4.75/5⭐️ for This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron. Thank you very much to Bloomsbury YA for an egalley copy to review! I was so so excited for this sequel and I am very happy to report that it did not disappoint! The action continues almost immediately after the heartwrenching ending of book 1, and with the introduction of even more figures from & history of classical mythology we are going on a quest with Briseis to save one of her moms and stop some very bad people from getting their hands on the deadliest plant she's ever encountered. I adored getting to know Bri more and seeing her with her girlfriend (<3<3) and how she is coming into her powers more and more. This story is kind of told as a quest, which worked well in my opinion and the stakes were truly real. Along for the quest is another fantastic group of characters to root for, as well as provides background for the history of Bri's family and the mythology of the "magic system". There was maybe some slight pacing issues as we got into the action and again towards the resolution, but nothing that took away from my enjoyment of the book. Finally, we got an ending worthy of the duology that was satisfying but not too perfectly wrapped up. Please, please go check out these books and this fabulous author if you haven't already!

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In this sequel to This Poisoned Heart, Briseis is trying to figure out how to bring her mom back from the dead. If she can find all the pieces of the Absirtus Heart, Hecate has promised she will resurrect her mother. Briseis is joined by several familiar characters and a few new ones as well as she travels in search of Aeaea and the Heart.

I loved this book, just like the first one. The new spin on Greek myths was refreshing and a lot of fun. I really enjoyed most of the characters. One complaint I have is that the main romance doesn’t seem fleshed out enough to be believable for me; I don’t feel like we were given enough insight as to why such a deep love exists already. I loved the new settings in this story and felt like it wrapped up nicely. I would definitely recommend this to some of my more mature students, as well as anyone who loves mythology (but isn’t a purist) or fantasy YA.

Thank you so much for the chance to read this sequel!

I loved This Poison Heart SO much and found much of the same humour and social commentary in this conclusion. I think that part of the magic of the first book was discovering a previously unknown world through Bri's eyes, and the fact that this book is more plot-driven and fast-paced lost me ever so slightly.

However, all of the characters are simply so well done, and I loved learning more about the Greek mythology in this world!

In This Wicked Fate, Bri is exploring and opening up to her powers more and learning about her heritage and I really enjoyed this story because of that. It had a lot of action due to the driving force of needing to get her mom back, but it also has the softer moments of learning about her aunts (who were previously thought dead) and her figuring out who she is. I did feel like the plot was slow and was not very engaging at some points, but overall I liked the way this book continued the story that was introduced in This Poison Heart.

After reading This Poison Heart and loving every bit of it, I was so excited to read This Wicked Fate and I was not disappointed in any way! This Wicked Heart picks up where This Poison Heart leaves us and is non stop go from the beginning. There are so many things to love about this sequel.
I love all the characters in the story, each one of them added to the story and no one felt like a filler character. I love Bri as a main character and really enjoyed her growth and character arc. I especially loved that Bri could lean on and rely on the other characters when she needed too. We were able to see fallibility and I really enjoyed that.
Marie, Circe, and Persephone all felt fleshed out and I understood their motives and actions. I felt as though each were their own unique individual.
The mythology is really at the core of this book and I felt as though the author wove in the mythology and information in such a a smart way. I never felt like a scene was info dumpy, it all flowed and added relevance to the story as it went along.
This story felt like a warm mug of tea on a rainy day and I devoured it in one sitting. Such a fun ride and it definitely makes me want to pick up other books by Kalynn Bayron.

4.5 stars. This was an amazing sequel and end to this duology. I honestly cannot wait to reread this as an audiobook. I loved the first book and this one was just as good. I haven't been able to say this often but this wrapped everything up very nicely. Can't wait to see what this author comes out with next. This beautiful baby come out June 21st so be sure to clear your schedule! You will want to binge this one!

Picking up where This Poison Heart left off, THIS WICKED FATE by Kalynn Bayron dives into a rich world of reclaimed Greek mythology and the tales of a family surviving generational trauma.

A little slow for my liking but over all a decent read. I did enjoy how the author kept most of the information as close to the "originals" as possible. 4⭐️

I was a part of booktalk this year and wanted to read the book before Kalynn’s panel. This Wicked Fate was an incredible fantasy book.

To prepare for this highly anticipated book, I reread This Poison Heart for a refresher and I'm so glad I did. There were some minor characters I wouldn't have remembered if I hadn't. We get to see a bit more of the characters' personalities in this book, especially Marie's. She's uses her wit, sarcasm, and jokes to cope with the circumstances, which brought some comic relief to the story, I think.

"I don't get it. All these gods do is sit around and be angry and jealous. Like damn. You could do something useful. Cure cancer or something." - Marie

Thanks to Persephone and Circe, they have two more fragments of the heart so they only need to find the location of the fifth and get to it. This ends up being extremely difficult as they spend most of this book just trying to figure out where it could be and how to get there. Despite this, I didn't feel bored. It gave Bri time to connect with her biological aunt and learn more about her family. This also made space for even more Greek mythology!

Bayron keeps the majority of these stories close to the originals. The only real difference is that they are Black. She poetically describes their varying shades and features with ease. Some folx may be confused by this but it's Fantasy! If y'all can believe in immortals, mermaids, and plants that fight at will, then y'all can believe in Black Greek gods. I really enjoyed the deep dive and started looking up those mentioned in the story. We also get a little U.S. History in there!

The one person I wish we got more of was Nyx. I really liked her and felt like there were a few loose threads there. This is the last book in a duology, I think, so that makes me a little sad. Regardless, I'm so happy books like this exist! I was talking with some folx the other day about queer books and they mentioned how relieved they are to be in an era where queer joy can be found in books. It hasn't always been this way, but I'm glad it is now.

This Wicked Fate is the sequel to the fabulous This Poison Heart which was released last year. I really enjoyed the first book and was anxiously waiting to read the sequel. There were so many things I needed to have answered! The most pressing one was would the sequel match up to the first book? Thankfully, it was.

From the opening phrase I was pulled back into the world of Briseis and her family. Kalynn Barrow writes with such a lyrical pose it wasn't hard to get dragged back in. It did take me a little bit to recall everything that had happened and who everyone was but, once I did I was ready for the ride. This Wicked Fate picks right up where The Poison Heart left off. Briseis is still adapting to her unique ability regarding plants and has recently suffered a tragedy. This tragedy also plays a role in the secrets of Briseis birth family as everything is very interconnected.

Similarly to This Poison Heart, the vivid descriptions of the plants, the gardens, and the concoctions pulled me right in. This book involves alot of traveling as Briseis and her family are searching for answers, trying to reclaim what is theirs. I love the bond of this family. They are there for each other, no matter what. Even when they are arguing over what the right next step should be, in the end they always have each others backs. They're also not afraid to call each other out when necessary.

I feel like this review is a little bit vague but I'm trying my best not to reveal any spoilers. This is a book that you need to experience on your own. The mystery mixed with fantasy and Greek mythology is most definitely worth it. It kept my attention and I couldn't wait to see how everything wrapped up. Or at least I think things are wrapped up now. Honestly, I wouldn't be adverse to returning to this magical land of plants and family if Kalynn Bayron wanted to write more for Brisies and her family.

**4.5 Stars**

3.75 stars. This was really slow for me to get through and I’m not sure I would have finished it as fast without the help of audio. Still a satisfying end to the duology and I will continue to recommend this series to anyone who likes mythology, urban fantasy, and Black girl magic.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc in exchange for a review!

The first book was a great mix of magical and reality. I liked this second book, though at times I was missing some of the suspense from the first one! But overall it was great.

THIS WICKED FATE
Author: Kalynn Bayron
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pub Date: 21 June 2022

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Review:
This Wicked Fate is the sequel to This Poison Heart. This book was a lot of fun with incredible drama and friendships. Briseis, in book one, can control plants and is immune to poison. In this sequel, Briseis attempts to bring back the people she's lost. This book was action filled and I loved the Greek mythology aspect of it. It's definitely a YA worth reading.

However, I was a bit underwhelmed with the pacing. Overall, I would recommend this follow up book! Thank you Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I received an advanced copy of This Wicked Fate from Bloomsbury YA Publishing so I could share my review with you!
Spoiler Warning: This Wicked Fate is the sequel to This Poison Heart, so if you haven't read the first book yet, I would recommend reading my review of the first book instead so that you don't have anything spoiled for you!

This Poison Heart was one of my top five books of 2021, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of This Wicked Fate to find out how Bri's story would end! Without spoiling anything, the ending of This Poison Heart left me reeling, so when I received an ARC of This Wicked Fate I did scream a little bit.

This Wicked Fate delves deeper into the mythological elements of the Colchis family which were some of my favorite parts of This Poison Heart. This series has one of the best integrations of mythology into a contemporary world I've read. Kaylynn Bayron uses classic Greek myths to thread themes of heritage, family, and legacy into the narrative. In a sweeping and readable narrative, Bayron gives a fantastic conclusion to this must-read duology! Also, the amount of lesbian and sapphic relationships in these books is downright incredible, so if you're searching for an amazing queer fantasy duology you need to grab copies! I loved reading about the connection between Bri and Marie, which was tender and sweet despite a high-stakes plot surrounding them. They are one of my favorite fictional couples, and I loved getting to see both of them on the cover whenever I grabbed my copy of This Wicked Fate!

My Recommendation-
If you love stories with elements of mythology in a contemporary world, you need to grab copies of both This Poison Heart and This Wicked Fate! I would especially recommend these books to readers who grew up loving Percy Jackson, and are looking for a story with a similar sense of magic!

I am devastated by how much I did not like this book. The first book in the series was so good and I blew through it and loved it so much. I didn’t even mind the cliffhanger at the end of it because I knew I had this book already available.

This Wicked Fate relied far too much on talking rather than doing. The entire first 40 to 50% of the book is mostly a bunch of people standing around a living room talking about things and making plans. If this was speculative fiction that might be a little bit different but it’s a fantasy novel after a really big cliffhanger and that just really wasn’t gonna work for me.

I think maybe the issue was that the cast of characters was too many. The author was trying to give each of them enough time on the page to showcase their existence and personality without realizing that it was just pages and pages and pages of dialogue. The pace was so frustrating.

Rep: bisexual MC, sapphic relationships

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Kaylnn Bayron just throws you into the squeal! No silly recap of what just happened in the last book. This choice was greatly appreciated from this reader. Walk and move that plot. Although the adventure is super serious, theirs moments where light heartedness comes thru. Show casing our charters and what they are about.

This review is hard to do no spoilers because I really wanna write how certain revels made me go, oh yea that's not normal. I didn't see that coming. An really my guy?

This Wicked Fate is a must read, as this series world gets bigger so do the thrills, danger and characters.

A true 5 stars book that you will want to re-read. Now excuse me, I must grace my bookshelf with a printed version.

An interesting addition to the original tale. I found I had some issues with things that had cropped up in the first book (particularly the insta love) but over all it was well done!

This Wicked Fate is the second part of This Poison Heart series about Briseis - a teenager who can control plants and is immune to poisons. In the previous book, Briseis learned the secrets about her biological family and had to face a terrible loss, and now she and her friends are racing not only against their enemies but also against time to bring her loved one back from the Underworld.

I had so much fun reading this book! Compared to the first one, I have to admit that I was the tiniest bit underwhelmed because of the pacing, but I absolutely loved getting to read about Briseis and her family and friends again. There’s even more Greek mythology this time, and we get to meet more of the members of the other branch of Briseis’ family. The humor is superb and following Briseis on her journey was fascinating, but somehow this book just lacked that special punch that made me fall in love with the first part. Still, it was an extremely fun read that wrapped everything up perfectly, and made me wish that I would be able to visit this world again some day.

TLDR: This Wicked Fate is an exciting, solid follow up to its first part. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children’s Books for an eARC of This Wicked Fate in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a Kalynn Bayron stan since her debut Cinderella is Dead released in 2020! This Poison Heart is a favorite of mine so I was excited to read the sequel. This Wicked Fate is magical and follows Briseis as she embarks on a hero’s journey to get her mom back the underworld. It is fantastical but also explores grief and generational trauma.

Over the course of the book, Briseis learns more about her family history from her aunt Circe. She also discovers new aspects of her power and how to better control it. She does all of this while carrying the all consuming grief of losing her mom in such a vile way.

After reading This Poison Heart and seeing the cover of This Wicked Fate I was hoping for more Marie and Briseis cuteness 🥰 Kalynn delivered 🙌🏾 There were so many sweet moments between them: hand holding, neck nuzzling and kissing! Besides Briseis, Marie is my favorite character in this duology. She is hilarious, rude, always down for a fight and such a softy for Bri.

I went in expecting for Karter to play a bigger role than he did in this sequel. I was sure there would be a big showdown between him and Briseis. I’m actually glad that nothing happened the way I expected it to. It made the story a lot less predictable which is always fun! I wasn’t expecting to meet other Gods, Goddess and mythical creatures which made for a thrilling addition to the story and an unexpected treat!

Persephone Colchis was such an interesting and mysterious character! I wanted more of her backstory. Like how exactly was she related to Briseis, How did she obtain/become a piece of the Absyrtus Heart and how long has she been alive because in TPH her headstone didn’t have a date. I hope Kalynn comes back to this world in future projects because I would love to know more about Persephone, Nix and a few other characters. A prequel about Briseis’ mom Selene would be epic!