Annette, a skilled poison-brewing nun, has her graduation award and freedom stolen by a new novice. She looks for revenge by sabotaging the abbey’s recertification with the help of Rigo, a demon prisoner. As they work together, Annette must choose between trusting the ancient relic she found and is bound to, which claims to protect her, or the demon who offers his help in exchange for his freedom, all while uncovering profound secrets within the abbey.

I really enjoyed Poisoner's Vengeance, but it wasn't the book I thought it would be at all. It was somehow lighter, a little more joyous and <i>nicer</i> than I had anticipated, given the professed subject matter of a poisoner nun and a demon. Of course things at the abbey do get a little nasty, but I had imagined this being a much darker shade of grey.

Having said that, I relished Annette's character. She felt very real, with some neurodiverse characteristics and all sorts of insecurities that made her decision-making unpredictable. I also liked Rigo the demon, although he was nothing like any demon I've ever come across before; he was a real golden retriever nice guy, though he could be tough when required.

I would've liked to have seen some actual evidence of Annette's poison-making abilities, given that was the title of the book. In fact, the only person who seemed to make a poison during the book was Rigo.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing Co-op for the ARC, this is my honest opinion.

Thank you Talia Greer, Skull & Violet Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Poisoner’s Vengeance is a fast-paced, compelling story, featuring witchy nuns, relics, and demons. It kept me invested from beginning to end. I loved the gothic nun theme, with a touch of fantasy. I did not read the synopsis provided on NetGalley until completing the book. Had I read the bit about the tropes enemies to lovers, and slow-burn, I may have felt misguided. I feel like the characters in question were missing the type of banter and relationship build up typically associated with those tropes.
The plot was thrilling, the plants and poisons were interesting, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

I found the overall concept of this story to be interesting. However, I felt like some parts of the story needed to be fleshed out a bit more, and it was promising more than it showed.

This was so refreshing and unique! It is safe to say I have never read or heard of a book like this, which is one of the many reasons it intrigued me. I will say, I struggled with feeling as if I didn’t know the characters. Whether that be from reading material or from this being a shorter book, I’m not sure. I also felt like Annette was a little naive at times, too naive to the point where I felt it was very easy to figure out what was going on. Overall, the pacing and the plot of this book was very good. I was very happy with the ending as well and would read other works from this author in the future!

🥀🍄Poisoner’s Vengeance🍄🥀

If you’re looking for a Gothic Paranormal Mystery with a romantic subplot, this book might be for you!

The main characters, Annette, is an interesting person. She is definitely morally grey and I had a hard time rooting for her in the beginning of the book. She seemed hostile and entitled, but as the book went on she grew on me more and more. She is pretty obviously neurodivergent and I appreciated the representation.

The mystery was interesting, with nuns and demons and attempted murder. It honestly overshadowed the romance, which was relegated to a subplot in my opinion.

We don’t learn a lot about the MMC, beyond his surface motivations. While he is an adorable golden retriever to her morally grey, I don’t think he really got to witness her darker side throughout the book as most of her morally dubious actions happened away from him. I would have loved to see him witness and accept that part of her as well.

As a paranormal mystery, I would give this book 4 stars. As a Romantasy (which is how I believe it was marketed) I would have to give it a lower rating as I don’t think the vibe is correct. But I will give the book the benefit of the doubt.

No, this didn’t work at all — I’m sorry. It lacks in all the important things: world building, character development and a stringent plot. Both the MC and the MMC are so incredibly dull I wasn’t sure I wanted them to win.

Annette is becoming a nun, gets snubbed on a title and turns bitter and whiny. She meets a demon who is rather dull but he is kind to her so she falls in love. Inexplicably he thinks she’s the bee’s knees too, although none of them really seem to have a particularly deep or interesting personality.

Warning for those who expect a romantasy — it’s not. It’s some kind of romantic literature with a twist of the religious and mystical. But it doesn’t quite have the world building required for it to be fantasy. And it doesn’t have the promised slow burn or tension for it to be romantasy.


Write me a book about the brother and I’m there for it. The concept isn’t bad, the execution just needs some work.

An ARC was provided to me for an honest review. This is honest and my review. Thanks for the opportunity!

Review published to Goodreads and will be published at Amazon.com on release date.

ARC Review - NetGalley

I’m always down for a gothic, paranormal fantasy with some gore and horror on the side. This one was an interesting read, and I’d definitely recommend it if you’re into mystery and gothic vibes.
The story follows Sister Annette Boodram, who’s in her last year at Moriah Abbey, where she and the other sisters worship the Mother. She’s super skilled with plants, brewing remedies, and making poisons. As a final-year honor, she’s supposed to be nominated as Chief Poisoness, a title that lets her travel freely and use her skills. But in a shocking twist, that gets taken away from her. Determined to get what she deserves, she decides to do whatever it takes—even if that means teaming up with a demon, Rigo, who’s locked up in the abbey’s archives. Their partnership leads to some unexpected twists, uncovering a mystery that kept me hooked.
I really enjoyed the story, and the slow-burn dynamic between Annette and Rigo was great. I wouldn’t exactly call this a romantasy since the romance takes a backseat to the plot, but it still had a nice little spark.
Rigo was such a fun character—smooth, golden-retriever-coded, and totally in Annette’s corner the whole time. The romance felt realistic and wasn’t rushed, which I appreciated, especially considering the whole nun-and-demon thing is a bit taboo.
I do think some parts could’ve used more context, like why Annette is seen as an outcast and how the Order of the Mother actually works in terms of rules and restrictions.
Overall, this was a fun and interesting read—perfect if you love gothic settings, a little religious/clerical order intrigue, and some demon representation.

O ritmo do livro é bem equilibrado, com momentos de ação intensa intercalados com reflexões mais calmas e introspectivas.

Poisoner’s Vengeance is thrilling, emotional, and thought-provoking. The author creates a world full of danger and dark beauty, with a main character who can capture the empathy of the person reading it, even in the dangerous path of vengeance. If you’re a fan of dark fantasy exploring the murky waters of morality and revenge, this book is worth picking up.
I found that some strong points during the book were the questioning of if true justice is attainable, and if finding it is worth the cost.
The pace moved you well through the book, in the moments of self-reflection, action, and high-stakes scenes. The character development is strong, especially for the main character who we find has to confront moral boundaries adding a good depth to the book. The supporting characters could have offered a little more development but they were a good foundation for the narrative and kept the plot moving forward.

This is a MUST READ!! honestly I had been going through a reading slump and just starting it made me realize I couldn’t put it down, I needed to know what was happening and what was going to happen. The diversity described and the nature side of the story, beautiful yet dangerous had me hooked. Specially growing up in a catholic school I felt very connected to Annette in some ways, having that inner debate of wanting to feel that passion that had been “forbidden”, not having explored the world before and slowly opening up your own eyes to the truth.

My only wish is to have more of content of Rigo and Annette, I felt like a schoolgirl giggling between their shared moments and just wanted them to get together already 😭😭 but I loved every single bit of their story as well as the main plot line.

Honestly, if you love fantasy, romance, and thrillers you will devour this book just like I did. ❤️✨

DNF
😬
I feel HATE DNF-ing books but this has taken me several days to try and get into this story. Out the gate: I do not like the MFC. She is automatically someone I'm not rooting for or interested in learning more about. She's mean spirited and petty. It's become a chore to read and I have an endless stack of books unread.

3.5 stars.

I did enjoy this book. It was a decent read. However I felt like the story didn’t not reach its full potential as it should have.

I wish there was more background and information regarding characters. Some characters acting the way they did, did not make sense to me.

I love the idea of a nun and a demon working together for revenge! However I would liked abit more of the plot as I felt like it was slightly lacking!

Overall, I did find this book fun and unique!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review. All opinions are my own.

Annette is a poison brewing nun for The Holy Order at Moriah Abbey. She has dedicated her life to the abbey and their Mother. However, she is wrongfully deprived of an award she has worked her entire life for an award that would change her life for the better. So when she is denied she steps outside of the grace of Mother and decides to get revenge on the abbey and those she perceives as wronging her. Her revenge involves teaming up with a demon, Rigo, who the abbey has imprisoned for the last 20 years. To help Annette, all he wants in exchange is his freedom and the relic she has bound herself to. The relic also believes in her cause and helps her on her quest for revenge, but its actions lead her to question who she should trust.

I loved Annette, the things she was mad about and how she reacted reminded me so much of myself. Having a character like Annette who knows what she wants and is willing to do anything to get it, I just love her. I also love her insecurities; she fears abandonment and is scared to ask someone for help. I love it when characters are not perfect. I love her skewed moral compass, while still being a nun, is so interesting. I also love that Annette is autistic or at the very least not neurotypical. The plot and world for this book were so interesting. I love how they are a group of nuns with the motto “To heal the sick and sicken the wicked.” I wish there had been a little more poisoning action as Annette is the best poisoner in her class; however, I do think Annette had other things going on that stopped that. The way her relationship with Rigo progressed was a little odd because she went from hating him and refusing to talk to him to like trusting him more than anything. However, I still loved Rigo and his golden retriever energy. The relationship's pacing made sense when you look at how Annette feels seen by someone for possibly the first time ever. This book was also tagged in NetGalley as a romance, which felt odd as romance is not a massive part of the plot. There is romance, do not get me wrong, but it is much more gothic fantasy and paranormal than romance. I did enjoy this book though. This book also has some well-written and interesting aspects of horror and suspense. Some of the descriptions were so perfect and uncomfortable, and I love it when an author can physically make me cringe because of how well they described something.

☠️Slow Burn
☠️Enemies to Lovers
☠️Gothic Fantasy
☠️Bargains
☠️Demon x Nun
☠️Revenge

My rating 3.25/5
Spice level very mild there is a moment talking about sex
Slow burn
Enemies to Lovers
Only one bed
Demonic bargains

Following the journey of Annette, a nun with a dream and a promise for freedom from the Abbey she is currently at but when all of this dream fades and becomes a nightmare, she decides that she must reclaim her promise with any action necessary. Forming an unlikely alliance with a relic and a demon locked away downstairs.

This book took me a couple of chapters to get into but once I did get invested in the storyline, I found Rigo a fun and interesting character! I do wish to know more about his backstory and just further information about him as he was my favourite character in the end. Annette, was interesting to a point but I did wish to know more about her poison expertise and being able to use that more.

But I do think I will read more books by this author as I did enjoy the book and hope there is another story following Annette as I want to see more of her journey!

Buckle up because this is a story like no other with poison brewing nuns!! It holds your attention with inept interest and fantasy world excitement. I don't like the characters but the plot is delicious!

2.5 stars
I thought the synopsis of this book showed great promise. I was really intrigued by the concept of a poison-brewing nun working together with a demon to sabotage her abbey. Also having a black autistic FMC sounded interesting and representation matters. Hoewever I feel like this was NOT the way to go.

The characters:

The FMC, Annette, was simply unlikable. Her whole personality is "I wanted this award and I didn't get it. Now I'm mad." That's it. She does not have any character growth because she doesn't need to.
She wants to sabotage her abbey out of malicious intent and then somehow she stumbles upon a bigger conspiracy and her betrayal of her own abbey is therefore validated. She is insecure in the beginning and just as insecure in the end because she gets everything she wants. She doesn't need to evolve because everything ends up the way she wants. Also it was really unnecessary that she's a poisoness because she never puts that to use.

The demon, Rigo, is boring. I was hoping for a little morally grey, grumpy MMC and I got bland vanilla. There is nothing interesting about him. He was wrongfully imprisoned and instantly likes Annette.

The relic... I don't even know. It was giving nightmare of One dark window but from wish. He is ALSO really boring. And it doesn't make sense why he wouldn't try harder to stop Annette from finding everything out tho.

The villianess... came out of nowhere. And her plan was COMPLETELY OUT OF PROPORTION.

The plot:
At least 70-80% of the book was simply build up where barely anything happened. And then we rushed through the last 20% where EVERYTHING happened.
Honestly I don't have any other things to say about this. I felt The whole thing was just a little less than what I expected. I was expecting more actual morally grey things, maybe actual use of poison, some bigger odds, just more.

Another thing I didn't like at all was the spice. I just felt it was kinda unnecessary. The whole "romance" plotpoint shouldn't have existed. Maybe leaving that out and therefore focussing more on the rest of the story woud've made this better. One of my biggest problems was the way Annettes describes the Rigo. She literally says, that he reminds her of a stick insect and then she's attracted to him...?
I feel like it was put in because that's what people are reading, that's what goes viral. But not every book needs romance or spice. Sometimes it just doesn't fit into the book and this was one of those times.

All in all I am really thankful that I got to read this ahead of time. And I feel like the story showed great promise. It was an original, interesting idea. However I think the way it was done was just not very thought out. It could've been SO GOOD but sadly it wasn't.

Even though mystery isn’t my genre and I knew this book might not be for me… I still went in with high expectations. I really thought I was gonna like it… but yeah, that didn’t happen.
Maybe it’s because I had just finished another book about demons and religions, or maybe it’s because I thought this was gonna be something completely different. Either way, I feel like this book had potential but just didn’t deliver for me.
And I won’t lie to you… this book drags the mystery for too many pages and lacks a massive development in the romance. Like, I genuinely thought there wouldn’t even be romance… and then bam, love appears out of nowhere. No build-up, no tension, just “welp, I guess we’re in love now.”
But I gotta give it credit where it’s due—the vibes were actually pretty good. The worldbuilding was immersive enough to keep me interested, though I do wish we had gotten more descriptions of the convent (because yes, everything happens in the convent). Speaking of descriptions… it wouldn’t have hurt to actually describe the main love interest. I spent half the book picturing him as a creepy old man just to find out he was supposed to be gorgeous.
Now, onto the characters! Rigo was adorable. Observant, caring, and always knowing exactly what the MC needed. The side characters also added some ✨spice✨ to the story (which was very much needed), though we don’t actually get to know many of them well. There are literally two side characters with proper development and a third one who has some weird rivalry with the MC that is never really explained. Like??? A bit more depth wouldn’t have hurt.
Annette was definitely interesting at first. I loved her perspective on the world, the way she played with appearances and how we perceive ourselves. She felt a little malicious in the best way, and I loved that. But as the story progressed, she kinda lost her spark… and I really missed that version of her. :(
And now, the plot. Yeah… not its strongest point. We have a supposed poisoner who, as another review said, doesn’t really poison much, and she has this whole conflict with another acolyte. Then things start getting weird, but the plot twists? Not surprising at all. You can see them coming from miles away because of how the story is structured.
Overall, this just wasn’t a book for me. I didn’t connect with the story or its development, but that doesn’t mean someone else won’t love it! So if this sounds like your thing, go ahead and meet Annette

____

spanish

A pesar de que el misterio no es mi género y de que en el fondo sabía que este libro quizás no sería para mí, la verdad es que iba con las expectativas bastante altas. Tenía la esperanza de que me sorprendiera, de que me atrapara… pero al final, no ha sido el caso.
Quizás fue porque justo antes había leído otro libro sobre demonios y religiones y, al compararlos, este no me terminó de convencer. O quizás fue porque pensé que iba a encontrarme con algo muy diferente y al final resultó ser otra cosa completamente distinta. Sea como sea, siento que el libro tenía potencial, pero se quedó corto en varios aspectos.
Y no os voy a mentir: al libro le sobran páginas de ese "misterio" que intenta construir y le falta un desarrollo masivo en el romance. Sinceramente, ni siquiera pensaba que iba a haber romance… y, de repente, el amor aparece de la nada, como sacado de un sombrero. No hay construcción, no hay progresión, solo "puf, ahora nos queremos".
Eso sí, hay que reconocer que las vibes generales del libro están bastante bien. El worldbuilding es lo suficientemente inmersivo como para mantener el interés, aunque siento que le faltaban unas cuantas descripciones más para visualizar bien el convento (porque sí, todo pasa en el convento). Hablando de descripciones… describir a los personajes no estaría de más, sobre todo al protagonista masculino. No os voy a mentir, lo imaginé como un viejo misterioso la mitad del libro solo para luego descubrir que en realidad era súper guapo.
En cuanto a los personajes, Rigo me ha gustado bastante. Es observador, atento y sabe exactamente lo que la protagonista necesita en cada momento. Los secundarios han aportado chicha al asunto (y vaya que hacía falta), aunque tampoco es que los lleguemos a conocer en profundidad. Hay literalmente dos personajes secundarios bien desarrollados y un tercero con el que la prota tiene una disputa que nunca se explica del todo. Un poquito más de desarrollo ahí no habría estado mal.
La protagonista, Annette, fue lo que más me intrigó al principio. Me encantó su perspectiva del mundo, cómo juega con las apariencias y la imagen que proyectamos. Me pareció maliciosa en el mejor de los sentidos y eso me fascinó. Pero, tristemente, pierde un poco de chispa a medida que avanza la historia y para el final, se siente mucho más apagada.
Y hablando de la trama… sinceramente, no es el punto fuerte del libro. Se nos presenta una envenenadora que, como bien dijo otra reseña, envenena poco, y su conflicto con otra acólita. A partir de ahí empiezan a salir cosas raras, pero los plot twists no me han sorprendido. Se ven venir de lejos porque la historia está construida de forma bastante predecible.
En general, puedo afirmar que este no ha sido un libro para mí. No conecté ni con la historia ni con su desarrollo, pero eso no significa que no pueda ser para otra persona. Así que, si te llama la atención, te animo a darle una oportunidad y a conocer a Annette y su pandilla pesadilla. Quizás a ti sí te conquisten. <3

⭐️4

Annette Boodram is a Novice Sister at Moriah Abbey, devoted to serving both the Abbey and their Mother.
But when a new Sister arrives, claiming the right to sing Mother's Aria and even stealing Annette’s award, anger consumes her.
Driven by revenge, she forges an unlikely alliance with a demon and a relic to reclaim what is hers.
Yet, something is wrong with Mother Vanessa—and Annette must uncover the truth before it's too late.


I enjoyed this book far more than I expected! While the beginning felt a bit slow, once things started unfolding, I was completely hooked.
I loved the unique take on a nun who isn’t purely kind and virtuous but instead driven by revenge, even forming an alliance with a demon.
Annette and Rigo were especially interesting, layered and morally complex. Never fully good or evil.
Although I predicted many of the plot twists and mysteries, some still managed to surprise me which I really enjoyed.

Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys a paranormal mystery with touches of fantasy and romance!

Thank you NetGalley and Skull & Violet Books for providing me with an ARC!!

Supernatural/Paranormal Fiction . Gothic . Horror . Nuns & Demons . Internal Struggle . Morally Grey MMC . Dark Secrets & Lies . Ancient Relics . Mystery . Revenge . Captivation . Forbidden Romance . Forced Proximity . Morally Corrupt

"Then one day, a lonely nun with vengeance in her heart stumbled upon me by accident. With a single touch, I knew her darkest desires and I promised them to her on a platter." (pg 163)

Annette struggled with her morality, her own inner demons always at the forefront from the trauma of her abandoment as a child to her feelings of being ostracized and not belonging.

"Intense faith doesn't necessarily make someone a good person." (pg 127)

She's a novice with hopes to become a sister of her Order and dreams of being awarded the prestigious title, Chief Poisoner. It's what she has worked for her entire life in order to leave the abbey and to be free. However, her hopes come crashing down, changes are happening, and she does not do well with change. With further isolation, she is filled with rage and jealousy. A burning need for vengeance consumes her.

She discovers a relic that speaks to her in her mind and has certain powers, and an imprisoned demon that she's made to befriend and bargain with. She accepts their help to deliver revenge upon those who took away her just rewards. But at what cost? What was the alternative?

"The demon can present as kind, helpful, and selfless... they are deceptive and conniving. They should never be trusted." (pg 49)

"I had two choices: trust him, or let everything I'd worked so hard for fall apart." (pg 172)

Dark secrets and deep desires unfurl as her world is turned upside down.

"Both forbidden and comforting in a tantalizing way. Being this close to him and hearing his voice but not seeing his face engendered a certain degree of intimacy." (pg 128)

Started off a little slow for me. It picked up a little bit, but was more medium paced after that initial dryness.

Annette doesn't fit the stereotypical nun persona that we all know. Sure, she is devout, but she has strong personal desires and social difficulties and doesn't seem to be keen about suppressing them. And like most humans, her insecurities make her vulnerable to being manipulated. Her desire for vengeance also clouds her judgment.

This book rides the morally grey line, where definitions and acts of good and evil are blurred.

Interesting read, thought-provoking. A little bit of horror mixed with fantasy, romance, mystery, and thriller.

3.33 (~3) 🌟 electronic Advance Reader Copy

This book had me hooked from the start—twists at every turn, tension that kept building, and a world so immersive I felt like I was right there in the abbey. And Annette? I was all in on her journey.

Oh, and that slow burn? Perfection. I LIVE for a good slow burn, and this one delivered beautifully. Seriously, this book was absolutely delicious, and I need to see what the author has planned next for this world!