An intoxicating mix of magic, folklore and a world that draws its inspiration from South Africa. Peppered with African colloquiums, it has both a contemporary feel with a mystique magic, not specific to, but one that engenders a voodoo-esque atmosphere.
There is a strong sense of danger, wrapped in a warped carnival like veil of magical goings on. Savannah carries a family curse through the female line, that results in an early death. Each woman seemingly carries a raging anger, that intensifies as death nears. There have been attempts to unlock the curse, recorded in a book, which Savannah refers to, to try and make sense of it all.
There is a sense of impending doom that is dark and foreboding throughout the book. Some of what is going on is opaque and not readily understandable, which also feels satisfactorily disorientating, much like Savannah feels through her dreams and night-time kaleidoscope experiences.
Despite this there is a strong theme of family, protection and love. This brings a much-needed element of warmth and hope in a dark world. It does stall & loose its momentum two thirds of the way in the book, but then recovers. Race and a tough upbringing lightly feature but with a more overt theme of anger and its use in a contemporary world of simmering violence evoked to achieve power; to deflect oneself from the ubiquitous risk of simmering violence that could otherwise be used against you. How pernicious this pervading behaviour is so that it becomes a lived culture. There are also the influential role women have in supporting and neutralising oppression. This backdrop could be used as part of a good book group debate, or you could just run with the story and let the deeper messaging wash over. Either way, this is a unique and mesmerising read.

Fantasy is not usually a general that I would go for, but this book is bold and punchy.

I loved the mythology interlinked with other concepts such as sexism, racism and historical issues, such as slavery and apartheid.

I like that the main character is angry, and rightly so, and that anger is seen as both a strength and a weakness, depending on how it is framed.

A fantastic book.

I love books about angry girls, and this book was no exception to this. Savannah is the sort of protagonist that draws you completely in, and I really felt her struggles throughout the story. She goes through a lot of growth from when we first meet her, in one of her fits of rage, and I loved the dimension that Mary Watson was able to bring to her character.

I read this book in one sitting on a 9 hour coach journey back to university, which I think did slightly elevate my reading experience. Everything in this book happens at a breakneck pace, so being able to read it all at once really helped to keep me immersed. It also helped so that I didn't have too much time to mull over some of the elements of the story, as I think if I had taken a break I probably would have guessed the ending.

Watson creates such a rich world in this story, and I fell in love with the magic system that she develops throughout, which is wholly different to anything I have read before. She breathes life into the setting of Cape Town, and I loved being able to dive into the mythology that Watson entwines with the setting so fully.

Overall I loved this action-packed novel, and am eagerly awaiting the next installment of the series!

I was blown away by this one. I loved the mix of fantasy and reality and the way the curse is explored. I love Mary's writing and her characters really sucked me in. I didn't want to put this one down.

I loved ‘Blood to poison’ so much; it is a credit to why I still go back to the YA genre because it allows writers to really explore their voices no matter where it goes.
Watson’s MC Savannah is cursed because of her family line where one woman dies young in every generation of their bloodline; a curse initiated from an enslaved ancestor. A clue as to which girl will befall the curse is the heightened emotion of anger, needless to say Savannah is angry. I have never read a book that really captures this feeling so perfectly because anger is complicated, it’s a strength when you need to fight but it’s a weakness when you are trapped. The journey that Savannah goes on in this novel is brilliantly written, thought provoking and thankfully the resolution is handled in a really powerful way and not just in a magical or fantasy style. Overall it is fast paced, intense and will definitely stay with you long after you’ve finished the last page.

I really enjoyed this book. Mary Watson's writing is so good, I felt a plethora of emotions along with our main character. It's a powerful story with magic and anger at its core.

I hadnt read this author before but really enjoyed this foray into magic and couldn’t put it down.

As an ex South African it was unusual to read a book set in my own country. The landscape of Cape Town and vernacular was so familiar to me and worked really well with the mystique of the story and melting pot or cultures. The author cleverly wove myths and culture into the plot, I understood her perspective and she handled the different themes with dexterity. The story itself was original, well paced, mostly unpredictable and gripping.

There were solid support characters but the whole story hinges on Savannah, the main character, who is cursed to die young unless she can find a way to break the curse. The curse makes her really angry and the lack of control only serves to expedite the magic and her death. At the same time, dark magical forces are gaining power and they would wish to claim the magic in her curse for themselves. So she is in double danger - from the curse itself and the magical misfits.

Savannah is 17, with strong opinions and sense of self. She feels invincible at times and so vulnerable at others. With magic as a backdrop, themes of identity, segregation, inherited rage and helplessness and owning your future are explored - all which speak to the soul of South Africa. Alternatively, it can also be just another cool magical book with a fresh perspective and a gorgeous setting. Either way, was worth the read.

Blood To Poison is a breathtakingly powerful and uniquely magical, YA contemporary fantasy that’s rooted in South African history, exploring generational trauma, slavery, racism and misogyny in this brilliantly wrought coming-of-age tale of family curses, witches and justifiably angry girls.

I really enjoyed this book, it was so well written and is a great book for both the young adult and adult market, I didn’t feel like this had to be exclusively marketed at young adults. The writing was great and I really liked the setting and the story idea. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I've been a huge fan of Mary Watson's previous publications, "The Wren Hunt" and "The Wickerlight" and there were many components of "Blood to Poison" I enjoyed, also.

I really appreciated the roots of this novel coming from intergenerational and feminine rage at injustice and violence. I think it raised some important questions surrounding this and how we deal with this anger.

Being born in Zimbabwe, I also enjoyed the little references to culture and life in Southern Africa.

There were a few things that meant this wasn't the perfect book for me, however, I think I found myself a little adrift in the plot at times not fully understanding the main characters decisions or reactions to certain things. I would have loved to dive a little deeper into the witchcraft and learn more about the antagonists of this story.
The ending didn't come as such a surprise to me as I think the plot twists were a little easy to follow.

However, I think there were also some important issues raised with the mother-daughter relationship and how abusive relationships don't always have to be physical.

This book wasn't for me, which is such a shame as I absolutely adored The Wren Hunt and The Wicker light by this author. I unfortunately couldn’t connect with the protagonists I think my current mind space is enjoying adult MC’s so I feel for this moment in my life this wasn’t for me. However, as always Watson writes beautifully, and the plot was intriguing. I feel like I personally did not like the tropes for this book so will try again in a little while.

Thank you, NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ), Bloomsbury YA, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Savannah is seventeen-year-old and she's cursed to die young. It's a family heirloom, a woman in every generation is destined to die young and they are called Hella's girls, from their ancestor, an enslaved woman. Hella's girls are angry, rightly so and Savannah isn't different. She's angry at men who cat-call her, at her mother's fiancé, at her family, but she's determined to do anything to save herself. In Cape Town there's magic and secrets and she's ready to discover them.

Blood to Poison is an absolute gem. A furious and intriguing story about discovering magic, rage and power, about saving oneself, secrets, lies and love. It's compelling, mesmerising and so well written. Mary Watson wrote a character impossible not to love, destined to die, angry at everything and everyone and so relatable in her actions and feelings. The writing is impossibly good, describing a city with its mysteries and secrets and gripping the reader by the throat until the very end. Brilliant, amazing and incredible.

3.5

I really enjoyed the layered and unique way that anger is portrayed in Blood to Poison. A rage that feels consuming is relatable for so many. The short chapters added to the urgency of Savannah needing to break the curse because of what’s happened to other women in her family. The cultural aspects and Savannah’s family relationships were intriguing and I loved the way they were weaved into the story.

There is a lot explored in this book, such as sexism, racism, poverty, generational trauma, and it is done in a nuanced way and with an engaging voice, but sometimes it also hindered discussion because of the amount included. Although I understand the intention, I don’t think that certain plot points and worldbuilding aspects always worked and sometimes made the story elaborate and confusing.

This is the second book I’ve read by Mary Watson, and there is something about this author’s stories, style, writing and voice that I enjoy, so I look forwarding to seeing what’s next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury UK for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Watson has done it once more!
The Wren Hunt continues to be one of my favourite contemporary fantasies and Blood to Poison definetly lives up to its predessesors.

I adored the characters of this book like Watson’s previous books but once again it was the writing that truly kept me captive.
I also felt immediately taken in by the South African setting and felt like the themes of segregation, slavery and colourism were dealt with in a very respectable manner.

The pacing is good through I did find the ending a little rushed and maybe a tad ‘easy.’
However as all Watson’s other books this will be another I will happily recommend.

This book was completely unexpected but I loved it! I adore books about witches and about women finding their magic and every iteration of that so this was right up my street.
The most magical part of this book for me was the setting. This book stood out to me because of its African folklore and the Cape Town setting. I specifically loved the markets, I found them so mesmerising and whimsical to read about and fun and they reminded me of the Goblin Market poem.
I did find that the romance in this book and some elements of the plot were predictable but I found this story really captivating and fast-paced. I'd definitely be intrigued to read more from this author!

I was really excited to read this book and am very much into YA fiction at the moment, however I sadly couldn’t get into this book. I even tried coming back to it.

The plot of this story seems intriguing and exciting so perhaps by the end this book really pays off and is a bit of slow burn. If this is the case my advice would then be to keep with it as it’s a very slow burn!

From the very first page of this book I knew I was going to love it. I read a lot of YA and this was totally different to anything I'd ever read before, the setting, the magic system, I loved all of it. It was incredibly cleverly done, with a stark insight into crimes against women in South Africa, it was eye-opening for me.

I thought the most clever part of the story wasn't its action sequences or characters, but was the way anger was portrayed. I could totally relate to it being both a strength and a weakness, and I especially loved the ending and how satisfyingly everything wrapped up without feeling disappointed in any of the choices the main character made.

I feel like I could talk for hours about how much I loved everything, there truly was nothing I didn't enjoy about this amazing book. I enjoyed it so much that I immediately went out and ordered a physical copy for myself. It was YA reimagined and it was such a joy to read something so different and unique.

fast-paced and gripping, blood to poison is a fantastic tale rooted in south african history.

while the premise of the book intrigued me and the writing left me in awe, i do feel like mary watson could have given me more.

i do appreciate her attention to detail and how wonderful she painted the picture of cape town and south africa's gruesome history.
relating to a character so vividly is a first for me, perhaps it was savannah's anger or perhaps it was the way both of us have "so many stories. intertwined like a double helix." inside of us. whatever it was, i found myself rooting for savannah throughout the book, even when she made some questionable choices.

watson gives us such beautiful characters; family members who felt like my own, but it felt like she was almost holding back. i wanted to see more of them. most of the character interactions felt like an afterthought.
the same can be said for some of the scenes, which i expected to draw more emotions out of me; they felt flat and almost anti-climactic in their approach.
so much action between chapters, and i feel like mary watson didn't do it as much justice as she could have. we're basically just told this happens, and then this, and then this, and then this.
i wanted more time with savannah and more detail to her character. i wanted to see who she was outside of her anger and her addiction to sweets.
it's emphasised greatly throughout the book that savannah's anger does not define her, but it did sort of feel that way to me.

the fact that watson highlights how colourful our country is, is not lost on me either. watson handles representation so well, but i expect nothing less. south africa is rich in history and, despite its many shortcomings, everyday different shades of brown and black exist together. effortlessly. we are, after all, a rainbow nation.

i very much enjoyed savannah's journey and if this book proved anything to me it's that i want to read more of watson's work.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I was very excited to get the ARC of it: the idea behind it, the setting, the plot all sounded absolutely up my alley. Unfortunately I just did not connect with the characters at all and I figured out the plot and plot twists pretty early on.

Having said that, I still think this is a book that will be well received - Watson's writing is very, very readable and enjoyable, and she has a knack for transporting you somewhere else. I loved her descriptions of South Africa; her descriptions of the parties Savannah went to were very good and whenever the aunties arrived on the scene you knew things would be interesting!

While I didn't enjoy it, I'm still going to be recommending this book to readers in the library; it's definitely going to be up many people's alleys!

Blood to Poison follows Savannah’s steps to save herself from her family’s curse, a blood curse created by her ancestor Hella to curse her enslaver and his family after he assaulted her. Unbeknown to her when she laid the curse she was pregnant with his child, and in doing so cursed her own child. For generations the women of Savannah’s family have been cursed with the anger Hella unleashed on her enslaver. The anger can kill them, and the angrier they are, the younger they die. Following the vague clues in a notebook that belonged to her aunt Freda, the last woman in her family to die from Hella’s curse, Savannah discovers the hidden world of witchcraft that most people have no idea exists. With help from new allies she begins to unravel the mysteries of Hella’s life, starting with who she was before she became a slave.

Part mystery, part supernatural, Blood to Poison is at its core a story of a young woman trying to cope in a society that constantly fights against her. Watson introduces the Blood to Poison with an author’s note that provides context for the novel, speaking of her own experience of a family curse and recognising it for what it was; generational trauma. Blood to Poison, she writes, is about magic, witches and self discovery, and “is inspired by the very real historical trauma and injustice of enslavement and discrimination in South Africa”. Watson’s writing is superb. It’s captivating, drawing the reader into a mysterious and intoxicating world of magic. This isn’t a book with information dumps; the trauma that Watson refers to is very much ongoing, and it’s expressed through her character’s emotions and dialogue. As we watch Savannah wrestle with her anger, and try to unravel the past, Watson connects the past and present. There’s a particular discussion with Savannah and her friend Rosie that illustrates how aware their generation is of their own connection to the history of South Africa. Rosie asks her if she thinks about her ancestors, and explains that she does, especially about how they had come from all over the world. So many stories, she tells Savannah, entwined like a double helix inside her.

I found the characters of Blood to Poison easy to relate to, and what impressed me in particular was Watson’s ability to create a book that was so real and gritty while also remaining filled with unique fantasy elements. The world-building is wonderful, the world of witches and veil witches exciting and intriguing. The world Watson has created is visceral and dangerous, people get hurt, they are suffering, and they can and do die. This isn’t a young adult book where things might go wrong, and the heroes will inevitably save the day. Every step of Savannah’s journey to unlock the secrets surrounding her ancestor Hella and her curse are filled with danger, and some of those dangers are ones that are hidden from her until it’s too late.

It’s not just the world-building of Blood to Poison that is authentic. Watson’s carefully reveals the vulnerabilities in her characters and the complexities beneath the surfaces of lives that seem perfect but in reality are far from it. She juxtaposes them against Savannah who has always been the epitome of everything that “is wrong”, the angry girl who can do no right. This is very much a book about finding oneself and your people, the people who accept you for who you are regardless of your faults. By showing that people are complex, they’re not inherently good or bad, Watson shows that the problem isn’t the “angry girls” like Savannah, but rather those who always put them in the box with that label. Around those who let them be their own people and take the time to understand them they can and will flourish.

I personally found Savannah very relatable, I was (and probably still am to a degree) an “angry girl”. As a disabled bisexual woman I’ve seen, and still seem my fair amount of injustices. In one scene Savannah has to relive all the transgressions that her tormentors had visited upon her, and this particularly stuck with me. How many women have been assaulted on public transport? Been taunted on the side of the road? I’m sure I won’t be the only reader that saw something familiar in that list of transgressions.

There isn’t much else to say other than Blood to Poison is a book I wish had existed when I was a teenager. It is a must-read.

What a book!
I couldn’t put this down all I wanted to do was find out what was going to happen next.
I’ve already bought a physical copy I loved that much!