This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska conjured up warm, hazy feelings of when I was an unburdened teenager with an entire summer of opportunities unfolding before me. I may not be a magical being or dutiful exorcist like this story’s characters, but I did go on adventures, discover new things about myself, and create friendships just like they did. It was beautiful to relive that small moment in time once again through this story.

Gisela’s watery grave is a crystal palace ruled by the water goblin, Wojciech. As a water nymph, she’s created a life for herself underneath the river’s surface ever since she died a year ago, but the magical realm and her spirited friends are not enough to keep her there. Gisela is desperate to regain her humanity and return home to the family that she lost, but the only way to do that is to convince a mortal to kiss her. The task seems easy enough…if it weren’t for the fact that Gisela looks like a drowned dead girl. She begins to wreak havoc on the town of Leśna Woda, hoping to earn a kiss from someone, anyone. But her pestering earns the ire of the local exorcist, Kazik, who is hell-bent on removing her from this world.

This Fatal Kiss is a story about young love and finding acceptance. It perfectly captures the innocence of developing a crush and earning that first kiss. Jasinska does this without the story or relationships coming off as juvenile. It’s like she captured the glow of those sweet feelings and weaved them in sporadically against the backdrop of a water nymph and exorcist going on side quests together. It was incredibly heartwarming and fun. Through it all, Gisela is learning more about herself and the role she was forced to play when she was alive, while Kazik grapples with his beliefs against the hard and fast rules his grandmother instilled in him. The story doesn’t explore these feelings and themes deeply, but it does encourage us to dip our toes in and test the water enough to satisfy our curiosity.

Gisela brings so much life to the story with her flirtatious and mischievous personality. She may be a water nymph, but I pictured the earth blooming underneath her bare feet because she breathed life into every place she went. Her personality was a great juxtaposition to her being a dead person cursed to walk the earth. If she was the sun, Kazik was the moon. He is a brooding and seemingly unfriendly person, but it’s only because he’s carrying some heavy burdens. Kazik must protect Leśna Woda and carry on his grandmother’s legacy, while also struggling to create relationships and accept his sexuality. This grumpy and sunshine character duo created so much magic together, and I loved seeing how they both annoyed each other while also wearing down the walls they put up.

There are two weird parts that need to be addressed in This Fatal Kiss. The first one is Wojciech’s role. He mostly serves as a father figure to Gisela, but the story also (halfheartedly) portrays him as being a potential suitor. Even though Wojciech does take brides or lovers, the story doesn’t need to open up that weird incest-y door for Gisela. He was a great character to stand in for Gisela’s real and absent father, and it should have been left at that, even if the allusions to a relationship were mostly jokes. The good news is that this opportunity was presented, but the story doesn’t give in to the older, immortal being the love interest and luckily our teenage protagonist won’t even entertain the idea. Secondly, the story wraps up one big arc but totally leaves us hanging on another huge plot. I read an ARC, so I don’t know if the abrupt ending and loose threads can be attributed to that, but that ending doused me with a bucket of cold water. There is some serious unfinished business in this story, and I desperately want it to continue because I was denied the culmination of a huge secret being revealed and what I anticipate would be a very heated conversation between some characters.

This Fatal Kiss was a book that I stumbled upon by accident, and I am delighted by the story it turned out to be. It was like drinking a cool lemonade on a warm summer day: refreshing, sweet, and a little tart to keep things interesting.

Rating: This Fatal Kiss - 7.0/10

Thank you so much Holiday House/Peachtree/Pixel+Ink for this arc.
I unfortunately will be dnfing this book. I've been struggling with reading it.
However, this book is well written and has a unique story which I love since so many stories are retellings these days.
It might not be for me; I think a lot of people will love it.

*This Fatal Kiss* is a fresh and unique take on dark fantasy, blending themes of revenge, love that defies fate, and the exploration of sexual identity and polyamory. It pulls you into a magical world where danger and dark magic are ever-present, creating a hauntingly beautiful experience.

The world Alicia Jasinska creates is rich with atmosphere. It’s both enchanting and ominous, full of mystery and tension that keeps the reader captivated. However, I did find myself a little uncertain about the time period, which made it harder to fully picture the setting as I read.

For readers who enjoy dark, whimsical, and moody fantasy with a strong female lead and a love triangle, *This Fatal Kiss* is a perfect match.

One thing that stood out at the start of the book is the author's note, which provides background on rusalka (female water spirits/nymphs) and includes a pronunciation guide. While informative, I found this a bit overwhelming, and it made starting the book feel daunting. I had to reference it multiple times and still found myself struggling with some of the names, even after reading them aloud to myself.

The dialogue between characters occasionally felt a bit stiff, and there were moments when the writing felt off, such as descriptions like “paper so papery thin” or “the clock was tick-tick-ticking.”

That said, *This Fatal Kiss* is a dark and emotional journey about love, fate, and power. It’s an ambitious, thought-provoking tale that many fantasy lovers, especially those drawn to whimsical, LGBTQ+ themes, will find intriguing. Jasinska’s unique world and exploration of complex relationships make it a memorable read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this novel as an arc, in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
An enjoyable read in the same vein as ‘A Dark and Drowning Tide’ and ‘Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries’.
European folklore, quaint fairytale village setting, eldritch creatures, a polyamorous love triangle.
I enjoyed all the folklore elements, especially the spirits of the drowned. The only things keeping it from a four star read were the occasional anachronistic dialogue (modern/internet phrasing which was very out of place), some slightly confusing world building in places (passing mentions to buses and radios, but otherwise a fantasy/folklore setting with no real sense of a time period?) and an ending that was slightly too open for my personal tastes (possibly just due to my own expectations)

The end......... I need to know what's coming with Aleksey, Gisela and Kazik because well... I loved it.. definitly interested in the physical copy this was one of my most anticipated reads this year and I have nothing wrong to tell about it except that is ended.. I also made a proper review on my page

Set in a magical spa town with spirits from Slavic folklore, This Fatal Kiss tells the story of a rusałka (water nymph) named Gisela and her journey to become human again by obtaining a kiss from a mortal. After a botched exorcism by town exorcist Kazik, she makes a deal with him to keep the secret of his fading magic in exchange for his help with her plan to get a kiss.
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I cannot explain how obsessed I am with this book! I was always looking for my next opportunity to get back to reading it. The cover is gorgeous!! I definitely get The Little Mermaid vibes from aspects of the story. The banter was top tier (exactly what comes to mind when I think of banter), I loved seeing the trio of Gisela, Kazik and Aleksey form and that ending had me wishing for more!! I need those know what happens next for this trio.
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Multi-POV is always a mixed bag for me, but the different POVs in this story all felt interesting in their own way. I never felt bored with any POV. I especially loved Kazik’s POV exploring his crisis of faith and his desire to help (and maybe kiss) Gisela conflicting with his desire for Aleksey. Reading about his near constant bi panic was quite amusing. I also generally despise love triangles, but the implication of this triangle resulting in a triad at some point meant that I was just rooting for them all to kiss each other (and judging by the inner thoughts of each character I think they wouldn’t have minded doing just that).
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I will be running to the nearest bookstore to pick this up when it drops🏃‍♀️
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Thank you Peachtree Teen for providing this eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Confession time: I have not read any of Alicia Jasinska's previous works, but "The Midnight Girls" is a constant favorite for the students in my classroom. I've given away multiple copies of it because students get so attached! (Sponsor my classroom, Alicia! My students are obsessed!) But all that to say, I didn't have a clue what I was going to get going into "This Fatal Kiss" beyond what it said on the tin: poly romance in a Slavic folklore with a Spirited Away-esque twist. I was sold.

This Fatal Kiss is a lovely, whimsical story that manages to handle some dark topics with care that can be iffy in a young adult novel. The descriptions of the town, and the food, were so vivid, and I so hope there's a sequel to give us more time to discover the intricacies of this world that Jasinska has created. While the story centers around two major plots - solving what happened to Gisela, and getting her a kiss to turn her back into a human - those feel secondary to the developing relationship between the three leads. They all work so well together and I genuinely am so invested in seeing how it grows further in a sequel. There's a great balance between the beliefs that Kazik grew up with (that all monsters are bad and must be exorcised), the reveal of the humanity and tragedy of so many of those monsters, and the underlying darkness still present in so many of them.

I'm so excited (and hopeful) to see what comes next in this story! In the meantime, I have a few previous books of Jasinska's to work through!

Going into this book, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I'm a huge fan of Slavic folklore in general, so that's mainly what drew me to this title (plus, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!). However, as I started reading more and getting into the novel, I found myself really enjoying it. The atmosphere and vibes are fantastic. I love the premise and the amount of folklore we have in this novel; I felt immersed in the world and lowkey want to live a quiet life in that village.

While I wasn't sure about the characters at first, as they developed over the course of the novel, I liked them more and more. I think the romance was done well, too -- lots of longing and the general belief that their love is unrequited when it isn't -- all the good stuff. However, I didn't feel like the romance was ever solidified (if that makes sense) at the novel's end. The ending was quite abrupt and clearly does point toward a sequel, but it almost feels unfinished. I think one or two more chapters would have helped resolve things a bit better.

What I didn't really enjoy was how the dialogue felt too modern at times. Some characters referenced contemporary memes(?)/"humourous" sayings from our times and it was jarring. One of the characters said something along the lines of "Be the monster girlfriend you wish to see in the world" and that just made me cringe a bit. There are a few other occurrences of this throughout the novel that took me out of the immersion since this fantasy world takes place in the past. However, it was easy enough to breeze past when a character said something like this because it wasn't overly prevalent.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next one. 4/5 stars from me!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book. I adore any stories inspired by the Slavic folklore and this one was so well done it felt like I'm listening to real story told by my grandma. I absolutely adored the characters, the world building and small details that built the whole story. The banter between Gisela and Kazik put a smile on my face. I'll definitely be looking out to read more of Jasinska's work.

4.5 stars

In <i>This Fatal Kiss</i>, Gisela is a willful, mischievous water nymph haunting the spa town of Lesna Voda where she mysteriously drowned while on holiday with her family. Now, she wants her life back, and the river's sovereign water goblin lets slip that a kiss from a human might just do the trick. So who better to ask for help than the town exorcist, Kazik, who's had it out for her since she popped out of the river a year ago? All she has to do is keep his secret that his magic, the thing keeping dangerous spirits out of Lesna Voda, is fading, and he'll set her up with the handsome, kind, and enigmatic young man Kazik went to school with. She'll get her kiss and her life, and Kazink can stop worrying about her causing mayhem in the market. If things go according to plan.

This book was just so easy to read and enjoy, in prose, story, and character. It took a little while for me to get into it, but the magic and setting were delightfully vivid and charming, and the characters grew on me like weeds on garden tiles. The story was solid and paced well, though the ending could have been a little stronger. But I don't really fault the book for this, because it seems like a set up for a sequel.

Onto things that might snag other readers, there were some very modern turns of phrase in a few places that stood out. This didn't bother me much, as I usually give YA some leeway and I thought it actually suited Gisela's character. Another thing is the rather confusing love triangle/not love triangle that turns out to be crucial to the story. This had me scratching my head because it takes a very well-known YA romance trope and does something quite weird with it. Still, I didn't dislike it, only I was a little confused for a while.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy, whimsical, cosy YA fantasy. Bonus points that it's a nice, thorough look at Slavic folklore, which I always love. I can't wait to see what the author does next!

Thank you to Net Galley and Peachtree Teen for the ARC. This was such a cute and fast read!! I loved Gisela, Kazik, and Aleksey's characters. This book was equally parts romantic, funny, and also mysterious. I also really loved the relationship between Gisela and the other water nymphs and goblin, it was so cute and wholesome. The romantic chemistry was off the charts, I loved the banter and all the little moments, it was so cute and sweet. The world building was amazing! I also enjoyed the mystery behind Gisela's death and her quest to regain her humanity. Overall this was such a good book.

I had an absolute blast reading this book. While they're some darker scenes mixed in, most of This Fatal Kiss does read like a fun, mischievous cozy fantasy. I've actually been craving a cozy fantasy for some time, and this definitely filled that void perfectly.

There's wonderful commentary on the differences between family you're born into and found family. Gisela has both with her brother but also the water nymphs and water goblin. Since she's a human again, her relationship with both loved ones will only become more complex and great in my opinion. She's human, but she still retains some parts of her water nymph former self, so I'm wondering if that'll grow into something more. Essentially, what I'm saying is this story does not feel anywhere near done, so I NEED a sequel to be in the works.

I really enjoyed the slow burn of Gisela and Kazik. There's good chemistry between them (albeit awkwardly cute at first haha), and it only builds to a deeper bond. I'm also a sucker for the friends to lovers trope, so I knew I was going to love them from the get-go. I guessed from the beginning that Gisela would be kissed by Kazik too. I loved the comparisons in the book of the folktale the monk and the water nymph to Kazik and Gisela. Gisela is also the reason Kazik starts to treat creatures and "monsters" with more empathy, which is probably why he lost his powers in the first place, so the full circle moment of him saving her from becoming a ghost was perfect.

I am curious to see if a sequel or spin off is in the works because the epilogue felt 1000% like it was setting up an extension to the story. We do not get any closure whatsoever with Aleksey as a bies. Gisela only realizes Aleksey's true identity (not being human) at the end, and Kazik is never shown knowing the truth. Since this is a polyamorous story, I was surprised by this decision because there's an imbalance in this trio that's never righted. Now I understand this book was definitely geared towards Gisela and Kazik's relationship, but I think the marketing is a bit deceptive in calling this poly—especially if this is only a standalone. I'm near certain another book is coming, so I'm curious to see how Gisela and Kazik react to knews of Aleksey's truth. It's definitely a big hurdle for the three of them (most importantly Aleksey) to overcome. Gisela and Kazik did not start off great in the story being somewhat enemies, but at least they never lied to one another about their identity. Truth was always at their core, so Aleksey is going to have to work VERY hard to build back trust. One more thing—I want to know if bies Aleksey feels love for Kazik and Gisela because of human Aleksey. I would hope the sequel would follow the bies leaving Aleksey, so he is back to his human self. The actual Aleksey has never interacted with Gisela or Kazik within the last year, so he needs to go through his character growth as a bies.

Overall, this is my favorite book by Alicia, and I HOPE a sequel is in the works. I need more information about this world and these characters. I also want Gisela to go home to the witch city to see her brother and grow the world building of this book. There's a lot of promise for this book, and i'm hoping I can get more.

Thank you to Peachtree and NetGalley for the review copy!

This Fatal Kiss was such a magical read. Based on Slavic folklore, the setting of the story really pulled you in (pun intended). We follow Gisela who is a drowned girl turned water nymph and her journey to regain her humanity. She was such a loveable and fun character, which had you rooting for her the whole time. I loved the connection and banter between her and our reluctant-to-help exorcist. I will definitely be checking out Alicia Jasinska's other works. I recommend this book to anyone wanting an eerie, queer YA romantasy - perfect for an autumnal read.

Oh my god this was such a breath of fresh air. Thank you Net Galley for this wonderful arc. I had the most magical time reading this 🥹

This book had the perfect mix of romance and plot. This was also my second ever Russian folklore book and I ate. It. UP.

If you want a whimsical story with dark undertones, lighthearted banter, romance, and a character driven story? This book is for you.

This is a standalone LGBTQIA+ polyamorous romantasy following Gisela, a water nymph, trying to get a boy to willingly kiss her so that she can return back into a human.

It’s multiple POV with plenty of twists and turns. The characters are flawed but still so easy to grow attached to, and I just didn’t want to leave this world it was so brilliantly immersive. It quite literally felt like I was in a studio ghibli film. I’m obsessed to say the least.

This is also one of the few books where I actually really loved all of the love interests (yes all 3), and their relationship dynamic is just the cutest thing ever.

So so grateful to have been able to read this early 💕✨

This Fatal Kiss was everything I was hoping for and more. It takes place in a magical, isolated island filled with healing springs, witchcraft and spirits. Everything about this book was whimsical and enchanting! It truly felt like I was being transported to a different realm when I read it. It took me a while to read, literally because I was savouring every second of this spellbinding story and desperately didn't want it to end.

The love blossoming between the two main characters was so adorable and truly endearing. I love how he completely changed his view and morals regarding spirits and their intentions.

All of the characters were so unique and mysterious in their own special ways. I loved all 3 of the main characters and all of the side characters too, especially the water nymphs. I wish there was a spinoff book with detailed stories of how they all became like that. And, speaking of other books, I am beyond excited for book 2. The way book 1 ended left it so open to how the next one will go, I just can't wait to read it!

If you're looking for a cozy, cottagecore, otherworldly story to read now that it's September, I cannot recommend This Fatal Kiss enough. It has all the right Autumnal vibes, with little bits of spookiness and magic, but with a whole lot of wholesome moments and Studio Ghibli-like imagery.

Thank you to PeachTree Teen and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own.

3.75, rounding up by .25 for Goodreads and NetGalley. Despite this being a lengthy novel(over 400 pages total), this was fun, and easier to get through than I expected. The three POVs of Aleksey, Kazik and Gisela were appropriately distributed throughout the story, with their own memorable personalities and secrets embedded throughout their budding romance that sometimes made me nervous to turn the page. My favorite of those three main characters was definitely Gisela, with her endless snark and her thirst for life(and sometimes vengeance). I also appreciated that while this is marketed as a polyamorous romance, and this is definitely going to be a throuple(everyone involved is attracted to each other), it wasn’t a clear-cut route for most of the story. There was some back-and-forth and even moments of jealousy, the latter thing I never see addressed in any polyamorous romance.

Although parts of the romance can be labeled as straight-presenting, the main characters are all distinctly queer—bisexual, to be exact—and occasionally, there are moments to deconstruct some of the biphobia they face for being attracted to the opposite gender. Usually, queer romances are labeled as queer because they happen between two people of the same gender, and while I don’t know if there’s been any biphobic discourse to trickle over into queer books that don’t fit that formula, even outside of the book world, this was topical.

While I thought the integration of Polish folklore was seamless, and appreciated the life breathed into the story by the creatures(ironically, some of them are undead), I felt that because of the vagueness of the setting, that was the only foundation it could have to sit on. Instead of the lack of a specified time period giving this story a timeless feel, it feels flimsy when it’s juxtaposed by occasional millennial slang. Sometimes, this can even make the tone feel unclear, as it draws more attention to the hijinks than some of the mystery, and it also took me out of the story. (The only indicator we have for a time period is that cars and cameras exist, and there is a single mention of “a war”, so I have to assume it takes place after one of the World Wars?)

Still, though, I loved the magic(especially the Water Nymphs and Wojcjech), the pacing of the romance, and the bits of fairytale influence. I’m interested to see how this story is continued, and how the love triangle will be affected by a couple of supernatural ethics… (Not elaborating, to avoid major spoilers!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for the ARC of this lovely novel in exchange for an honest review!
This whimsical, magical, lovely story was a pleasure to read! It was drenched in Slavic folklore which I ate up!!!
The poly romance was written well and tastefully and I think it’s a great way for people to discover how a good poly dynamic could work!
The grumpy x sunshine trope mixed in with some sassiness makes for an intriguing and wonderful read that draws you in and makes you want to keep reading!
A fun, original story that doesn’t shy away from topics that often stop a book from being considered YA. A great read overall, lots of good usage of Polish Folklore. The characters felt real and I wanted to root for them and everything they wanted.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere we got from the start of the book, it's eerie, cozy and funny.
I really vibed with the characters, i loved getting to know each character especially because their whimsical and troublemaking personalities. Gisela was such a fan main character to get to know, i really related to some of her struggles.
I liked Kazik and Gisela's dynamic from the start, they are very enjoyable together.

This one really reminded me of a Ghibli movie, the eerie and whimsy was definitely there, and some themes were really similar, definitely enjoyed them, seeing the found family and the ending felt perfect for this type of story, life continues.

It was a cute, fun and quick read. Definitely recommend picking it up if you are interested when it comes out on September 24th.

Please bear with me while I gush over how absolutely delightful this book was from beginning to end

First thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

There is so much I want to talk about I don't even know where to start

To quickly pitch this book to you: Forest/river small town infused with slavic folklore, the most whimsical and lush descriptions, lots of queerness with polyamory, most delectable banter between the characters and lots of found family ♡

The author did such a good job with this story, there is such a good blend between the lively and tender moments and the dark and serious aspects that the story touches on like the abuse that some of the girls went through and learning to see through prejudices

There was never a dull moment throughout the entire story, the intrigue was always high and even when I thought I knew what the catch was I was actually wrong.

Finally the characters, both Gisela and Kazik are so endearing yet flawed and they learn and grow so much throughout the story both with each other and with the remaining cast of characters, that are also as vivid.

With all that being said, that epilogue was absolutely insane, I need a sequel... desperately... like right now

solid 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

ok this is a good rating which I think could be improved by the next book in the series!!

there were elements I loved about this book like the folklore and the exploration into gender and sexuality, and some I didn't like, for example, how it never really felt like Aleksey liked either of them. we saw him start to questions his intentions but never see a real connection made. if anything it felt like a romance between Kazik and Gisella with Aleksey on the side. i'm hoping we explore his motivations and their relationships as a whole in the next book.

This Fatal Kiss is a queer, YA fantasy filled with Slavic folklore and a dreamy yet eerie setting. Gisela is a water nymph who has been cursed to haunt the river running through the town in which she drowned. she wants nothing more than to return to her normal, human life…which she finds out may be possible with one kiss from a mortal. Getting this kiss may be harder than she thought, since everyone sees her as a monster, including Kazik, the spirit-hunter she’s recruited to help her, but when Kazik falls for the same person Gisela has her sights set on, Aleksey, things get a little messy.

Jasinska creates a rich and original fantasy world where spirits roam free… but so do the monsters. Throughout the story, with the multiple POVs, we start to see a bit of a mystery unfold through Aleksey’s secrets, Gisellla’s desires, and Kazik’s spiritual questioning. The concepts of gender and sexuality were explored in each character and I thought it was incredibly fun and modern for a seemingly old setting. The ending was a bit of a punch to the gut as you weren’t expecting such a cliffhanger, but it definitely makes you anticipate the next book. I might have more questions than answers but I really enjoyed this ghostly, fantasy read. This will be a new favorite for fans of Ava Reid, Allison Saft, and Kelly Andrew.