I am all over the place with my feelings for this book. There's some really high highs but also low lows. First, which is not book plot related - the narrator for this audiobook is amazing, HIGHLY recommend listening as well if you get the chance! Truly, I will now seek out books narrated by Lynette R. Freeman just to listen to more of her voice and characters. As for the book itself. As a witch, I absolutely loved the magic system and world building, it was such an interesting take of fantasy rooted in real aspects of the craft. The political and societal aspects gave it a lot of layers. But I wanted more from the plot and characters. The pacing was choppy and I just didn't connect with the main character, though there were some great side characters. Too many of them though, so they got lost. It was just a bit too long, and while I do love unpredictable plots in a book, I felt I was past even the 30% mark before the actual story began. I could see a lot of people getting frustrated by this and DNFing the book.

Thank you Net Galley for this e-arc.
TW: blood, drugs, self-harm, mental health
The Poisons We Drink masterfully threads a tale of family secrets, romance, racism, and mental health woes in an urban magical setting. As the reader, I was pleasantly captivated by our main character Venus. Venus is a love potion witch who is trying to survive the summer after tragedy. This story uses magic as a way to reflect on modern issues. I love this story's diverse lgbtq cast. Including the love of my life, Presley. I also loved how this story did not use queerness as a point of tense. I would suggest this story to anyone who loves magic, twists, and self-reflection.

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste is one of the best YA fantasies I've read over the past few years. First of all, the writing is incredible! It's sharp and evocative with a unique voice and an inexplicable "readability" that I feel like I've been missing in my reading lately. Reading this book made me forget I was reading at all--it felt more like an experience that gripped me from the very first page. I loved Venus, our flawed, tortured, talented, and soft but strong protagonist who Baptiste totally puts through the wringer. But it was Venus and her complicated relationships with the full cast of characters who are each so skillfully fleshed out and layered that brought this story to life for me. It's a fast-paced read with amazing twists and turns that kept me hooked to the very end. Baptiste has become an insta-buy author for me and I can't wait to see what they write next!

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: This book is a heavy load for audiobook. This book has love, magic, power, sacrifice and death. I need to read this book as a physical form because I think it was just too much in audio since there is a lot to follow. This was a heavy action packed book that I did enjoy. The narration was great, though I’ll admit there was one character voice that was awfully annoying and whiny.

Thank You to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC for this story!
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO BETHANY!!!

This is one of my most anticipated books for the year and it did not disappoint. I was so intrigued by the magic and the world that Bethany built. I wish that the book was longer (I think I remember reading that it was meant to be a duology? But Bethany had to make it a standalone instead?? Not sure If I'm remembering that correctly). Regardless I thoroughly enjoyed the characters. Venus was stubborn and vengeful and I can totally get behind that. I liked watching her navigate her magic and Witcher Society to get what she wanted. Presley was also a really great character that I enjoyed seeing in the story. Their loyalty to Venus was unmatched, even when they were upset with her. One character that I could not get behind was Janice. I did not like her because she was giving so much shit to Venus for lying to her and because she deliberately put herself in harms way by going to that protest against Venus' wishes. She'd promised to not go and then snuck out anyways so she's ALSO a liar which makes what she did to Venus very hypocritical. Anyways, the rest of the story and all the plot twists were very fun. There are a few things that I'm confused about but I think that's mostly because I was listening to the audiobook and not actually reading it myself so at some point I want to get a physical copy so I can understand the story fully!

I really wanted to like this book, cover is gorgeous and enough for me to stop and pick it up. However, I’m probably not the right audience for this book. Some teenage angst and too many secrets, and I’m not going to pretend to fully understand what’s happening.
It’s a very intricate world and magic and I went with, “So it’s kind of like X Men but magic instead of mutans and that thing in the MC is kind of like Venom, got it.” But I didn’t really get it and most magic was just stuff happening and I hoped things would become clear… it didn’t.
Feels like a book that some will love and some like me just scratching their head and wondering what’s going on.

I listened to the audio arc of this and I have mixed feelings. There was some very important issues addressed in this book at the author handled these well. That being said I struggled a bit with the main character, I just didn’t really like her as a narrator and kind of wish it was multi POV. I also didn’t love the narrator.

I have been so stoked for this book ever since I saw it at YallFest last year.

I was ecstatic to be approved for an audio ARC through NetGalley (thanks RB Media!)

But once I finally started reading, I was too distracted by the amateur writing to appreciate the cool ideas. Characters never simply say something - they state or leer or comment or inform. Often the creative word choice is extra noticeable because it doesn't quite fit the situation. Every verb gets an adverb tacked on in that overeager middle school writing style. The story relies on big emotions and moves swiftly from scene to scene without much effort at development.

When I tried not to fixate on the writing, I realized the narrator was bothering me too. Overall they do a good job - their narration style simply relies on emphasizing a lot of words that don't need the extra energy.

If the writing style isn't a deterrent, then the story of The Poisons We Drink is pretty interesting. Magic exists and it can do a whole host of fantastic things! However, those very capabilities are why non magical people fear magicians and seek to control them through legal restrictions. Venus is a brewer of love potions, an illegal and physically taxing form of magic. When her skills are noticed by the wrong person, she finds herself entangled in a plot much more dangerous than she could have anticipated.

The focus on relationships in this story is probably my favorite thing about it. Venus has family and friends who rally to her side, willing to do whatever they can to help and protect her. Even though she disagrees with her sister, they love each other deeply and would do anything for each other.

So while the ideas here are super cool, the worldbuilding doesn't seem to be terribly well developed or the concepts nuanced (hello discussion of consent?). The book needed a lot more work and polish before being hurried to publication.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for an audio ARC in return for my honest review.

<i>Obligatory Disclaimer re: Cait Corrain: The absolutely horrific actions taken by almost author Cait Corrain are inexcusable and Bethany Baptiste deserved better. </i>

I don’t know that I would have thought to request this ARC had it not been for the explosion on Twitter. It’s possible that I may have seen it on NetGalley and been intrigued enough to want to read it—I’m often very fond of their audiobook section and I’m always up for a book that draws parallels between political and socioeconomic issues we experience in our day to day—but, who knows.

What I do know is that I had to restart this audiobook three times. I fell asleep twice while listening to it.

I do want to note here that I think the narrator was brilliant. She did a pretty brilliant job, actually, of bringing these characters to life. I just think the source material wasn’t doing her any favors.

There were so many ideas and concepts in this story that had exceptional foundations—these were genuine topics I wanted to explore a conversation about in a fantasy setting. The fight against the darkness within us. The corruption of power. The question and importance of consent. The consequences of ignoring consent. Racism. Slavery. Economic impacts. Hate. Revenge…

The execution was just not great. I don’t know if I’d classify most of it as bad…but it wasn’t engaging. There was a violence to the characters that I didn’t love, excusing of absolutely abhorrent behavior because of the emotions one feels. And I just feel that with the commentary Baptiste included, so many of these topics needed to be addressed in more nuanced and consequential ways.

One of the most disappointing is the fact that the idea of force and consent was so prevalent throughout the book, but never adequately addressed. It was almost as though violations of consent were only wrong when they happened to the main character, wrong in the way it forced her into a situation where she was at the mercy and control of another. But was there any consideration or care for those whose consent was violated outside of the main character and those she cared about?

No.

And honestly, that’s half the problem with the United States as it is! Far too many people are so selfish that they don’t care about the rights of others being taken away until they, themselves, find that they need those rights for one reason or another. It was such a horrifying perpetuation of this problem that I found myself feeling massive amounts of ick for a large portion of the story.

For the rest of it, I was just painfully bored. I don’t know how many others experienced this, but I constantly felt like the story was painfully slow. Every time I started to get interested, usually at crux and climactic moments, it was followed by utterly draggy chapters and suddenly I find my mind wandering.

There was a lot of potential in this book and near every time, it just missed the mark.

And what’s wild is I tried <i>so</i> hard to finish <i>The Poisons we Drink</i>. I restarted it when I needed to, I rewound when my mind wandered. I sat through painfully boring sections in hopes of reaching the exciting ones. Then I DNF’d @ 77%.

I do believe that there’s some merit to this story. I can appreciate some of Baptiste’s attempted messaging. I just needed more and I needed better.

<i>I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Thank you RB Media and Netgalley my early audio book copy of The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste. I am super happy to listen to this book. So far, listening to the book has me sitting on the edge. Listen to see how far Venus would go to avenge her mother's death while taking care of her sister, not letting the darkness consume her sanity. #ThePoisonsWeDrink #NetGalley. #RBMedia

4.5/5 stars

“Love is a messy thing…”

Venus Stoneheart brews illegal love potions to help her family in a country divided on how to move forward in a world between humans and witchers. Her family business forces her to brew potions that can reunite families or tear people apart. It is a dangerous practice that takes a toll on her mentally and physically and deeply strains her relationship with her mother. She also struggles with the guilt and shame she harbors from a dreadful night that has permanently affected her magic and her relationship with her best friend. Everything changes when Venus’ mother is killed and she is sucked into a world she is ill-prepared for. All of the danger and responsibility she previously felt is multiplied tenfold as she now serves the Grand Witcher. Now she must grieve, navigate a new world of politics and betrayal, and figure out how to avenge her mother.

I really enjoyed this book and was hooked from the start. Once I saw the book was dedicated to Baptiste’s haters I knew I was going to love it. I loved the layers and character dynamics. The plot twists were well done and satisfying to read. Love is a major theme in the book, from self-love to familial love, to love of ideas. Venus’ relationships with her mother, sister, cousin, best friend, and uncle are pivotal to her development and the plot. She is angry and grief-stricken, and trying to do everything on her own as a young 18-year-old who needs to take care of her sister. This makes her rash and closed off at times, but the love and loyalty she has for her family and friends shines brightly. The world building is a major strength. The way the author details the magic system, politics, and local history is excellent. I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Lynette R. Freeman. The narration deeply enriched the atmosphere and characters.

A debut novel, following the family of Venus, brewing potions in secret to sell in DC due to the injustices that hit her Witcher family in the past. Set in the real world revolving around social and racial injustices, the story revolves around Venus as she discovers what happened to her mother and her seek for revenge.
A good debut, I enjoyed the beginning but it lost me a little in the middle; and the pacing felt uneven as the story continued. I wasn’t a huge fan of chapters of that had excerpts of things of “witchipedia” instead of just including the world building into the story. Overall, the narrator was fantastic. There were so many characters and the narrator did a great job of giving each character their own personality

The world building in this book was so great. There is a really complex magic system in this world and quite a bit of information to take on with lots of different important characters to keep track of. The way my brain works normally makes me not care too much about all the descriptive world building and kind of skim over it, but the way the story unfolded allowed me to keep a lot of the details which were important to how the story progressed.

Venus was a great character and the way they were able to incorporate a lot of themes around police brutality and the differences between classes etc.
The story was twisty and dark and engaging the whole way through.

Thanks to #NetGallery and publisher for a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Fantasy / Teens YA
Format: Audio
POV: Single FMC
Spice: .5 /5
Age suggestion: 16+

I know a lot of people said they would read this book after the Cait Corrain shitshow, but y'all better follow through and ACTUALLY read this because it was so freakin' good and gave everything it promised. Black girl magic, clever political intrigue, betrayals and twists, an intriguing world, and incredible writing. My only critique is that the pacing in the last half could have been tightened a bit, but I still inhaled this audiobook in a week and think it's one of the best titles I've read from Sourcebooks in a long time.

Shut the front door!! This was epic!!!

The Poisons We Drink absolutely blew me away! I was instantly drawn in by the gorgeous cover and stayed for the mind blowing storytelling!

This is so much more than a YA Fantasy. It is an ode to sisterhood, found family, strength and perseverance in the face of injustice and weaponized prejudice. Full of magic, plot twists, love, loss, politics, morally grey characters and fantastical world building - The Poisons We Drink is a stunning read!!

Method Read: 🎧
Lynette R. Freeman blew me away with her narration! Amazing performance that really brought the story to life!

Thank you RB Media for the advanced copy!

i’ve been listening to this book for a little less than two weeks and WOW it did not disappoint. this was a fantastic story to take in in audiobook form — lynnette freeman’s narration is phenomenal. the plot of this story was so fun to follow along. i was beyond invested in venus stoneheart’s story, and i loved watching her relationships wax and wane. janus, ty, pres, and bram were awesome supporting characters who brought a lot of character to this novel. bethany baptiste does a great job world-building and drawing readers into the world of witcher magic. i also thought that baptiste did an incredible job using witcher persecution by humans as a metaphor for the persecution of minority poc groups in our society. the connection is very visible and makes a strong case. i really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from bethany baptiste in the future!

This was a wild, intense ride. Super fast paced and grabs your interest right away. The world building, story, and magic system were all really interesting, as well as poignant parallels to the real world. The biggest issue is that it is longer than it needed to be.

Audiobook is fantastic, the narrators performance is so dynamic and completely pulls you into the story and really helped me get through the overly long parts.

I will be utterly honest and say I discovered this book due to the book twitter drama but as soon as I had then read the synopsis I was more than excited about it. I can honestly say that The Poisons We Drink is a debut that will not quickly be forgotten. First I want to acknowledge that I am not a POC but I honestly believe that Baptist as created a speculative urban fantasy that holds up a mirror present day, particularly the United States, and the prejudices and hate POC are facing on the day to the day basis.

The is so much offered in The Poisons We Drink, including mystery and politics but beyond the fantastic plot, wonderful world building and general story the characters really shine. Venus was a joy of a protagonist. I loved how she acted, how real she was. She dealt with some issues that are so true to real life and honestly she acted better than I would have expected.

In terms of the audio narration Lynette R Freeman was an amazing choice. She brought the world, emotions and characters to life. Her voice was calming but kept you engaged throughout and really worked with the narrative. A must listen (read).

The plot itself is tightly woven and I loved the twists and turns. This is perfect for fans of urban fantasy and speculative fiction. It is also important for mirroring the current political and prejudice that people are facing right now.

In this debut YA novel, we see that love can be a balm or a weapon. Venus is a fiercely loyal friend and sister, but she's also deeply secretive and unwilling to let anyone help her until it's almost too late. This book does a beautiful job showing that if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.

Thank you Sourcebooks, RB media, and Netgalley

The poisons we drink is an interesting book. While I haven't really been interested in fantasy besides some spicy ones. This one was honestly pretty cool. We see people with magic being treated as spectacles and dangers rather than people. It feels unusual as most books magic feels so common and ok. But this omg.