#This Poison heart | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

norestforthereaders · 8 months

Text

This Poison Heart, by Kalynn Bayron

#tsoa patroclus #this poison heart #patrochilles #greek mythology #greek myths #writers #achilles #patroclus #briseis

82 notes · View notes

slaughter-books · 8 months

Text

Day 19: JOMPBPC: Paperbacks

Four beautiful green paperbacks! 💚

65 notes · View notes

sapphic-book-tournament · 10 months

Text

Hey, all I'm trying to get a sapphic book tournament set up if anyone has any ideas and would want to participate please comment your favorite sapphic book and follow!

115 notes · View notes

noahhawthorneauthor · 3 months

Text

It was a mellow month for reading, but they were all good books. Here's some of my priority reads for February.

#noahs book recs #queer books #indie books #poetry books #all out #squire #forest for the trees #queer there and everywhere #gay and lesbian poetry #exploration fawcett #legendborn #this poison heart #chain gang all stars #full metal indigiqueer #son of the storms #blood orange #poetry #fantasy books

17 notes · View notes

layaart · 2 years

Photo

Briseis from This Poison Heart! book 2 comes out in a week, I can’t wait!

#this poison heart #kalynn bayron #illustration #book fanart #books #2022 fanart

465 notes · View notes

melanielocke · 1 year

Text

Book recommendations - Queer POC books

Some more book recommendations, this time I'm focusing on Queer PoC books, all by authors of color. All the books shown in the picture are UK editions. I generally like it when books have a UK paperback edition because they're a lot cheaper than US hardcovers, usually also cheaper than US paperbacks, and release the same week as the US hardcover. I don't think these editions are always available if you live in North America, but to those living in Europe, buying UK editions can save you a lot of money. Other parts of the world I honestly don't know which editions are easiest to come by. Only downside for UK editions is that sometimes there are some with a redesigned cover that is very ugly. Of the books shown here, only the Witchery has a different cover than the US edition but in this case I like both.

Starting with this Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

This is a duology, the second and last book was released last June and so this is a complete series. It is inspired by Greek mythology, and specifically, the myth of Medea, and follows Briseis, who was adopted and inherits an estate from her aunt whom she never met. Briseis has always been able to make plants grow, and is immune to poisonous plants, and at the estate she discovers her birth family had these same gifts, and they keep a garden with some of the most poisonous plants in the world. This book has some great characters, and Briseis was adopted and raised by two sapphic Black mothers, who also play a big role in this series. This series has also served as inspiration for the Lightwood's magic garden in Flowers Bloom

Also by this author: Cinderella is Dead, which I'd also recommend, the Vanquishers, a MG which I did not read

Upcoming books: My Dear Henry, a Jekyll & Hide retelling (3-2023); You're not Supposed to Die Tonight, a slasher horror (6-2023)

Next up is Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

This is a sapphic love story with a MC of Indian decent. At New Years's Eve, just before midnight, Ash is hit by a car and dies instantly. She gets the offer to become a reaper, who guide the city's dead to their afterlife. But Ash can't forget Poppy, her girlfriend, and will do anything to get to see her again.

I haven't seen a lot of people talk about this book, but I really enjoyed it. The main focus is the romance here, and it's more romance with a fantasy aspect to it than fantasy.

Other books by this author: there are several other older books, none of which I've read

Upcoming books: The Mermaid of Black Rock (9-2023), a sapphic book about a girl with no memory found in the sea and a girl who falls in love with her

The Jasmine Throne is the only adult series I put in this list (the rest is YA), and is a fantasy trilogy set in an India inspired world. Book 1 and 2 are out now.

Malini is a princess who is imprisoned in an old temple by her dictator brother, an emperor obsessed with religious ideas revolving women gaining purity and immortality by being burnt alive. Malini refused to burn for his sake.

Priya is a maidservant who travels to the temple every night to clean Malini's chambers. Before her land was conquered by Malini's family, Priya was a temple child, and she had passed through the magical deathless waters once, but all the temple children were murdered except a few who survived and she has to hide her past.

Malini and Priya eventually start working together, with the goal of restoring the throne to Malini's other, oldest brother who'd abandoned the throne to become a priest.

Other books by this author: The Books of Ambha duology, adult fantasy, and What Souls are Made of, a YA Wuthering Heights retelling

Upcoming books: Book 3 of the series, scheduled for 2023, currently no release date known

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas is one of my personal favorites of this year. It's the first book in a YA fantasy duology set in a world inspired by Mexican culture. In this world, the sunbearer trials are held every ten years to replenish the energy of the sol stones and keep the sun alive and evil gods at bay. Ten demigods (called semidioses) are chosen by Sol to compete in a set of trials. The winner becomes the Sunbearer and gets to replenish the sol stones. The loser becomes a human sacrifice that is necessary to replenish said stones.

Semidioses are divided in gold and jade categories, depending on if their parent is a gold or jade god. Gold gods are the most powerful gods, ruling over things like the earth, the seas, fire etc, while jade gods are considered less powerful and their children too. There haven't been any jade competitors in the Sunbearer trials in over a century, but that year, two are chosen.

Teo is the transgender son of Quetzal, the goddess of birds, and he never expected to be chosen for the trials. The other jade is Xio, the son of Mala Suerte, god of bad luck. The other 8 competitors are all gold semidioses, including Teo's best friend Niya, daughter of Tierra, god of the Earth and the twin children of the fire goddess, Aurelio and Auristela. Compared to many of the others, Teo does not have a lot of powers and will have to fight with everything he has to survive.

The fantasy world in this book is modern second world, so while everything is different from this world, there are equivalents of instagram and tiktok for example, and they have trading cards featuring different semidiose heroes.

Other books by the author: Cemetery Boys, Lost in the Never Woods, I've read both and they're very good

Upcoming books: book 2 of the sunbearer trials (expected in 2023), companion/sequel to Cemetery Boys (fall 2024), untitled book pitched as gay titanic in space (2024), Just Max (a contemporary set in college, 2024).

I don't think it's likely there'll be 3 books coming out in 2024 but that's the information I currently have

The last book in the picture is the Witchery by S. Isabelle

This book features four witches and two human boys. Logan only recently found out she's a witch and transferred to a school for witches, and so far she's no good at it. But she's taken under the wing by the Red Three, three Black witches and the most powerful witches at the school. Thalia, a greenwitch, Iris, a deathwitch and Jailah, the most powerful witch at school, want to end the curse that's plaguing their town, and want Logan's help to do it.

Every year, there's a Haunting Season during which wolves come out of the swamp and kill people. The witches can protect people, to some extent, but the Red Three want to end the Haunting Season once and for all.

This book has a total of 6 POV's, which can make it confusing but I think it worked well. All the characters were interesting, but there wasn't enough space to flesh them all out as much as I would have liked. Still, I think the story was great, and would recommend it. There's not much focus on romance, but Jailah is a lesbian which is why I included it on this list.

Other books by this author: The Witchery is her first book

Upcoming books: another book is expected to be released in 2023. I have no idea what this book is about

Let me know if there are specific recommendations you'd like me to cover next time, I think I'll make more posts like these because it's lots of fun. Also, if you've read any of the books I recommend and want to talk about it, let me know, because I don't have a lot of people to talk about my favorite books with

@alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @bottomdelioncourt @ikissedsmithparker

#book recommendations #queer books #poc books #qpoc books #This Poison Heart #This Wicked Fate #Kalynn Bayron #The Jasmine Throne #the Oleander Sword #Tasha Suri #The Witchery #S Isabelle #the Sunbearer Trials #Aiden Thomas #Afterlove #Tanya Byrne

148 notes · View notes

thereadingchallengechallenge · 1 year

Photo

JOMP BPC - Feb 3 - Black Pride

Kalynn Bayron is probably my favourite Black author at the moment. hopefully I love her upcoming horror novel as much as I enjoyed her fantasy reads

#kalynn bayron #this poison heart #cinderella is dead #justonemorepage #jompbpc #booklr #bookblr #trcc original #portraits #lgbt books #wlw reads #authors of colour

87 notes · View notes

droids-in-disguise · 9 months

Text

Favorite Books I've Read in 2023 (so far)

So fun fact I read a lot, here are my top 10 books that I’ve read so far this year, in the order I read them. Never really posted this sort of thing on tumblr before but I thought I’d give it a try.

Book details and some of my thoughts under the cut.

A Thousand Steps Into Night by Traci Chee (2022)

YA Fantasy

A Thousand Steps Into Night is a book I 100% picked up because of the cover and because it was super cheap. I hadn’t ever heard anything about the book or author. The best way I can describe this novel is that reading it conjured up the same feelings that I get from watching a Ghibli film. Our protagonist Miuko is an ordinary girl from a small village until one day she is cursed and slowly begins transforming into a demon. Hoping to find a way to break the curse, she begins to travel the land meeting lots of colorful characters, gods, and mythic figures along the way. It’s a very atmospheric and wonderfully written book that pulls a lot of inspiration from Japanese mythology and folklore

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske (2022)

Romance/Fantasy

This is the second book in the Last Binding trilogy. I feel like you could probably get away with skipping the first book if you wanted to since both books are somewhat self-contained, but why would you? The first book (A Marvellous Light) is awesome. Our story takes place in an alternate-Edwardian England where magic is real and certain people can practice it, unbeknownst to the rest of the non-magical population. Maud Blyth, a non-magical person who has the privilege of knowing about magic, is working with members of the magical community as well as her brother (the protagonist from the first book) to prevent a dangerous magical contract form falling into the wrong hands. She is travelling on an ocean liner when the old woman in her care ends up dead. Cue the murder mystery shenanigans and sapphic romance!

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun (2022)

Romance

I actually read this book twice this year, once by myself and once for my book club. It has what is quite possibly one of the most bonkers rom-com plots I’ve ever seen and I love how ridiculous it is. Basically, our main character Ellie meets a women in Powell’s books and they have a magical, Christmas one-night-stand. Fast forward almost one year later, Ellie is having a difficult time out here in good-old Portland, OR after getting fired from her dream job and having to instead rough it as a barista. In a last-ditch effort to not lose her apartment, she agrees to marry her job’s landlord so he can get his inheritance and Ellie gets a percentage in exchange. However, it turns out that her one-night-stand from last year is her new fake-fiancé’s sister. GASP! The only place this book loses points for me is that there’s too many goddamn Taylor Swift references.

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer (2021)

YA Sci-Fi

If I had to pick a favorite out of all these books it would be this one. Reading this book felt like getting hit by a bus. Our POV character is Ambrose Cusk, an astronaut aboard the Coordinated Endeavor who has been sent on a mission into deep space to rescue his sister. His only companion is another boy named Kodiak who comes from a rival nation (think Cold War-ear space race). As they slowly start to interact with one another it becomes clear that for some reason neither one of them have any memory of the ship’s launch. The only knowledge they have of what’s going on comes from the ship’s internal computer and infrequent communications from Earth. As they begin to investigate, they discover a lot more than they bargained for. The first half of this book is like your typical gay space adventures and then at like the 50% mark onwards the rug gets pulled out from under you and you just have to go WHAT THE FUCK and then when you finish the book you just have to pretend like you’re fine and can move on with your life (you can’t). My only complaint is that this book should not have been YA, like there’s absolutely 0 reason for it to be.

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (2021)

YA Thriller

This book was unexpected for me. I have a habit of just reading books I know absolutely nothing about because someone, somewhere said it was good and because I think the cover is pretty. For some reason I assumed this would be a fantasy book but it’s actually a thriller/mystery novel, which is not at all a genre I typically go for. Our main character, Daunis Fontaine, is a biracial Ojibwe girl who loves hockey and her community. Her status as an unenrolled member of her tribe has her stuck with a foot in each world. After a family tragedy, circumstances push her to agree to work undercover with the FBI in order to find the source of a dangerous substance that has infiltrated her community and threatens the lives of those she cares about. I found Daunis to be an extremely compelling character with a strong narrative voice. Watching all the layers of the mystery getting peeled away through her investigation was extremely satisfying. She uses mainstream scientific knowledge in tandem with more tribal specific knowledge of botany and medicine in order to figure things out, which I thought was super cool. This is another book where I feel like it could’ve gotten away with not being YA, but I don’t feel as strongly about it as I do in regards to The Darkness Outside Us.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune (2023)

Sci-fi

Where to even begin this one… Have you ever wanted a book that was partly a story about a robot found family on post-apocalyptic Earth and partly a Pinocchio retelling? Yeah me either, but I’m so glad I got it. Victor Lawson is a human raised by robots. He has a peaceful existence with his android father and other mechanical friends until his curiosity unknowingly alerts robots from his father’s former life to their existence. Vic’s father is captured and it’s up to the rest of the family to rescue him. Victor is also asexual and how he describes and navigates his asexuality was so similar to my own it was like looking in a mirror.

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. (2023)

Memoir

This was a wonderful memoir about a queer Muslim as she reconciles those two pieces of her identity, and the struggles she faces finding community. Growing up religious, there were a lot of experiences in this memoir that I personally related to. Something I really enjoyed is how the author retold stories from the Quran and used them to frame her own queer experiences. There was a lot about this book that was very comforting to me, and I feel like it was written in a way that was accessible and easy to understand.

Black Sun (and by extension it’s sequel, Fevered Star) by Rebecca Roanhorse (2020/2022)

Fantasy

Black Sun is the first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, an epic fantasy series with a world inspired by pre-colonial American civilizations. This series has such a large and complex cast of characters, with chapters from multiple POVs, so it’s impossible to say if there is really any one protagonist. Essentially, the upcoming solar eclipse foretells the return of the crow god and the unbalancing of the status quo that has previously been maintained by an order of priests. Some characters are working to make sure this comes to pass, some hope to prevent it, and some aren’t quite sure where their loyalties lie. By the end of the first chapter I already knew I was in for a wild ride (the book opens on a mother sewing her 12-year old son’s eyes shut, ew). This series also features a queernormative world, where non-binary characters and same-gender relationships are commonplace.

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron (2021)

YA Fantasy

This book was so cool and really had a lot going for it. Briseis Greene has the uncanny ability to grow and control plants. She and her two moms live in Brooklyn where they run a flower shop. One day, a visitor arrives to tell Bri that she has inherited an old country estate in upstate NY from her birth family. Bri wonders if this house could be the answer to her family’s financial woes and so they travel upstate where Bri begins to learn more about her abilities and her family’s history. Every answered question leads to dozens more unanswered and between strange individuals wandering the estate, townspeople who seem to know secrets, and increasing instances of violence and vandalism, Bri begins ask herself if staying here is worth it if it means her family might be in danger. This book is a queer, mythology inspired, part urban fantasy, part thriller/haunted house story, of a modern fairytale. Truly something in it for everyone.

#books #a thousand steps into night #a restless truth #kiss her once for me #the darkness outside us #firekeeper's daughter #in the lives of puppets #hijab butch blues #black sun #fevered star #this poison heart

30 notes · View notes

tourneys-by-me · 7 months

Text

Preliminaries Part 5 - Phytomancy 3/3

Top 4 gets into the final preliminary.

15 notes · View notes

dead-by-tbr · 10 months

Text

Day 16: Favorite Cover Art

Oh man, this is so hard for me to narrow down my favorite cover art. As a very visual person, I tend to pick up books with pretty or striking covers before reading their summaries.

This Spiderwick was probably my first real favorite cover art. Also, it may have stirred some deep feelings within me? 😅

This Poison Heart is just so beautiful. There is no better way of explaining that this book is about a beautiful, black young woman with powers over nature. Chef's kiss 👌 gorgeous

Fable! Gah, I wish I had the second book to show off the complete picture! It's such an eye-catching cover as is, but when putting both books together, it completes the lovely face of the MC. The reflections in the eyes, the little details within her hair, no jewelry vs jewelry, even the lighting and tone of the two cover arts reveal so much. Ah it's wonderful.

#justonemorepage #jompbpc #june2023

#books and reading #book nerd #booklr #jompbpc #justonemorepage #june2023 #bookshelf #currently reading #this poison heart #fable adrienne young #spiderwick chronicles #maybe I'm bi?#maybe its Maybelline?#im bi #book cover art

10 notes · View notes

bookishintherain · 2 years

Text

“I have so much to tell you,” she said.

#this poison heart #bookish thoughts #book thoughts #books & libraries #fiction #bookish #bookstagram #book quotes #amreading #bookish quotes

128 notes · View notes

slaughter-books · 1 year

Text

Day 27: JOMPBPC: Diverse Characters

❤️✊🏻🧡✊🏼💛✊🏽💚✊🏾💙✊🏿💜

133 notes · View notes

sapphic-book-tournament · 7 months

Text

Ugh, I was so sick all September but here’s a cute little graphic I made while I had COVID that wraps up what all I read during the summer!! Feel free to share opinions I’d love to talk!