A Taste of Poison

Entangled with Fae #4

by Tessonja Odette

A Snow White Retelling

A runaway princess wanted for murder.
A deadly huntsman who’s after her heart…

Half-fae Astrid Snow is used to being disliked. With magic that makes her mirror back one’s worst qualities, she has more enemies than friends. And when she’s accused of poisoning her father, her stepmother—the formidable Spring Queen—becomes her greatest enemy yet. Forced into hiding, she finds solace at the Seven Sins Hotel. It provides the perfect subterfuge she needs. For who could ever find an outlaw in a hotel famed for sin?

Bear shifter Torben Davenport lost everything to the gambling halls. To pay off his debts, he serves the fae royals as their personal Huntsman, locating hard-to-find fugitives with his scent-based magic. When the Spring Queen offers him a bargain that will erase his debts for good, he’s willing to do what it takes—even if it means finding the queen’s runaway stepdaughter and cutting out her heart.

Astrid won’t go down without a fight, even if her assailant is a strikingly handsome Huntsman. If she can evade the bear-shifter’s claws, maybe she can make him an ally. It’s easier said than done, especially after she accidentally gets herself handcuffed to her infuriating captor.

Can Astrid cut through Torben’s icy demeanor and convince him to help her find the real killer? Or will she lose her heart in more ways than one?

ACOTAR meets Kingdom of the Wicked in this standalone fairytale retelling of Snow White. If you like brooding heroes, just one bed, and grumpy sunshine romances, then you’ll love this swoon-worthy story in the Entangled with Fae series.

*NOTE this book is upper YA/NA featuring mature situations, moderate violence and gore, substance abuse, and some adult language. The romance is slow burn but leads to moderate steam.

A Taste of Poison is a complete stand-alone novel set in the same world as The Fair Isle Trilogy. Journey back to Faerwyvae or begin your adventure for the first time with this enchanting tale. Each book in the Entangled with Fae series can be read on its own and in any order. Happily ever after guaranteed!

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Retellings, Romantasy, Fae, Fantasy Romance, Enemies To Lovers

412 pages, Hardcover

First published August 10, 2022

About the author

Tessonja Odette is a Seattle-based author of fantasy romance, epic romantasy, and fairytale retellings. She especially loves to write about brooding fae and the fierce women who hate-to-love them. When she isn’t writing, she’s watching cat videos, petting dogs, having dance parties in the kitchen with her daughter, or pursuing her many creative hobbies. In her books, you'll find enemies-to-lovers, witty banter, cozy vibes, and a delicious dash of steam.

Reviews

[nikki | ཐི༏ཋྀ​​݁ ₊ ݁ . · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You’re…you’re…”
“Frightening?”
“You’re so…”
“Terrifying?”
“Fluffy.”
He halts. “What?”

this was such a fun imaginative retelling of snow white with a new twist - snow white is the magic mirror.

Not all people enjoy seeing their most cherished attributes in another person.

It’s the downside to being a mirror. Once I make an impression on a person, I’m stuck with it. Every time I meet that person’s eyes, the same impression snaps into place.

a thrilling murder mystery plot, a fugitive princess w a bounty on her head, a bear shifter huntsman, two souls reckoning with their hardships, grief, addiction - this one really covers some ground! i found it kept a good pace up because of this.

i wasn't sure in the beginning, but i adored the romance between the two by the end.

“Astrid, you’re allowed to be strange. You’re allowed to be a mess. You can be all these things that are part of you. It won’t stop me from loving everything about you.”

________________________

.❀。preread ❀°。

my tessonja odette comfort read obsession continues

[Tessonja Odette]

AUTHOR'S NOTE: A Taste of Poison is officially live! I am absolutely thrilled that this book is now out in the world. Books are hard to write, always, no matter how many new ones I have under my belt. And yet, every once in a while, I get to write a book that puts me in the "flow state" far more often than the "pacing the house struggling to get words on the page" state. This book was one of those "flow state" books, which made it an absolute blast to write. I fell in love with Astrid and Torben and hope you love them too!

A Taste of Poison is a new adult fairytale retelling of Snow White with:
-Grumpy + sunshine
-Just one bed
-Forced proximity
-Handcuffed together
-Touch her and die
-Enemies to lovers
-Humor, banter, and kittens

It's now available on kindle ebook (and free in KU), paperback, and hardcover. Audiobook coming in October 2022!

The hardcover is particularly pretty! The standard edition (the one you find on all online book retailers) has character art on the naked hardcover. Want to see?


Thanks so much for being an awesome reader!
-Tessonja

[McKenzie (showgirl vrs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW: language, substance abuse, death, grief, gambling, violence
Spice level 2/5 pages are 252 and one more time I cannot remember (so sorry)

I loved this book and I read it sooo much faster than I normally do. It’s actually so fast paced and the romance plot was so significant it made my heart happy.

Astrid: this girls emotions were written in a way that made me feel them too. Oh she’s scared? So am I. Angry? Me too. In love? Same Astrid same. She was so sweet to the animals and her romance with Torben was ADORABLE.

Torben: he is the “touch her and die” troupe. Tbh I think it’s the first book I’ve read with that other than Five Broken Blades. He was so caring towards her and the way he was willing to sacrifice himself for Astrid is just incredible.

also, the epilogue was so good. I thought the ending would be so sad but no. IT WAS THE SWEETEST THING EVER. Yall like actually need to read this book it’s so good. I loved it so much (clearly) I’d recommend it to someone wanting to get into fantasy because you sort of know the Snow White story already.

[moniqueॱ◌̥*⃝̣ ⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25/5⭐️

This was both thrilling and adorable!! I’ve never read a fantasy romance book with a murder mystery plot involved with it but now that I did.. I WANT MORE!! Like.. the combo of thriller, romance AND fantasy was so soooo good!!

The murder mystery was so well written and executed! I was a bit unsure about this concept at first but Tessonja Odette did such a good job with including it into the plot!! The mystery was intense, interesting and mind blowing all at once! It had me gasping and made my jaw drop at least a million times with the amount plot twists it gave me!!
I really did not expect the outturn of who the murder actually is and I was flabbergasted through and through!! It was just so freaking good and made the book soooo much better than it already is!!!

The romance of the story was very endearing but also funny and spicy at the same time! Like the tension between these two was insane!! I absolutely loved that the love interest is actually the huntsman of the original fairy tale instead of the lame boring prince. It made the romance between these two so much better and I absolutely enjoyed every second of it!! I also loved the fact that they had to work together to uncover this mystery and through out the process, fell for one another!!
Like the forced proximity was to die for!! And the grumpy x sunshine trope was so freaking adorable and very well written!! Also the fact that they’re literally soulmates?!?! Soooo good!!!

The fantasy aspect of the book was also so nicely included! I liked the magic system and how each character has a different magic ability and how it effects their personal life AND the plot of the book!! It was just all so nicely connected! All of the elements in this book were somehow intertwined with one another that it resulted into an absolute masterpiece!!

However, I didn’t really fall in love with the characters… I felt for them and rooted for their happy ending but somehow I didn’t get that kind of heart fluttering or butterflies in my stomach from reading about them and their romance… It was still really cute but for some reason it didn’t win over my heart completely. Which is why I can’t give it a full on 5 star rating.

Other than that, the book was absolutely amazing and I’m so glad that I picked it up!

Overall, this was one of the first snow white retellings I’ve ever read about and it definitely did not disappoint! It was really really good and I’m already sooooo excited for the next book of this series!

[Shruti (Hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm very biased towards these books, I pretty much blindly love them (especially book 1 and 2), so I don't know how much objectivity I can bring into my reviews for these ones. 🤷❤️

Each book is a retelling of well known fairy tales and this particular one is a Snow White retelling. One of the most enjoyable things about all of these books are how little is borrowed from the original fairy tales - just the bare bones imo, so it's almost entirely new stories you're reading, with twists you can't always accurately predict. Keeps it fresh and entertaining. Warm and magical.

Tessonja is very creative in how she weaves her stories, the visuals, the cultures - it's a low to mid-key sensory experience. Her stories have Seelies (human like Fae) and the shifter Unseelies (Fae who shift forms at will) so for those of us who read shifter romances, these books have that 😉 This one has a bear-shifter Unseelie fae male and I was like "oh! hmm yes that's yummy, that's good, that's wonderfully beastly, dashing and dangerous, soft and fluffy, grumpy grumpy big baby, yes yes v good". I don't think any of these books have insta love/lust. Low intensity enemies to lovers.
Also, the magical abilities the faes and half faes have are fascinating. Food for the imagination.

These books definitely read more YA than NA, especially in the sex department. There are no graphic descriptions, though the scenes are open door albeit minimal (1-2 scenes). Very tame language to describe what's going on, more on the emotional side with descriptions. I'm also just realising that no genitalia are mentioned by name which makes me sad (😩), makes it far more YA than ever.. plenty of smut in the sea, it's just that this one isn't THAT kind of fish 🤷 ssss okay 🐟
- important information for thirsty girls (like me) you're welcome.

I don't recommend reading these as standalones, the first two books help you sink into the world, the next two have less external info on the basics that are already covered. A character or two from the previous novel tend to appear for a short scene generally in the epilogue so it's nice to have context beforehand.. also it's very nice to go "hey! I know her/him! helloooo and goodbye 👋"

TW: gambling in the past, a few descriptions in places

[✩ Yaz ✩]

Snow White retelling and a Fae Romance with Sunshine/Grumpy dynamic?🤩

[Samantha ♡ ( Percy’s Version ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐️

[ailish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will never get tired of how Tessonja takes classic fairytales and spins them on their heads for a fun, magical and completely unique story! She lost me a little with Kiss of the Selkie, but my god am I hooked again after this one. A Taste of Poison is up there with my favourite stories in the world of Faeryvwae, retelling the classic tale of Snow White. The characters were some of my favourites of Tessonja’s with their adorable grumpy/sunshine dynamic, the magic was an incredibly unique concept that I’ve never seen in any other fantasy book, and out of all the books in the series this was the first one where I truly couldn’t see the many twists coming, keeping the story exciting and intriguing.

Such a high to end the series (for now) and I just wish the next couple of books were out already! I’m looking forward to continuing Amelie’s and Briony’s stories next in the coming months.

[Books_and_Crafts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a bone to pick with @tessonja

First I fell in love with Curse of the Wolf King. Thought, wow this is one of my favorite beauty and the beast retellings and I love world!

Then I read Kiss of the Selkie and that became my favorite Little Mermaid retelling and I loved it even more.

THEN out of left field Heart of the Raven Prince was like ‘I heard you don’t particularly care for Cinderella- bet.’ AND I FREAKING LOVED IT. Hands down best Cinderella book I’ve ever read. One of my favorite fantasy romance books I’ve ever read.

So here I am 3 books deep into a beautiful world thinking wow surely this one isn’t going to top heart of the raven prince… and I’m just flat out wrong. A Taste of Poison knocked my socks off! This was everything Snow White should be, including a huge twist with the Villain I didn’t see coming. The love interest is both fierce and fluffy 🥰and 100% unbear-ably in love with our MC.

I love how much I smile while reading these stories. I love how they make my heart happy. I love that we have the pleasure of reading such amazing creations.

I am LIVING for these fluffy fantasy romances and I cannot wait for more! Keep doing what you’re doing Tessonja, you’re incredible!

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I say this with every one of the books in the Entangled with Fae series, but I'm absolutely in love with the way the author weaves in such original ideas in her retellings that really enhance what the original story line was. It's just awesome on so many levels.

I was really surprised at the darker themes present in this. I always associate the character of Snow White as being quite innocent; frolicking in the woods and singing with animals. So I was actually really excited to see Tessonja's Snow aka Astrid as a drug addict working at a brothel in the Seven Sins Hotel who gets accused of murder. I think going this route really made this retelling stand out. And the magic in this is really cool. I've never read anything like it. It took me a bit to fully understand it because it is quite unique but so fitting to the story.

The characters are fine. I appreciated the way they both needed to overcome past traumas and did so together. I admit I enjoyed Torben a little more than Astrid. I really enjoyed the way he was so supportive and basically her backbone. He believed in her and helped her work through her addiction while battling his own demons. I wish we would have seen his bear form more though. Astrid on the other hand irked me for a decent bit of the novel. I just felt her stubbornness was a little out of hand. I know a lot of that was when she was struggling to overcome her addiction, and for that I will say that the author wrote Astrid's withdrawal in a very realistic way. My problem comes from the fact that Astrid is so closed off that it takes damn near 70% of the book for her to finally let things sink in, and she needs to witness something really emotionally jarring to get there when Torben has been telling her the same thing from the beginning.

I also wasn't as into the romance in this one as I'd hoped. I'm really glad there is a dual pov in this, because I really didn't belive the chemistry between them from Astrid's pov. It started as enemies-to-lovers, and then suddenly sex. From Torben's pov, you get more of a slow-burn romance and really see how his feelings grow for Astrid throughout the book. I found Astrid's feelings to be very sudden, and there's a scene that I think is really weird that sort of kicks starts it.

When Astrid finally becomes sober from the poison, she wakes up in this almost euphoric state where everything that touches her skin just feels so good. And she gets really sexually turned on by it and just has to have sex with Torben right away. It was almost like she was on Ecstasy or something. I thought it was completely out of left field. I don't mind sex scenes in my books. In fact I prefer it, but I just didn't feel good about this one. And even later on in the novel, she becomes insatiable. Just a totally different vibe from the other heroines in this series that I'm not sure I liked as much.
I think I would have liked a little more buildup to it to really get a feel for their chemistry.

I definitely recommend giving this a shot if you enjoy retellings or anything involving the Fae. This whole series is so well thought-out with their original magic systems and spunky heroines. A Taste of Poison was no different. It's a fun read.

[✿ capriella ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 ★

I loved this, but, at the time, I didn’t???

Umm I have no idea what I mean, but I have said what I have said, and I am not going to take back the truth.

I have never been the biggest fan of the Snow White story. It never hit me the way most fairytales did. I think it mainly had to do with the falling in love part between her and Prince Charming…? Hold up let me look this up really quick. Nope it’s Prince Florian… okay finding out things I have never discovered before. Anyways, love at first sight had never been a particular liking of mine.

But when I read the synopsis of this book, my mouth opened into an O and a literal oooo sound come out. A SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTMANS RETELLING?? Hello?? I was down.
It also helped that I loved the rest of the books in this series.

And it was good. It was, genuinely. The plot was entertaining. Torben and Astrid were cute as can be.
BUT WHEN DID THEY FALL IN LOVE? I felt their chemistry, and I was loving it. I was loving them. BUT I SOMEHOW MISSED THE FALL. They must of tripped very fast and fell smack on their faces while I was doing something else, probably in my own world. It genuinely came out of nowhere when their love confession happened. I was so confused. I mean the actual confession was amazing, but I was like where it did come from? It just took a lot out of it for me… it was very upsetting in a way. 😔

[⋆⭒˚.⋆ Eloise⋆⭒˚.⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 🌟

This was so fun!! especially since i was in the mood for a good cozy retelling!!

🎵 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐭 🎵

𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨 ~

• 15/16+ (two spicy scenes, graphic/detailed, dirty jokes, cussing, mentions of poison, gore, death, addiction, and grief)
• Grumpy x Sunshine
• Fae with powers/shifting
• Snow White retelling
• Handcuffed together
• One bed
• Banter filled
• Runaway princess

"𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭"

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ~

I really liked this one!! The vibes were ever present and i really liked the feel of it. I love the fae/half-fae world and all the unique powers that exist in this land of Faerwyvae. There were a bunch of tropes that i LOVE like one bed, handcuffed together, and grumpy x sunshine, those are some of my favs so it made it extra enjoyable 😁😁

"𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬"

𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐝 ~

I really liked her character! She was witty and funny and i liked how she was around the huntsman. She definitely brought out the best in him and i really liked that. I also really liked how she learns to open up throughout the book, since she’s always used to hiding herself and her feelings, and i really liked that representation, i found it pretty relatable. Overall, i really enjoyed her character ☺️

“𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝, 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫
𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐬”

𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐧~

Ahhh i love me a good fae book bf. I enjoyed the hell out of seeing him soften around Astrid, it was so sweet to read about. I also liked how he was open to always hearing her out, and that was so sweeet. I just love when the mmc has a soft spot only for her, and that’s exactly what we see in this.

"𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐲, 𝐭𝐫𝐲, 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐳𝐞
𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞"


𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 ~

—> "𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞."

—> “𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐝.” 𝐌𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐬. 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐈’𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐡𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰… 𝐌𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭. 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬, 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐦. 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐦𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐈’𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥."

—> “𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞—𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞—𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

—> “𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐝.” 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚. 𝐀 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. “𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞-𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐤𝐲. 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥. 𝐒𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠. 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤. 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞.”

—> “𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

—> "𝐇𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫. “𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬, 𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐝. 𝐌𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬.”

—> "𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥."

—> "𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮."

—> "𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭. 𝐀 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭. 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐌𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥."

"𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈'𝐦 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥"

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 ~

Overall, i definitely had a fun time reading this. I liked all the representations in this book and especially the feeling i got while reading it. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline and will definitely be reading the rest of the series eventually!! 😊

[mica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5✨️

después hago una mini reseña pero por ahora: me re gusto recomiendo

[Emma Skapetis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm so torn with this one. I really enjoyed some parts of it but other parts dragged, and sometimes I just wanted the audiobook to be over. However I liked the romance between Astrid and Torbin (even though it was fairly close to being insta-lovey) and also that the murderer of Astrid's father was not who Astrid always believed was. Also the audiobook is very well narrated so I would recommend it.

[shi ❦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

this was the first Snow White retelling i have ever read and i don't know why it took me so long!! the way the classic story was reimagined was simply amazing, it was really good. i feel like going into the plot would already spoil way too much; if you love retellings and are considering reading this, i totally recommend you do :)

[melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a reason Tessonja Odette quickly became one of my favorite authors and an auto-buy author for me, and that reason is her retellings are brilliant. The way she writes her characters, the imagery she portrays, the personalities that come through the pages and the overall enjoyment of her stories will make you want to purchase all of her back list as soon as you read one of her books.

With all that being said, this book was fantastic. You will enjoy the creative magic system, the characters and their relationships with each other, and the unique twists she puts into these retellings.

[avi ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

» [The Good Witch by Maisie Peters] «
0:58 ─〇───── 3:16
⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻


➳ ꒰ Rating: ✰✰✰/5 ꒱
➳ ꒰ Spice: 🌶🌶/5 ꒱
➳ ꒰ Language: 🤬🤬/5 ꒱
➳ ꒰ Violence: 🩸.5/5 ꒱


TROPES
⤷ Hunter x Hunted
⤷ Enemies to Lovers
⤷ Hidden Identity
⤷ Force Proximity
⤷ Who Did this To you?
⤷ One Bed
⤷ Political Encounters
⤷ Forbidden Love


PLOT
Astrid Snow, accused of the crime she never committed, hiding from the only place she once called home. Now she lives in the twisted reality of hers. Until the Huntsman arrive. He was the unknown anchor in the storm. Sent to kill but now both will team up to find out who truly committed the sinful hateful crime against Astrid. They must work together, find out and prove that Astrid Snow is innocent unless one of them will have to pay the debt with a heart.


MY THOUGHTS
Slowest pacing ever, but so worth it. Honestly this gave me so much of that one Snow White retelling "mirror Mirror" or something literally Astrid is such a baddie with a hint of oh shit that was wrong attitude you know. Like this story didn't rush into the romance, the plot it built into her character. And we got to see her growth throughout the book. Now the Huntsman aka Torben my man, is one fine type of guy. Like who cares if he almost had knife to her heart, he repaid that action by basically proving her innocence. But in all seriousness this story was amazing, this book series will never ever disappointment. The only thing is I hated how this is such family drama focus, like in the other books it was centered around oh this mother/step-mother did this, or this father is dead. Like give me a sticking break with the family drama. Give me betrayal from a friend not by force but because they wanted to. Or give me betrayal from the love interest! oh my goodness the potential for the unhappy ending in this book would've been amazing. But overall great story and pallete cleanser.

QUOTE
⤷ Thousands of people have seen my face and yet no one knows what I look like. People see me, but they don’t really see me. That’s the nature of being a mirror. People may notice things about me, may see what I’m doing, how I’m sitting, where I’m standing, but once I leave another’s proximity, I’ll remain faceless. Featureless. Forgettable. A frame without painting.

⤷ There was only one person who was ever immune to my magic. One person who saw the real me. And that person is dead.

⤷ My last memory as a bear cub was of you.

⤷ Astrid, you’re allowed to be strange. You’re allowed to be a mess. You can be all these things that are part of you. It won’t stop me from loving everything about you.

⤷ If you ever felt an ounce of true love for your husband, then you should understand. Love makes one go to great and terrible lengths for the object of their affection. It makes us hurt. Defend. Even kill. And yes sacrifice. Accept death.

⤷ "You're..you're..."
"terrifying?"
"you're so..."
"Terrfying?"
"Fluffy."

⤷ The ties of blood matter not to me, only that Edmund loved you as his daughter. You were his world well before I came into his life.

⤷ Maybe I never stopped being a betting man, for even after a year of opening my heart, i'm still fully aware that love is daily gamble. I know someday I could lose her. Hurt her. She could hurt me. Love is always a risk. We'll fight, we'll argue. But I will let time and time again that we will always return to one another.

[⋆Aree⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

•Reseña esp:

Me encantó muchísimo!! Me encanta ésta serie de retellings, son muy fáciles y ligeros de leer, aparte de que son muy entretenidos y bonitos.🥹
Creo que éste es mi favorito hasta el momento, (y no porque tuvo más escenas hot que los anteriores jaja👀😆) pero la historia, los personajes, LOS PROTAGONISTAS, Astrid y Torben? Son tan tan hermosos! Simplemente los amé!.😍❤️
El plot twist no lo ví venir, supongo que tal vez sería obvio pero yo no lo ví, y me gustó muchísimo!.
Otra cosa que amo de éstas series, es que salen un poco personajes de los libro anteriores y me emociona mucho.
En fin, amé ésta historia, quiero MÁS!🤎


•Review ing:

I loved it so much!! I love this series of retellings, they are very easy and light to read, apart from the fact that they are very entertaining and beautiful.🥹
I think this one is my favorite so far, (and not because it had more hot scenes than the previous ones haha👀😆) but the story, the characters, THE PROTAGONISTS, Astrid and Torben? They are so so beautiful! I simply loved them!😍❤️
I didn't see the plot twist coming, I suppose it might be obvious but I didn't see it, and I liked it a lot!
Another thing that I love about these series is that characters from the previous books come out a little bit and it excites me a lot.
Anyway, I loved this story, I want MORE!🤎

thanks to the author for the arc✨

[Luana ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm. It's not as good as the second book. Now we arrive at the point where you can pick and choose whichever book you want to read. I was not really invested in the third story of the retailing of little mermaid, so I jumped right into this one. It was okay, I liked the hunter, but I was not so keen on the drug addiction. I felt a little weirded out not only about that but also about her powers. Was it interesting? Sure. But nothing wow.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

SO FUN I LOVED THIS SM SO CUTE

[Bri Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly loved this book! I was never a big fan of Snow White growing up, I just never got as attached as I had to Cinderella and beauty and the beast. That being said, I’m in love & attached to Astrid Snow. It took me a bit to get into the book, but I loved that it wasn’t predictable. It had many fun, exciting elements, plot twists and adorable romance scenes. I could feel the love warming my chest as it bloomed between the two characters. Her brilliant imagery adds a new perspective and level to all her novels. The fae world she has created is gorgeous and easy to get lost in.

The ending of the book was my favorite. I enjoyed the path it took and the unlikely aid given to Snow. I felt like I got closure, as the book did not end abruptly as some do. I highly value this quality, and wish all fiction books had an epilogue of some sort.

I highly recommend this book to those who love fantasy, romance, and some nostalgia for the disney princesses growing up. I absolutely love her writing and always feel so honored and awarded after finishing one of her books. Truly one of my favorite authors. Tessonja truly writes for herself and us as the readers. I love the crossover characters between books, always giving me clues and nostalgia. The ending was warm and magical, giving me the fairy tale vibe we all have come to love. Her writing is truly an enchantment.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

As captivating as ever! 🍎♥️

I was instantly attached to and invested in the characters, their survival and their blooming relationship.
Tessa is riveting when it comes to the world building and settings. She is brilliant with giving little hints and tributes to the original story, which was very much appreciated.

Per usual, an impossible situation falls upon our main characters that makes their life and relationship very difficult. *Cue them falling in love.*
Our huntsman is very protective of our Snow for someone who's mission was to rip out her heart. 😉 Their relationship was everything I wished it would be.
And let's not forget the adorable fluffy kittens, they were the cheery on top. ♥️🥺

I'm quite excited to read the next installment A Dream So Wicked: a Sleeping Beauty retelling.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Taste of Poison is a fun, action-packed read. I liked the whodunit component which made it very different from the other books in the series. There are some good messages in the book (dangers of addiction, letting people see the real you, not gambling more than you can afford to lose, how your beliefs about yourself influence your feeling toward another, handling grief). However, I could do without the cursing and sex scenes. They're in every book, so I expected them.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[NotTheTea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐
If you want me to hate a character tell me what they did. I can't hate someone's gut just because Mc does it. In this case we all know stepmom supposed to be the evil queen and all but she didn't do anything wrong. The hate for Astrid was.....I would say side effects of Astrid's magic and she genuinely thought Astrid killed the king who was love of her life. Show some events where she was cruel or unfair to Astrid cause otherwise I don't see her as a evil character. She didn't need the redemption arc.
I liked Astrid and torben's story. This is my first book of the writer. Overall I liked it.
Oh and I don't understand why torben never saw his best/worst self through Astrid's magic. He saw blurry shapes but no face like everyone else. The same thing Astrid's mother saw. So torben also doesn't see anything good in him or what? They never explained it or I missed it.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s the way I utterly devoured this one.

From start to finish, I was there, I was engaged, I was committed to the very end.

I love fairytale retellings and this one has some terrific twists, starting with its magic. Specifically Astrid’s unique magic. The author did a great job really exploring that power, allowing for a great visual to manifest in the mind while reading. It helped to carry the plot quite nicely.

Another thing very nicely done is the romance. I was all in, no looking back, fully invested into the relationship between Astrid and Torben. I thought they had terrific development that led to some truly excellent spicy scenes. I believed in their emerging love and rooted for them to find a way out of the dangers ahead of them.

I think I stumbled a bit through the end, perhaps not quite convinced. But truly, overall I was a massive fan of the direction the narrative took.

This book introduced me to its author whose works I absolutely plan to explore. I can’t wait to get started and to revisit this magical world again!

[kianna 💕 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book. I love the world and the characters! The twists and turns gave me whiplash though but I can’t wait to go back and read the other books in the series!

[B.B. Salem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean the kittens were the best part 🙈 I love a good slow burn/fantasy and a stand alone is just perfect!

[Sarah]

hmmm, ich find das war das schwächste aus der Reihe bis jetzt 🤷‍♀️

[✧.*Emma✧.* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an enjoyable book! Really like this series🤭

[Nezha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apparently I'm getting newly hooked on fairytale retellings...