This review is for The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste which releases in the UK on 5th March! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Sourcebooks UK for giving me an eArc copy for this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited when I saw this was available to request as I’d heard so many good things about this book already, and it has lived up to every expectation.

The world building was incredible, and I loved the really unique magic system. I especially liked the ‘recoil’ system when it comes to brewing potions, and that there is always a backlash for the strength of the one you brew. It also features some more traditional aspects of witches, such as familiars but with the authors own little twist on it. The author has crafted such an original and immersive universe, I could not put this book down at all.

I also loved the characters they have created, you get a wide variety of them but the story mostly features our female main character Venus. She’s a ‘Witcher’ who gets shoved into a world she was never expecting and a tragic journey after the death of her mother. You get to see a lot of character development, both from Venus and the other characters featured throughout the story, when they have to face trauma and challenges. They are well crafted, so much so that you feel like they are real people. However, some of the relationships between the characters didn’t feel as built up as they could have for me and fell a little flat.

The ending was the twist that I was not expecting at all, and could not put the book down till I had finished it! Would highly recommend this to any fantasy readers out there, but this is more on the YA side.

I started reading without realising how modern and realistic the setting of this novel is, and it was a positive surprise for me. The world created by the author mirrors our own, with the addition of magic. This also means the involvement of modern politics, prejudice and violence against magic users and a radical movement fighting for witchers’ rights. This novel was a return to urban fantasy for me, and I enjoyed reading this fascinating addition to the genre. The strongest advantage are the characters and the dynamics between them. Venus’s family is close-knit, but some relationships are more complex. Also, most adults have a turbulent past or hide secrets that affect the present. To sum up, the novel is a fresh take on urban fantasy, full of action, plot twists, manipulation and secrets.

An excellent debut with fantastic characters, an interesting world and a fast moving plot. Took me a while to get into the world building but would definitely recommend and read more from the author

For me the book was both gripping and also slightly too slow in places. I liked how the book highlighted the issues between both humans and witchers, as well as how the book progressed throughout with that. However, I just felt the book was a bit too slow through the mid section. I liked the mystery the plot had and the working out the mystery, I just think it was a bit drawn out. The ending also seemed a bit abrupt for me and quick but I did like the twists and how the book ended. I also liked how the issues that the mc went through were brought up and dealt with through the story which made me feel for her.

4 stars

The poisons we drink is an urban fantasy, combined with a mystery and politics set in Washington D.C, where there are witchers who are able to create magic.
Some witchers choose the profession of being a brewer, including the main character Venus, where they are able to create potions but are not able to use magic as they have to conserve their strength to create potions which can be lethal.
The poisons we drink is an amazing debut novel, that I couldn't stop reading and was full of twists that I didn't except.

Thank you net galley for the arc

3.5 stars - a dark witchy political read that deals with race, grief and power.

Venus lives in a state like Washington DC where magic is real and the Witchers, who practice magic, are generally disliked by the non magic humans. After her mom is killed she gets a chance to enact vengeance on her killer by the head Witcher and gets entangled into a further ruse to stop a harmful Witcher bill getting passed into law.

The magic system is quite unique - Venus is a love potion brewer - all types of love - not just the typical love potions but family love, or making people fall in love with an idea someone wants. The brewing repercussions are very dark and dangerous but are well paid. If a Witcher decides to use a different type of magic then that Witcher loses all magic.

I enjoyed the world building of DC and magic system. I loved the witcherpedia excerpts at the beginning of each chapter that explained more about the types of magic and spells. I thought the way they handled the mom’s death and the sisters grief was well done. I loved Patches!

I disliked the heavy political and race themes as they were incorporated more into the story. The characters were very morally grey and I didn’t feel a connection to them. I didn’t understand why Venus’s Mom let her brew potions knowing the repercussions was it just for money - it seemed quite selfish and as a Mom I wouldn't let my child suffer.

After about half way the story picked up pace but at some points I felt confused and didn’t know what was happening so felt as if things could have been explained a little better and more evenly paced.

If you enjoy a more political fantasy then I would recommend reading this one but i would advise checking the trigger warnings as even though it’s YA it has some dark themes.

For Venus, crafting potions is what defines her - at least so it seems to her shrewd mother and the clients she sends her way. After her mother's sudden death however, Venus is drawn into a conspiracy that will affect the world of magic and humans alike.
I received a copy of this ARC for an honest review.
This is Bethany Baptiste's debut novel and I can say that this book alone has made her into an auto-buy author for me going forward. I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover and the fun premise of a young black witch crafting love potions but there is a great amount of depth in this book and an extremely likable cast of characters to boot. Venus herself fulfilled all my gorgeous black girl magick dreams whilst also being a flawed and relatable person - she can be frustrating at times but in the way where you can totally understand where she is coming from as she tries to shoulder all the pain herself to keep her family safe from harm. Community is everything in this novel though and Venus eventually realises that she can't do everything alone and must rely on her loved ones and their varied talents to aid her.
I really enjoyed the mystery elements of this novel and it gave me heist vibes in places as Venus and her family were in pursuit of their various obstacles. The magic building was well developed too and I enjoyed how magic use has very real consequences and the different specialisms that the characters dealt in. The social commentary elements I wasn't expecting from the premise but it helped ground the world and the character's motivations much better and gave some real stakes to what was happening. The LGBT rep in this was well done also, not overtaking the story but just naturally present which I loved to see - the nonbinary and bisexual representation in particular was perfectly embedded in.
I could definitely see the author writing more books in this world though all in all this did feel like a complete story by the end which I also appreciate. There are definitely some things I'd have loved to have seen explored more such as Venus and Presley's history together and more on Venus' 'affliction' and some further resolution regarding this. I admittedly did start to lose track of who the real antagonist was towards the end and that's one of the few flaws of the book for me in that the reveal just didn't really hit as hard a I think it was meant to. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I hope Bethany gets the audience she deserves.

The Poisons we drink
Bethany Baptiste
Release date 5th March 2024
Rating 4.5 (8 on cawpile)
An action-packed YA urban fantasy in a world where there is a divide between humans and those with magic and we follow Venus Stoneheart as she goes on a mission to find out what happened to her mother. I was harrowed reading this book and was on the edge of my seat. I could not put it down the world building was amazing, and I found myself wanting more as I turned the page reading it in one sitting and having an amazing time with it.

This book is such an important book to look upon with the lens of what is going on in the world and it weaved into the story immaculately where the divided feel threatens with more legalisation to supress people and violence. The violence in this book was something that made you remember even in times where the book seemed a little peaceful that the threat was always around the corner.

Thank you for netgalley for allowing me to review this book, this book is a book that will make you think and at times it may make you feel uncomfortable but sometimes we all need books to remind us that life is this for many people day on day and we need to exact a little more kindness in it and tolerance to allow the world to be a better place.

I absolutely loved this story about witchers and humans. Bethany perfectly wove a tale that had me hooked from page one!
The twists and turns had me guessing right until the last few pages, I genuinely didn’t expect a lot of what happened.
I love the diverse characters and I fell in love with the female main character Venus and hers and Presley’s unfolding story.
The people you think you should hate you end up feeling for and vice versa. This book really does have you feeling all the emotions!
You can tell Bethany put a piece of herself in this book and I thoroughly loved every single second of it!
If you love magic, action and plenty of twists and turns you’ll want to read this one ❤️

A fantastic YA debut that’s full of danger and corruption in a world divided.
I absolutely loved the magic system and can definitely see Practical Magic as an influence. The brewing in particular is vivid and as colourful as the books cover.
The book starts off at a slow and cozy pace as we are introduced into the world and the characters. The murder mystery element creates tension and the pace seems to flow nicely to a big crescendo at the end.
I enjoyed the underlying themes that are explored through the story and characters. Most obvious is prejudice and oppression that mirrors real world difficulties. The plot does centre around political issues so possibly would be of interest to readers wanting to read a more serious fantasy. Overall I think this is a book about love and all its different forms.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I had high expectations for this book and I must say that they were met!

The world building turned out to be original , rich and very vivid and the best part of it was definitely the magic system. The writing is fluent and between that and the various plot twists I devoured this book!

The characters were all described and all of them turned out to be very interesting ,especially Venus and er growth

In short if magic, political intrigue and action are your cup of tea, this is the book for you!

I enjoyed reading this book. Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read it

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste is a complex YA fantasy with a healthy dose of political intrigue and Machiavellian machinations. I was first drawn to the book because of its vivid cover, the artwork is truly exquisite and really reflective of the world of the book. A good cover alone however is not enough to sway me , but the premise of this book immediately made me very excited to pick it up. I loved the concept of a world where witchers , as the magical beings are called in this book, show affinities for different types or branches of magic, and where straying outside your magical lane has devastating consequences.
The main POV character in this book is young witcher Venus Stonehart who has an affinity for brewing love potions- not just of the romantic kind, but also to help people love themselves or strengthen familial relationships or friendships. The price of brewing these potions is not cheap, with a heavy cost exerted on Venus both physically and mentally each time, not to mention the risk of imprisonment or death since they are illegal, but her family needs the financial support that the dangerous work provides so she is willing to bear the cost. To complicate matters tensions are running high between the witchers and those without magical powers, and a contentious Witcher Registration Bill is in the offing. When Venus's mother is killed the Grand Witcher, the leader of those with powers, offers Venus a chance at revenge, but in exchange she will have to brew potions to enslave several high ranking politicians in an effort to block the Bill.. If she takes on the task she may kill herself in the process, but the desire for revenge runs deep.
This was quite a slow burner for me, which I did not mind in the beginning as it gave me time to get to know the characters and learn the world and the magic system but once I got to grips with that I started to feel a little bogged down, especially in the middle sections of the book. I loved the characters, particularly Venus and Patches, and I particularly enjoyed the fact that most of the characters had some moral greyness making them more complex and more believable. I thought the parallels between the magical world that the author created and the issues faced by many minorities in the world of today were really well drawn, clearly there but in a way that felt very natural to the story being told. I did feel that the ending felt just a little rushed, especially in comparison to the pacing of the book as a whole . This book showcases an author with a lot of potential and some of the issues I found may well have been resolved in the final edition of the book as this review is based on an ARC supplied via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a great YA read, i found the magical system different in such a refreshing way! it had me hooked, and i loved the different character POVS !

Potions and magic in a world divided? I'm so in love with this fantasy world and Venus is a brilliant main character

I absolutely adored this YA debut, which follows witcher and love brewer Venus as she seeks to avenge her mother's murder, look out for her younger sister and keep the evil bubbling up inside her at bay.

Well written, addictive and the kind of book that you don't want down until you finish. Diverse and interesting characters, who are well crafted, believable and nuanced. Great plot that makes sense throughout and that provides a speculative mirroring of the real life conflicts, oppression and barriers faced by Black women in the US and across the States.

Can't wait to write about this book and teach about it too!

There are parts of this book that drew me in from the start.
I loved the characters and the premise.
Unfortunately I just lost my way with it.
I was reading this at the same time as Bloodmarked by Tracey Deonn and perhaps that's why for me i found this book slow as it went on.
I just couldn't get my head around the magic system.
I ended up not finishing the book.
I have heard that the arc differs from the published version so I'm going to buy the published version and try again as I'm a fan of the author.

I truly wanted to love it book and I won’t say that I didn't enjoy because there were definitely aspects I liked reading: I liked the characters, I liked how complex they were and while at times Venus was hard to root for, I still enjoyed it. Though I will say, I came out of this liking Patches the most. The plot and premise had a lot potential but unfortunately I didn’t fully understand the magic system, it’s pretty confusing but I recognise that the copy is not the final edition so this could change. The writing is sometimes clunky and that’s a major thing that affects my experience im reading but this is an arc so…

I love the presentation of minority groups, as a queer and desi girl and makes me so happy to see the rep I didn’t growing up

Three stars is by no means a bad review from me. I think this a wonderful debut and I’m sure there’s a audience that will enjoy this book more than I did and that’s okay - reading is subjective. I will definitely be looking out for more books from the author in the future!

I really enjoyed the magically dynamic in this book, That each potion comes with a price.
Also the character were flawed and made mistakes (usually with the best intentions).
A really well written book, where the characters felt real, they weren't perfect, or all powerful.
Also uses the distinction between humans and witchers to put across some really important points that reflect on real life issues.
Would love to read more by this author :)

It's one of those books that sadly, for me, followed the "very good idea but bad executing" issue. I wouldn't have made a request for the ARC if the blurb wasn't appealing to me and I found it really interesting, but sadly it was a disappointment.

The idea was actually really great. I liked the idea of all characters being morally grey, that none were good and it was more a level of how bad people are and how bad they can be for x reasons (even tho I believed the "bad guy" from this story was kinda too much). I really liked the idea of callings, having multiple time of potion brewers and each having their speciality and not being able to brew another's calling without losing their power - also the fact that there were few brewers in the country, which makes everything rare and risky.

However, I wasn't expecting the story to turn more around politics than magic/potions. It's extremely slow-paced, and there weren't a lot of magical stuff happening, and when it did with potions it was almost always the same kind. The final fight was super confusing for me I had so much hard time understanding what was happening (also Venus was way too "strong" to my liking, it's a bit too much as well).

It's really sad because the idea was great. But it didn't worked for me :(