This was a great YA romantasy. I enjoyed the polish folklore roots, it was truly a beautifully written book. I also enjoyed how the love triangles were executed, as they can be a hit or miss for me. Overall, this book is a must read, and it feels set apart from other YA fantasy books. I am excited for the next book to see where the story goes.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

DNF for now. I genuinely believe that I will come back to this book, but at this current moment I cannot focus on it. It’s not capturing my attention as much as other books are right now, but I am interested in the story and what I’ve read to want to revisit it in the future.

this book was my entry into the world of romance and romantic fantasy and i enjoyed it immensly, its very well written and theres the exactly right amount of detail, the charachters are fun and the folklore background is very well explained
amazing work ❤️

This was almost enchanting to read and I like books I can immerse myself in. The book cover is gorgeous and it instantly helped to set the world I was imagining throughout reading.

I read it a couple of days ago and I am sorry I'm this late to review, but I needed to sleep on it a bit because sometimes I feel I'm too harsh in judging books.

The book was enchanting and funny and sweet. I liked the poly relationship and I think it was done well, the slowness of it and the progress made sense and it worked, as did the chemistry.

The only thing bringing this down from five stars to four is that some things were constantly repeated and brought up again, which irks me in other books and so it did in this one. But putting that aside, please pick this up, it's well worth reading, specially now in autumn! Because the premise and the atmosphere of the story are so fit for it, and then you add the folklore part and the love story and what more could you want.

And the ending...??? Not me thinking this is a standalone only to be hit with that. Please tell me there is a sequel in the works!

Wow. This was enchanting. The plot twists you don't want to be true, but the sweetness of them anyway. This is a story about boy meets girl who lives to annoy him and wants to find love. Her sights are on his friend and he has to cope with that. This has beautiful found family with a grumpy but caring found father. He really just wants them to be happy and cared for. Every single character in this book, minor or major, will capture your heart. I was stunned at how many ways love was depicted in this story. Not just romance, but love between friends. I could not stop reading this. Yes, yes, and more yes!!!

This Fatal Kiss is a charming YA romantasy with deep polish folklore roots. Romantic in prose, and great with representation, this story has a lot of heart and is a great start to a new series! (3,5 stars)

Thank you to Peachtree Teen, Alicia Jasinka and NetGalley for an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

A charming and magical read.

It was so cool to read a story with Slavic mythology. The setting was immersive and I felt like I was taking part in the festivities of Green Week.

I was surprised how much I didn't mind the tone of the narrative voice which incorporated modern language. Without it the story felt like a timeless fairytale. However, I think having Gisela as a filter for that narrative voice really helped. Even the times Wojciech said something modern, it got a chuckle out of me. He's probably my favorite character.

Spoiler ahead: The romance was fun. I really liked the dynamic between Gisela and Kazik. Their banter and gradual affection for each other was lovely and well paced out. I was less convinced of Aleksey ESPECIALLY since this is marketed with poly but the real Aleksey isn't actually there?? Unless I missed something, isn't he possessed by a spirit? How did he consent to the romance?

Despite that... The ending seems to set up for a sequel so I look forward to that and will probably purchase a physical copy upon release.

Thank you NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for providing the ARC

This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska is a YA fantasy with LGBTQIAP+ romance, based on Polish folklore. As a Polish reader myself I just had to read this. I liked the relationship between our two main characters, their banter, and chemistry. The atmosphere of the Leśna Woda town and the world that the author created is captivating. I was immersed in the story from the first chapter. I'd love a continuation to this story because I feel like there's still something to add. I would recommend this work to everyone who would love to escape, even just for a while, to a magical world of water nymphs, complicated feelings, and choices.

I cannot express how beautiful this was. I was blown away by the cover initially, but the book itself is far more stunning. I am in absolute awe. I don't want to touch another book for a while; I need to sit with this.

Thank you Peachtree Teen and Alicia Jasinka for a NetGalley ARC copy of This Fatal Kiss!

Rating 3.5/5

Through this book we follow three main characters. FMC Gisela, a water nymph, who is trying to regain her humanity by receiving a kiss from a human. MMC Kazik, an exorcist, who is losing his powers and must make a deal with Gisela to keep his secret. And MMC Aleksey, a human, whom has spiked the interest of both Gisela and Kazik. Unfortunately for them Aleksey has secrets of his own.

I enjoyed watching their relationships develop, The banter was humourous, and overall I found them delightfully sweet. I think the poly, bi, and nonbinary rep were all really well done and fit in nicely with the story.

The mythology was intriguing, though I do wish more time was spent explaining the world and creatures. I feel like focusing so heavy on the relationship aspect took away from the world as a whole and left me with many questions.

*Kinda Spoiler*
Also what the heck was that ending?! I feel like we were heading in one direction and then we were "rug-pulled" ON THE LAST PAGE 😂

This was a delightfully charming YA book full of mischief, havoc and amazingly executed love triangles that are resolved in an unconventional but delightful way! I loved the Slavic folklore aspect as well as the setting— it heightened the book’s musician and charm, and just made it feel really original compared to other fantasy YA books on the market right now.

The three main characters were hilarious, endearing and so easy to root for, as individuals and in their romantic pairings… and beyond ;) I thought this was a standalone but I’m excited to see where the story goes next!

“I was afraid I would lose you. I’m more afraid of losing you than I am of whatever might befall me here.” 🥹✨

I loved the dynamic between the characters in this story (it was an absolute joy to read💖) I had so much fun reading from Gisela’s perspective - a water nymph yearning to get her humanity back 😭. I was invested in how the mystery surrounding her death would unravel & liked how central it felt to the story. As for the romance… it was developed in such a tender & sweet way 💖. I would honestly recommend this book to cosy fantasy readers who like the following tropes… 💚

✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ Poly Romance/Triangle
✨ Slavic Folklore/Fantasy
✨ Slow Burning Romance

Thank you @netgalley & @peachtreeteen for the ARC 🫶

DNF at Chapter 12

I love the premise of this book, and am actually interested enough in the plot that I may pick this up again in the future, but the prose is, in a word, rough

If it were just a few moments of information dumps over descriptions, or perplexing dialogue tags or anachronistic language, I could let it go. Things like ‘bus’ and ‘tourist’ could be excused: there’s no definite time period listed so I suppose I could allow for this to be more 19th century in origin.

I had to put the book down at calling God ‘Sky Daddy.’ It was just so beyond anachronistic, a nod to a contemporary audience that the book hadn’t set itself up to earn. I feel like this author was aiming for Tamsyn Muir or Margaret Owen, but unfortunately it doesn’t EARN those moments like those two authors do. The humour feels flat because the characters have traits, but not a ton of depth or heart.

I really wanted to like this book. I was so excited for the premise.

This was truly so good. It was everything i excepted from a ya folktale romantasy and it DELIVERED. I loved all of the main characters Gisela a water nymph, Kazik an annoying exorcist, and Aleksey the cute blond boy who had them both wrapped around this finger.
their polyamorous relationship was so BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND AMAZING LIKE they had me giggling and kicking my feet they were so cute istg. I really loved the way their romance together was built like you could tell they really cared deeply for eo even if they didnt really show it.
I LOVE LOVE LOVED KAZIKS CHARACTER like hes was just so 😭😭😭 everything about him was just beautiful. He was annoying as first but the more we got to know him the more i felt attached to him. Hes so precious and sweet like THATS MY MISUNDERSTOOD BI EXORCIST PRINCESS I LOVE HIM !!
Im really happy i read this and im so ready for the second book. they have me hooked no joke like im inlove.

I don't normally read books like this one but the cover intrigued me and after reading it im so glad I got the chance to read it! I sincerely hope that there is a sequel because I really enjoyed the story.

*Thank you to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!*

Words cannot express how much I loved this book. From the atmosphere, to the world building, to the characters, I loved every bit. It is whimsical and dark with an edge of promise and hope. Gisela in particular is facing a near impossible quest and I admired her determination to get it done. She knew how difficult it would be but she held on tight to hope, and it was just the right touch of angst without being all consuming.

Kazik is very much her opposite, more sullen and a loner through and through, but even he has that fierce determination. Even if he navigates with a more negative headspace. He has those thoughts and feelings but it doesn’t entirely hold him back, which again, made a nice contrast without being too heavy or all consuming.

There is also a wide range of characters that vary from dark to morally gray but they still have such lovable traits to them. Alicia Jansiska did such a great job of creating likable, complex characters all tied together with this gorgeous atmosphere. I loved the lore and legend of the area which added another layer to these characters as they navigated this world they are in and I am desperate for more.

There is also queer representation here which is very much known without having to be spelled out for us a million times, which I personally enjoy with my queer representation. Sometimes it calls for it but this novel shares it the right amount because of the air of mystery around these characters. It also has a true enemies to lovers ARC that develops so well and naturally as they have to work together to sort out each other’s needs. I do think it leaves less room for another character to be fully in the mix, but given their own personal ARC, it makes sense and I have hope that it gets explored more in the next one.

All of these elements come together to make something so tragically beautiful, from sisterhood and companionship, to finding your place in the world and questioning what you thought you knew, to otherworldly elements that make it something entirely unique. I cannot recommend this book enough.

This Fatal Kiss was such a great book! I loved the writing style, the descriptions were so amazingly crafted, and I loved the voice of each character. Each POV was very distinct, and I loved seeing the happenings from all the POVs. All the characters had such a good arc, and I loved all of them so much. I'm not generally a poly romance enjoyer, but this was done very well and it was believable. Gisela was my favourite character, her sense of humour was amazing. The banter in general actually, was simply hilarious. I loved the culture and folklore woven into the story, it was very interesting to read, but it was in a very digestible format. This was an amazing book, and I would highly recommend picking it up! (4.5/5)

3.75 / 5 stars
queer and polyamorous? say less!!! (although personally despite the delicious flirting we got throughout, i only really felt like one pair of the relationship felt sufficiently developed and so although i appreciate the polyamory it didn't feel necessarily earned)
I've really been enjoying slavic folklore stories recently and overall this was extremely fun and enjoyable! if you're looking to dive into a consuming world that has you immersed from minute one then this is absolutely for you!
The ending really had me pining for the sequel so i hope it comes sooner rather than later!

3.5⭐️ rounded-up.

This was great. It was whimsical, fun, and true to the YA age classification.

I love stories rooted in folklore, so this Slavic Folklore-based story hits the mark. It's told through three different POVs (third person) with a sassy and spirited FMC (Gisela), a no-nonsense exorcist MMC (Kazik) and a handsome charismatic boy that they've both set their sights on.

It has some wonderful lgbtq+ representation and a little bit of polyamorous pining. The banter was cute, the plotline of a water nymph trying to regain her humanity was fun, and the characters were quirky. I also felt that this story has a fairytale retelling type of vibe.

I did feel like some of the folklore aspects and worldbuilding could've been a little bit more fleshed out. I'm assuming there will be a continuation of this book as we are left with some unresolved conflict, but this isn't very clear from the marketing. Another thing I struggled with is that there are things that are unsaid and overlooked - including some miscommunication - that almost doesn't feel realistic for the characters, at times.

Overall, it is a very good YA fantasy, fairytale-esque, and lighter than anticipated while also beautifully handling some darker themes. I do hope there will be a sequel

I was attracted by the beautiful cover and the captivating plot, and I was eager to immerse myself in a story with a polyamorous relationship and based on Slavic folklore; I'm sorry that what I can say positively stops here, because this book left me with a lukewarm opinion: the tone is not too serious, and Gisela is a noisy and messy protagonist; I found her to be the most interesting character in the narrative, while the two male characters, as much as they sparked my curiosity, I found them a bit flat and without a real characterization; also due to the plot that seemed to just go round in circles, this book failed to win me over.