DNF at Chapter 12

I love the premise of this book, and am actually interested enough in the plot that I may pick this up again in the future, but the prose is, in a word, rough

If it were just a few moments of information dumps over descriptions, or perplexing dialogue tags or anachronistic language, I could let it go. Things like ‘bus’ and ‘tourist’ could be excused: there’s no definite time period listed so I suppose I could allow for this to be more 19th century in origin.

I had to put the book down at calling God ‘Sky Daddy.’ It was just so beyond anachronistic, a nod to a contemporary audience that the book hadn’t set itself up to earn. I feel like this author was aiming for Tamsyn Muir or Margaret Owen, but unfortunately it doesn’t EARN those moments like those two authors do. The humour feels flat because the characters have traits, but not a ton of depth or heart.

I really wanted to like this book. I was so excited for the premise.

This was truly so good. It was everything i excepted from a ya folktale romantasy and it DELIVERED. I loved all of the main characters Gisela a water nymph, Kazik an annoying exorcist, and Aleksey the cute blond boy who had them both wrapped around this finger.
their polyamorous relationship was so BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND AMAZING LIKE they had me giggling and kicking my feet they were so cute istg. I really loved the way their romance together was built like you could tell they really cared deeply for eo even if they didnt really show it.
I LOVE LOVE LOVED KAZIKS CHARACTER like hes was just so 😭😭😭 everything about him was just beautiful. He was annoying as first but the more we got to know him the more i felt attached to him. Hes so precious and sweet like THATS MY MISUNDERSTOOD BI EXORCIST PRINCESS I LOVE HIM !!
Im really happy i read this and im so ready for the second book. they have me hooked no joke like im inlove.

I don't normally read books like this one but the cover intrigued me and after reading it im so glad I got the chance to read it! I sincerely hope that there is a sequel because I really enjoyed the story.

*Thank you to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!*

Words cannot express how much I loved this book. From the atmosphere, to the world building, to the characters, I loved every bit. It is whimsical and dark with an edge of promise and hope. Gisela in particular is facing a near impossible quest and I admired her determination to get it done. She knew how difficult it would be but she held on tight to hope, and it was just the right touch of angst without being all consuming.

Kazik is very much her opposite, more sullen and a loner through and through, but even he has that fierce determination. Even if he navigates with a more negative headspace. He has those thoughts and feelings but it doesn’t entirely hold him back, which again, made a nice contrast without being too heavy or all consuming.

There is also a wide range of characters that vary from dark to morally gray but they still have such lovable traits to them. Alicia Jansiska did such a great job of creating likable, complex characters all tied together with this gorgeous atmosphere. I loved the lore and legend of the area which added another layer to these characters as they navigated this world they are in and I am desperate for more.

There is also queer representation here which is very much known without having to be spelled out for us a million times, which I personally enjoy with my queer representation. Sometimes it calls for it but this novel shares it the right amount because of the air of mystery around these characters. It also has a true enemies to lovers ARC that develops so well and naturally as they have to work together to sort out each other’s needs. I do think it leaves less room for another character to be fully in the mix, but given their own personal ARC, it makes sense and I have hope that it gets explored more in the next one.

All of these elements come together to make something so tragically beautiful, from sisterhood and companionship, to finding your place in the world and questioning what you thought you knew, to otherworldly elements that make it something entirely unique. I cannot recommend this book enough.

This Fatal Kiss was such a great book! I loved the writing style, the descriptions were so amazingly crafted, and I loved the voice of each character. Each POV was very distinct, and I loved seeing the happenings from all the POVs. All the characters had such a good arc, and I loved all of them so much. I'm not generally a poly romance enjoyer, but this was done very well and it was believable. Gisela was my favourite character, her sense of humour was amazing. The banter in general actually, was simply hilarious. I loved the culture and folklore woven into the story, it was very interesting to read, but it was in a very digestible format. This was an amazing book, and I would highly recommend picking it up! (4.5/5)

3.75 / 5 stars
queer and polyamorous? say less!!! (although personally despite the delicious flirting we got throughout, i only really felt like one pair of the relationship felt sufficiently developed and so although i appreciate the polyamory it didn't feel necessarily earned)
I've really been enjoying slavic folklore stories recently and overall this was extremely fun and enjoyable! if you're looking to dive into a consuming world that has you immersed from minute one then this is absolutely for you!
The ending really had me pining for the sequel so i hope it comes sooner rather than later!

3.5⭐️ rounded-up.

This was great. It was whimsical, fun, and true to the YA age classification.

I love stories rooted in folklore, so this Slavic Folklore-based story hits the mark. It's told through three different POVs (third person) with a sassy and spirited FMC (Gisela), a no-nonsense exorcist MMC (Kazik) and a handsome charismatic boy that they've both set their sights on.

It has some wonderful lgbtq+ representation and a little bit of polyamorous pining. The banter was cute, the plotline of a water nymph trying to regain her humanity was fun, and the characters were quirky. I also felt that this story has a fairytale retelling type of vibe.

I did feel like some of the folklore aspects and worldbuilding could've been a little bit more fleshed out. I'm assuming there will be a continuation of this book as we are left with some unresolved conflict, but this isn't very clear from the marketing. Another thing I struggled with is that there are things that are unsaid and overlooked - including some miscommunication - that almost doesn't feel realistic for the characters, at times.

Overall, it is a very good YA fantasy, fairytale-esque, and lighter than anticipated while also beautifully handling some darker themes. I do hope there will be a sequel

I was attracted by the beautiful cover and the captivating plot, and I was eager to immerse myself in a story with a polyamorous relationship and based on Slavic folklore; I'm sorry that what I can say positively stops here, because this book left me with a lukewarm opinion: the tone is not too serious, and Gisela is a noisy and messy protagonist; I found her to be the most interesting character in the narrative, while the two male characters, as much as they sparked my curiosity, I found them a bit flat and without a real characterization; also due to the plot that seemed to just go round in circles, this book failed to win me over.

Uhmmmm sorry what was that for an end sry Alicia jasinska but that was rude.


I loved the book it was exciting heartbreaking and just everything you could wish for.

This Fatal Kiss is a fast-paced, intriguing story that skillfully weaves in charming folkloric elements without weighing down the narration. Indeed, it is quite a legible and entertaining text that makes for a quick read, ensnaring the reader into wanting to know more. One of This Fatal Kiss’ most noteworthy features is certainly its setting, with its compelling atmosphere and engrossing descriptions, spanning from folkloric elements to the most mundane, yet cozy ambiance such as cooking and life in the village. The characters, too, register as alive, jumping out of the page with their quirks and attitudes, they’re easy to love and have strong—though simple—development throughout the story, especially Kazik. The true focus of the story, however, was definitely placed on the trio’s relationships amongst each other, with careful importance given to their feelings and slow developments and it all read as a good first introduction to them (since I’m assuming, given the structure of the plot and narrative, that there is to be a sequel).

Despite its lovable nature, though, This Fatal Kiss isn’t perfect. Firstly, its narrative structure felt a little clumsy and inefficient—especially the choice to split the narration into three voices: while it was certainly easier on the author’s part, it felt most unnecessary at best and a cop out at worse since it didn’t add anything to the story than an omniscient (but guarded) third person narrator couldn’t have. Indeed, the internal POVs, especially Aleksey’s (whose chapters were sporadic and only appeared when the reader needed to find out some story-altering information) proved difficult to juggle and, most of the time, only ended up repeating themselves or, worse, ruining the suspense revealing information that could’ve been more impactful for the reader when discovered alongside the protagonists. Because of the split narration, too, the resolution, with its final scenes, felt incredibly fragmented with unnecessary fade-to-black to switch to another character, essentially deflating all the tension and manually re-inflating it in the following chapter and so on and so forth. Finally, the ending, too, was disappointing: abrupt and rushed to quickly tie all lose-ends as what I guessed was a ground-work for a sequel. A move that would’ve been fine had the author fully committed to the text before looking ahead.

All in all, This Fatal Kiss is a good, easy read to pick up if one wants to unwind and immerse themselves in a laid-back fantasy adventure with lovable characters and a hint of romance!

i really liked this book. to me, it was such a unique concept and story. i did not see certain things coming. it was intense, i shot up out of bed when it laid it all out. ahhhh i seriously neeeed more. i need the next book like yesterday hahaha.

thanks to netgalley for the arc copy!



** amazon review will be posted on release day! **

This book just simply wasn’t for me. I loved the idea of it and loved having all three point of views but I found so many phrases that made me confused about what era this story was taking place during which I just didn’t love.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska is a third person multi-POV Slavic-inspired polyamorous YA fantasy romance. Gisela is a rusalka, a water nymph that used to be human before she was drowned. In order to become human again, she needs to kiss a human but has had terrible luck so far. She requests the help of exorcist Kazik to get newcomer Aleksey to kiss her. But Aleksey is hiding his own secrets and Kazik slowly discovers his own feelings for both of them.

My favorite POV character was Gisela. We get to see a lot of hints of the water world and hear about the various conditions in which a rusalka comes into being, mainly through traumatic events dealing with water. There’s a melancholic tone to Gisela’s POV that also extends into her main motivation, for wanting to return permanently to the mortal realm, which is to take care of her younger brother Hugo. The other rusalki are mixed in whether or not they understand her desire to rejoin humanity, but they support her efforts to do so even if they personally enjoy being a spirit.

The complexities of how Bisexuality is viewed in larger society is put firmly on display with both Gisela and Kazik’s POVs. Many of the rusalki are Sapphic themselves and tease Gisela for pursuing men to kiss when she could just as easily choose a woman. Meanwhile, Kazik’s cousin is aware that he is attracted to men (he is in the closet to everyone else in the family) and he kisses young men who are visiting their spa town, but when it comes up that he’s also attracted to women, it seems perplexing to the people who know him. Through both POVs, we see that it doesn’t matter if a family is open or closed to Queerness, there’s still sometimes Bi-erasure.

I liked the casual enemies-to-lovers aspect between Kazik and Gisela. Kazik is aware of Gisela’s desires to be human and the two banter back and forth in a way that indicates they’ve been doing this for a while. Adding Aleksey into the mix creates even more playfulness but also more vulnerability and for Gisela and Kazik to deepen their understanding of each other while they also learn about Aleksey.

Content warning for mentions of suicide

I would recommend this to fans of polyamorous Bi fantasy romance, readers looking for Slavic-inspired fantasy romance and those looking for a fantasy romance that takes place in a spa town and deals with spirits in a sort of spin on Spirited Away

I read about half, then skimmed the rest this book because the writing just didn't grip me. The setting was pretty ambiguous - there are bath houses, so most people must not have running water, but it also used some language that makes the setting feel very 21st century. It was difficult to picture anything because I was never sure what kind of time period I should be imagining. Also, I found Kazik's character to be irritating, condescending and arrogant. I have no fondness for him and generally disliked any parts from his POV. Overall, I really wanted to like this book because I love LGBTQ representation in fantasy, but it just fell flat for me.

Arc provided by NetGalley for honest review

This was a fun quick read, it was a little predictable but overall a really fun story. The writing strengthens as the book goes on and feels more cohesive and overall complete.
I wanted more story. It was a cute ending and I enjoyed the book very much. I would recommend and would definitely read a sequel if there is ever more to it!

I really enjoyed the premise and the characters development through out.

I want to preface this review by saying this is one of the prettiest covers I’ve seen released this year and it was initially what drew me in. However, the cover was probably the best part for me.

This book wasn’t bad; it was quite interesting and whimsical but the pacing felt off and extremely slow and at times, I found myself skimming so I could finish faster.

That being said, I probably would read the sequel if one was released because I think the world-building and characters have a lot of potential and I would like to see how the storyline wraps up.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I picked up This Fatal Kiss with high hopes, excited by the Slavic folklore and the synopsis. While there were parts I enjoyed, my feelings about the book were pretty mixed.

One thing I discovered this year is that I’m not a big fan of polyamory in books, and unfortunately, this one had that. It’s just a personal preference, so I don’t hold it against the story, but it did make it harder for me to really get into the romance. I liked the relationship between Kazik and Gisela, but Aleksey felt like an extra character I didn’t need.

On the bright side, the folklore was really interesting. The world-building was well done, and I actually wish the book had focused more on that and less on the romance. The plot itself was cute and fun—I liked seeing Kazik and Gisela work together and how Gisela helped change Kazik’s ways. That said, the story was a bit predictable. I found myself guessing what was going to happen most of the time, and there weren’t many surprises.

Overall, This Fatal Kiss had some good elements, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. If you’re into folklore and don’t mind a bit of predictability, it’s still worth a read.

The concept of this book had me hooked before I even started reading. I knew I would love this book from the start. The cover is stunning, there was a pronunciation guide, and the chapters had titles. Though those are not a guarantee I will connect with a book, they are something I greatly appreciate. 

The world-building was amazing, and the characters charmed me. The story did have moments where it lagged; however, the characters held my attention. Alicia had such beautiful descriptions I often felt I was reading a storyline for a Ghibli film. 

Polyamory can be very hit or miss for me; however, in this case, I think the characters were very suited to each other. The tension between the three main characters was perfect. They had some amazing banter as well as sweet moments together. I enjoyed seeing the way that Gisela and Kazik’s journey was very different from Gisela and Aleksey’s love story, which was distinctive to Aleksey and Kazik. Though they all worked very well together. 

There were a few language choices in this book that felt out of place, although I was able to ignore them easily. Most of the book read as though it were a historical novel; then there would be phrases that felt very modern. 

I was under the impression this book was a standalone. However, the last few chapters anticipated more to come. This story could have concluded in one book. That being said, if there is a second, I will definitely read it. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am excited for others to read it. I will be checking out more of Alicia’s past work and watching for her name in the future.

The setting and folkloric inspirations of this book were my favorite parts. While not always integrated the most naturally through the writing, the magical creatures and rituals felt well included and created a great atmosphere. I did enjoy the characters and their relationships as they developed throughout the book and the overarching plot was quite fun. The dialogue was sometimes jarringly modern in style, using modern expressions and slang that clashed with the rest of the worldbuilding. I also felt some of the character motivations did not come through very naturally, especially Gisela's relationship with her brother where it felt like the book just repeated over and over how she felt responsible for him. My last gripe was the ending, as I was really hoping this would be a standalone and all wrap up. Honestly, I don't think this world is developed enough for a whole nother book so... we'll see I may read it anyway.

I think this book has a lot of potential, but the execution is very mediocre. I think the biggest flaw it has is that the book’s pacing is very odd sometimes which led to a somewhat boring experience. Although the characters were very love able and helped to counterattack the boringness of the plot. I think with a few more drafts of this book it could have very easily of been a 5 star read