A fun and interesting read, even if some parts are predictable.

I loved the interactions between Soraya and Parvaneh, and especially the way the first touch is described.

Sometimes poison is not literal poison, but also the way we act and are dishonest with one another, and I liked that theme(?).

Okay I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! The story, the characters, the love interest, the villain. I loved that the maincharacter was bisexual and that she was flawed. It made the story even more interesting because you didn’t know if she would give in to her “dark side” or not!

Soraya has been hidden away her whole life because she has poison in her veins. All she wants is to be normal and touch others, and not be locked away. The only man unafraid is someone she should be afraid of.

Lots of twists and turns!

I don't even know what was the problem. Maybe I've just read so may ya fantasy that I can't enjoy them unless they are really unique or I deeply fall in love with the characters.

With this one, based on the reviews I wasn't sure I'll like it, but it was a must because of the sapphics. And the sapphics were the only reason I didn't dnf it pretty early on, and they were the only thing I actually liked. I didn't care about this particular plot, but now that they went together into the sunrise (more like into the forest), I would totally read an adventure story with them in the focus.

I wanted to love this, but it did not capture my attention in the way I hoped it would. It was a solid read and there were no glaring issues with the story telling, it just wasn't that interesting.

Things I enjoyed- the sapphic romance, Persian culture being integrated into the story, and the discussion around having "thorns" and people loving you anyways. I really enjoyed how Bashardoust presented accepting any thorns you may have and those thorns do not diminish your self worth or ability to be loved. I think its a great message for anyone who has ever struggled with feeling self love or worthy of others love.

I wish the plot itself had piqued my interest more, but overall the story was good. Wouldn't highly recommend, but also wouldn't tell you to not read it.

3.5 ⭐️

I just love the cover of this one. It’s so pretty, even though there’s actually a snake intertwined with the lovely flowers.

I may have chosen this one for the pretty cover, but I do like to read YA occasionally, and fantasy works for me every once in awhile, when it’s really well done. I typically enjoy retellings of myths and fairy tales, and this one is a revamp of a Persian story, the author's own culture, that also includes demons and a queer romance.

The flawed but compelling main character Soraya is twin sister to her 18-year-old brother, the shah, and despite the murderous curse that has hung over her all her life and kept her secluded (she is poison to the touch), she remains powerful and strong. Soraya shows lots of growth and development within the story, as she encounters a demon who can possibly help her and a boy who seems unafraid of her killing potential, and she must confront good and evil within herself—is she a princess or a monster? Could her ability to kill with just one touch actually be helpful, or only harmful?

I didn’t find this plot at all predictable and I loved Soraya's female allies and the Persian elements. Also, it’s relatively short and a standalone book, not part of a series, as so many fantasies tend to be.

All in all, pretty good! If you’re in the mood for a YA feminist fairy tale, this could be a fit.

Really enjoyed the premise and set up of this story but I just kept wanting more. I wanted more character development, more lead in to the sapphic relationship, a faster pace getting to the good stuff, etc. Loved the author’s note at the end though explaining how she drew inspiration off of Persian mythology.

El libro me gustó porque es diferente a lo que usualmente leo, creo que nunca había leído algo ambientado en la mitología persa.
Me pareció que esta bien, creo que pudo ser mejor, la trama se demora un poco en arrancar pero llegado a un punto, las cosas toman un ritmo mucho más rápido.
En cuanto a los personajes, pues hay algunas decisiones que no entiendo, Soraya, muchas veces me parece aburrida, pero sí se nota el crecimiento que tiene su personaje con el paso de los acontecimientos. Cuando apareció Azad y todo lo que hacía y por qué lo hacía me pareció muy irreal, de verdad, era hasta un poco tonta pero ya luego tiene sentido. (La verdad que una parte de mí, quería que acabarán juntos)
Parvaneh, era muy cool, creo que el mejor personaje de todos.
En fin, es bueno pero tampoco increíble.

This was a truly incredible book, the characters were as lush as the setting and I always love a deadly girl. I really loved the discussion the revolved around Soraya making herself smaller in order for others to be more comfortable around her. It just really resonated with me and it's something I think will resonate with many women who are forced to occupy less space in the world. I also loved the mirroring between Soraya and the Shahmar. Every time a similarity was brought up or something innocuous was said and gets referred back to I just lost it. The bisexual rep in the book was also excellent.