This Wicked Fate

I truly wasn't expecting much when I first read This Poison Heart a few months ago and I was completely captivated by it. I've been eagerly waiting for this sequel to release since then and I'm so glad I finally got to it. This was equally wow and I just picked the book up and didn't stop until it was over.

I don't usually read physical books because I don't have shelf space for them and I can't drive myself to the library. But after a long while, I did manage to go and get this copy and I realized today that while I adore my kindle and even enjoy reading on the phone, sometimes the joy a physical book gives is something else. Which was completely in opposition to the feelings the story itself evoked because the main emotion running through this sequel is grief - grief at losing family, grief at knowing that you'll keep losing your family because that's your family's burden, and how this generational trauma shapes lives. The author makes this sadness palpable through her words but there's also hope that our characters will succeed in their endeavor and finally break off from that cycle of trauma, and then there's the adventure tale we get that I wasn't exactly expecting. While we only got hints about the mythology in the first book, this one is brimming with it because we get to know more myths and meet fantastical creatures and gods themselves and go along with the characters on a quest that almost feels like a Cotton Malone adventure, but one I'm more invested in and full of sapphic goodness. The pacing is also pretty quick because there's a deadline looming, but the author also manages to give us quiet moments of contemplation and so much family feels.

If Bri was just a young girl trying to learn more about her powers and come into her own in This Poison Heart, here she has the duty to bring generations of her family history to a culmination and save her mother in the process. She has a lot more to learn here but she has her plants to soothe her and we can see how confident she has grown in her abilities. And despite whatever difficulties she encounters, she never wavers from her path and her determination is really admirable.

Circe is a new character we meet but it's easy to start loving her almost instantly. She has been through so much loss in her life that she just doesn't want to lose anything more and will do anything to help her niece Bri, who she never thought she'll meet again. But it's obvious that really cares for Bri and she takes her time to comfort Bri during the tough times and teaches her more about their family legacy. While we don't get her pov, her sadness is still very much felt and I could really see how much she loved her sister.

Bri is ably supported by her mother Mo and her love interest Marie. Mo is devastated at losing her wife and is overwhelmed by all the mythological information, but she is all in in supporting Bri and Circe and I was heartened by how caring she was of everyone. Marie on the other hand is a no nonsense grumpy immortal who has been through many lifetimes but finally feels like she is living because she has found love. Her relationship development with Bri is tender and beautiful and the source of joy for them when they are embarking on a dangerous quest. Persephone is also someone who has been through a lot across centuries and is determined to ensure that she won't lose anyone else this time. They all made for a really caring group of people who loved each other and were willing to sacrifice themselves for the other's happiness and safety.

I'm conclusion, I absolutely adored this and probably more than This Poison Heart and this will probably be one of my top YA books of this year. I'm continually impressed by the author's gorgeous writing, the vivid world she creates, and the amazing sapphic characters who feel real and absolutely unforgettable. I don't know if the author will ever return to this world but I definitely wouldn't mind a spin-off or just about anything which explores more of the mythological aspects that I feel we have just caught a glimpse of for now.