parents, but one day she receives word that she has inherited a large house in upstate New York from her birth mother. The series follows Briseis, a teenage girl with mysterious powers that allow her to control and rapidly grow plants with her mind. This book is the second in a duology, the first of which is entitled This Poison Heart. Having just finished This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron, I thought it would be the perfect time to revive my blog.

This wicked fate