I was drawn in by this book and it would not let me go, it’s so clever and layered, the way Watson has dealt with the concept of anger is just fantastic, so utterly clever I have no words. I loved reading the justifiable anger, how Watson included and wove in so many that should make us angry , from everyday sexism and racism to the full horrors of apartheid and slavery. This is definitely a book that should be in schools, libraries and anywhere people want to learn. An amazing debut and I look forward for so much more from Mary Watson

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Blood to Poison follows Savannah, a young Black woman who is a descendant of Hella, a slave who cursed her owner and his bloodline — but without knowing that she was already pregnant with his child. As such, she cursed her own bloodline to die young — and now it is Savannah’s turn to face this fate.

Set in a vibrant backdrop of Cape Town, Blood to Poison is rooted in South African history and culture, and woven through with the magic of the land and its people. Savannah herself is vulnerable but brave, invested in breaking the curse, and trying to navigate a rage that feels all too large for her to handle. This book pulls no punches and within its pages the author, Mary Watson, explores racism, poverty, sexism, slavery, generational trauma, and emotional health with sensitivity and a deft hand.

The secondary characters are all well-drawn and I loved how each magic practitioner had their own stories and specialisms. I could have stayed there forever, just to listen to them and learn. I really enjoyed the Jackal subplot and felt that Savannah’s family and friends were really well developed, especially Dottie, Dex, and Rosie.

Filled with rich colour and geography, with a blazing pace and great plot, I enjoyed this from start to finish despite the sometimes challenging subject matter. Recommended.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, Bloomsbury, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I loved that this book wasn't scared to be furious at the way that women and black people have been treated in South Africa, and that this formed the basis of the narrative in such a powerful way. Anger, especially black women's anger, is often seen only as a negative so it was refreshing to see it portrayed in a more positive way here. Savannah was a great protagonist, and Watson also manages to make her relationships feel real and wrongfoot the reader effectively with the plot. A satisfying and engaging read.

Blood To Poison is a Young Adult book, which delves into veilwitches, prophecies and blood curses. It follows Savannah, who is descended from Hella- a slave who cursed her slaver and descendants to die young, without knowing his child was growing in her. Now it’s Savannahs turn to experience the curse, and she refuses to go down without a fight.

All sounds really interesting, and don’t get me wrong this book definitely has mysterious aspects and I loved the witchy element. I just felt like there was so much going on, and so many different characters that I got completely lost at points. The romance felt a bit shoved in, and did nothing for me. However, it is an interesting read and one I think would appeal more to its target audience.

Very interesting story. I like Savannah, main character, she's strong girl with massive amount of emotions and magic stirring inside her. Never read Mary Watson's books, but I like her writing style and will read her other books for sure.

Savannah has always known her life span is limited. A family curse, passed down the bloodlines means every generation will birth a daughter of 'Hella' the family member who accidently cursed her own bloodline generations ago. Savannah is fighting for her life, but she may have found a way to end the curse once and for all, the only issue, ending the curse may kill Savannah in the process and if it doesn't, there are plenty of people out there who would kill her for her power. Savannah will have to look to the past as well as the future, and be willing to accept every part of herself if she is to end the curse and make it out alive, but the harder she looks, the more she realises the curse isn't the only thing she needs to worry about, and she has to learn who to put her faith in before it's too late.

If there's one word I had to use to describe this book it would be angry. Savannah knows that her anger makes the curse affect her faster, that each time she brings it out her lifespan lessens, but in a world where she is looked down on for her skin colour, for the way she dresses, for her sex, it's hard not to be angry every single minute of every single day. She's angry at the way her mom's fiancée treats her, for how her family look at her with pity in their eyes knowing she is bound to die young, at her aunt for dying before telling her how to deal with the curse. But she is also incredibly determined, once she realises that there is a way for the curse to be ended she knows she has to try, not only to save her own life, but for the generations of Hella's girls that are bound to come after her. She is incredibly strong willed, even when she is terrified and doesn't know who she can rely on, and I couldn't help but get invested in her story and want it to end as happily as it can.

I love a well build side cast and Watson definitely delivers in this book. Everyone from Savannah's mother, aunts, cousins all play a part in the story and I loved the scenes when they were together as a family. Seeing the love and concern they all have for each other, as well as the general scheming aunties and teasing cousins. We also have Savannah's friends, Rosie and Dex who returned to Cape Town after years away. Every character plays some part in the story, even if it's just to add a bit of levity to a heavy and brutal story, and I loved seeing her interact with them all, coming to realise that she doesn't have to live with this curse all by herself.

Blood to Poison effortlessly transports you to the backstreets of Cape Town, and Watson manages to give us a wealth of folklore to go along with her fantasy. It did take me a little while to find my place in the story, there's no real easing into the magic system, but once I got my head around it I found myself engrossed in the story and wanting to learn more about the magical underbelly to Cape Town that Watson creates. Watson uses the history of Cape Town, it's bloody history of slavery, racism, sexism as well as the apartheid to really allow us to understand, not only Savannah's anger, but the anger of a people who have been living with these injustices their whole lives.

Watson's writing style is incredibly atmospheric and ensures you feel transported whilst reading the story. The pacing was well done, there were no real lags and in fact, I felt sometimes the plot jumped quite erratically, but it didn't affect my overall enjoyment. She also implements multiple plot twists that help keep the story fresh and us as the reader intrigued, some that definitely hit a little harder than others. This may have been my first book by Watson, but it certainly wont be my last. Perfect for lovers of folklore, unapologetically angry characters and a little mystery added into their fantasy.

Blood to Poison-Review
Author: @
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Tropes: Family curse, coming of age, friends to lovers, witches, good/bad magic, kick-ass main female character
Age rating: Young adult
Page Count: 384 pages
This story was so intriguing!!!
Review;
This book has the perfect blend of South African history and modern struggles as seventeen-year-old Savannah faces the reality of being a young black woman who also is cursed. Set in cape town Waston creates a beautiful story through exploring the themes of generational trauma, horror of slavery, racism and harsh sexism. This book truly helps you see the world in a new light.
Unlike the women before her Savannah does not want to die young as a result to the blood curse and sets out to find a way to break the curse. In order to do this she must navigate hidden magic, family secrets and witches who are at war with one another.
Savannahs character was emotional, venerable at times and full of rage. Her own magic is wound together by her rage and we see her as a character grow through her magic, as she experiences lots of new and challenging things.
The only thing I will say is that the friend to lover just wasn’t it for me. The high stakes, twisty plots which keep you invested were interesting but I personally didn’t feel much connection to the love interest and couldn’t even feel a connection through Savannah
There is so much more I could probably have said about this book but I can’t really say much more without spoiling it. Overall very beautiful story and world building it’s also a short book so very easy to binge read. The aesthetic of the book reminded me of The gilded ones and Children of blood and bone which I haven’t yet read but have seen.
P.S I’d recommend reading the authors note before reading the book cause it’s just amazing

Rating;
3 1/2 Star

TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING
• violence
• death
• sexual harassment
• racism, generational trauma
• mentioned slavery

Savannah is cursed, a curse that affects generations since her enslaved ancestor Hella unwittingly started it all. A curse that fills the afflicted with rage that threatens to consume them. In a South Africa after apartheid but still 'damaged', she is trying to survive, to not die young like all of 'Hella's girls'. Searching for her salvation, she is caught in the middle of a conflict between witches. Can any side actually help her? Will she unlock her curse or awaken an old evil power?

With a 1st person POV that is skeptical yet still hopeful, we feel all of Savannah's emotions, and her thoughts are shared in a manner that conveys her temperament. Tough on the outside but actually vulnerable, angry but not wanting to be. There is an undercurrent of power in the relatable wording. Without fanfare we are immersed into this world of hidden magic.

A compelling, easy-to-devour narrative, captivates your attention and you are trapped in its simple elegance, realizing after a moment that you cannot seem to put it down. I really enjoyed the simmering of the greatly paced plot, the imaginative mythology, the palpable suspense due to the limited time leading to Savannah's death point..

Racism and sexism rear their ugly heads in the protagonist's everyday life and you are reminded how ingrained they can be in people's behavior, as are all sorts of prejudice. How social and income inequality is considered the norm, when it shouldn't be. The cruelty of humanity but also its goodness. This book inclines us to think without lecturing, guiding us naturally to these themes through the events of the story, not hitting us over the head with them.

One little qualm I had with the storyline is that it seems that too many people know her secret or rather parts of it and it does get a little convoluted as to who knows what. The protagonist doesn't seem to be keeping it straight and neither are we. Overall I relished the energy of this tale.

With an incredible and intriguing premise, writing that is so welcoming, and a character you will gladly root for, this is a book you should definitely not miss. Also, I would love it if the author revisited this world in future projects.

This book was everything I hoped for and more. I loved it so freakin' much. From the plot, to the characters, to the setting. I couldn't really find anything I didn't like about it no matter how hard I tried. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a book. A refreshing YA contemporary fantasy that merges magic with South African history. I couldn't put this book down.

What I loved:
- The way Mary Watson weaves a magical history into South Africa's history of slavery whilst simultaneously exploring issues of racism and generational trauma. A family curse that descends from an enslaved ancestor.
- The cover. The cover is beautiful but can be fully appreciated after you've finished reading - so satisfying!
- Savannah is a brilliant MC. She is full of anger that she cannot explain nor control and is forced to navigate it alone. We see Savannah try to understand her rage, her power, and ultimately her identity.
- The whole supporting cast is an array of colourful characters who are fully fleshed out. Everyone has motive, everyone has personality, everyone brings something to the table; something that is hard to find in some YA's
- I didn't see the twists/reveals coming. I was constantly guessing as to the identity of a certain antagonist and am pleased to say that Watson caught me off guard!
- Magic is messy and the line between good and evil is blurry and not the same for everyone.

What I didn't connect with:
- Whilst I am a fan of friends to lovers and slow burn, I didn't quite connect with the burgeoning relationship. I felt we didn't have the necessary build up/back story. And it felt more like insta-love. BUT, that's me personally and I know plenty who really enjoyed this aspect.

Read if you love:
- YA Contemporary Fantasy
- Slow burn romance
- Friends to lovers
- Strong female MC
- Reading: Lore, Only a Monster, A Far Wilder Magic

Blood To Posion is a YA, contemporary fantasy, coming-of-age tale full of family curses, witches, and justifiably angry girls. Rooted in South African history, and blending magic into the daily backdrop of Cape Town, expertly - and sensitively - exploring generational trauma and the horrors of slavery, racism and sexism, you are about to see the world around you in a new light.

Seventeen year old Savannah is one of ‘Hella’s girls’, so named for her enslaved ancestor with whom it all began, she is the most recent descendant destined to die young at the hands of a blood curse.

Savannah, though, unlike her relatives, doesn't plan to die like the women before her and plans to break the curse, and so begins her journey into a world of hidden magic, family secrets, and warring witch factions.

I really loved Savannahs character. She was emotional, vulnerable at times, navigating a rage that felt bigger than herself, and a multitude of familial relationships with her mum, aunts, uncles, and long lost friends.
Her own magic is wound together with her rage, and her relationship with this anger is beautifully developed as the story progresses, strengthening her, and developing her character into a truly formidable young woman who knows not only herself, but her place in a world thats stacked against her.

The slow burn friends to lovers was perfect, the fast pace, high stakes, twisty plot keeps you entirely invested from start to finish and throws in an enticing edge of darkess for a little added extra something.
This is a solid 4.5 star read, and as a last note, I personally think that you should be sure to read the author's note first.

Savannah is a 17 year old girl living in Cape Town. She belongs to a family who are descended from Hella; an enslaved woman whose death unleashed a powerful curse. One woman in every generation will die young and Savannah is that girl. The curse makes them angry, the rage building up inside of them threatening to explode. Savannah has to act in order to break the curse and save herself. But there is a new, darker magic appearing in the underbelly of Cape Town. Someone wants to take over the magical scene and become even more powerful; and they need the magic inside Savannah to do so.

There is a very strong feminist message running throughout this book which I loved. Savannah is a wonderfully strong, independent protagonist, surrounded by many female family members who provide a comedic touch. Although her anger tries to control her and does land her in trouble occasionally, I never felt like it was overtaking her personality. She also had a lot of character development throughout the novel as she came to terms with the curse and her anger.

The setting of Cape Town was really interesting and completely new to me, so I loved learning about the place and the culture. I found the magic system and world building to be slightly complicated and it took a while to get my head around it, but it was clearly well thought through.

The plot was a real highlight and I enjoyed seeing how Savannah went about trying to break the curse. The romance sub plot, while not completely necessary, was well done and I understand that younger readers may enjoy it more than I did. That being said, Dex was an interesting and complex character.

Overall this was a fun, fast paced and well written fantasy novel with a brilliant ending. This is the first book in the series and I look forward to reading the rest!

It's a very intersting YA, a powerful story that I loved. It's liked being punched and loving every moment of it.
Savannah is a strong and fascinating characters, the world building is fascinating, and the mix of family lore and fiction make this book very original.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Blood To Poison

When i originally requested this book, i wasn’t sure. I had umed and ahed about requesting it for weeks. Now that ive read the book, im so happy that i did decide to request it.

This book has everything a YA reader is after; A wonderful magic system, a hidden world, good and evil, a love interest, family and no end of twists and turns to keep you constantly hooked on every page.

The anger that Savannah feels is so raw and for many, so relatable. As you read you feel like you are there, raging alongside her, wanting her tormentors to get what they deserve.

I loved the magic system and the world that was created by the author and if i had one critique it would be that I wanted to know more. If this book was a series i would happily pick up the next book and get reading.

I'm going, to be honest, and admit I DNF'ed this at 18% so it could have improved but I couldn't continue with it. The writing style wasn't working for me and I struggled to pay attention and stay interested. Nothing was working for me. It's a lovely premise and the cover is absolutely gorgeous but it wasn't for me personally.

Blood to poison was an intriguing book filled with magic, history and angry teenage girls.

The story follows the descendants of a slave named Hella who have been cursed to die young. Themes of racism, generational trauma and misogyny were expertly explored and interwoven with interesting mythology.

Seventeen year of Savannah is an excellent main character, and one I loved from the start. Her own exploration of her anger - along with having the freedom to explore it - was my favourite aspect of this book as it felt very real and profound.

At times I found the mythological elements of the book slightly confusing, however the most important aspect for me was the characters’ journeys and decisions, so this did not hinder my enjoyment. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a thoughtful and considered exploration of anger and trauma interwoven with magic.

Blood to Poison is a powerful and uniquely magical exploration and justification of anger. It follows seventeen year old Savannah and her family heirloom; a curse passed to one woman in each generation, causing them to die young.

This book is exquisitely written in the way it explores so many themes within South African history (generational trauma, slavery, racism and misogyny to name a few), justifying and giving fuel to Savannah's anger.

The writing was immersive and descriptive, really bringing the Cape Town backdrop to life, while building an intricate magic system within its roots.

The plot contained so many little twists, which constantly kept you guessing and created an unexpected and climatic ending, guided by complex and relatable characters, especially Savannah and the way you felt her emotions alongside her, her anger especially and how deep it flowed.

Blood to Poison promised imaginative storytelling and originality, which did not leave me disappointed.

This was so good!!! From the beginning, I was intrigued, with interesting characters and who doesn't love a curse!! I found the writing easy and relatable. I liked the family dynamic as well. During the middle, I did get a little bit lost because there was a lot happening, however the last half was brilliant. Twists and surprises all the way through till the end! Very much enjoyed this and would definitely buy a physical copy!

A solid YA urban fantasy, with a family curse, good/bad magic and kick-ass main female character.

Savanah is cursed. She's also angry. Like, all the time. She has to find a way to lift her family curse (which she kind of believes in, though her family is divided on the subject) and to reign in her anger. Through her search, Savanah gets mixed up in a fight between good and bad witches, reconnects with her old friends, Dex and Rosie, the twins, who just came back into town and maybe starts liking Dex a bit more than she should.

This was such a fun story! The setting was very interesting and we were introduced to some South African words and phrases which added colour to the story. And Savanah was a great character to follow - she was charismatic, cynical and angry, which makes for an explosive combination. But what I liked about her most is that she wasn't a pouty, annoying teen, she was angry, but her rage was justified - she was angry at men leering at her, trying to intimidate her, she was furious at the sight of injustice and cruelty. I understood her fury. I was rooting for her! What's more, her aunties were awesome side-characters, funny and entertaining, bringing some comedic release.
But this story was ultimately a feminist tale about accepting yourself, making good with your demons, about loyalty and family supporting each other through dark times and about seeing the world in the shades of grey it has, as opposed to black and white. I want more YA fantasy like that!

I kindly received this as an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book was....interesting. Now, don't get me wrong, I loved so many aspects of the book. My favourite aspect was absolutely the feminist message that drove this book, and was the essence of it - it really helped to capture Savannah's anger, and the anger of so many girls/women across the world, including myself.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the characters' relationships with each other, particularly Savannah and Dex, and Savannah's relationships with all characters in general (whether main characters or minor side characters). They were really fascinating to delve into, and Mary Watson somehow managed to delicately weave Savannah's development into each connection.
However, this book took me absolutely forever to read. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy slow-paced books, but this novel was so slow that I almost DNFed halfway through. Aside from that though, the magic system and plot was really quite difficult to follow (perhaps because of how long it did take me to read it).
Overall, I do think that this book would be extremely beneficial for so many people to read, if only to gain some insight into how much pent-up fury so many women have because of the way they are treated. But this is also just an enjoyable fantasy/magical realism novel which implements really interesting discussions throughout.

(Thank you again to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for letting me read this early!!)