📚 This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron (Book 1)

Genre: YA Fantasy | LGBTQ+ | Greek Mythology | Magic | Gothic

Reviewed by: Mariah Venzant | Chapter and Charms

🌿 “This is a whole new level of having a green thumb.”

What if you could grow plants with just a touch? For Briseis, a Black teen girl with a rare and powerful plant-based magic, that’s her everyday life. Seeds sprout beneath her fingertips. Vines stretch toward her like old friends. Even half-dead flowers bloom back to life.

In This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron, nature isn’t just background scenery, it’s a living, breathing extension of the main character. Raised in Brooklyn by her two loving moms, Briseis knows she’s different. But her power is becoming stronger… and harder to control, especially in a city where hiding her abilities is key to survival.

Everything changes when her family inherits a mysterious estate in upstate New York. Hoping for a quiet summer and a fresh start, Bri discovers the house is full of secrets: a locked apothecary, a poisonous garden behind high stone walls, and a family legacy rooted in ancient Greek mythology.

Soon, strangers begin showing up at their door, asking for herbal cures and magical remedies. One of them is Marie, an enigmatic girl with secrets of her own. As Bri digs into her past and learns more about her magical lineage, she finds herself at the heart of a centuries-old conflict involving a cursed legacy, an immortality elixir, and the world’s most toxic plant.

Now, she must protect her family, harness her power, and choose who she can trust, before everything falls apart.

✨ 

This Poison Heart

 Book Review

This was my first time reading Kalynn Bayron’s work, and I was instantly captivated, first by the gorgeous cover art (the illustrator absolutely deserves flowers 🌸), and then by the rich, magical story inside.

As someone who loves plants and has a little green thumb of my own, I really connected with Briseis. She’s soft-spoken, curious, and strong in quiet ways. From her glasses to her deep bond with nature, she felt like a mirror of the kind of girl I would’ve wanted to read about growing up.

Bayron’s writing is lush and immersive. She brings plant life and mythology to life with vivid detail. The use of Greek mythology felt layered and fresh, like high school myths rewritten with a modern, Black, feminist twist. And although the story is full of life and color, there’s also an eerie, gothic undertone that reminded me of The Secret Garden, if it were full of poisonous plants and hidden magical secrets.

🌈 Black Queer Representation

One of the highlights of this YA fantasy novel is its authentic representation. Briseis is a Black girl raised by two moms, and their family dynamic is beautiful. The love and support she receives throughout the book is deeply touching and shows that magic doesn’t only come from supernatural powers, sometimes it’s in the way people love and protect each other.

🌀 A Few Small Critiques

The pacing in the early chapters was a bit slow for me. Some scenes felt repetitive, and while I was intrigued by Marie’s character, I didn’t fully connect with her emotionally. Hopefully, the sequel (This Wicked Fate) explores her story more deeply.

🌟 Final Thoughts

This Poison Heart is a gorgeously written YA fantasy about legacy, identity, and embracing your unique gifts. With themes of magic, mythology, and queer Black girl empowerment, this book is a must-read for fans of:

• Nature-based magic and plant witches

• Modern retellings of Greek myths

• LGBTQ+ representation in fantasy

• Strong Black female leads in young adult fiction

• Mysteries with a touch of gothic danger

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Can’t wait to dive into This Wicked Fate, and Cinderella Is Dead is officially next on my TBR list.