- Cassie G.
- Thursday, June 23, 2022
For me, This Poison Heart embodies Black Girl Magic, LITERALLY! Briseis is a unique teen who just wants to be her authentic self. In my opinion, when black girls and women come to a point in their life where they realize they can be their authentic self 100% of the time, that is when they are able to embody Black Girl Magic in its full capacity.
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron, introduces us to a teenage girl named Briseis and her adopted mothers. Briseis is well aware that she is adopted, but doesn't know much about her biological mother. She and her parents are made aware that her biological aunt (her mother's sister) has left her an estate in a rural part of New York. Although her family owns a flower shop in Brooklyn, they are quickly finding themselves reevaluating their finances and living arrangement. They take the leap to move to the estate temporarily just to see if it would help them financially.
Once they arrive, Briseis begins to realize that there is more to her biological family then she knew, but hopes that it will help explain her gift. You see, Briseis has a unique gift of being able to grow plants and flowers with her bare hands. Plants feed off of her energy as well as yearn for her whenever she is nearby. She never knew why she could do the things that she could, but she, her Mom, and Mo learned to adapt to it and kept her special gift hidden, mostly. Their arrival at the estate provides more than enough seclusion for Briseis to learn to better control her gift.
She makes some new friends but quickly finds out that something is up and her friends are involved. If you want to find out how, give it a read, you won't be disappointed!
I truly loved this book. In my opinion, I felt like I was reading a origin story of a young Poison Ivy maybe before she goes dark. Kalynn Bayron incoporates sci-fi, love and a bit of mystery and suspense in This Poison Heart. I loved how Briseis handles herself. I love the LGBTQ+ theme that shows itself not only in Briseis parents, but in her own love interest as well with Marie. I can't wait to see what the sequel, This Wicked Fate brings us.
P.S. My only complaint about This Poison Heart is the artwork on the cover. I love that more black and brown girls are being represented in literature but would love to see more diversity in how they are illustrated. In my opinion Briseis reminds me a lot of Sophia from Kalynn Bayron's Cinderella is Dead. I am hoping to see more diversity in her character illustrations as she releases more books.