Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: The Poisons We Drink 

 

Author: Bethany Baptiste 

 

Book Series: Standalone 

 

Rating: 5/5 

 

Diversity: Black American Sapphic MC, Black American characters, Indian American character, Sapphic character, Non-Binary character 

 

Recommended For...: young adult readers, urban fantasy, fantasy, witches, queer, contemporary 

 

Publication Date: April 30, 2024 

 

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy 

 

Age Relevance: 16+ (police brutality, violence, racism, gun violence, parental death, child death, PTSD, anxiety, depression, self-harm, gore, drugs, underage drinking, language, grief) 

 

Explanation of Above: There are scenes and mentions of police brutality, gun violence, and violence in general. There is one on-page death of a parent and mentions of death of a child. There are moments of PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, and forms of self-harm. There is some blood and vomit gore. There are mentions of drugs and underage drinking. There is some strong language. There are also scenes and mentions of racism and racist acts. 

 

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire 

 

Pages: 480 

 

Synopsis: Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her. Then an enemy's iron bullet kills her mother, Venus’s life implodes. Keeping her reckless little sister Janus safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge. The cost? Brew poisonous potions to enslave D.C.'s most influential politicians. As Venus crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power blurs, and it's hard to tell who to trust…Herself included. 

 

Review: Oh. My. God. This book was EVERYTHING. I absolutely devoured this read and I can’t wait to re-read it. The book was captivating, the story was just so addicting, and I loved everything about this book. I loved the main characters. I love the mix of witchcraft and the LORE. I usually do not do well with urban fantasy style books because I’m more of a “magic fits better in my mind with medieval style settings” but omg this has made me reevaluate my stance cause this was THAT GOOD. I felt like the background was well set up, the worldbuilding was great, the characters were well developed, and just EVERYTHING. I LOVE THIS BOOK. Like I don’t know how else to say that? Uhh… READ THIS BOOK. 

 

The only thing I would say was a slight ding was some of the pacing here and there was a bit off in places, but other than that I NEED MORE. 

 

Verdict: I loved it. I need more =). Highly recommend.