I really loved this book! The folklore aspect of this book was amazing! I always loved reading books based in different folklores and mythologies than I grew up hearing about, so the Polish folklore was a real treat. This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska is a gripping and atmospheric read that blends dark romance with supernatural elements. Jasinska crafts a narrative that's both haunting and emotionally resonant. The characters are well-developed, particularly the leads whose chemistry and struggles drive the story. The pacing is tight, with plenty of twists to keep readers on edge. Jasinska's lyrical prose enhances the eerie, immersive atmosphere of the novel. Overall, it's a compelling story for fans of fantasy and romance.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot, in no small part due to the folklore inspiration throughout the novel! The characters were well done as well as their back stories. I also loved reading about the traditions of the town in which this story took place! I have already recommended this book to multiple bookish friends.

4,25/5⭐
Czasem po prostu rodzi się w człowieku potrzeba, żeby wyciągnąć koc, zrobić dużą kawę i uśmiechać się podczas całej lektury. Dobra zabawa to serio coś, czego mi brakowało w sierpniu i „This fatal kiss” po prostu idealnie się wpasował w moje potrzeby czytelnicze.
Nie ukrywam, że książka ma swoje tyci wady – początek nie był gładki jak zanurzenie się w wodzie. Chociaż czytałam opis (i to właśnie on mnie przyciągnął do tej powieści), wstępne spotkanie nie pozwoliło mi od razu uchwycić tej zapowiadanej magii. Kilka rozdziałów dalej? Rzucam wszystkie wątpliwości, płynę z nurtem w towarzystwie niepoprawnej, choć smutnej w sercu, flirciary oraz pana marudy.
Gisela chce odzyskać swoje człowieczeństwo – bycie rusałką to nic tragicznego, ale szczerze tęskni za domem. W szczególności martwi się o swojego młodszego brata, którym opiekowała się pod wieczną nieobecność zapracowanego ojca. Dotychczas wszystkie jej plany spełzały na niczym. Ludzie w Leśnej Wodzie płoszyli się, gdy orientowali się, że jest martwa, a ona potrzebuje tylko pocałunku! Lokalny egzorcysta Kazik także nie pomagał… do czasu małego szantażu. A może i dobroci serca?
O cie panie, jak ta dwójka się rewelacyjnie ze sobą ścierała! Kiedy tylko pojawiały się rozdziały, które prezentowały innych bohaterów, albo rozdzielały w jakiś sposób głowną dwójkę… Mogło być mi troszkę smutno. Chociaż w teorii są bardzo sztampowymi postaciami, to byli wspaniali na swój sposób. Alicia Jasinska nie zapomniała o wątpliwościach, które powinny targać obojgiem. Nie poskąpiła im przeżyć, smutku, tęsknot oraz zgryzoty. Chociaż Gisela i Kazik pozornie różnili się diametralnie, niesamowicie wiele ich łączyło, a patrzenie na ich docieranie się było wyborne.
Do tego jest jeszcze Aleksey – chłopak, który ma stać się kluczem do ratunku Giseli. Chłopak, który zdecydowanie zawrócił tej dwójce w głowach. Chłopak, który coś ma za uszami, ale przecież tak pięknie się uśmiecha. Chłopak, który wyciągnął z bohaterów dobrą stronę, dał im pole do rozmyślania i zrozumienia pewnej kwestii. Nie ukrywam, że czytam ogrom why choose/reverse haremów/poli historii i tutaj, w młodzieżowej odsłonie, po prostu oszalałam. Dynamika, nuta napięcia i pragnienia, ukradkowe spojrzenia… Naprawdę czytało się to bez tchu.
Muszę też pochylić się na sekundę nad folklorem i słownictwem, ponieważ bardzo dobrze to wszystko wyszło! Odnajdujemy ogrom imion rodzimych, wiele polskich słów i to od czasu do czasu odmienionych! Czułam się jak dziecko w sklepie z cukierkami, uśmiechałam się na widok każdego z nich. Momentami klimat umykał mi przez to, że w głowie trochę za mocno ukształtowałam scenerię podobną do dawnych wsi–małych miasteczek. Nie są to miejsca 1:1, ale naprawdę możecie poczuć tutaj tę końcówkę lata, chłód znad jeziora i pradawnych lasów.
Natomiast potwornie niedobrze, że będzie drugi tom! Bo nie mam go w rękach i nie wiem, kiedy będę mieć! Co prawda można być spokojnym, główna oś fabularna pięknie się zamyka, za to zostaje otwarta jedna kluczowa kwestia. Mam ochotę chodzić po ścianach, żeby się już teraz dowiedzieć wszystkiego! Oby Alicia Jasinska nie kazała nam długo czekać!

Dziękuję NetGalley za egzemplarz do recenzji, cóż to była za przygoda!

Thank you NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book!

I highly enjoyed the slavic folklore woven into a modern-ish world and the whimsical vibes the author managed to convey. The characters were likeable and their relationships endearing, especially the bond between Gisela and the other water spirits. Kazik's perspective was also fun to read from, since we got to see his struggle with religion. However it did take me way too long to actually get into the story. While it's a solid read, this isn't a something I'll be thinking about a lot. Still, I am excited to see what the sequel will bring.

the folklore and setting was beautifully fleshed out, as well as the main characters. the romance was so great until the last chapter. like… very disappointing! it didn’t feel right after all of the confusing emotions the characters have been processing. don’t market a romance book the way you did if it ends like that!

Thank you so very much to NetGalley and the publisher for accepting my request to read and review this one early 🩷

I saw the cover for this book and was instantly drawn in,

Then I read the synopsis and saw ‘dark magic’, ‘whimsical fantasy’, ‘exorcisms’, ‘queer Romantasy’ and ‘polygamy’ and knew this would be such a gem, and I wasn’t wrong,

This book made me giggle and swoon (and hungry af)

I adored the characters, I felt like they had so much depth, I loved the world, I loved the magic.

I loved the relationship/s the most! I was swwwooonninggg and rooting for these characters so much. Gesela and Kazik and Aleksey were all fantastic.

My only complaint with this book was that I found it a little juvenile at times and the writing almost a little too silly or young. I still enjoyed it, I do wish it has less of a Disney vibe though.

one of the best books ever written, in my humble opinion. i wasn't even 20% in, when i hit the preorder button to get the physical book.

this book is so much more than just a fantasy story with a polyromance. its also about family, friendship and sisterhood. i can't even put into words how this book made me feel. it made me feel happy, in love, sad, mad and so much more.

A polish folktale with an enemies to love triangle? I'm intrigued. This is technically a YA fantasy and while I thought it would be "cozier", I found myself having a hard time rooting for some of the characters and found the response to the conflict to be less than interesting. Was wishing there was more exploration of the poly of it all, but alas.

Thank you , NetGalley + Publishers for this copy !

Can I start off by saying how beautiful the cover is !?
That’s what really drew me into this story !
I went into this semi/blindly and man oh man lol …

While it was very whimsical , I found it hard to imagine the world and the surrounding bc I found the world building was just not there for me !
It was so hard for me to visualize everything!

Our main character , Gisela is a water nymph who needs a kiss from a human so she can return to the real world that she left behind ..
This is a polyamorous love story , and while I drink mind it , I just knew what was going to happen in the end .
This story was not for me and I found it kinda boring but I still am glad I got to read it and enjoy it the best I could !

I got about 75% of the way through this book before I decided to stop reading. I was genuinely loving the story. I found the plot engaging. The writing style was easy to read. And I liked the three main characters and their interactions. I loved seeing the ways they were growing and changing throughout the narrative. But at around the 60% mark I realized the book was going to end in a polyamorous relationship and I just don't particularly enjoy reading about polyamory. Since I was enjoying the book so much before noticing, I was going to keep reading, but I just wasn't enjoying it anymore. This is no fault of the book, completely personal preference. Even though I will not be finishing this book, I still highly recommend this book as I loved the world building and the characters.

Wow, this ended up being a complicated pack of feelings, even though it's just an enemies to love triangle young adult fantasy.

The tone of the story is marked by a bizarre duality. While, for example, the darkness of the birth of the Rusalki waves through the entire story and the actions of the girls, the presentation essentially starts with a competition for a lemon cake. While the famously strict and cruel exorcist hunts down our protagonist, she ludicrously flirts with him like an anime protagonist. Gisela's playful characterization is a performance, which, on the other hand, is horribly out of tune with the mood of the world and the themes covered. The only thing it fits with is the romance part, but I had a really hard time figuring out why I should root for either side of a triangle where, at worst, they mutually tried to kill each other.

My other problem is the usual: let's stop making the reader look stupid! You can already guess from the blurb what one of the big twists will be in the story, which is quite well prepared to be honest, and I enjoyed it for a long time, until (view spoiler). There is some solution to this, that at least the author admits to the reader that yes, this was the big twist, but our protagonists stay in the dark for dozens of pages and don't really do anything with this conflict in the world even at the end of the story!

I picked up this book because of the possible polyamory angle, and I don't necessarily consider this a usable representation, because it doesn't go much further than an indecisive love triangle.

What makes me not regret having read the whole story is the sisterhood of the Rusalki. It wasn't as grounded as I wanted it to be, but it felt really good to me and I didn't see that scene coming.

4.5 ⭐ - Thank you Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This should be called 3 Bi People Try Not To Fall In Love But Do Anyway. And no one told me this was a series???? 😭😭😭😭 I need book 2 IMMEDIATELY.

This Fatal Kiss uses Slavic folklore to tell the enchanting fairytale of Gisela, a rusalka (water nymph) who's desperate to regain her humanity. All she needs is a kiss from a mortal. Preferably, one who doesn't think she's a monster once they find out she isn't human!

On the other hand, Kazik, the local emo exorcist and Short King™, is desperate to catch Gisela. Armed with righteous fury and holy fire, he tries (and fails!) to exorcise her. In return for her silence on his sudden lack of magic, Gisela strikes a bargain with Kazik to help her win a kiss from a local boy (Aleksey) who has caught her eye - only for Kazik to fall for him too.

This whimsical, slow-burn romantasy has (literally?) stolen my heart. The worldbuilding, albeit minimal, was breathtaking. I adored the various magical creatures and how they all fit into the everyday lives of the villagers 🥺 The exploration of queer and polyamorous romances in this book was also beautifully done and I love that in this world, everyone is free to love whoever they want!

~~~~~~~~~~

However, it was the characters that truly made me fall in love 💜
~ Gisela: she was HILARIOUS and never failed to make me laugh!! I love how witty, flirty and confident she is, no matter who she's with, and I can't believe no one has kissed her yet??? I also loved how both her sexuality and gender were fully explored! Also, her relationship with her "grandfather" is the absolute funniest 😂 I adore them both so much
~ Kazik: he's MY emo exorcist and MY Short King™, thank you very much. He's the perfect mix of brooding and sarcastic (think Emeric Conrad from Little Thieves) and I adore him. He's also another great way the author explores the struggles of being bi - how people first judged him when he says he liked boys, then judged him again when he says he liked girls too. He's honestly just a poor angsty boy who needs a huge hug.
~ Aleksey: now this was a plot twist. (not so) Soft Boy™ has multiple layers to him, which I wish were explored more in this book (though the ending means there will be more of him in the next one!). He's lovely and super nice but can also be humorous and sarcastic 😌 I wish he had more POV chapters as he's a character with a lot of depth, but I can't wait to see where book 2 takes him!
~~ Gisela & Kazik & Aleksey: Gisela and Kazik are my favourite dynamic amongst the trio for sure. Their banter made this book unputdownable and I'm still craving MORE. Their relationship was definitely the most explored and the angst was perfection 🤭 Though there was definitely a ton of pining coming from Kazik, I just wish Aleksey's relationship with both Gisela and Kazik could be explored more. I just couldn't feel the connection like I did with Kazik and Gisela. I foresee book 2 resolving this though!

~~~~~~~~~~

Overall, I ADORED this stunning book. It was such a joy to read and I guarantee it can pull you out of any reading slump!! I am definitely recommending this to all my fairytale, folklore and romance lovers 💜🫶

*Thanks to NetGalley and Alicia Jasinka for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own*

This Fatal Kiss was a good read for summer that takes place between a cozy town known for its idyllic hotsprings and the nearby river. Gisela is an ambitious, charismatic water nymph who “terrorizes” the town and Kazik is the closed-off, self righteous exorcist who hunts spirits like Gisela. They balance each other out while endlessly frustrating the other as they work together on a matchmaking scheme for Gisela. Featuring a rich diversity of spirits from Slavic mythology, this novel is a good recommendation for fans of Where the Dark Stands Still.
I thought that the dialogue flowed well between characters and the witty banter between Kazik and Gisela was so funny. I found it impressive that characters such as Gisela’s fellow nymphs and Kazik’s sister and grandmother were well-developed characters with interesting backgrounds of their own. The progression of the story as the well as the way that background information was revealed, such as the main characters’ memories of the past or their previous experiences with relationships, was really well done and felt natural with the pacing of the story. I would characterize the relationship between the main characters as a love triangle and polyamory is hinted at but not quite realized within the trio.
Last note: It cracked me up that Gisela referred to God as “Sky Daddy”!

I really enjoyed this! It was so different and the characters were very interesting! The only downside was some of the language felt way too modern for the story. Other than that I really enjoyed it and will add to my library!

I found this book boring and the description misleading. There was no real romance in it at all? And not just like because it’s YA but just nothing happened. Period.
It read as a cozy fantasy with the level of plot, but the premise was not cozy fantasy.
I didn’t find any of our three main characters likeable.
The only good part of this book was learning a bit more about the spirits and such of Polish folklore.
And as others have brought up, it was confusing what time period this was supposed to be set in.

This was such a great book!!! 'This Fatal Kiss' takes inspiration from Polish folklore and explores complex queer relationships in young adults. There are so many different elements of the story I could analyze, but I'll let you all see for yourselves what I mean.

I need the next book A.S.A.P.!!!! I love the characters, the world-building is incredible, that cover is STUNNING, and everything else is just as amazing.

Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy. All opinions are my own.

This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQ+

This Fatal Kiss is Alicia Jasinska's debut novel, a dark fantasy filled with Eastern European folklore and creatures as fascinating as they are deadly. Like the FMC, Gisela.

Once a teenage girl, now a water nymph (a "rusałki"), doomed to infest the waters where she died, terribly close to the nearby town and its exorcist, a boy named Kazik. Clever, cunning, a little arrogant and for sure antisocial, Kazik has learned the old ways from his grandmother and seeks to extirpate evil from Leśna Woda, especially since last year his grandma was viciously attacked alongside him by a forest demon (a "biesy") and that established the downfall of hers, who died mere weeks later.

It's not rare to see Kazik and Gisela fight, especially since the latter has been dreading to kiss a human, the only way to regain her status as a human. The other way to unbid her fate as a rusałki is forgiving or avenging her death, but it means ascending.

Gisela sets eyes on Leśna Woda's Golden Boy, Aleksey, who is also Kazik's crush, and makes Kazik join her as a team to get this kiss. The plan is going well, as Aleksey is smitten with both, but it also spreads doubts, as Kazik stars to question his beliefs, while also getting dangerously close to Gisela.

And dark forces are lurking near, closer than they all imagine.

...

This Fatal Kiss has instantly smitten with me. I'm all in for a dark fantasy exploring less known folklores, and Slavic is one I always look forward to reading it. Jasinska's prose felt magical, dangerously lush like the book itself and its setting.

Leśna Woda's town was magnificently descripted, and I felt it like I was in the own book, with all my senses. But if I have to be honest I think I was way way more intrigued with the characters.

Gisela, the rusałka, is still the young girl she was before dying, and I really liked how she hid her pain with jokes. It's not a game, she wants her humanity back. She misses her life, her young brother, her family... being alive. And she still doesn't know how she ended like this. It's a void which will create a solid plot thread.

Aleksey is the sunshine of the group, the human boy who doesn't know he's being won over by a literally water demon or who tries to hide that he's also attracted to boys. Especially one. But he doesn't want to lose the girl too.

Kazik was the star of the bok, the one with more growth. Short and somehow funny in a non-comical way, Kazik hids himself, is scared of people. But when he sees more, he's not that willing to return into the shell.

I loved the sisterhood in the rusałki group and in its "leader", a kind of water goblin named Wojciech, who feels like a father figure.

The plot twists were crazy, and I don't know how I survived.

From the ending, I hope there will be a sequel because yeeesssss I'll read it for sure!

...

Rating: ★★★★.25

...

I want to thank PeachtreeTeen for the digital ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) via Netgalley. I'm not affiliated to the author, to the publishing house or any other person/agency. My review is honest and based only on my thoughts/feeling while reading the book.

Anais by The Bookish Scorpio

This fatal kiss

Thankyou Netgallery, Alicia Jasinska and Peach Tree publishers for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thankyou Netgallery, Alicia Jasinska and Peach Tree publishers for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Slavic folklore is quickly becoming one of my favorites. The more I read and learn about it, the more fascinating it becomes. Props to this author because we love a pronunciation guide/glossary!

Geisela is witty, smart, and kind-hearted—for a water nymph, anyway. Having lost her life in a violent manner that caused her spirit to linger, she sets out on a quest to get a kiss from a human boy and regain her humanity. Someone needs to look after her brother after all and she needs to reclaim her life. In a surprising turn of events, she teams up with exorcist Kazik, who should be sending her to the afterlife but ends up playing matchmaker instead.

I really love how queer representation is seamlessly woven into the story from the very beginning. There’s also the constant suspense and thrill of unanswered questions: How did she die? Who killed her? Is it the people she’s meeting? Everyone seems suspicious yet not? It leaves you unable to put the book down. The ending was fantastic, and I will riot if I don’t get a second book. It wasn’t a cliffhanger but more of a “you know there’s more to be said and done” ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be looking into more of the authors work. We also love Australian authors!

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_DFMhVSB7k/?igsh=NG4xZ2k4ZGFrNzA2

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6763652059

I have such a hard time reviewing this book because I definitely judged this book by its cover. Although I also thought that the whole water nymph thing and different myths would be very fun to explore. When I went to go mark it as “reading” on good reads I noticed that this is a “newer” author so I REALLY don’t like giving negative feedback to new authors.

However, this book was just… not good. The cover was gorgeous, the premise sounded like it would be amazing but when we got into the actual book…. It just didn’t give off the same vibes. I did NOT like the main character, which I guess she is stuck in a young mind so her immaturity is due to that. However, it annoyed me.

Also it was hard to gauge when this book took place… obviously not the 21st century but I don’t really know where the time frame was. We learn that Kazik is gay, which I loved but again, confused due to the church part. Is it a secret because of the church and its views or is it a secret because he is young and doesn’t want to be outed?

It was also very difficult for me to visualize all of the different areas in the book. There was some great work put into the bath houses but other than that, I could not really picture the town, the river or the water goblins home.

4.25 stars

Time for some math:
Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away + The Little Mermaid + a bit of polyamory + a lot of Slavic folklore = This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska. In other words, TFK is the best of all worlds.

This Fatal Kiss follows a mischievous water nymph, Gisela, who is trying to become human again by getting a mortal to kiss her. Every single one of her attempts has been thwarted by the spirit-hunting grandson of a local witch, Kazik, who feels that it's his mission to exorcise all spirits and demons from the world. After he fails to exorcise Gisela, the two strike a deal: if Kazik helps Gisela get a kiss, she will remain mum on his lost magic and will stop causing mischief in the meantime. In comes Aleksey, the gorgeous childhood classmate of Kazik and Gisela's kiss target. Will she fail? Will he fall?

This book was an absolute delight. A YA fantasy that tackles polyamory?? Wonderful. I loved the main trio and how everything/everyone was connected. I'm also an absolute sucker for eastern European folklore in fantasy books. My main issue with the book was how quickly it ended, but it has me hoping with all my heart for a sequel!

Folks should definitely keep their eyes out for This Fatal Kiss when it hits shelves on September 24!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Peachtree Teen for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!