this was an overall decent read, with an interesting backdrop and a wide cast of characters. however, it didn't really reach its true potential.

to start with, Annette's whole revenge plan and her hatred for Narissa literally came out of nowhere. there was no backstory to warrant such a strong and violent reaction from Annette. honestly, it felt like a weak motivator to somehow get the plot going.

speaking of the plot, there isn't much of one here. I'm a big believer that for a book to work, it needs to have a solid plot, with a strong and believable driving force. there needs to be a story told, a feeling evoked in the readers, a lesson to be learned, something. that wasn't the case here, because so little of the world was actually explored. for example, there's this big emphasis on Annette being an excellent poisoner, and yet we don't see any of that in the book, as well as the fact that there's no clear explanation regarding the rift between demons and nuns (or people in general).

now for the main characters, they felt pretty bland, because there wasn't enough time spent on them. Annette is vengeful and out to sabotage the abbey, but her motivations weren't good enough and it came off as her being pretty one-dimensional. similarly, Rigo is also quite shallowly portrayed and was only there when it was convenient for the storyline and to act as a guide for Annette. that's it. and because of this, the romance itself made no sense and it could have been removed from the book and not have it change anything.

what I did enjoy a lot was the writing. I liked the way it flowed, the pacing it created and the imagery it painted. that's why I was disappointed in the book, because the skill was there and it could have been a great book. while this one didn't work for me, I look forward to reading other works by the author in the future.

📚 Poisoner’s Vengeance - Talia Greer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 - Exceeded my expectations
🌶️ - .02ish (if that’s a thing 😂)

Alright, buckle the hell up because Poisoner’s Vengeance by Talia Greer is an absolute ride. We’ve got nuns, poisons, demons, and a revenge plot 🫣 (basically everything you need for some grade-A chaos)

So our main girl (a nun) Annette is stuck at the abbey but she’s not spending her days praying and being holy She’s out here mixing poisons like she’s running a medieval meth lab 👩‍🔬 Her whole plan? Be the top of her class so she can actually get the hell out of this place. But, of course, life decides to be a dick, and some new novitiate waltzes 💃🏻 in and steals her top spot. Annette? PISSED YALL 🤬 So instead of, I don’t know, handling this maturely, she goes full “I’m going to ruin this heauxs life” mode. 🫢

Enter Rigo. He is NOT your friendly neighborhood priest but instead a damn demon 😈 who’s been chilling (or more like rotting) in the abbey for 20 years. He wants out, Annette wants revenge, and suddenly they’re making shady-ass deals 🤝 But wait, it gets messier. There’s this ancient relic 💍and somehow it’s bound to Annette, which means she’s probably got bigger problems than just one annoying novitiate. But does she care? Not really 🙅‍♀️ because she’s too busy making poor life choices with a demon.

Speaking of Rigo, let’s be real—this romance is the definition of unhealthy but hot as hell 🔥 Enemies-to-lovers? Check ✔️ That I hate you but also maybe I wanna kiss you against a wall energy? Double check ✔️✔️ Oh, you know it’s coming. And Annette? She’s probably going to swear up and down that she’s not into him while actively making dumbass deals with demons 🥴

And honestly? I really wish this book dove deeper into their relationship. The slow-burn 🔥 tension was great, but I was dying for it to get hotter 🥵 more intense, and way spicier 🌶️ The chemistry between Annette and Rigo had so much potential to go to some really exciting places, but we only get little teases. Seriously, I wanted more of them breaking all the rules and losing control. I just know it would have made the whole thing even more thrilling 😩😩

Anyway, this book 📕 is filled with gothic vibes, betrayal and questionable morals. If you’re into dark, stabby, revenge-fueled ⛽️fantasy with a side of slow-burn torture,then congrats—you just found your next obsession. If not? Well, sucks to suck 🤷‍♀️

rating — 3.75 out of 5 stars.

i honestly didn’t have many expectations going into this, but i ended up pleasantly surprised with how much i enjoyed it! a poison brewing nun teaming up with a demon prisoner to get revenge on the people in her abbey who wronged her is SO delicious, and i really enjoyed the depth of the world building. it’s not easy to create a believable religion/setting/etc., and this one really intrigued me! i feel like there is so much potential in this world and i hope we might get to see more of it one day.

one thing is that i wish we’d seen a little more of the “poisoner” aspect of the title. i understand that the point of it all is that annette didn’t get her oh so deserved chief poisoness award, but i did expect to see some poison action since it’s in the title/description. if this ends up becoming a series i think this would be an excellent aspect to explore!! i also did predict where the plot was going most of the time but didn’t really mind. overall, this was a quick, fun read and i had a good time!