Honestly, I struggled with this one. BUT I loved the idea of the magic system and the way it demanded a toll. The pacing for me was a struggle as I couldn't get the momentum, and then some of the choices the author made had me increasingly disliking the main character. I'm probably in the minority on this one but the themes and the plot just didn't work for me.

I really liked the story of this book, but I did find that it was definitely longer than it needed to be. Venus is a great main character, but there was a lot of being told and not shown why she was doing the things she did. It took a long while for the story to get really going, but once it did I was really invested in the tale we were being told!

Unfortunately, I think I needed a peitho potion to fall in love with this book.

The Poisons We Drink follows Venus, a witcher who brews illicit love potions in a country that persecutes witchers for simply existing. Brewing these potions is taxing work, but Venus does so to provide for her family, working alongside her mother, who is the head of the operation. When Venus' mother is murdered, Venus is consumed by the desire for revenge and is given the chance to achieve it. In exchange, she must brew potions for senators to influence them to vote against a discriminatory bill targeting witchers and take a blood oath to the powerful Grand Witcher, essentially allowing herself to become their puppet. This cost may have been even steeper than Venus first realises, as she discovers the extent of the Grand Witcher's misdeeds. All the while, Venus is struggling to subdue a dark magic that exists inside her, which hungers for bloodshed and the chance to wreak chaos.

If I'm being entirely honest, I'm not entirely sure what I thought of this book. The potential was there - there were several shocking and engaging events throughout, but in between them, I was quite bored. This meant by the end of the book - which is supposed to be the most entertaining part - I could barely muster the effort to care. In general, I prefer fast-paced, plot-driven stories, and this was not that. Instead, we spend a lot of time with Venus, who has a lot of repetitive conversations with It and is quite stubborn. She also spends a lot of time with equally stubborn people, all of whom seem intent on just creating more problems for themselves. That being said, I did like the way Venus and her family + Presley love and support each other through the messes they create.

As for the magic system, I thought it was an interesting way to discuss discrimination and government control in an urban fantasy context, and I thought it was fun that people have their own "callings". I'm not entirely sure about how "deviations" come about, and sometimes it seemed absurd to me that Venus did not die, despite it being mentioned how deadly brewing could be and the sheer number of risks she took, but overall, I liked the fantasy elements of this story.

Overall, while I did not hate this book, I did not connect with it the way I had hoped to.

I really enjoyed all the nuance this book contained covering topics from magic, potion making, and the pieces that go into it and could effect it to the heavier topics of grief death and more. I think the impact of using potions and magic was incredibly well thought out and delivered. I think sometimes we see books that contain magic and the effects are never included or explained. So I very much like this edition! Honestly go and read this book.

Wooooooo what a ride lol. I love this author on social media and it's cool to see how she writes as I feel like her voice came alive in this story. This was definitely an action packed book and the MC definitely had a personality that was felt throughout. It had a lot of commentary on real life that I appreciated too. A cool read with social commentary told through the lens of a magical world. Definitely recommend.

Oh, I loved reading this book! The synopsis sounded really entertaining, and this book fulfilled that promise, reading this book was just wonderful! This world of love potions and humans and witchers was so entertaining to read more of!

I felt really badly for Venus, she brews these potions, but she has to deal with the side effects. Then her mom is killed, and she's pulled into these politics of taking control of D.C. It was pretty awful, and it sucks that she was put in that position!

How the magic works with the potions and such was really interesting to read about! Venus's type with the potions and the different emotions and bonds it can create, for good and bad, I wanted to learn more, about how it works, how it can be used.

I was thinking that this book would evoke my emotions, and it did! With the situation that she was in, the unfairness of the world with people trying to tighten control of magic users, I just raged against it, and I was hoping by the end that it would be a better world, and yeah, I think it is, even just for Venus to have grown and changed from the events of this book.

Loved reading this book and I can't wait to read more by Bethany Baptiste!

TITLE: The Poisons We Drink
AUTHOR: Bethany Baptiste
PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Fire
RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024
GENRES: YA fantasy, magic, witches, LGBTQ+ BUY LINKS: https://bookshop.org/a/25463/9781728251950 SYNOPSIS:
In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family.
Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her.
Then an enemy’s iron bullet kills her mother, Venus’s life implodes. Keeping her reckless little sister Janus safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother’s killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge. The cost? Brew poisonous potions to enslave D.C.’s most influential politicians.
As Venus crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power blurs, and it’s hard to tell who to trust...
Herself included.
#turnthepagetours # ##thepoisonwedrink #bethanybaptiste #sourcebooksfire #ttpt
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Another great debut! It’s a fantasy that is steeped in all the Practical Magic goodness within a society of witches and humans in a contemporary setting. It’s about Venus Stoneheart who is a brewer of love potions and this brings in most of her family's income but after some tragic events, she finds herself falling into the dark underbelly of her society. Come to find out there’s a lot of friction between witches and humans and Venus has to make some difficult decisions. I feel like witchy reads are the one type of book you can read all year around so put this on your tbr.

This a really good book about grief and teenage angst. Venus having to navigate the pain of losing her mother and having to take care of her bratty little sister. Being given the opportunity by someone she trusts to get that revenge should make Venus feel powerful, instead, she is lost her way. Venus has to decide what is more important, power and revenge or peace. This book is very good for students who are interested in fantasy and seeing a POC as the main character.

An interesting alternate universe take on a Washington D.C. awash with magic and potions in addition to political intrigue. Terribly sorry that the author has had such a rough time of it recently.

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste didn't disappoint. I loved everything about it. Thank to you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. Ultimately, I did not finish this book. From the very beginning I had a difficult time getting into the story. I gave it my all and got about 40% through before I eventually gave up. It was a neat concept, but the extensive world building with the magic in the world and the potions that were being made for people, just didn’t hold my interest. I found myself losing focus and getting distracted while reading and have to go back to reread what just happened. I really loved the idea, but in the end, this book wasn’t for me.

4-4.5. I really really liked this one. the magic system and setup of witchers and humans was really interesting. i will say i wanted a bit more of the actual magic, and wanted to learn more about Venus's deviant-ness? I didn't really understand the "it" - but it was still really cool! it was also amazing to see all of the family dynamics - the good and the bad, and the complexity that naturally comes with familial relationships. there were so many different kinds of relationships shown and it was great to see. also loved the political backdrop - our lives are inherently political and so it's nice to see that displayed and not ignored. especially since i read this right before the election (2024). anyway, it was great and i def want to read more from Bethany Baptiste!!

REP: Black main character, bisexual main character, nonbinary side character, (mostly Black and BIPOC cast of characters) [Black author]

The premise of this book sounded really interesting and unique, but the story ended up not catching my attention and I had a hard time getting into the book. I am really bummed out that this didn't work for me, but I would encourage those who find the synopsis gripping to give it a shot!

Oh gosh. I loved so much about this book. It’s a dark fantasy novel but is truly a commentary on racism, police brutality, political indecency, and what it means to protect your family at all costs, even when that doesn’t feel obvious. The characters had deep emotions, so much hurt and hate and loss, but still felt so much love for the ones they cared about. The story itself was a wild ride with twists I didn’t see coming, and I was shocked by many of the outcomes.

Here's where I really struggled - date inconsistency. This is always a problem for me when a book uses years or specific dates. I don’t know why, but I really grasp onto this information and if it’s mentioned later and doesn’t line up, it sticks with me. One example here (which I checked against a finished copy) is Clarissa’s birthdate. When Venus finds Miss Florence’s journals, she realizes they’re organized by birthdate, with her mom’s being October 8, 1989. Venus was born in 2005. Now, it’s not unrealistic for Clarissa to become a mom at 16, but it’s also mentioned she was in college, and that’s she was 18 in November 1999. Last I checked, 1989 and 1999 are 10 years apart. For her to be 18 in November 1999, she would’ve been born in October 1981. The math just ain’t mathing, and it really distracted me from what else was happening in the book.

Overall, that’s my biggest complaint about the book and it truly, truly irked me. Otherwise, I really liked the book. There was a great (large) cast of characters (which is consistent with most fantasy novels), many being queer and Black (going against the grain of traditional fantasy novels). The story was exhilarating and well paced once it actually got going (the set up and character introductions were a bit drawn out). The twists were many and always surprising! I would recommend this one.

Really enjoyed the premise of the book and I think the magic system is its strongest element, next to the found family vibes.
Sometimes I felt that the lot was dragged and the end was definitely too quick for me.

However, I think it is a remarkable debut and should be read!

Thank you so much for the publisher for the free arc!

Good premise, but lacking a little in depth? I love books about magic, and even more when the characters are different. It's not your typical world for magic and I kind of feel like some of the choices by Grand Witcher were questionable. So who is the villain? The murderer .....or the magic wielders who want you to make others their slave?

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

For a debut, this was decent! Didn't love it, but the writing was definitely solid. If you like magical drama, pick it up. 3 stars!

This story follows Venus, who is a potion maker. It is illegal to make love potions. Her mom is killed and she is left to take care of her little sister, Janus. Venus is given a chance to avenge her mother’s killer, but it comes with dire risks. She must brew illegal potions and delve into a corrupt and dark world.

The world building in this book was good. The magic system was interesting, but could have used a little more refinement. There were a lot of characters, which made it hard to follow at times. The pacing was a little slow at first, but eventually picks up. Overall, I rated it a 3. I’ve heard the audiobook version is interesting to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley + Sourcebooks Fire for the copy of this book.