Do you ever have that book that you keep reading even though it just DRAGS and DRAGS!
That's this book for me...

I saw many people saying they really didn't like Venus, as a character but I found her incredibly relatable as an oldest daughter who was thrust into growing up way to young and had a younger sister to protect. So I felt that I had to see Venus's story through to the end.

The other thing that kept me going was the magic system and the witcher society as a whole. I was so intrigued that it kept me going despite the fact I felt I was slogging through this whole thing.

The downside to the Magic System being one of the big things keeping me going was the fact that I kept finding points where I'd be going "what the hell?" Like I swore there was an insinuation that Presley had a deviation as well from the events they and Venus went through but we never see their Deviation.

Deviation's also felt like a thinly veiled metaphor for mental illness that I ended up feeling kinda iffy on...

I'm overall really sad that I didn't like this book more because their was so much potential here. And so much I wanted to love about it... But it just didn't didn't hit any of the marks.

the story , im still trying to figure what im reading, im not disliking it but definitely not loving it. I feel is a but all over the place and i cannot relate. The whole witch world seems very interesting and the whole building two is just the story what is not clicking it for me at this moment, will definitely give it a second try eventually with a different mood . Because I think that is the problem not the book.

I love witchy books, especially ones which move from the traditional lore based witchcraft and move into new realms of possibilities creating new magic systems. This had so much potential to be a book that I loved.
And I wanted to love this so much, but unfortunately I ended up DNFing this book at 25%. I really hope it finds it's audience!

- THE POISONS WE DRINK is a dark story, full of characters overflowing with rage and love, fighting against a system designed to eliminate them.
- I loved the world Baptiste built here. There’s a complex magic system that promises real rewards and major consequences. It’s also set in DC, which I love, and you can tell Baptiste has true familiarity with the city.
- There was so much going on in this book that it was often too much - the interpersonal relationships and politics became a bit confusing as the layers of treachery built, and it was a bit overly long for me in the portion in the middle where Venus was uncovering secrets.
- Still, I am excited to see where Baptiste goes as an author, since POISONS is stuffed full of unique and exciting ideas.

There’s a lot to like about the world building in this book. It’s complex and compelling, and I wouldn’t mind additional books set in this universe.

The author tackles difficult topics well, including grief, the ever present threat of violence, the problems when people deny your personhood, and the extent that you will go to in order to take back power. And because of that, the main character doesn’t always behave in likable ways, but I always felt I understood her motivations.

My main issue is that I felt like Venus was the only well developed character in the book. There are so many characters and motivations, that the eventual outcome wasn’t as impactful as it should have been.

DNF at 70%

It's a weird combination for me to give up that far in the story and still rate a book with three stars (which is not bad after all), but I simply can't with this book. I've been struggling with it for weeks and the subpar execution of what seemed like an interesting concept made me wish for it to end, so I can just move on, and for me it's a sign it's time to stop fighting with a book. On language level it was more than many other YA novels have to offer, I have to give the author that. The style here is raw and the story doesn't shun violent themes. Baptiste tried to create a fully-fledged urban fantasy world based on inequality and prejudice. Even though they seemed expository, I enjoyed tidbits of information about this reality at the beginning of each chapter.
But the story was painfully dragging, needed polishing, and it was completely lacking any point. Violet is driven only by rage, which doesn't resonate with me (of course, I'm willing to admit that this book was written with some other reader in mind, but it doesn't make the story better). I found it very hard to care about her or any other characters. I have a feeling that it's another YA fantasy written with very specific anti-systemic themes in mind, in which the author is focusing more on their agenda, and not enough on the plot, which results in a flat story.

Bloody and brutal, but with so much heart! The clash of magic and non magic people gets boiled down to a set of families vying for power in a splintered nation. And the girl in the middle has to be the strong link to get it all done.

I think you’ll like the intricate magic system, arresting familial conflict and the strength of the characters. My biggest complaint was that the awkward syntax often shoved me out of the flow, but the complicated plot really added interest and kept the pacing tight.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for an eARC of this book to read and review.

Tropes: Found Family, Secrets... so many secrets, Blackmail, Morally Grey Characters

Representation: Nonbinary MC, Queer characters, BIPOC characters
Check your TW/CW

This book was a very good read. It was politically charged, had complicated family dynamics, and followed the underbelly of witchers in DC. I also liked the little bit at the end where there instructions and ingredients on how to brew the potions that Venus makes in the book.

This book follows Venus is brews love potions for people that get her name out of the black book at the Golden Coin. Brewing potions is a dangerous business because every time you brew one- it could be your last. Venus lives with her mom, sister, and Uncle but has a close found family as well with her aunt and cousin.

In this world brewers can only brew one style of potion- love, healing, etc- or their will forfeit their magic. This world and the witchers magic was the perfect amount of complex for me. There were layers to it and it wasn't the traditional magic that I have read about in a ton of books. I really liked the concept for the familiars in this book as well and I love that there was a cat.

The romance between Presley and Venus was very complex and had layers to it which was nice since the characters were not old. Sometimes the relationships are made less complex due to the age of characters-but these people had been through a lot in their lifetime, which is unfortunately common in this world.

The twist and turns were great and unexpected. There were two really big ones in this book that just - I never would have guessed.

This book was very political and it had a lot of parallels between many things that are happening in our world or have happened in our world. I wish that making people register themselves as something was a thing I only read in books.

If you like urban fantasy, witches, complex family, and sticking it to the man check this one out.

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste is a great YA debut.

I throughly like the story, and, plot, but a little more depth with the magic, world building. The world building left me a bit lost at times. It did start off a bit slow but it got better as it went on.

I hope there a sequel! I look forward to seeing more from this author!
Recommend to those who enjoy YA fantasy!

Bethany Baptiste’s “The Poisons We Drink” gives us an in-depth look at civil rights through the lens of the supernatural. In her world, witchers and humans live side by side, but all is not peaceful between the races. Humans restrict how many witchers may gather at one time, and a law to require registration for all witchers is coming up in Congress.

Many witchers want to stop this bill, and young Venus, a brewer of love potions, and her crew are drawn into the intrigue and battle surrounding the bill. There are casualties, both lives and relationships, as secrets are revealed and Venus battles her own inner demons to keep her family together.

This was an awesome book told with heart and experience. Venus is a strong yet fractured protagonist, and her allies and enemies are well drawn and multifaceted. Baptiste did her subject matter justice, and readers will leave with more than just entertainment by the end. I hope we can revisit these characters in another installment set in this world. It would be worth the journey.

This was such a treat to read, from page 1 I was enthralled. I'm so happy I was lucky enough to get early access via Netgalley as its honestly been a favourite read in a while. I'm now waiting 'patiently' for my library to get the audiobook so that I can listen to it aswell!

What a powerful debut YA novel! Kudos to Bethany Baptiste for building such an interesting world of witchers. You really feel for Venus and all the trauma and heartbreak she has endured. The idea of potions made for specific wants and desires was quite unique. I really enjoyed this and really hope she writes more in the future.

I have mixed feelings about this one. The premise was wonderful, but sometimes the storyline was really slow moving. I like how complicated the characters were, but I would’ve liked a little bit more world building as to how the Witchers came out of the shadows. I sometimes got lost in the magical terms, and Baptiste explained many of them, but some explanations still left me confused. The deviants left me wanting to know more, especially Presley’s. But once the story got moving it became fast-paced and I had a hard time putting it down. As I said mixed bag, there were parts. I really really enjoyed and parts that left me wanting more. But I would read another book by the author. I would be interested in what other stories she has to tell.

* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

The author’s note at the very beginning tells you exactly what you’re going to get out of this book. I really enjoyed the characters who were complex and not perfect, but real. I could read a series of this story because I enjoyed it so much and I think there’s more for Venus to tell.

A dark and tense fantasy about a world divided! This intense story takes place in DC where humans are struggling to live in harmony with witches. One family in particular has a history of brewing and activism that has set them apart among the rest. This story is full of family secrets, revenge seeking politics, tempting fate, and divided conquest. Each time I picked up the story I was sucked in!! It was fast paced, unexpectedly gory, and heartfelt. I’m so excited I’m here to witness Bethany’s debut!

As soon as I read the forward note, I thought I was going to love this book.

The parallels of the black experience in America to the way Witchers are treated in their universe ate very clearly written.

I also found it interesting how she wrote Venus as someone who wanted to live with their head down and not make waves, not rock the boat and wrote Janus as the vocal passionate one who wanted to fight the injustice and felt nigh invulnerable. It was great commentary regarding how people feel and have felt in this country.

I agree with other reviewers on my irritation with Janus (somewhat appropriately named) but I also thought back to when I was a teenager and was so righteously sure and passionate about what I saw as wrong doings in the world. Although, I still can’t forgive her for her actions after the big incident happened and she saw and felt the consequences and still acted recklessly and gave the FMC a hard time and did what she did after that.

I love that the author wrote this with her heart- all the pain and rage and love and hope and anger and sadness that comes from the life she and other BIPOC have experienced. This ARC did have some errors and things that I hope got cleaned up before the final release but I would love to see more from her and would love to see a prequel from this universe.

The best way I can think to describe this book is: interesting plot, subpar execution. Did I hate or even dislike this book? No! But it just didn't live up to the excitement I had for it.

The pros: GORGEOUS COVER! Interesting premise - "witchers" are folks with magic and in the public eye and there are humans who want them eradicated (very reminiscent of today's society); each witcher has different magical abilities.

The average parts: the world building - nothing crazy, since it's based in modern day America, but just with different technology and witches that have magic running around. Exposition was fine and I don't think I was ever too confused. The majority of the characters were fine too.

The things I didn't love: JANICE. This is once again not to say I hate her because she is a young teenage girl, and more times than not, they are not thinking about the needs of others over their own wants. But there were SO many moments where she made me so mad that I wanted to put down the book. It seemed like every life or death issue stemmed from something Janice had decided to do by running off and not telling anybody. The book would have been over in 100 pages if she hadn't been around.

Overall, this book was just very average to me - a very solid 3 stars. Enjoyable, and I think I'll remember certain plot points, but nothing that will stick around in my brain for too long. Give it a go if you're interested!

This cover does not lie - a beautiful and harsh look at life, inclusion and how to create an even playing field. At times, I got lost between all the characters.
Baptiste does an amazing job illustrating the distortion between us and them, us vs. them. Attempts at working together have stalled - and now the High Witcher is doing what she feels she must. Sacrificing her people for the greater good. Venus isn't up for it - fighting to protect her younger sister and social justice without sacrificing her morals.

This book to me to on quite an adventure. I loved the storyline and the characters although a few of them were annoying (but I believe that was the point). The only things I had trouble with at first was Percy and their pronouns. I was so confused as to who they were but I eventually realized it was a pronoun thing and the story’s pacing seemed a tad too slow for my liking. Overall, I would recommend this book. I read along as I listened to the audiobook, both courtesy of NetGalley.

"Has history taught us nothing? Old worlds must burn for new worlds to rise. You cannot want a revolution and fear its fire. Everything must burn." - Malik Jenkins, WASP Founder.
There were parts of this story I found fascinating, and I enjoyed the author's themes on racism, politics, and family through magic. The blood, sweat, and tears that a brewer must put into their work was intriguing. I would have enjoyed a deeper dive into some of the details behind the magic, the blood tethers, the familiars, etc. There was a lot of potential with this story and many of the side plots. Unfortunately, it failed to pull them all together. 2.5 stars.