Rec | THIS POISON HEART BY KALYNN BAYRON

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popcorn gives this poison heart by kalynn bayron three stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ popcorn really loved the characters in this book. popcorn loved the main character briseis and her cool plant powers, but the real stars were her moms known as mom and mo. popcorn loves them. the pacing of this book felt off. the first 75% honestly felt like an info dump that lead to the actual plot that happened in the final pages of the book. if you like a book that’s heavy on descriptions, this poison heart may be for you. follow for more recommendations by popcorn.

@lindsey

Apr 1, 2025

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"The Book of LovE" by kelly link

High school students Laura, Daniel, and Mo have died. They don’t remember how and they certainly don’t know what they are now doing standing in their music teacher Mr. Anabin’s classroom, with a fourth young man they don’t recognize, who doesn’t even seem to know who he is. Upon detecting their presence, Anabin verifies that they have each indeed perished and have spent a year trapped in the realm of Bogomil from which people typically don’t return. Bogomil himself appears and the pair agree to let the quartet return to their normal lives as if nothing had ever happened, under the condition that while there they must complete a series of tasks, including discovering what caused their deaths, and at the end of the assignment, only two of the four will be allowed to remain alive. Laura finds herself back at home with her single mother and sister Susannah, with whom she shares a sort of love/hate relationship. Daniel returns to his large family just across the street from Laura, and his on-again/off-again relationship with Susannah. Mo finds himself back at the home of his grandmother, a successful romance novelist who basically raised him, only to discover that while the trio were missing she had passed away, leaving him in the care of her long-time assistant. Everyone believes that the group had simply been studying abroad for the past year and each finds that they have memories of doing so despite it not being true, and so they attempt to assimilate back into their previous existences while trying to solve the mystery of their demise and learning to use the magic that allowed them to return. As you would expect from the title this book really is about love in all its many forms, and the ways it shapes and guides us through our lives. Family, friends, and lovers all come into play, as does learning to love and accept oneself, and Link’s often gorgeous prose brings the many intertwined relationships to life. She has a talent for developing people that feel real, imbuing even minor characters with enough personality to make it hurt a little when they suffer. There are moments that feel slightly hokey every now and then, but they are easy enough to look past. Link mostly handles the plot of her sprawling, supernatural, small-town saga well, making it easy enough to keep track of everyone and everything, though some events can occasionally feel repetitive. Rather than use chapter numbers the breaks are delineated with headings reading “The Book of Daniel”, “The Book of Laura”, and so forth, highlighting some of the religious subtext scattered throughout. Despite the fantastical events that surround the story, a lot of the little moments the characters experience feel eminently relatable, and there are several moments that pack an emotional punch, though none of them are allowed to really live long enough to settle in. I really enjoyed The Book of Love and would happily spend time with these characters again, but I was left with the weird feeling that I should have felt something more than I did. ★★★★