This was a cute and cozy YA polyamory romantasy steeped in Slavic folklore and set in a spa town that made me constantly think on the real life Czech town of Karlovy Vary. It gave off the vibe of “you know what The Winternight Trilogy needs? More cutesie, less stressie with some anxiety teens.” 🤣

But seriously though, I loved the wonderful list of Slavic folkloric creatures that were in this. I really liked that the author also put a glossary with pronunciation guides in here too because as much as I almost killed myself trying to learn Polish, there’s still a lot of room for it to grow. 🇵🇱

The story follows the POVs of primarily Gisela, a rusałka desperate to regain her humanity, and Kazik, the local grumpy exorcist who is constantly being teased by the former. The third POV, Aleksey, is spaced out here and there and I did find myself wishing there was more than maybe a handful of his chapters. The other two were just adorbale together as they begrudgingly join forces. Their banter was so funny to me as they try and horrendously fail to stay platonic with each other. They really reminded me why I loved the grumpy/sunshine trope in the first place. ☺️

As much as I did enjoy the setting and cast of quirky characters, I did find Gisela’s one-track mindedness to be an echo of what she dislikes so much in her father. Like come on girl, how could you not see that in yourself? Also the ending left me with more questions than answers and kind of felt like it abruptly ended. As far as I know, this is a standalone, and so I feel as if the reader is made to figure out the last bits themselves instead of being shown it. 😕

But all in all, I still had a great time reading this, and would recommend this to those who want a similar Slavic folklore vibe to The Winternight Trilogy. Big thank you goes to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review, and to the author, Jasinka, for writing such a cute love story between enemies. ❤️

Publication date: September 24!

Overall: 4/5 ⭐️

This Fatal Kiss was overall a very enjoyable read. I love the folklore of the book, and the setting of the magical spa village. I wish we could have had more of Kazik's work involved in the story. He is mentioned as exorcising demons, etc, and is mentioned performing rituals, but they are not described to us in detail. The language of the book doesn't quite match the setting.

I only give it 3 stars instead of 4 due to the ending. The ending felt rushed to me, and it feels like the cliff hanger at the end could have just been resolved in this book instead.

Overall, an enjoyable read, and I will definitely read the sequel. The cover art is gorgeous.

Thanks so much to Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink and Netgalley for the arc!

I really enjoyed this slavic folklore, queer polyamorous romance filled with whimsical, fantasical world building. I was immediatly sucked into this world by the rich folklore atmosphere.The banter between all the characters was PERFECT! I really can´t wait to read more of this.

The ending unfortunatly really fell flat for me. It was just too rushed and nothing was wrapped up probably. (given that everything will be more nuanced and cleared up in the second book) I do feel like you could have wrapped book one and still have a story to follow for book two.

Nonetheless a really fun and quick read! Definitely recommend!

Thank you to Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of The Fatal Kiss in exchange for review.

4 stars~

Firstly, I love the folklore of this book. Rusalka, drowners, leshen, it even briefly mentions stryga. It made me feel like I was reading a very lighthearted fun and sassy Witcher due to that being my first intro to Slavic mythology. They are not similar and this is not a comparison by any means I just loved having some background on the creatures/spirits.

I loved the banter in this book and Gisela was a fantastic FMC. Playful and likable with a mysterious past (even to her). And we love our grumpy MC Kazik. Going against all his beliefs for an extroverted ghostie.

I also really liked the POV switches. It definitely kept the story flowing and interesting. I guessed the main plot point at about 25-30% in and the story actually does reveal this to you slightly over halfway. It’s fun knowing things that the other characters don’t know and watching them try to figure out. It didn’t linger too long and wasn’t annoying at all waiting for them to catch on. The writing for this was great.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a poly romance before and while that is definitely not the vibe for me personally it was fun reading it.

There were a couple things that confused me though, maybe I missed something but can Gisela choose when she’s invisible to the normal mortal eye? I thought she was because they made a big deal about Kazik looking crazy talking to himself but also she bumped into people at the market who seemed to see her as well as Alekseys other friends???
Gisela also briefly mentions not feeling an affinity to any specified gender early on in the books but then it’s never brought up again so it feels strange to just be tossed in there.

Lastly, the vibe of the old spa village did not match with the language used in this book. There was a lot of modern slang that really took me out of the fantasy of it all.

Overall I did like this book though, thank you so much for letting me read it early!

Argh it’s just the worst when I’m vibing with a book throughout the whole thing and then the ending is rotten. Honestly I knocked it down to a three star rating just because of the ending. The rest of the book was pretty good. I love slav mythology and creatures so I already started loving the concept. I was also so happy to find another polycule book. The found family was so sweet. I was fine with it being slow burn bc I live for the pay off. But I gambled with the wrong author.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure of the three’s relationship. I don’t really believe they love each other? The relationship is so volatile and switches up even within chapters. They don’t work through their problems; they hide their problems or run from them. Also, despite all of them claiming to love their families (blood and found), they don’t really interact much with them beyond talking about the romance. They seem really immature and childish. I kept waiting for the growth. I knew this was going to be a slow burn book where all the development happens in the last 20% but the development wasn’t that good. The ending is so half baked and doesn’t show any of the progress the three made in their relationship. Why develop a relationship if you aren’t going to show it? It’s just a painful hint for the next book.

Ok, I adored this book! I literally couldn’t put it down, and when I had to put it down I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I loved that this was such a fresh and unique idea, the lore surrounding the book was so captivating and interesting. Miss Alicia did a fantastic job at the world and lore building, it was so refreshing to be able to hook onto foreign lore so easily, I loved the characters and their banter!!
There was only a few minor things that fell flat for me, some of the more intense scenes I felt like could’ve has more depth to them, and I also felt like there was a bit too much over explaining of certain sexuality aspects which made those themes feel a little forced however as a queer reader, seeing this kind of representation was still so amazing, i just have loved to see it intergrade a little more smoothly.
*4.5 stars because I can’t half star

A water spirit longs to be mortal again. According to an old fairytale, a water spirit can regain their humanity upon receiving a kiss from a mortal. The local spirit-hunting witch finds himself begrudgingly playing matchmaker in this situation, to ensure the water spirit becomes human. What could possibly go wrong?

This was a magical and whimsical read! It was so invested in these characters, their relationships, along with all the misadventures and mishaps in this refreshingly fun story.

The cover art is beautiful too, can’t wait to see fanart of these characters!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review, it’s definitely a new favorite! Will be suggesting it for the upcoming queer book club!

ℝ𝕖𝕤𝕖ñ𝕒𝕤 𝕃𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕒𝕤 💚🍀🫧


☆Título: This Fatal Kiss.

☆Autora: Alicia Jasinska.

☆Editorial: ‎Peachtree Teen.

☆Calificación: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5


𝙊𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞ó𝙣

"𝑫𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏?"

"𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰'𝒎 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆...."

"𝐈'𝐝 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮,"


✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ

𝑀𝑢𝑐𝒉𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑦 𝑎 𝑙𝑎 𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑎 𝑝𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑙 𝑒-𝐴𝑅𝐶!


Si pudiera pensar en una historia que quisiera ver más que ninguna otra adaptada por Studio Ghibli (mi cosa favorita de todos los tiempos), tendría que ser definitivamente esta.

Es tan única, emocional y tierna que no hago más que pensar en ella desde el primer instante en que terminó.

Todo sobre este libro fue a parar directo a mi corazón. Sus maravillosos personajes, los impresionantes lugares de este mundo, la preciosa narrativa, el folklore tan especial...Me siento muy afortunada de poder haberlo leído y disfrutado de cada detalle.

Amé conocer a Gisela, a Kazik y Aleksey. Son un equipo espectacular, y el perfecto tipo de found family que siempre ansío encontrar en cualquier parte. Los tres son tan diferentes entre sí en muchas cosas: donde uno causa problemas siempre, otro busca mantener el orden, y el último es una mezcla entre lo misterioso y lo inesperado.

Creo de un modo, todos lo son.

La ambientación está llena de sorpresas y de una sensación de quedar completamente embelesado con lo que lees, tal como si -en vez de estar leyéndolo-, lo vivieras.

Sobra decir que derramé varias lagrimitas durante el camino, pero valió cada una de ellas.

Y también sobraría el decir también que estoy ansiosa de seguir descubriendo más y más de lo que les depara el futuro a estos personajes y al precioso mundo que habitan.

Mil estrellas de diez, sin dudas.

🫧 Found Family.

🍀 Mágico world building.

🫧 LGBTQ+ y representación de género.

🍀 Tercera Persona.

🫧 POV múltiple.

🍀 Grumpy and Sunshine 🥹

🫧 Demonios, ninfas, exorcistas y gatos.



P.d: Si una cantante ilustra la esencia de este libro, esa es Aurora. Literalmente todas sus canciones te transportan mientras lees, así que te recomiendo mucho que vivas la experiencia 💚

This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska is a spellbinding tale that weaves together folklore, mythology, and Slavic culture into a rich, immersive world. The story follows Gisela, a water nymph cursed to haunt the river where she drowned, longing to return to the living world. Her only hope is a kiss from a mortal, but everyone fears her as a monster—except for Kazik, the brooding grandson of a local witch determined to rid the world of spirits like her.

The dynamic between Gisela and Kazik is a highlight of the novel. Their banter is delightful, with Gisela’s mischievous antics constantly getting under Kazik’s skin, yet it's clear they both enjoy each other’s company more than they let on. The unexpected love triangle adds a layer of complexity, especially as Kazik starts to fall for the same young man Gisela sets her sights on—a twist that’s both heart-wrenching and intriguing.

Jasinska’s ability to blend elements of Slavic culture with a magical setting makes this book a true escape for readers. The attention to detail and the seamless integration of myth and folklore create a world that feels both ancient and alive, pulling you deeper into Gisela’s quest. Fans of fairy tales and YA queer romantasy will find This Fatal Kiss a delectable and enchanting read.

While the plot occasionally feels predictable, the charming characters and lush setting make up for it, leaving you eager for more of this beautifully crafted spirit world.

I really enjoyed this book. I appreciated the characters and elements that are part of the Slavic folklore. This book is a nice way to approach Slavic legends and fairytales. Also, I really appreciated the references to religious festivals and traditions, but, in my opinion, these themes may have been more explored. Regarding the romance, I really liked the relationship development between the main characters, which are intriguing and it's easy to connect with them. Gisela is charasmatic, funny and adorable, I really liked her as the female protagonist.

I haven't enjoyed a YA book as much as this one in a long time. I was giggling and kicking my feet.

I really liked the setting and atmosphere of this book. The descriptions were beautiful, I felt like I was there with the characters, walking by the riverside or wondering into the village.

I flew through this book, it's easy to read and interesting, so I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to know what was going to happen next and how the character's relationships were going to develop.

I loved the dynamic between Gisela and Kazik, it was so fun reading how Gisela was always annoying him, but also how despite it all the both of them enjoyed being in the company of the other.

Then when you add Aleksey to that equation, things only improve. The drama, the tension... the character's inner dialogue, especially Kazik's and all the journey he has to get through, the things he questions... I think, between the three making characters, I liked his character arc the most.

Also, this book is super queer and I'm a fan of that. We have gender discussions, bi, pan and lesbian characters, and a poly relationship. Maybe I'm forgetting something, but the point is there's a lot of representation yaaaay.

There were some twists that I saw coming, but one of the took me completely by surprise and it was excellent. Also I have to say that, even though I saw some things coming, that didn't impact negatively in my reading experience.

If I don't give it five stars is only because the ending felt a bit rushed and I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. I hope there's a sequel because I need answers.

4.5 stars!!! Something that will always make me fall in love with a book is well thought out characters which this book has in abundance! I was absolutely fascinated by each and every one of them especially as they sought to build connections with others! I loved watching Gisela wander throughout the world and flirt with everyone while also just genuinely being adorable. I loved watching socially awkward and brooding Kazik being forced into all these situations and made flustered. And charming Aleks’s really ties the group together with his easy going adventurous spirit! Despite the very light hearted dynamic between the main characters and even some of the side characters this book does have a more dark theme to it that I think was handled so well. It was a great balance of letting them have fun and romancing with the darker elements of the plot. I had such a wonderful time being in this world and I cannot wait to have a copy of this book on my bookshelf!!!

Obsessed!! I had so much fun with this one. It had me giggling and kicking my feet <3 Please tell me there is a sequel on the way?

A very enjoys read, the story felt original, the world building really brought me into the story and the characters were very entertaining to read about. I loved the romances and the way sexuality and relationships were explored. It felt realistic to the internal battles that may happen to a person in real life. The mythological and magical aspect was also very fun, so overall I would definitely recommend giving it a read.

I enjoyed every second of this book! It felt like an escape into a Studio Ghibli movie every time I picked it up. the b est YA book I've read this year by far

While i liked world building and author’s writing i find myself being unable to connect to characters. i felt no feelings toward any of them.

i enjoyed how all aspects of folklore, mythology and slavic culture were fitting together, making me as a reader actually dive into a world. i enjoyed gisela and her dynamic with both characters

I was intrigued by the cover and the title. I have to say it went into it hoping to enjoy a nice fantasy folklore and I tried, but I just couldn’t follow through the texts. It took everything in me to continue reading this but somehow I ended up DNFing it again. Hence I decided to put it aside for the time being. Maybe I’ll be able to finish this when I try reading it again in the future <3

This should be on every bookworm's list of cottage core, spring, ghibli vibes, and light green academia books. While it is set in Poland (if I'm not mistaken?) & based on Slavic folklores of rusalki (water nymphs), somehow reading it I imagined Japan creepy forests. Maybe because I haven't been to Poland. But the setting is richly explored & described, and it paints a vivid background. I can picture all the beautiful, flowery bathhouses, the scenic gifting rituals. It was all such a trip of delicacy, the experience of reading this book.

Not to forget the beautiful and intriguing dynamic of the three main characters; their chemistry felt natural & just flowing. The banters & each of their traits? Chef's kiss, it complements each other. This was supposed to be a standalone but I heard the new update would have a sequel for this book? And the ending hints to it as well. I was at first bummed hearing a standalone turning into series, but now after finishing the entire book, I can say I'll wait for the second book if it's true. Hoping the sequel would keep up but without a follow up, this alone is perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This Fatal Kiss was such a fun and exciting read! It is the perfect mix of fantasy and folklore! I loved the storyline and really enjoyed the characters.

Thanks you to Netgalley and Peachtree for providing this ARC

I absolutely loved this book! I loved the use of folklore and the way the book handled the more heavier topics of gender identity and sexuality, trauma and mental health. The characters were loveable and the poly rep was amazing to see! Please tell me there will be a sequel!

I will definitely be seeking out a physical copy for the shelf!