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The Poisoner #1
The Poisoner
The Lost Apothecary
meets
Gothikana
in this Victorian gothic romance of posion, passion, and dark secrets following a botanist who likes to poison unsavory men, but when her next target visits her apothecary, they discover their dark bond runs deeper than they imagined.
Have you ever wondered how long it would take for a lethal dose of arsenic to kill you?
Thirty-five hours, twenty-nine minutes, and fifteen seconds.
I know because I counted myself.
Amidst the gaslit alleys and cobblestone streets of Victorian London, two killers find themselves entangled in a waltz they cannot escape.
Alina Lis, a botanist and hobbyist poisoner, has a pastime of killing unsavory men in her twisted sense of poetic justice. When she targets the conceited playboy, Silas Forbes, only to find him in her apothecary the following week, she discovers human men are the least of her problems.
The pair’s unlikely association sparks gossip among affluent society. As their mysterious bond deepens, a chilling truth emerges—concealed identities, lurking foes, and questions as plentiful as the hydra’s head brew within this haunting Gothic tale of violent passion.
Will Silas and Alina find themselves in each other’s arms, or will the shadows of their past keep them apart?
Have you ever wondered how long it would take for a lethal dose of arsenic to kill you?
Thirty-five hours, twenty-nine minutes, and fifteen seconds.
I know because I counted myself.
Amidst the gaslit alleys and cobblestone streets of Victorian London, two killers find themselves entangled in a waltz they cannot escape.
Alina Lis, a botanist and hobbyist poisoner, has a pastime of killing unsavory men in her twisted sense of poetic justice. When she targets the conceited playboy, Silas Forbes, only to find him in her apothecary the following week, she discovers human men are the least of her problems.
The pair’s unlikely association sparks gossip among affluent society. As their mysterious bond deepens, a chilling truth emerges—concealed identities, lurking foes, and questions as plentiful as the hydra’s head brew within this haunting Gothic tale of violent passion.
Will Silas and Alina find themselves in each other’s arms, or will the shadows of their past keep them apart?
12 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 6, 2024
About the author
I.V. Ophelia
8 books3,073 followersUSA Today Bestselling author I.V. Ophelia is known for the gothic vampire series The Poisoner. Born in small-town New England, she now haunts the streets of New York City, writing the most unhinged tales she can conjure. When not crafting gothic romance, she works as a full-time artist, hoards nineteenth-century gowns and antique furniture, dotes on her menagerie of pets, and plots her next literary transgression.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,583 reviews
May 23, 2024
Good marketing of the book but lacks substance. Held a lot of potential but it was a deeply flawed book for me. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it at times but if I really think about it, it was just the spice I liked and even that went wrong at the end.
✔️ Gothic erotica
✔️ Victorian era
✔️ Vampires
✔️ Enemies to lovers
The first half of this book is decent compared to the second half. But what bothers me is I couldn't connect to the story or to the characters at all. The story did not make much sense to me, especially towards the end. The characters as individuals suck to be frank. I liked the idea of Alina being a poisoner but it got old real quick as that was all there was to her. Same with Silas, the only thing going for him is he wants to play with his food. These two as individuals did not do much for me. It's only when they are together, things get interesting. The banter is enjoyable and the spice is well written, at least some of the scenes are, the rest just icked me. It is more lust than love imo.
For a book that is set in the Victorian era, it sure doesn't read like one. Yeah sure, the author tries to incorporate historical elements but it didn't really work out for me. Things seemed TOO modern.
The rape at the end seemed written for the sake of it. I don't understand the purpose and motive behind that. It seemed out of character and it absolutely disgusted me. Calling it anything other than rape will be lying and deceiving readers.
I was going to rate it 2.5 stars but then the rape happened and killed the book completely for me. So this is me rating it one for the chemistry between the two main characters and that's me being generous.
~•~•~
Time to give this gothic, enemies to lovers book a chance 👀
✔️ Gothic erotica
✔️ Victorian era
✔️ Vampires
✔️ Enemies to lovers
The first half of this book is decent compared to the second half. But what bothers me is I couldn't connect to the story or to the characters at all. The story did not make much sense to me, especially towards the end. The characters as individuals suck to be frank. I liked the idea of Alina being a poisoner but it got old real quick as that was all there was to her. Same with Silas, the only thing going for him is he wants to play with his food. These two as individuals did not do much for me. It's only when they are together, things get interesting. The banter is enjoyable and the spice is well written, at least some of the scenes are, the rest just icked me. It is more lust than love imo.
For a book that is set in the Victorian era, it sure doesn't read like one. Yeah sure, the author tries to incorporate historical elements but it didn't really work out for me. Things seemed TOO modern.
The rape at the end seemed written for the sake of it. I don't understand the purpose and motive behind that. It seemed out of character and it absolutely disgusted me. Calling it anything other than rape will be lying and deceiving readers.
I was going to rate it 2.5 stars but then the rape happened and killed the book completely for me. So this is me rating it one for the chemistry between the two main characters and that's me being generous.
~•~•~
Time to give this gothic, enemies to lovers book a chance 👀
August 31, 2024
Wait I loved this stop!! The ending definitely threw me for a bit of a loop not the biggest fan of that but like I have high hopes that book two will make up for it! The spooky gothic vibes were IMMACULATEEEE this reminded me why love gothic romance so much.
Silas…. SIRRRRRRR give me a witty, flirtatious vampire MMC who’s absolutely insane and completely obsessed with her and I’m folding like a lawn chair. However I will need major groveling from him in book 2.
Our FMC Alina is known as “the poisoner” and poisons terrible men and gives Silas a run for his money god I adore her!! Silas and Alina’s dynamic was EVERYTHING, their banter was chefs kiss and constantly had me giggling and kicking my feet!
AND THAT CLIFF HANGER?!!!! I need the next book NOW!
Silas…. SIRRRRRRR give me a witty, flirtatious vampire MMC who’s absolutely insane and completely obsessed with her and I’m folding like a lawn chair. However I will need major groveling from him in book 2.
Our FMC Alina is known as “the poisoner” and poisons terrible men and gives Silas a run for his money god I adore her!! Silas and Alina’s dynamic was EVERYTHING, their banter was chefs kiss and constantly had me giggling and kicking my feet!
AND THAT CLIFF HANGER?!!!! I need the next book NOW!
May 14, 2024
1.50!
What was the point of this book? I am so sad that I could not enjoy it because 1, the cover was so pretty and 2, the idea of the book really intrigued me but it just disappointed me because there was no sense of direction for the plot and it became quickly overshadowed by smut. Don’t get me wrong some of the smut was very hot but when you write a book containing 80% smut, even that gets boring and repetitive. One of the things that I do not enjoy is when the first smut scene is before page 200 especially in a 500 paged book, for this the first smut scene came 80 pages in :(
As for the characters both Alina and Silas intrigued me at the start, I was actually enjoying their interactions, banter so much but then everything started loosing it charm and eventually got very dry and I feel like it was too long?? With excessive smut and not enough growth.
The romance…I liked it until I didn’t and that rape scene plus that blood scene had me gagging and all the enjoyment I felt bolted away. The start was really good and had potential but it got boring too quick.
I personally would not recommend it to anyone because there is barley anything of substance but if you want something set in the Victorian era with excessive smut…you would probably enjoy this.
__
There always comes a time when I overload my CR shelf because the concept of control and resistance is unknown to me 😍🤭
What was the point of this book? I am so sad that I could not enjoy it because 1, the cover was so pretty and 2, the idea of the book really intrigued me but it just disappointed me because there was no sense of direction for the plot and it became quickly overshadowed by smut. Don’t get me wrong some of the smut was very hot but when you write a book containing 80% smut, even that gets boring and repetitive. One of the things that I do not enjoy is when the first smut scene is before page 200 especially in a 500 paged book, for this the first smut scene came 80 pages in :(
As for the characters both Alina and Silas intrigued me at the start, I was actually enjoying their interactions, banter so much but then everything started loosing it charm and eventually got very dry and I feel like it was too long?? With excessive smut and not enough growth.
The romance…I liked it until I didn’t and that rape scene plus that blood scene had me gagging and all the enjoyment I felt bolted away. The start was really good and had potential but it got boring too quick.
I personally would not recommend it to anyone because there is barley anything of substance but if you want something set in the Victorian era with excessive smut…you would probably enjoy this.
__
There always comes a time when I overload my CR shelf because the concept of control and resistance is unknown to me 😍🤭
May 26, 2024
Why do authors refuse to use the word rape in their content warnings?
I spent about a week reading this story and really enjoying it despite its many flaws. I had read the reader warning at the beginning of the book and assumed from the "Kink" section and the inclusion of the non/dubcon kink that the FMC and MMC would be involved in this and didn't think anymore of it until I got toward the very end of the book, chapter 48 to be exact.
What I read, sickened me to my stomach - I was not expecting it, at all. The reader is treated to a horrifically graphic scene of the FMC being raped by someone she thought was a friend, spanning over many pages. I was in shock reading this. So, I tried to swallow it down and kept reading, but the more I read, the worse I felt and the more angry I became. It is not often I feel anger when reading a book unless I feel I have been duped by an author.
The author made Silas, our MMC, seem like this impossibly larger than life figure, who could quite easily hold his own; he was in love with Alina and to him, she was his mate. So, I am thinking, Silas will surely get Alina away from her rapist at any cost... Silas does nothing. He sits back on his laurels and joins in with her rapist in a feeding frenzy with Alina, his supposed mate.
I haven't been this disgusted with a book since The Man Upstairs by Jade West.
Also, if you are going to write a book set in the Victorian era, surely one must use the language of the day? No one was speaking like an American, I can tell you that much. "Got it" and "I sure did" are not words that Victorians used.
I spent about a week reading this story and really enjoying it despite its many flaws. I had read the reader warning at the beginning of the book and assumed from the "Kink" section and the inclusion of the non/dubcon kink that the FMC and MMC would be involved in this and didn't think anymore of it until I got toward the very end of the book, chapter 48 to be exact.
What I read, sickened me to my stomach - I was not expecting it, at all. The reader is treated to a horrifically graphic scene of the FMC being raped by someone she thought was a friend, spanning over many pages. I was in shock reading this. So, I tried to swallow it down and kept reading, but the more I read, the worse I felt and the more angry I became. It is not often I feel anger when reading a book unless I feel I have been duped by an author.
The author made Silas, our MMC, seem like this impossibly larger than life figure, who could quite easily hold his own; he was in love with Alina and to him, she was his mate. So, I am thinking, Silas will surely get Alina away from her rapist at any cost... Silas does nothing. He sits back on his laurels and joins in with her rapist in a feeding frenzy with Alina, his supposed mate.
I haven't been this disgusted with a book since The Man Upstairs by Jade West.
Also, if you are going to write a book set in the Victorian era, surely one must use the language of the day? No one was speaking like an American, I can tell you that much. "Got it" and "I sure did" are not words that Victorians used.
March 17, 2024
ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. i loved every second of it.
May 8, 2024
girl what the fuck
July 8, 2024
i wasn’t going to write a review for this but then i realized i can’t relax without ranting about it
first of all, it was so so so boring. you would expect something more interesting from a book about a poisoner and vampire.
the book took a different turn around last 15%, i guess the author realized how boring the book was and decided adding something different but failed miserably. i personally don’t like reading about main character getting raped especially if she was raped in the past and has trauma because of it. i also don’t like when the hero is all tough when it comes to the fmc but weak against the villain. the night after fmc was raped, hero gets in the bed with her and her rapist because that was the only way he could get close to her🤔 and then tries to make her jealous with other girls on his lap🤣shut the fuck up and get away from her please.
death trope for the hero and every other character in the book except heroine please🙏🏼 you’re all liars and cheaters‼️
also the cliffhanger🤣 wish i knew this wasn’t a standalone so i wouldn’t bother reading it in the first place
~~~~
i’m really really really excited for this
first of all, it was so so so boring. you would expect something more interesting from a book about a poisoner and vampire.
the book took a different turn around last 15%, i guess the author realized how boring the book was and decided adding something different but failed miserably. i personally don’t like reading about main character getting raped especially if she was raped in the past and has trauma because of it. i also don’t like when the hero is all tough when it comes to the fmc but weak against the villain. the night after fmc was raped, hero gets in the bed with her and her rapist because that was the only way he could get close to her🤔 and then tries to make her jealous with other girls on his lap🤣shut the fuck up and get away from her please.
death trope for the hero and every other character in the book except heroine please🙏🏼 you’re all liars and cheaters‼️
also the cliffhanger🤣 wish i knew this wasn’t a standalone so i wouldn’t bother reading it in the first place
~~~~
i’m really really really excited for this
January 27, 2026
This was genuinely so painful to read. What even was that??
Okay I’m going to start off positives, with what I liked!
The first 10% was decent and had me intrigued. The gothic Victorian era. I managed to fly through it within 24 hours. Okay, that’s all.
The more I read of this the worse it got. I went in with low expectations and somehow still managed to give this 1 star. It went from having potential to be somewhat decent, to completely mundane & boring, to outright terrible. Sure, the concept is intriguing but the Insta lust, none existent plot and terrible writing was absolutely not it.
The spice started at 17% in; like please. I hate this shit. The story itself feels so surface level to read so the amount of insta lust and smut made it so much worse.
Listen, he called her period her strawberry week. I get he’s a vampire but be for real. I cannot be taking this shit seriously 😭
Oh and she pisses herself at one point - yeah I don’t even know what to tell you about that.
At first I did enjoy the MMC, Silas, he was amusing. I enjoyed his quirky quips and unbothered manner - it was funny. Then it was just annoying because I guess that’s all he has to offer.
Alina started off great… I loved the man hate LOL, but idk she just became so bland and boring - like the rest of the book. I was expecting her to be a baddie. She was not.
Seriously NOTHING happens for the majority of this book. It’s so fucking boring. Silas stalks her - she’s like ‘oh no leave me alone’ 🙄 - spice - repeat. They have zero chemistry, zero tension - nothing.
Reading about them could actually be a cure for insomnia.
Then the ending? What the fuck was even happening??? Bro, I was literally so confused to what the heck was popping off. Seriously?? What. No. Terrible book. 0/10.
I assume book 2 will explain what Silas was fucking about at during this time?? Not that I will be reading it to find out. Maybe they will all drown and all this nonsense will be over.
Yeah I probably should have DNFd this but I wanted to be a fully informed hater & now I am.
I do want to note that I understand the indie version has a very graphic SA scene in it - that has been changed now.
Books still shit though.
Also, my arc version has zero content warning in general - wasn't an issue for me but could be for others!
I have some besties who really like this one but I guess don’t let me put you off… but it’s a no from me. Sorry.
Thank you to Simon Maverick Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
Okay I’m going to start off positives, with what I liked!
The first 10% was decent and had me intrigued. The gothic Victorian era. I managed to fly through it within 24 hours. Okay, that’s all.
The more I read of this the worse it got. I went in with low expectations and somehow still managed to give this 1 star. It went from having potential to be somewhat decent, to completely mundane & boring, to outright terrible. Sure, the concept is intriguing but the Insta lust, none existent plot and terrible writing was absolutely not it.
The spice started at 17% in; like please. I hate this shit. The story itself feels so surface level to read so the amount of insta lust and smut made it so much worse.
Listen, he called her period her strawberry week. I get he’s a vampire but be for real. I cannot be taking this shit seriously 😭
Oh and she pisses herself at one point - yeah I don’t even know what to tell you about that.
At first I did enjoy the MMC, Silas, he was amusing. I enjoyed his quirky quips and unbothered manner - it was funny. Then it was just annoying because I guess that’s all he has to offer.
Alina started off great… I loved the man hate LOL, but idk she just became so bland and boring - like the rest of the book. I was expecting her to be a baddie. She was not.
Seriously NOTHING happens for the majority of this book. It’s so fucking boring. Silas stalks her - she’s like ‘oh no leave me alone’ 🙄 - spice - repeat. They have zero chemistry, zero tension - nothing.
Reading about them could actually be a cure for insomnia.
Then the ending? What the fuck was even happening??? Bro, I was literally so confused to what the heck was popping off. Seriously?? What. No. Terrible book. 0/10.
I assume book 2 will explain what Silas was fucking about at during this time?? Not that I will be reading it to find out. Maybe they will all drown and all this nonsense will be over.
Yeah I probably should have DNFd this but I wanted to be a fully informed hater & now I am.
I do want to note that I understand the indie version has a very graphic SA scene in it - that has been changed now.
Books still shit though.
Also, my arc version has zero content warning in general - wasn't an issue for me but could be for others!
I have some besties who really like this one but I guess don’t let me put you off… but it’s a no from me. Sorry.
Thank you to Simon Maverick Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
February 6, 2026
In this book: woman who poisons abusive men for a living is flattered when a hot man abuses her.
The premise had potential. Alina is a botanist by day and poisoner by night, quietly taking care of business in a male-dominated 1890s world on her own terms. She's very Not Like Other Girls, but stands out to me because she has carved out a space in a world that keeps trying to reclaim it. That's the kind of Not Like Other Girls I can actually get behind. The Victorian London setting does a lot of the right things, too. Gaslit streets, an apothecary full of things that can kill you in interesting ways, a society that underestimates Alina at every turn. Ok, I like it.
And then she meets Silas.
A morally gray character and an unlikable character are not the same thing. Silas is the latter. God complex, entirely self-serving, and even when he gestures at something like love, it's still really just about him. I spent the whole book waiting for Alina to poison him because he genuinely deserved it, especially towards the end. Like chapter 50, what the fuck??
This book is basically a masterclass in missed potential. The love/hate dynamic is one of them. The book establishes Alina as someone who pushes back against abuse, which means their dynamic should leave a lot of room for something complicated and interesting, but it's never explored or even acknowledged. It seems like such an oversight to spend the entire first act setting up this strong FMC who fights back against abuse just to have her fold like a lawn chair when she is abused by a hot man. What was the point?
Some inconsistencies in how she responds to her own trauma bothered me too. The book sets up a clear picture of what she can and can't handle, and then promptly forgets about it. I'm keeping it vague on purpose to avoid spoilers about the actual trauma I'm referring to, but one example of an inconsistency is that Alina nearly faints at the sight of her own blood, but has zero issues dismembering a body.
The ending felt rushed. Things are left unexplained in a way that doesn't feel intentional. Alina basically teleports between two completely different places and as a reader, you have no idea how she got there. And of all the parts of a book you could rush, why would you pick the ending? The crescendo? That's the part we all want more of, not less!!
The problematic themes in this book likely mean you'll either love it or hate it. If you like books similar to Haunting Adeline (which, to be fair, I haven't read, but the vibe seems identical), this might be worth picking up. Personally, I wanted Alina's integrity to stay intact under the gaze of an abusive man regardless of how hot he is. I thought that was the whole point of this book. Like, finally there's a female lead who isn't going to just take all this abuse because he's hot and tall. But that seems to be exactly where this story is going. Girl, poison his ass!! You're The Poisoner!
There is a sequel coming, so I guess it makes sense that this book couldn't end the way I wanted. I wouldn't mind reading it just to see if she actually ends up killing him, but it would be very disappointing if it ended with a "happily ever after" where she somehow forgives her rapist just because he's hot and has decided that she's his mate (aka property)
——
I am adding this comment to my review after reading some stuff about the author. Not only did the author write a questionable “dark romance” scene involving rape (which I mention in the review, the chapter 50 comment) without proper trigger warnings, and when readers pointed this out to her, she posted a reel saying “when dark romance readers actually read dark romance and can’t handle it”. There are other accusations made against her as well, including harassing BIPOC, defending racism and being rude to fans. Most of it seems to be accusations with no receipts, but I’d rather not risk it. I won’t be reading the sequel!
The premise had potential. Alina is a botanist by day and poisoner by night, quietly taking care of business in a male-dominated 1890s world on her own terms. She's very Not Like Other Girls, but stands out to me because she has carved out a space in a world that keeps trying to reclaim it. That's the kind of Not Like Other Girls I can actually get behind. The Victorian London setting does a lot of the right things, too. Gaslit streets, an apothecary full of things that can kill you in interesting ways, a society that underestimates Alina at every turn. Ok, I like it.
And then she meets Silas.
A morally gray character and an unlikable character are not the same thing. Silas is the latter. God complex, entirely self-serving, and even when he gestures at something like love, it's still really just about him. I spent the whole book waiting for Alina to poison him because he genuinely deserved it, especially towards the end. Like chapter 50, what the fuck??
This book is basically a masterclass in missed potential. The love/hate dynamic is one of them. The book establishes Alina as someone who pushes back against abuse, which means their dynamic should leave a lot of room for something complicated and interesting, but it's never explored or even acknowledged. It seems like such an oversight to spend the entire first act setting up this strong FMC who fights back against abuse just to have her fold like a lawn chair when she is abused by a hot man. What was the point?
Some inconsistencies in how she responds to her own trauma bothered me too. The book sets up a clear picture of what she can and can't handle, and then promptly forgets about it. I'm keeping it vague on purpose to avoid spoilers about the actual trauma I'm referring to, but one example of an inconsistency is that Alina nearly faints at the sight of her own blood, but has zero issues dismembering a body.
The ending felt rushed. Things are left unexplained in a way that doesn't feel intentional. Alina basically teleports between two completely different places and as a reader, you have no idea how she got there. And of all the parts of a book you could rush, why would you pick the ending? The crescendo? That's the part we all want more of, not less!!
The problematic themes in this book likely mean you'll either love it or hate it. If you like books similar to Haunting Adeline (which, to be fair, I haven't read, but the vibe seems identical), this might be worth picking up. Personally, I wanted Alina's integrity to stay intact under the gaze of an abusive man regardless of how hot he is. I thought that was the whole point of this book. Like, finally there's a female lead who isn't going to just take all this abuse because he's hot and tall. But that seems to be exactly where this story is going. Girl, poison his ass!! You're The Poisoner!
There is a sequel coming, so I guess it makes sense that this book couldn't end the way I wanted. I wouldn't mind reading it just to see if she actually ends up killing him, but it would be very disappointing if it ended with a "happily ever after" where she somehow forgives her rapist just because he's hot and has decided that she's his mate (aka property)
——
I am adding this comment to my review after reading some stuff about the author. Not only did the author write a questionable “dark romance” scene involving rape (which I mention in the review, the chapter 50 comment) without proper trigger warnings, and when readers pointed this out to her, she posted a reel saying “when dark romance readers actually read dark romance and can’t handle it”. There are other accusations made against her as well, including harassing BIPOC, defending racism and being rude to fans. Most of it seems to be accusations with no receipts, but I’d rather not risk it. I won’t be reading the sequel!
April 20, 2024
If Bride by Ali Hazelwood and Haunting Adeline by H.D.Carlton had a child🤡
And I MEAN it.
-mmc who is obsessed with fmc, stalks her, rapes her, playing games where she needs to hide or run from him.
-of course she likes it, but she doesn’t want to admit it because “she will let him win”
-mates
-KNOTTING or “matting”
-people trafficking
-fmc is kidnapped and raped by other men, and mmc needs to save her, but he needs time.
(But unlike Zade he doesn’t do anything to save her and just joins “the party”🙃)
Literally the worst premise ever.
ALSO he raped her during her period, called it A STRAWBBERY WEEK, ate this blood, and said "blood is blood"😃
NOPE
Pre-read:
A killer who murders boys for fun and a vampire who is obsessed with her? Sign me up.
And I MEAN it.
-mmc who is obsessed with fmc, stalks her, rapes her, playing games where she needs to hide or run from him.
-of course she likes it, but she doesn’t want to admit it because “she will let him win”
-mates
-KNOTTING or “matting”
-people trafficking
-fmc is kidnapped and raped by other men, and mmc needs to save her, but he needs time.
(But unlike Zade he doesn’t do anything to save her and just joins “the party”🙃)
Literally the worst premise ever.
ALSO he raped her during her period, called it A STRAWBBERY WEEK, ate this blood, and said "blood is blood"😃
NOPE
Pre-read:
A killer who murders boys for fun and a vampire who is obsessed with her? Sign me up.
November 6, 2024
updating my review because at the time of finishing my head was spinning and i couldn't process my feelings. this is a book that lives RENT FREE in my head and the amount of time i spend thinking about these characters is unhealthy.
from start to finish this book had sunk it's pointy teeth into me and it would not let go. the dark gothic victorian setting was atmospheric and honestly perfect. this was also an extremely good example of a TRUE enemies to lovers - in this case between our MMC Silas (<3) who is a sexy, obsessive, morally black, STALKER vampire (with a forked tongue i might add) and FMC Alina who is strong, intelligent, independant, endearing - oh and did i mention she's a woman of science who secretly poisons horrible men? my girl.
i feel like I.V. Ophelia took so many tropes i enjoy, executed them perfectly and put them all into this book. i'm not going to lie, on my initial read there were parts of the ending that really threw me - (i pray the next books heal me!!) but it has now been 7 months since i first read this book and i still think about it all the time so it's undoubtedly one of my favourite books ever.
from start to finish this book had sunk it's pointy teeth into me and it would not let go. the dark gothic victorian setting was atmospheric and honestly perfect. this was also an extremely good example of a TRUE enemies to lovers - in this case between our MMC Silas (<3) who is a sexy, obsessive, morally black, STALKER vampire (with a forked tongue i might add) and FMC Alina who is strong, intelligent, independant, endearing - oh and did i mention she's a woman of science who secretly poisons horrible men? my girl.
i feel like I.V. Ophelia took so many tropes i enjoy, executed them perfectly and put them all into this book. i'm not going to lie, on my initial read there were parts of the ending that really threw me - (i pray the next books heal me!!) but it has now been 7 months since i first read this book and i still think about it all the time so it's undoubtedly one of my favourite books ever.
June 5, 2024
I hate smut>plot so much
March 10, 2024
"I am beginning to think he’s less interested in killing me and more interested in courting me."
RELEASE DATE: May 6th.
TROPES:
• Ghotic, erotic, horror, romance.
• Victorian era.
• Unreliable narrator.
• Erotic, but with a thriller plot.
• Rich playboy MMC.
• FMC in STEM.
• Poisoner x Vampire.
• Enemies to lovers (hard on enemies).
• A LOT of couple banter and flirting.
• MMC kills for his beloved, this is real romance.
CW : explicit sexual scenes. violence, gore, blood, use of substances, light BDSM, SA survivor, non/dub-con.
ARC REVIEW
Alina Lis, the Poisoner, is a botanist, her poisons are only supposed to kill evil men and she thinks it goes unnoticed until she attracts Silas Forbes, the Creature, kind of a vampire with modifications, a forked tongue and fascinating anatomy for Alina. One night at one of Alina's best friend's parties, she sees Silas feeding from a woman and it starts a game between them: she knows he will come find and kill her, and she intends to poison him first.
Let me start by saying I adore these characters, Alina is such a smart and unique character, she made a creature like Silas bend to her will so that's definitely mother behavior, I also think I.V. Ophelia was so thoughtful to write her having poliosis, I've never read any character with this. And Silas is flirty, funny, HOT, protective. I really like their personalities and think they have amazing chemistry because they're so different, but complete each other.
The side characters Phoebe and Viktor were also great, before I read this I thought I'd be more attached to them because usually the side characters are always more appealing to me than the main ones, but as much as I love Phoebe (and I do), Silas and Alina are still my favs.
I thought SilasAlina would be AddieLuc (from 'The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue') coded, and they kind of were, I love when the girl gets with the villain she hated, so they're definitely a darker and slutier version of AddieLuc. Their scenes consist of chasing/hunting, banter, flirtations, some protective scenes, and soft ones too. I thought we wouldn't be getting any softness, but this book surprisingly also served it in a few scenes.
The plot is good, you can see the writer did plan this perfectly and it IS an interesting book, there's a thriller and not just smut and banter, which I loved. It's set in the Victorian Era, and I have to admit we need more dark romance/erotica books set in this era because this one served.
As for the villain and a few other surprises in the book, they were predictable, it's fine by me because I just always predict at least half of the surprises before they happen. I just hope to see Silas' family more in the second book because I feel like the drama is just starting.
This story had such a great ending, an open one for now (considering it's part of a trilogy), I'm DYING to know what happens next and I hope the author is working on the sequel as I write this because I'm going INSANE.
What I disliked:
1. The scene where Silas uses his Scales on Alina without her consent (you'll know what I'm talking about once you read).
2. That scene of Luka and Alina (and rice).
3. And also the scene of Silas and Luka feeding at the same time.
Wtf was that? If my man saw me being hurt he wouldn't stop fighting the guy until he was dead, Silas failed Alina badly, and the fact that he didn't do anything made me laugh because how do you define yourself as a predator and killer if you won't even keep trying to kill your beloved's abuser?
What makes me sad it's that this happened in the second half of the book and from my point of view all these were so unnecessary, the book HAD POTENTIAL to be better without these.
While I did give this a 4-star rating, believe me when I say I still don't agree with these scenes I mentioned.
Thank you I.V. Ophelia for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review, this was one of my most anticipated reads and I can't wait for book II.
RELEASE DATE: May 6th.
TROPES:
• Ghotic, erotic, horror, romance.
• Victorian era.
• Unreliable narrator.
• Erotic, but with a thriller plot.
• Rich playboy MMC.
• FMC in STEM.
• Poisoner x Vampire.
• Enemies to lovers (hard on enemies).
• A LOT of couple banter and flirting.
• MMC kills for his beloved, this is real romance.
CW : explicit sexual scenes. violence, gore, blood, use of substances, light BDSM, SA survivor, non/dub-con.
ARC REVIEW
Alina Lis, the Poisoner, is a botanist, her poisons are only supposed to kill evil men and she thinks it goes unnoticed until she attracts Silas Forbes, the Creature, kind of a vampire with modifications, a forked tongue and fascinating anatomy for Alina. One night at one of Alina's best friend's parties, she sees Silas feeding from a woman and it starts a game between them: she knows he will come find and kill her, and she intends to poison him first.
Let me start by saying I adore these characters, Alina is such a smart and unique character, she made a creature like Silas bend to her will so that's definitely mother behavior, I also think I.V. Ophelia was so thoughtful to write her having poliosis, I've never read any character with this. And Silas is flirty, funny, HOT, protective. I really like their personalities and think they have amazing chemistry because they're so different, but complete each other.
The side characters Phoebe and Viktor were also great, before I read this I thought I'd be more attached to them because usually the side characters are always more appealing to me than the main ones, but as much as I love Phoebe (and I do), Silas and Alina are still my favs.
I thought SilasAlina would be AddieLuc (from 'The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue') coded, and they kind of were, I love when the girl gets with the villain she hated, so they're definitely a darker and slutier version of AddieLuc. Their scenes consist of chasing/hunting, banter, flirtations, some protective scenes, and soft ones too. I thought we wouldn't be getting any softness, but this book surprisingly also served it in a few scenes.
The plot is good, you can see the writer did plan this perfectly and it IS an interesting book, there's a thriller and not just smut and banter, which I loved. It's set in the Victorian Era, and I have to admit we need more dark romance/erotica books set in this era because this one served.
As for the villain and a few other surprises in the book, they were predictable, it's fine by me because I just always predict at least half of the surprises before they happen. I just hope to see Silas' family more in the second book because I feel like the drama is just starting.
This story had such a great ending, an open one for now (considering it's part of a trilogy), I'm DYING to know what happens next and I hope the author is working on the sequel as I write this because I'm going INSANE.
What I disliked:
1. The scene where Silas uses his Scales on Alina without her consent (you'll know what I'm talking about once you read).
2. That scene of Luka and Alina (and rice).
3. And also the scene of Silas and Luka feeding at the same time.
Wtf was that? If my man saw me being hurt he wouldn't stop fighting the guy until he was dead, Silas failed Alina badly, and the fact that he didn't do anything made me laugh because how do you define yourself as a predator and killer if you won't even keep trying to kill your beloved's abuser?
What makes me sad it's that this happened in the second half of the book and from my point of view all these were so unnecessary, the book HAD POTENTIAL to be better without these.
While I did give this a 4-star rating, believe me when I say I still don't agree with these scenes I mentioned.
Thank you I.V. Ophelia for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review, this was one of my most anticipated reads and I can't wait for book II.
September 10, 2025
The MMC gives gothic Jacks. Or is he a more flirty Draco Malfoy? Interesting premise of a cat and mouse game (or is she the cat??). I couldn’t really figure out when this story was set… pseudo Victorian era x gothic? I had a good time and will be picking up book 2.
If you’re reading other Goodreads reviews, please know that the newer version is revised and some of the criticism that people have about the original ending has been changed.
If you’re reading other Goodreads reviews, please know that the newer version is revised and some of the criticism that people have about the original ending has been changed.
May 17, 2024
What a dreadful disaster.
The Poisoner is essentially Haunting Adeline, with the rapist being a vampire and the extremely obnoxious victim being a so-called poisoner who spends the entire active plot failing at being a poisoner. Though, there is no plot, save for the porn, porn, and more porn. Plus the author's rape fantasies.
The story begins with the protagonist, who is just SO not like other girls, attending her friend's party, where the author makes pitiful attempts at making the dialogue sound old-timey. Alina immediately stumbles on the vampire rapist murdering a young woman, and despite the fact that her entire profession is based on killing abusive men to protect women, she does absolutely nothing about this, and leaves the woman to be murdered by the vampire rapist. Totally makes sense for her character, right?
She then immediately starts being stalked by the vampire rapist, who is just a silly goofy guy playing some games! Cue the scenes cut straight from Haunting Adeline with names replaced and vampire fangs added, i.e. the stupid hide and seek bullshit. The vampire rapist gives Alina multiple serious injuries, such as a concussion and a gash in her head requiring stitches, and also torments her by leaving dead animals and body parts in her house. He makes several advances on her, in which she screams no and does not give him consent, but he does it anyway, and she magically ends up liking it because people, for some reason, love to romanticize abuse and rape. Again, Haunting Adeline.
The majority of the book completely lacks a plot, with chapters jumping around between instances of the vampire rapist tormenting Alina. The vampire rapist also, for some reason, has his own perspective in chapters, though this adds absolutely nothing to the story. He's extremely inconsistent, first saying he can't wait to murder her, then wanting to fuck her and murder her, then just wanting to fuck her, then saying he was never intending on murdering her at all and just wanted to have her to himself. Vampire rapist needs to get a hobby.
The only plotline that exists in this story is that Alina has accidentally poisoned some of the vampires, and the big bad mafia leader vampire is mad at her and wants to have her killed for that. However, her poisons never did anything to vampire rapist, so I'm not sure why big bad mafia man cares so much that someone is failing miserably at killing his little vampire babies. The poisons do not effect at them at all. But whatever. It's fine. The only plotline doesn't make sense and also doesn't play into the story at all until the very end.
Cue the part of the story where Alina is kidnapped by vampire rapist #2, who pretended to be her friend all along, and when he inevitably rapes her, she doesn't like it, even though vampire rapist #1 effectively did the exact same things to her but for some reason, she loved it. Neither had her consent, and yet... Another stupid Haunting Adeline-ism.
Vampire rapist #1, who is just so in love with Alina, does nothing about rapist #2 raping her, and instead goes to her bed in the middle of the night with him to feed on her and grope her without her consent. Huh. Almost like that's a common theme. Vampire rapist #1 literally murdered some random guy for being mean to her, but when another vampire rapes her, he doesn't care. Cute. Such a true romance, right? What a green flag of a man!
The book wraps up with a very anticlimactic ending, which doesn't surprise me, since there was no substance to the rest of the book anyway, I don't know why I thought the ending would be better. And for some reason, this isn't a standalone, because the author just NEEDS to write more vampire rape fantasy porn.
Don't take this the wrong way- I love a smutty book, and I'm into dark fantasy. This is not dark fantasy. This is rape and abuse, straight through, with the author pretending all of it (save for the second rapist part) is kinky and consensual. It is not consensual when Alina screams no at vampire rapist #1 for half of the book. This is a distasteful addition to the books that I've read, which is extremely sad because I was excited to read this book when I first read the synopsis.
So to sum it up; don't read this, except as a little piece of entertainment when you're bored in a reading slump. Or unless you also like romanticizing literal rape and assault.
As Tyra Banks said, "It's so bad, I want to give it a zero. But that's not possible, so I give you... a one."
The Poisoner is essentially Haunting Adeline, with the rapist being a vampire and the extremely obnoxious victim being a so-called poisoner who spends the entire active plot failing at being a poisoner. Though, there is no plot, save for the porn, porn, and more porn. Plus the author's rape fantasies.
The story begins with the protagonist, who is just SO not like other girls, attending her friend's party, where the author makes pitiful attempts at making the dialogue sound old-timey. Alina immediately stumbles on the vampire rapist murdering a young woman, and despite the fact that her entire profession is based on killing abusive men to protect women, she does absolutely nothing about this, and leaves the woman to be murdered by the vampire rapist. Totally makes sense for her character, right?
She then immediately starts being stalked by the vampire rapist, who is just a silly goofy guy playing some games! Cue the scenes cut straight from Haunting Adeline with names replaced and vampire fangs added, i.e. the stupid hide and seek bullshit. The vampire rapist gives Alina multiple serious injuries, such as a concussion and a gash in her head requiring stitches, and also torments her by leaving dead animals and body parts in her house. He makes several advances on her, in which she screams no and does not give him consent, but he does it anyway, and she magically ends up liking it because people, for some reason, love to romanticize abuse and rape. Again, Haunting Adeline.
The majority of the book completely lacks a plot, with chapters jumping around between instances of the vampire rapist tormenting Alina. The vampire rapist also, for some reason, has his own perspective in chapters, though this adds absolutely nothing to the story. He's extremely inconsistent, first saying he can't wait to murder her, then wanting to fuck her and murder her, then just wanting to fuck her, then saying he was never intending on murdering her at all and just wanted to have her to himself. Vampire rapist needs to get a hobby.
The only plotline that exists in this story is that Alina has accidentally poisoned some of the vampires, and the big bad mafia leader vampire is mad at her and wants to have her killed for that. However, her poisons never did anything to vampire rapist, so I'm not sure why big bad mafia man cares so much that someone is failing miserably at killing his little vampire babies. The poisons do not effect at them at all. But whatever. It's fine. The only plotline doesn't make sense and also doesn't play into the story at all until the very end.
Cue the part of the story where Alina is kidnapped by vampire rapist #2, who pretended to be her friend all along, and when he inevitably rapes her, she doesn't like it, even though vampire rapist #1 effectively did the exact same things to her but for some reason, she loved it. Neither had her consent, and yet... Another stupid Haunting Adeline-ism.
Vampire rapist #1, who is just so in love with Alina, does nothing about rapist #2 raping her, and instead goes to her bed in the middle of the night with him to feed on her and grope her without her consent. Huh. Almost like that's a common theme. Vampire rapist #1 literally murdered some random guy for being mean to her, but when another vampire rapes her, he doesn't care. Cute. Such a true romance, right? What a green flag of a man!
The book wraps up with a very anticlimactic ending, which doesn't surprise me, since there was no substance to the rest of the book anyway, I don't know why I thought the ending would be better. And for some reason, this isn't a standalone, because the author just NEEDS to write more vampire rape fantasy porn.
Don't take this the wrong way- I love a smutty book, and I'm into dark fantasy. This is not dark fantasy. This is rape and abuse, straight through, with the author pretending all of it (save for the second rapist part) is kinky and consensual. It is not consensual when Alina screams no at vampire rapist #1 for half of the book. This is a distasteful addition to the books that I've read, which is extremely sad because I was excited to read this book when I first read the synopsis.
So to sum it up; don't read this, except as a little piece of entertainment when you're bored in a reading slump. Or unless you also like romanticizing literal rape and assault.
As Tyra Banks said, "It's so bad, I want to give it a zero. But that's not possible, so I give you... a one."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2026
‧˚꒰🩸꒱༘‧— 3.5 stars
⤿ finish: october 23, 2026. "𝔅𝔦𝔱𝔢 𝔐𝔢"
what the hell were those ending chapters?? the twist after twist and then THAT cliffhanger??? for a moment, i genuinely thought this had turned into a f/f romance🙃💀 Silas, what have you done?! i need the next book🤧 i NEED answers😭🔪 btw totally enjoyed the creature and his shadow's banter, the deal and viktor was very annoying, loved alina & pheobe's friendship🎀👩🏻🔬🧫👗🪩
note: listening to the audiobook made the whole experience so much more vivid, especially those creepy rattling sounds silas made. meanwhile, clemy assumed they sounded sexy. LMAO?! 😭🤣😂🤣🤣😂
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ⍴rᥱrᥱᥲძ ୭ 🦇 ˚. ᵎᵎ
⤿ start: october 19, 2026
VAMPIRES + GOTHIC + ENEMIES TO LOVERS?! 🙂↕️ oh i'm SO ready for this, literally running straight towards the flame 😏🤭 buddy bombing Clemy cuz we're in this together🧛🏻♀️🍂💋
⤿ finish: october 23, 2026. "𝔅𝔦𝔱𝔢 𝔐𝔢"
what the hell were those ending chapters?? the twist after twist and then THAT cliffhanger??? for a moment, i genuinely thought this had turned into a f/f romance🙃💀 Silas, what have you done?! i need the next book🤧 i NEED answers😭🔪 btw totally enjoyed the creature and his shadow's banter, the deal and viktor was very annoying, loved alina & pheobe's friendship🎀👩🏻🔬🧫👗🪩
note: listening to the audiobook made the whole experience so much more vivid, especially those creepy rattling sounds silas made. meanwhile, clemy assumed they sounded sexy. LMAO?! 😭🤣😂🤣🤣😂
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⊹ ࣪ ˖ ⍴rᥱrᥱᥲძ ୭ 🦇 ˚. ᵎᵎ
⤿ start: october 19, 2026
VAMPIRES + GOTHIC + ENEMIES TO LOVERS?! 🙂↕️ oh i'm SO ready for this, literally running straight towards the flame 😏🤭 buddy bombing Clemy cuz we're in this together🧛🏻♀️🍂💋
May 14, 2024
“The Poisoner” feels like you’re reading a bad fanfic of “The Poisoner”. Like if “Empire of the Vampire” and “A Little Life” had a child.
“The Poisoner”’s promoting on Insta was a masterclass on marketing. The art, the promos, the taglines and the general premise of the story made me excited for the release of the book. The more I read of the book, the more it fell apart. Setting aside the occasional typos, repetitions, and the historical inaccuracies, there were a lot of contradictions and inconsistencies of who’s doing what where. Add to that that this is marketed and tagged as a vampire novel but it just isn't. I'm all for authors doing their own twist on vampires but this is its own unique and different type of creature/monster (the vipera which are like snake lycans or something), and it should have been presented as such. The only thing remotely vampiric about the creatures here is that they can’t die easy, don't age and drink blood. This unique monster is one of the few positives about the book. It is easier to market and get the algorithm going if this is presented as vampire dark romance but it’s false advertisement and a miss on trademarking some really cool snake creatures, but I digress.
There was a kink list and a general author’s note that could have been a tw list, to be honest. Especially since half the kinks are actually triggers, and not one person who alpha/beta read this thought to ask for a needles warning. I’m not phobic but those descriptions were in 4K. But I guess “inappropriate use of rice” took precedent for the lolz. The minute detail SA scene followed by Alina blaming herself then Dr. Useless coming in and victim blaming her were really the cherry on top. But the rice, reader! The rice!
The writing in the beginning is good but it progressively deteriorates. The miscommunication between ALL the characters wasn’t helping either. Add to that things were either randomly revealed or swept under the rug. The way Alina mentions she’s a poisoner and kills men on the side, was so random and braggy. Like the author couldn’t wait to throw this in the first chapter instead of reveal it in a more natural way, for example Alina poisoning some weirdo. Where’s the suspense, the mystery? Instead we get “oh, btw, I give poison to women to kill men”. Why? How? How do these women know to seek you out, from an advertisement, like what?? Then a great deal of the book is spend saying not showing how she’s this great scientist and she’s barely in the apothecary. Despite being this great genius, Alina is described having fun quirks like forgetting to put on gloves while she handles toxic plants (so her fingers are constantly tinted for the aesthetic) or forgets to label vials with poisons. Interestingly enough, this wasn’t the worst of her quirky characteristics - she also forgets to sleep and eat. Ah, the classic mad scientist (or Mary Sue, as the story progresses and she is seen running tho and fro chased by men who are infatuated with her, fainting, banging her head 46 times until finally the concussion catches up to her).
I have to assume that Alina comes from a well to do background since she’s not making a living from the apothecary based on how rarely that place is open for business. But at the same time neither she nor Silas (who also comes from money, shocker) have zero servants or house keepers in their huge empty manors where they can play cat and mouse undisturbed for days. Feels weird.
Literally everyone is beautiful and rich, and for some reason the tabloids and the whole of London are talking about Alina and Silas. Okay?
In terms of the characters, Alina starts off as this badass, smart, independent, ahead of her time woman, who ends up as an epileptic Mary Sue (even before getting to the Nest) with two red flags fawning over her. There’s no rhyme or reason to everyone’s actions. The characters have bark but no bite. Silas is introduced as this cold hearted killer who enjoys putting “birdies” in their place only to apologise like a school boy when he cums in Alina’s mouth. Phoebe, who’s always described as being overbearing and needs to know where Alina is 24/7, is nowhere to be found when Alina is gone for a week without an explanation. It’s like Phoebe forgot about her second character trait other than being excited over pink dresses and gossip. This book did not do her justice. Even Dr. Hayes was better written and that man had no purpose for 90% of the story. Half the dialogues sound like 13 year olds are trying to outsmart each other, only to end up with the most immature and off banter.
It’s absolutely hysterical of me to say that the characters are behaving OOC but by god, they are, half the time I was going “who are you?” when Alina and Silas interacted. They were inconsistent in the way they talked and acted.
This review is getting too long so to wrap it up, I was disappointed by the story, the execution and the messy structure (it felt like chapters were missing, and I’m not talking about the ending). I won't recommend this, not unless it goes through some heavy editing and making it at least a little historically accurate.
Honourable mentions:
-FMC’s blood tastes extra sweet and delicious to the MMC
-Only the MMC’s spit can save FMC from dying of poison, what are the chances of that
-Miscommunication trope
-Last minute love triangle
-Strawberry week
-The Vipera not being able to recognise others like them when they’re all in the same room. Feels like a plot hole.
-If I had a dollar for every time Alina was described as putting something between a book to mark where she left off, I’d have enough for a refund.
-Mildly historically accurate lala land of Victorian England.
-Apparently people factchecked the news and science articles in Victorian England
-This takes place in 1890s but there were a lot of modern notions and things which stood out. Women writing and publishing papers under their names, light pollution, that one mention of Stockholm Syndrome.
-People being weirded out that someone is wearing all black when Victorians are notoriously known for going all out on mourning
“The Poisoner”’s promoting on Insta was a masterclass on marketing. The art, the promos, the taglines and the general premise of the story made me excited for the release of the book. The more I read of the book, the more it fell apart. Setting aside the occasional typos, repetitions, and the historical inaccuracies, there were a lot of contradictions and inconsistencies of who’s doing what where. Add to that that this is marketed and tagged as a vampire novel but it just isn't. I'm all for authors doing their own twist on vampires but this is its own unique and different type of creature/monster (the vipera which are like snake lycans or something), and it should have been presented as such. The only thing remotely vampiric about the creatures here is that they can’t die easy, don't age and drink blood. This unique monster is one of the few positives about the book. It is easier to market and get the algorithm going if this is presented as vampire dark romance but it’s false advertisement and a miss on trademarking some really cool snake creatures, but I digress.
There was a kink list and a general author’s note that could have been a tw list, to be honest. Especially since half the kinks are actually triggers, and not one person who alpha/beta read this thought to ask for a needles warning. I’m not phobic but those descriptions were in 4K. But I guess “inappropriate use of rice” took precedent for the lolz. The minute detail SA scene followed by Alina blaming herself then Dr. Useless coming in and victim blaming her were really the cherry on top. But the rice, reader! The rice!
The writing in the beginning is good but it progressively deteriorates. The miscommunication between ALL the characters wasn’t helping either. Add to that things were either randomly revealed or swept under the rug. The way Alina mentions she’s a poisoner and kills men on the side, was so random and braggy. Like the author couldn’t wait to throw this in the first chapter instead of reveal it in a more natural way, for example Alina poisoning some weirdo. Where’s the suspense, the mystery? Instead we get “oh, btw, I give poison to women to kill men”. Why? How? How do these women know to seek you out, from an advertisement, like what?? Then a great deal of the book is spend saying not showing how she’s this great scientist and she’s barely in the apothecary. Despite being this great genius, Alina is described having fun quirks like forgetting to put on gloves while she handles toxic plants (so her fingers are constantly tinted for the aesthetic) or forgets to label vials with poisons. Interestingly enough, this wasn’t the worst of her quirky characteristics - she also forgets to sleep and eat. Ah, the classic mad scientist (or Mary Sue, as the story progresses and she is seen running tho and fro chased by men who are infatuated with her, fainting, banging her head 46 times until finally the concussion catches up to her).
I have to assume that Alina comes from a well to do background since she’s not making a living from the apothecary based on how rarely that place is open for business. But at the same time neither she nor Silas (who also comes from money, shocker) have zero servants or house keepers in their huge empty manors where they can play cat and mouse undisturbed for days. Feels weird.
Literally everyone is beautiful and rich, and for some reason the tabloids and the whole of London are talking about Alina and Silas. Okay?
In terms of the characters, Alina starts off as this badass, smart, independent, ahead of her time woman, who ends up as an epileptic Mary Sue (even before getting to the Nest) with two red flags fawning over her. There’s no rhyme or reason to everyone’s actions. The characters have bark but no bite. Silas is introduced as this cold hearted killer who enjoys putting “birdies” in their place only to apologise like a school boy when he cums in Alina’s mouth. Phoebe, who’s always described as being overbearing and needs to know where Alina is 24/7, is nowhere to be found when Alina is gone for a week without an explanation. It’s like Phoebe forgot about her second character trait other than being excited over pink dresses and gossip. This book did not do her justice. Even Dr. Hayes was better written and that man had no purpose for 90% of the story. Half the dialogues sound like 13 year olds are trying to outsmart each other, only to end up with the most immature and off banter.
It’s absolutely hysterical of me to say that the characters are behaving OOC but by god, they are, half the time I was going “who are you?” when Alina and Silas interacted. They were inconsistent in the way they talked and acted.
This review is getting too long so to wrap it up, I was disappointed by the story, the execution and the messy structure (it felt like chapters were missing, and I’m not talking about the ending). I won't recommend this, not unless it goes through some heavy editing and making it at least a little historically accurate.
Honourable mentions:
-FMC’s blood tastes extra sweet and delicious to the MMC
-Only the MMC’s spit can save FMC from dying of poison, what are the chances of that
-Miscommunication trope
-Last minute love triangle
-Strawberry week
-The Vipera not being able to recognise others like them when they’re all in the same room. Feels like a plot hole.
-If I had a dollar for every time Alina was described as putting something between a book to mark where she left off, I’d have enough for a refund.
-Mildly historically accurate lala land of Victorian England.
-Apparently people factchecked the news and science articles in Victorian England
-This takes place in 1890s but there were a lot of modern notions and things which stood out. Women writing and publishing papers under their names, light pollution, that one mention of Stockholm Syndrome.
-People being weirded out that someone is wearing all black when Victorians are notoriously known for going all out on mourning
May 29, 2026
1 🌟 𑣲⋆ 𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒸𝓁𝓊𝒷 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔 ⋆☕︎ ˖
“𝙷𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞? 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢-𝚏𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜, 𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚢-𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚜. 𝙸 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠. 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏.”
we follow 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝒫𝑜𝒾𝓈𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓇 🧪🌿 aka our girl 𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙖, a women of science and poisoner of men. then we have her stalker 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝒞𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒 🩸👅 aka 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙨 who is our morally black vampire MMC who well… didn’t not check a single box for me. i was actually rooting for the other guy and well… we know how that ended 😅🤣 + the spice happened just too quick for me and it sort of took me out of the story. give me a bit more tension and i would of loved it much more!! (just a me thing tho)
the gothic victorian vibes were immaculate in this though. and the vampire lore? so so good! i do wish we got more of 𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙖 and her professions that would of added to the story and the world overall.
that ending KILLED the book for me... just what the fuck was that??? the plot twist was okay but the rest? not a fan at all. HIGHKEY PISSED ME OFF. grossed me the fuck out and gave me the ick.
**the more i sit on this, the more i hate it and find it cringy and highkey hate it?? especially after taking with friends… therefore i will not be continuing this series. count it as a dnf 😆
“𝙷𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞? 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢-𝚏𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜, 𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚢-𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚜. 𝙸 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠. 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏.”
we follow 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝒫𝑜𝒾𝓈𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓇 🧪🌿 aka our girl 𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙖, a women of science and poisoner of men. then we have her stalker 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝒞𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒 🩸👅 aka 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙨 who is our morally black vampire MMC who well… didn’t not check a single box for me. i was actually rooting for the other guy and well… we know how that ended 😅🤣 + the spice happened just too quick for me and it sort of took me out of the story. give me a bit more tension and i would of loved it much more!! (just a me thing tho)
the gothic victorian vibes were immaculate in this though. and the vampire lore? so so good! i do wish we got more of 𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙖 and her professions that would of added to the story and the world overall.
that ending KILLED the book for me... just what the fuck was that??? the plot twist was okay but the rest? not a fan at all. HIGHKEY PISSED ME OFF. grossed me the fuck out and gave me the ick.
**the more i sit on this, the more i hate it and find it cringy and highkey hate it?? especially after taking with friends… therefore i will not be continuing this series. count it as a dnf 😆
May 1, 2025
THIS IS WHAT A DARK VAMPIRE ROMANCE SHOULD BE. I am fully in my vampire romance era and this is the book that's been missing from my life. This is a TRUE vampire romance that is very dark, has amazing gothic themes and at times could be a little gory. I mean it is a vampire romance🤣 So please make sure to read the triggers and warnings!
This book was SO good. It honestly had me hooked after the first chapter. I loved that the minor characters became such a huge part of the ending. There is so much that was left out and is still a mystery that I can not wait to devour the next book. I really hope this book gets picked up by a publisher because it is a great story that more people need to read.
“I want all of you, not just blood. I want every piece of flesh that clings to your bones and more. I want to own every expression that crosses that pretty face. Every hair on your head belongs to me, no part of it untouched by my hands.”
This book was SO good. It honestly had me hooked after the first chapter. I loved that the minor characters became such a huge part of the ending. There is so much that was left out and is still a mystery that I can not wait to devour the next book. I really hope this book gets picked up by a publisher because it is a great story that more people need to read.
“I want all of you, not just blood. I want every piece of flesh that clings to your bones and more. I want to own every expression that crosses that pretty face. Every hair on your head belongs to me, no part of it untouched by my hands.”
September 14, 2026
౨ৎꨄ︎ 1.25 stars
can i have one of her poisons so i can forget about this book?
honestly what the hell is this. the worst thing is that it’s actually such a good idea and i was super excited. the setting, the tropes… everything seems promising. but it’s so badly done, so badly written. nothing about this is good.
alina acts like this smart, badass girl yet honestly it’s her stupidity that surprises me the most. and silas? i would never let that man touch me. he’s nothing but selfish self-centered man that can’t even fully help his girl.
it’s sad because the first few chapters kept me interested but it soon turned into this clownshow. you bet i’ll be selling both of the books and preferably forgetting this series exist. no, i won’t be reading book two. i just won’t!!!! (catch me reading it in a few weeks lol).
────୨ৎ────
౨ৎꨄ︎ pre-read: expectations are highhhhh! hope it gets me out of the semi reading slump that i’m currently in 😭
can i have one of her poisons so i can forget about this book?
honestly what the hell is this. the worst thing is that it’s actually such a good idea and i was super excited. the setting, the tropes… everything seems promising. but it’s so badly done, so badly written. nothing about this is good.
alina acts like this smart, badass girl yet honestly it’s her stupidity that surprises me the most. and silas? i would never let that man touch me. he’s nothing but selfish self-centered man that can’t even fully help his girl.
it’s sad because the first few chapters kept me interested but it soon turned into this clownshow. you bet i’ll be selling both of the books and preferably forgetting this series exist. no, i won’t be reading book two. i just won’t!!!! (catch me reading it in a few weeks lol).
────୨ৎ────
౨ৎꨄ︎ pre-read: expectations are highhhhh! hope it gets me out of the semi reading slump that i’m currently in 😭
May 23, 2024
4.5 stars
I expected to like this book, but I seriously loved it. You give me vampires, a gothic atmosphere, witty banter, and a badass FMC and I will immediately start barking. I’m a dog for books like this. WOOF.
The banter between the two main characters was only shown up by the incredibly romantic things Silas would say about Alina. GOD, I love a Victorian era man. They are truly built different.
IV Ophelia definitely did her research on so many different things to write this book. It was atmospheric, filled with a TRUE enemies-to-lovers-to-I’mnotgonnasay. I laughed, I gasped, I loved the tension.
The book did end on a cliffhanger, and I honestly have no idea where this story is going to go next. I just know that I am chomping at the bit for the next book.
I expected to like this book, but I seriously loved it. You give me vampires, a gothic atmosphere, witty banter, and a badass FMC and I will immediately start barking. I’m a dog for books like this. WOOF.
The banter between the two main characters was only shown up by the incredibly romantic things Silas would say about Alina. GOD, I love a Victorian era man. They are truly built different.
IV Ophelia definitely did her research on so many different things to write this book. It was atmospheric, filled with a TRUE enemies-to-lovers-to-I’mnotgonnasay. I laughed, I gasped, I loved the tension.
The book did end on a cliffhanger, and I honestly have no idea where this story is going to go next. I just know that I am chomping at the bit for the next book.
May 7, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed EVERY aspect of this book and was going to give it 5 STARS and name it one of the BEST romantasy I've read....until I reached the final chapters..
Wtf was that???? It was completely unnecessary and out of place. It left me feeling frustrated after being so invested in the preceeding 400 pages !!! That ending was so anticlimactic and massively disappointing. Idk if I will be continuing the series.
This had SO much potential for being a unique and intricate world with equally complex and atypical characters, but unfortunately, in the end, it turned out to be a massive letdown. I think I'm legit going through the first stage of grief right now cuz I wanted this book to be "THE ONE" so badly.
If I had to explain this in musical terms, it was exactly like the Hateno awards : everything was going so well 🥰😍😘 until someone SHARTED 💩💩💩 on their seat and the smell lingered in the room for the rest of the night....
Wtf was that???? It was completely unnecessary and out of place. It left me feeling frustrated after being so invested in the preceeding 400 pages !!! That ending was so anticlimactic and massively disappointing. Idk if I will be continuing the series.
This had SO much potential for being a unique and intricate world with equally complex and atypical characters, but unfortunately, in the end, it turned out to be a massive letdown. I think I'm legit going through the first stage of grief right now cuz I wanted this book to be "THE ONE" so badly.
If I had to explain this in musical terms, it was exactly like the Hateno awards : everything was going so well 🥰😍😘 until someone SHARTED 💩💩💩 on their seat and the smell lingered in the room for the rest of the night....
May 30, 2026
I truly wish I liked this ! I don’t want to say “idk why this book is so beloved?” Because I do have books I love and people hate. But honestly, WHY? I’m giving some of my reasons without spoilers.
♦️ I found the majority of the book boring and dragging.
♦️ The FMC is “so feared” as The Poisoner, meanwhile does absolutely nothing.
♦️ The MMC was kind of mildly entertaining in the beginning but got old very quickly, after that THE CREATURE that was so ferocious was actually powerless to do anything and when it truly counted he the “very possessive “ creature that slayed people for even talking to her in a disrespectful way LITERALLY “shared” her with the enemy and sat and saw things happening while he was “planning “ ! PATHETIC! WEAK! That’s NOT what I want from my dark romance MMC’s , I expect them to be willing to die then to allow the FMC to be hurt. HATED !
♦️ The smut was eh ….
♦️ I figured out who was who pretty quickly and the plot too.
♦️ The bestie end it up saving the day and not the MMC like we all expect.
♦️ For a FMC that was mentioned to be SO SMART she was actually PRETTY DUMB not seen anything.
♦️ Oh the great Silas also failed to see many things and when he did see he never tells her so she is literally a sitting duck powerless and can’t even try to protect herself.
So in conclusion, if THAT is the type of protection and care, obsession and love this MMC can offer, then THANKS BUT NO THANKS! I will not be finishing this trilogy because the only cool thing about this audiobook was the sound the creature made……
♦️ I found the majority of the book boring and dragging.
♦️ The FMC is “so feared” as The Poisoner, meanwhile does absolutely nothing.
♦️ The MMC was kind of mildly entertaining in the beginning but got old very quickly, after that THE CREATURE that was so ferocious was actually powerless to do anything and when it truly counted he the “very possessive “ creature that slayed people for even talking to her in a disrespectful way LITERALLY “shared” her with the enemy and sat and saw things happening while he was “planning “ ! PATHETIC! WEAK! That’s NOT what I want from my dark romance MMC’s , I expect them to be willing to die then to allow the FMC to be hurt. HATED !
♦️ The smut was eh ….
♦️ I figured out who was who pretty quickly and the plot too.
♦️ The bestie end it up saving the day and not the MMC like we all expect.
♦️ For a FMC that was mentioned to be SO SMART she was actually PRETTY DUMB not seen anything.
♦️ Oh the great Silas also failed to see many things and when he did see he never tells her so she is literally a sitting duck powerless and can’t even try to protect herself.
So in conclusion, if THAT is the type of protection and care, obsession and love this MMC can offer, then THANKS BUT NO THANKS! I will not be finishing this trilogy because the only cool thing about this audiobook was the sound the creature made……
May 13, 2024
While I liked this book I don’t think the warning was warning enough. As someone with sexual assault ptsd please enter the ending of this book with caution. It will probably take me a few days to get back to myself.
Edit after some thought: how dare you label that dub con when it was rape. How dare you even insinuate it could have been consensual. For myself and the women who have been put in positions of cooperate or die, how dare you.
Edit after some thought: how dare you label that dub con when it was rape. How dare you even insinuate it could have been consensual. For myself and the women who have been put in positions of cooperate or die, how dare you.
June 9, 2025
4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Oh, my dearest Alina…I want to do such terrible, sickening things to you. I hope you know that.”
The Poisoner ensnared me by it's gothic Victorian allure and deadly decadence... it was as though I was indulging in shameless depravity but of a thrilling kind.
Even though my moralistic conscience did give me quite a kick towards the end and I was left deeply disturbed at that major turning point, especially after being in the thrall of the unholy charm and wickedness between a ravenous creature and a mischievous Poisoner—it truly felt like the author cast a spell.
I was quite intrigued by the Vipera lore and the grotesque lab experiments. It added a rich layer alongside the delightfully twisted romance which reeked of wanton desire and obsession.
The banter alone is exquisite. Brilliant. Addictive.
I listened to the audiobook while reading and the narrators did such an excellent job and I would give their performance 5/5! They truly captured every emotion and had me hooked from the very beginning.
The gothic backdrop does prepare you for the eerie and deeply disturbing scenarios that take place. Please remember this is a dark romance that circles around elements that are morally questionable or undeniably immoral. Just as the author have mentioned in her disclaimer, it does not mean an endorsement or romanticization but it's expected of dark settings.
Personal opinion, I've read far darker stories and I'm someone that is easily triggered by certain situations. But please do look up the content warnings before picking this up. I was unsettled by some scenes towards the end of the book and that's why I deducted a star.
Content warning from the book:
This is a Gothic Romance and includes explicit sexual scenes. The book also has elements of horror and mystery, which means there may be descriptions of violence, gore, and blood. These characters may take part in consuming substances that are inappropriate and should not be repeated. Some scenes include light BDSM, which in reality would be performed by experienced partners who have had extensive conversations about trust, consent, and boundaries. There is a discussion of a past sexual assault. Not all actions in this book were made for sexual gratification and should not serve as a reference for healthy or realistic sexual and emotional relationships. As always, depiction is not endorsement.
“Oh, my dearest Alina…I want to do such terrible, sickening things to you. I hope you know that.”
The Poisoner ensnared me by it's gothic Victorian allure and deadly decadence... it was as though I was indulging in shameless depravity but of a thrilling kind.
Even though my moralistic conscience did give me quite a kick towards the end and I was left deeply disturbed at that major turning point, especially after being in the thrall of the unholy charm and wickedness between a ravenous creature and a mischievous Poisoner—it truly felt like the author cast a spell.
I was quite intrigued by the Vipera lore and the grotesque lab experiments. It added a rich layer alongside the delightfully twisted romance which reeked of wanton desire and obsession.
The banter alone is exquisite. Brilliant. Addictive.
I listened to the audiobook while reading and the narrators did such an excellent job and I would give their performance 5/5! They truly captured every emotion and had me hooked from the very beginning.
The gothic backdrop does prepare you for the eerie and deeply disturbing scenarios that take place. Please remember this is a dark romance that circles around elements that are morally questionable or undeniably immoral. Just as the author have mentioned in her disclaimer, it does not mean an endorsement or romanticization but it's expected of dark settings.
Personal opinion, I've read far darker stories and I'm someone that is easily triggered by certain situations. But please do look up the content warnings before picking this up. I was unsettled by some scenes towards the end of the book and that's why I deducted a star.
Content warning from the book:
This is a Gothic Romance and includes explicit sexual scenes. The book also has elements of horror and mystery, which means there may be descriptions of violence, gore, and blood. These characters may take part in consuming substances that are inappropriate and should not be repeated. Some scenes include light BDSM, which in reality would be performed by experienced partners who have had extensive conversations about trust, consent, and boundaries. There is a discussion of a past sexual assault. Not all actions in this book were made for sexual gratification and should not serve as a reference for healthy or realistic sexual and emotional relationships. As always, depiction is not endorsement.
Read
September 17, 2025idk what to even rate this…
maybe it’s me, maybe I’m the problem but I found this a tad bit boring and I could not connect to the characters or their romance, there were elements I loved. Like her job and what she does (no spoilers), and something special about him (it’s a surprise in case you’re reading this and don’t want spoilers), and I liked the writing style itself, but at the same time the actual story and characters and romance fell incredibly flat for me, idk how else to describe it.
Unfortunately a no from me, especially after the end. I was not too happy, but to each their own! I can see why this is loved so much for sure!
maybe it’s me, maybe I’m the problem but I found this a tad bit boring and I could not connect to the characters or their romance, there were elements I loved. Like her job and what she does (no spoilers), and something special about him (it’s a surprise in case you’re reading this and don’t want spoilers), and I liked the writing style itself, but at the same time the actual story and characters and romance fell incredibly flat for me, idk how else to describe it.
Unfortunately a no from me, especially after the end. I was not too happy, but to each their own! I can see why this is loved so much for sure!
July 27, 2024
DNFing at 50% I may try to revisit it and finish it up this year.
I enjoy the setting and the FMC in this book. I like the time period and also learning about her profession.
I don’t like the male main character at all. He’s not morally grey, he’s just evil. The entire story he’s terrorizing her, stalking her, and planning to kill her.
I enjoy dark romance stories with those themes, but for some reason, this character in particular is just unlikeable to me.
Part of that is also because he constantly kills innocent women around town, and the dark romance book boyfriends I love usually have some sort of moral code against harming innocent people.
There’s nothing interesting, redeemable, likable, or romantic about him that makes me want to root for them as a couple.
I know it’s supposed to be a romance, but I would rather she just kill him and get on with her life since he’s been planning to kill her this entire story.
Also, I was expecting much more in the story about her plotting and poisoning the abusive men around town, but that’s surprisingly not really coming up. I thought we’d hear more about that.
I’m extremely surprised I didn’t like this one. Maybe it’s a case of “right book, wrong time.” I’m also in a reading slump so might be making me more critical than usual.
Don’t just take my word for it though. Give it a try. I think I may be in the minority.
I enjoy the setting and the FMC in this book. I like the time period and also learning about her profession.
I don’t like the male main character at all. He’s not morally grey, he’s just evil. The entire story he’s terrorizing her, stalking her, and planning to kill her.
I enjoy dark romance stories with those themes, but for some reason, this character in particular is just unlikeable to me.
Part of that is also because he constantly kills innocent women around town, and the dark romance book boyfriends I love usually have some sort of moral code against harming innocent people.
There’s nothing interesting, redeemable, likable, or romantic about him that makes me want to root for them as a couple.
I know it’s supposed to be a romance, but I would rather she just kill him and get on with her life since he’s been planning to kill her this entire story.
Also, I was expecting much more in the story about her plotting and poisoning the abusive men around town, but that’s surprisingly not really coming up. I thought we’d hear more about that.
I’m extremely surprised I didn’t like this one. Maybe it’s a case of “right book, wrong time.” I’m also in a reading slump so might be making me more critical than usual.
Don’t just take my word for it though. Give it a try. I think I may be in the minority.
January 26, 2026
THIS IS WHAT A DARK VAMPIRE ROMANCE SHOULD BE. I am fully in my vampire romance era and this is the book that's been missing from my life. This is a TRUE vampire romance that is very dark, gory at times, and has a true gothic theme to it so please make sure to read the triggers and warnings.
This book was SO good. It honestly had me hooked after the first chapter. I loved every charter that you come across. I loved that the minor characters in the beginning became a huge part of the ending. I had the pleasure of reading this book before it was rereleased with a publisher and I’m so glad it is getting the recognition it deserves. Ophelia has such a dark and twisted mind when it comes to writing dark gothic romances, it just blows me away when I read her novels. There is so much that was left out and is still a mystery that I cannot wait to devour the next book. I cannot wait for book two, I would honestly sell my soul to have it in my hands right now so I could blow through it and cry it's over.
"I want all of you, not just blood. I want every piece of flesh that clings to your bones and more. I want to own every expression that crosses that pretty face. Every hair on your head belongs to me, no part of it untouched by my hands!"
*Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon Maverick, and the author I.V. Ophelia for the ARC!*
This book was SO good. It honestly had me hooked after the first chapter. I loved every charter that you come across. I loved that the minor characters in the beginning became a huge part of the ending. I had the pleasure of reading this book before it was rereleased with a publisher and I’m so glad it is getting the recognition it deserves. Ophelia has such a dark and twisted mind when it comes to writing dark gothic romances, it just blows me away when I read her novels. There is so much that was left out and is still a mystery that I cannot wait to devour the next book. I cannot wait for book two, I would honestly sell my soul to have it in my hands right now so I could blow through it and cry it's over.
"I want all of you, not just blood. I want every piece of flesh that clings to your bones and more. I want to own every expression that crosses that pretty face. Every hair on your head belongs to me, no part of it untouched by my hands!"
*Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon Maverick, and the author I.V. Ophelia for the ARC!*
August 25, 2025
I did an immersive read for this one physical book in hand while listening to the audio and what a damn experience. Those clicking noises from Silas? They were doing unexplainable things to me (IYKYK).
This felt so different from anything I’ve read. The writing had this almost poetic quality to it, and it carried such an older, atmospheric vibe. Maybe it’s because of the time period it’s set in, but either way, I really enjoyed it.
Alina is out here working my dream job (poisoning men) while living my dream life (being stalked and tormented by a vampire) and I love that for her.
And Silas… oh my god. He was so sassy. I went in expecting dark, broody, big-bad-vampire energy which, don’t get me wrong, he did delivered but he was also flirtatious, snarky, and hilarious. I couldn’t get enough of him.
The banter between the two? Chef’s kiss. He’s out here threatening, stalking, tormenting and she’s just brushing him off like he’s some annoying pest. We love an unbothered queen.
The story itself was so interesting, layered with elements I really enjoyed. It’s dark, Gothic, and gives impeccable atmosphere the perfect read for spooky season. And if you’re a fan of a cat-and-mouse chase, you’re going to eat this up. That trope is one of my personal favorites, and it was done so well here.
Now that ending… hmmm. It left me a little confused because it was so abrupt, I’m hoping book 2 fills in a lot of that missing time. I have a feeling Silas is about to pop the fuck off and I cannot wait because I was expecting him to rip some throats out at the end, and for some reason he did not…. I need him to make that up to me.
This felt so different from anything I’ve read. The writing had this almost poetic quality to it, and it carried such an older, atmospheric vibe. Maybe it’s because of the time period it’s set in, but either way, I really enjoyed it.
Alina is out here working my dream job (poisoning men) while living my dream life (being stalked and tormented by a vampire) and I love that for her.
And Silas… oh my god. He was so sassy. I went in expecting dark, broody, big-bad-vampire energy which, don’t get me wrong, he did delivered but he was also flirtatious, snarky, and hilarious. I couldn’t get enough of him.
The banter between the two? Chef’s kiss. He’s out here threatening, stalking, tormenting and she’s just brushing him off like he’s some annoying pest. We love an unbothered queen.
The story itself was so interesting, layered with elements I really enjoyed. It’s dark, Gothic, and gives impeccable atmosphere the perfect read for spooky season. And if you’re a fan of a cat-and-mouse chase, you’re going to eat this up. That trope is one of my personal favorites, and it was done so well here.
Now that ending… hmmm. It left me a little confused because it was so abrupt, I’m hoping book 2 fills in a lot of that missing time. I have a feeling Silas is about to pop the fuck off and I cannot wait because I was expecting him to rip some throats out at the end, and for some reason he did not…. I need him to make that up to me.
October 25, 2024
1.5 stars
BIG SPOILER ALERT!
This book had such a promising setup, a richly Gothic, historical atmosphere, and the author did their homework with the details. But after that? It was all downhill, and it’s mostly thanks to the disgusting weakness of the MMC.
Our FMC? She’s supposedly a scientist, but her choices are bafflingly stupid. But the MMC? He’s supposed to be a supernatural force with incredible strength, yet he is utterly, disgustingly weak. I’ve never seen a “hero” do so little. He’s not dark or mysterious—he’s just pathetic
When his supposed love interest is assaulted, what does he do? I cannot stress enough how much I disgust with his weakness and his choice to stand by like a coward. In dark romance, the MMC might be morally complex, maybe even ruthless—but at least they have conviction. This guy has nothing. No backbone, no action, no loyalty. He’s the worst type of passive bystander.
In the end, it’s not even him who saves her. Nope, it’s her “bestie” who randomly appears at parties just to be conveniently useful at the end. So we have an MMC who is so profoundly weak, so appallingly passive, that even side characters have to pick up his slack. And the “big twist”? I saw it coming a mile away. Of course, it was . There was a twist, sure, but honestly, that’s all there was to this story.
Three days later, the plot is already fading from my memory, but my disgust for this MMC’s weakness? That’s burned in forever.
BIG SPOILER ALERT!
This book had such a promising setup, a richly Gothic, historical atmosphere, and the author did their homework with the details. But after that? It was all downhill, and it’s mostly thanks to the disgusting weakness of the MMC.
Our FMC? She’s supposedly a scientist, but her choices are bafflingly stupid. But the MMC? He’s supposed to be a supernatural force with incredible strength, yet he is utterly, disgustingly weak. I’ve never seen a “hero” do so little. He’s not dark or mysterious—he’s just pathetic
When his supposed love interest is assaulted, what does he do? I cannot stress enough how much I disgust with his weakness and his choice to stand by like a coward. In dark romance, the MMC might be morally complex, maybe even ruthless—but at least they have conviction. This guy has nothing. No backbone, no action, no loyalty. He’s the worst type of passive bystander.
In the end, it’s not even him who saves her. Nope, it’s her “bestie” who randomly appears at parties just to be conveniently useful at the end. So we have an MMC who is so profoundly weak, so appallingly passive, that even side characters have to pick up his slack. And the “big twist”? I saw it coming a mile away. Of course, it was . There was a twist, sure, but honestly, that’s all there was to this story.
Three days later, the plot is already fading from my memory, but my disgust for this MMC’s weakness? That’s burned in forever.
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