Syndrie
A bit of a slow burn—in the best way possible—"A Slow and Secret Poison" is a novel where the title is a perfect fit for the story readers will find inside.
The story follows a woman named Vee as she begins her new job as a gardener at Harfold Manor—home of the now dwindled Lascy family. Vee initially applies, and accepts, the position without knowing anything about the family's history, but as she settles in she begins to uncover more knowledge about the family and the curse that the current family head, Arabella, fully believes has been placed upon her lineage.
Lowkis did a fantastic job with the pacing of this novel. We start off really taking the time to get to know all of the characters, their histories, and the setting in general—if anything it feels like a bit of a slice of life story at first. But as the novel progresses there are more and more quips and small details slipped in that suggest things might not all be as straightforward as they may seem. The plot itself slowly becomes poisoned with secrets, distrust, and paranoia as more and more of our character's stories are revealed.
This is one of those novels I probably could've devoured in one sitting if life hadn't gotten in the way! It was a smooth and easy read that captured my full attention from the very beginning. The characters felt like real people, the settings were perfectly descriptive, and the romance aspect was the perfect mix of being important to the plot while not completely overtaking the whole story. I really enjoyed my time with this novel and I'm honestly a little sad that it's already over!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Atria Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
A bit of a slow burn—in the best way possible—"A Slow and Secret Poison" is a novel where the title is a perfect fit for the story readers will find inside.
The story follows a woman named Vee as she begins her new job as a gardener at Harfold Manor—home of the now dwindled Lascy family. Vee initially applies, and accepts, the position without knowing anything about the family's history, but as she settles in she begins to uncover more knowledge about the family and the curse that the current family head, Arabella, fully believes has been placed upon her lineage.
Lowkis did a fantastic job with the pacing of this novel. We start off really taking the time to get to know all of the characters, their histories, and the setting in general—if anything it feels like a bit of a slice of life story at first. But as the novel progresses there are more and more quips and small details slipped in that suggest things might not all be as straightforward as they may seem. The plot itself slowly becomes poisoned with secrets, distrust, and paranoia as more and more of our character's stories are revealed.
This is one of those novels I probably could've devoured in one sitting if life hadn't gotten in the way! It was a smooth and easy read that captured my full attention from the very beginning. The characters felt like real people, the settings were perfectly descriptive, and the romance aspect was the perfect mix of being important to the plot while not completely overtaking the whole story. I really enjoyed my time with this novel and I'm honestly a little sad that it's already over!
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Atria Books, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)