Would you tempt even the most dangerous fate to save the ones you love?

Briseis has one chance to save her mother, but she’ll need to do the impossible: find the last fragment of the deadly Absyrtus Heart. To locate the missing piece, she must turn to the blood relatives she’s never known, learn about their secret powers, and take her place in their ancient lineage.

But Briseis is not the only one who wants the Heart, and her enemies will stop at nothing to fulfill their own ruthless plans. The fates tell of a truly dangerous journey, one that could end in more heartache, more death. Strengthened by the sisterhood of ancient magic, can Briseis harness her power to save the people she loves most?

Bestselling author Kalynn Bayron continues the story of Briseis and her family’s unique magic in the sequel to This Poison Heart.

Amazon Link: This Wicked Fate (This Poison Heart #2)

Author: Kalynn Bayron

Genre: YA Urban fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars

The second half of the duology picks up right after the shocking end of the first book and deepens the story. I learned a lot more about Briseis’s family, especially her mysterious ancestors, and got a lot more questions answered. But there are even more secrets lurking in the family tree.

I also liked that this book went more into the Greek mythology behind the story. Briseis has a classic quest complete with riddles and clues that she must solve along the way. The Greek gods were portrayed in a unique way in this story as it showed that even the gods can change over time, as they had to adapt to the modern world.

Briseis faces more demanding challenges to bring her mother back from the dead and right ancient wrongs. She will have to make even tougher choices about who to trust and what is the right thing to do. In the end, there is a satisfying end to the series and I liked the glimpse at her future.

I have mixed feelings about her romantic relationship, because it’s always weird when one character is mortal and the other is immortal (and much older). This book tried to create an interesting solution to that problem but I’m not sure if it really fixed everything. I still recommend picking up this sequel to anyone who enjoyed the first book.

Trigger warnings: death, poisoning, cutting, loss of a family member