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!

📚 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 🤷‍♀️

Not your average nun

I really enjoyed Poisoner’s Vengeance! This is so unlike what I typically read, I don’t think I’ve read another series in a religious setting in this genre. I think this book would be a good intro to fantasy romance for readers who are into horror/suspense, because the vibes are spooky from the start.

When I first began reading, I thought we might be getting a morally gray FMC with Annette, but as the story went on, I realized that wasn’t necessarily the case—Annette just doesn’t censor her thoughts and doesn’t shy away from feelings that are self-serving. She’s always honest with herself and I grew to admire that about her. Even with her initial motive in this story being revenge based, she still comes out the heroine.

The nuns in this story are not your typical nuns. They don’t adhere to the same rules as the nuns we’re familiar with, and one of their primary roles in their world is creating poisons and their antidotes. “To heal the sick and sicken the wicked” is the motto they live by.

While there is some spice, this story is very much plot driven. It almost feels like it could be the first book in a series, although I believe it’s a standalone. Overall, I’d definitely recommend!

4.5 ⭐️
I can not stress enough how I LOVED Annette and Rig
Not just them I loved the storyline itself. I’ve never read any book that took place is such world. The mix between real world and fantasy here I loved it.
What I loved most was the anguished story line of Annette, and all the built up emotions that drove her into revenge and how slowly she was getting back on her feet again.
The only bad thing about this was how little time I got to see Rig and Annette together. I wanted to see more of their romance and work. I also wanted to see more of rig’s personality and backstory
Alas, the book ended before I got to know more about this world but it was fine. I had so much fun and I enjoyed every second of it ❤️

Thank you @netgalley and Talia for giving me an early copy of such beautiful book

Nuns and demons? Sign me UP.

I loved the relationship between Annette and Rig and the plot/story was unique and lived up to the hype!

𝕀 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕𝕟’𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕙𝕚𝕞. ℍ𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕒 𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕟, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕥𝕪𝕡𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕀’𝕕 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕥𝕒𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕗𝕖𝕒𝕣. 𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝕙𝕖’𝕕 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕖, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕀 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕤𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕝𝕪 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕀’𝕕 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕒𝕓𝕓𝕖𝕪 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕖. 🥀

Where do I even begin with this book? While the beginning was a little slow to start, everything picked up pretty quickly around 25-30% in and I was hooked The world building was done so beautifully & I really appreciate the author’s attention to detail! It painted a wonderful picture of the gothic abbey and the world they live in!

Annette, while she was unlike by so many individuals in her abbey, was loved by me. How her inner thoughts and dialogue were written was something I relate to wholeheartedly as a neurodivergent individual. You can really tell she struggles with black/white thinking, especially at the beginning of the book. All she wanted was for her rights to be wronged, to get what was rightfully hers! She couldn’t understand why no one helped her because things were unfair! And so, the idea of revenge pops into her mind and I, for one, loved this for her!

Insert a relic that she finds in the archives that promised to help her get that award back and a mysterious, beautiful demon that she finds locked in a cell, and we got a whole gang to help Annette reach her goals! Or so we thought…

With twists at every turn and the tension building, this was a book I could NOT put down! I was drawn into the world and those in the abbey, drawn to Annette and then, drawn into the immersive plot. Not to mention that slow burn? I LOVE ME A SLOW BURN! Seriously though, this book was so deliciously good & I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for this world!


Tropes:
🥀 Romantasy 🥀
🥀 Gothic/Dark Academia 🥀
🥀 Forbidden romance 🥀
🥀 Slow Burn 🥀
🥀 Enemies to Lovers 🥀
🥀 Forced proximity 🥀
🥀 Demon bargain 🥀
🥀 Religious themes 🥀
🥀 Neurospicy mfc 🥀

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! It was truly a wild ride! 🥀🖤

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️

I really enjoyed this story, although I did feel that some parts could have been a bit more developed. However, as an introduction to a new world, it does a good job of explaining the lore quite well and I really enjoyed the characters. They felt real! As such thus is a 4 star read for me and, I'm hoping that there will be more books on the future because it was such an atmospheric and fun read! The lore was really interesting and I liked how it was delivered through snippets of old books and journal entries.
Annette is a nun with a talent for plants and poisons, which she is counting on for advancing her path. However, when things dont go to plan and she feels betrayed by those she trusts, she cooks up a plan for revenge. This is where she meets the demon, Rigo. He, too, has been betrayed and framed for a crime he did not commit. As they work together to right their own wrongs, they forge a connection that should not be but can't be denied. Annette also realises that possibly not all of the Order's teachings have been correct.
This is a read for those that enjoy slow burn romance, world building, and forbidden romance/enemies to lovers. I really enjoyed taking this journey with Annette, and was definitely left wanting more!