Thanks to NetGalley and Skull & Violet Books for providing me with an ARC of Poisoner's Vengeance by Talia Greer (publication date 31 March 2025) in exchange for my honest opinion.

A book with autistic FMC.. that's what intrigued me the most to read this book. It didn't disappoint. I loved the FMC, her though process, her no nonsense attitude, her difficulty to understand and react according to social cues was interesting to read. The plotline reminded me of 'one dark window ' . To me it book read like young adult.. the romance content was very low and it was more like strangers to lovers, I enjoyed the suspense, gothic, thriller aspects of the book more. The world building was absolutely brilliant and well paced. Overall, if you are looking for a gothic thriller fantasy with a dash of romance.. this is your book.

“Mother, forgive me,” I murmured. “I feel it only prudent to warn you that I intend to step sideways out of the warmth of your glory.”

── .✦✩°𓏲⋆ 3.25 stars

⤿ this book had the potential to be one of my best reads of 2025 and initially i thought that that’s exactly how it would be. however, with my stellar luck as usual, the book also fell flat by the end. additionally, i feel a little misled by the book being marketed as ‘romantic fantasy’, when at best, it was a gothic mystery with paranormal elements in it. and that doesn’t exactly classify as romantic fantasy. and with that being said, despite it’s few shortcomings, i actually enjoyed the book because there was never a dull moment in it.

⟢ summary ⊱

⤿ Sister Annette Boodram is a nun of the Moriah Abbey and has dedicated her life towards serving the abbey and their Mother. However, when she’s wrongfully deprived of an award, she decides to step out of grace and take revenge on the Abbess with the help of an unusual ally – a demon who had been kept captive in the Abbey for a long time. Now, with formation of an unholy alliance with equally unholy motives, Annette and Rigo set out to right the wrongs that have been done to them, only to discover that the Abbey’s past isn’t as clean as it is portrayed to be.

And, it further turns out that they’re aren’t the only ones out for revenge.

⟢ characters ⊱

⤿ ⬪ Annette Boordram – i loved her. A LOT.

“Take what’s mine again and see what happens.”

see what i mean? she’s a nun, but kinda wicked. and i loved that. her moral compass didn’t run according to the standards of a person dedicating their lives to selflessness, and that was honestly so refreshing. she was kind, brave and caring, but she was also highly ambitious, a little bit vindictive and extremely possessive of what she considers hers. and that was HOT.

the thing that i loved the most about her was how realistically she was fleshed out with her insecurities, desires to fit in and then giving up, her love for books and solitude (me coded) and her reactions to any situation. annette wasn’t by any standards a perfect, pretty protagonist. no. she was imperfect, rude at times and made some really weird decisions but that’s what makes her likeable to me all the more.

the only thing i wished i got to see more of was her wickedness. she had the potential to delve a little deeper into her darker side during her face off against the antagonists, but she remained pretty much of a good and heroic character. and while it’s a good thing, i just felt we should have seen more of her ‘idgaf about anyone as much as a sister should’ attitude more. also, for someone who’s portrayed to be as intelligent as her, i expected her to figure out the betrayal a lot quicker than she did.

⬪ Rigo Acosta – he’s a demon…who’s a golden retriever. now, don’t get me wrong. i do love me a good golden retriever mmc, but when it comes to a demon, i expect a certain level of wickedness, ruthlessness and darkness. i mean you’re a demon for fuck’s sake! you can’t be a complete ray of sunshine?

it wasn’t that i didn’t like him, i did. he was really kind, sweet and adorably boyish to annette. he also helped her A LOT and was always there for her. ALWAYS. but that’s it.

for a demon, he was pretty tame and didn’t actually have any demonic qualities in him. which was…disappointing because it made his character bland with no dimension except for a good guy trapped in a demon’s body. i’m sorry but i like my men a <s>LOT</s> little morally-grey.

the only moment Rigo ate a little was:
“Listen to me,” he said in a low and dangerous tone. “That woman will not touch you again if I have anything to do with it. Understand?”

⟢ the plot & romance ⊱

⤿ the plot of this book was really well fleshed out with the slow buildup to the gradual unfolding of events. the mystery also developed in a great pace that is slow enough to build your curiosity and yet enough fast enough to always keep you hooked for more. also, the entire gothic and dark setting of the abbey was absolute chef’s kiss. it further heightened the mystery plot and raised the stakes for the characters, making you actually feel their horror, excitement or pity. and though the twist was extremely predictable, it was still fun to watch annette put all the pieces together and face the final confrontation with the antagonists.

now, talking about the romance of the book…well. um.

idk how to exactly artituclate my thoughts here because the romance went from ‘i dont trust him’ to ‘i trust him with my life’ within the span of one chapter or two. like how?? my girl wasn’t even nice to him most of the times and suddenly she longs for him?? HUH??? this isn’t what i mean when i say i love enemies to lovers.

the pacing of the romance was too weird and didn’t at all feel balanced. there wasn’t any chemistry, angst, spark or push and pull between them. another reason why i think the romance didn’t work out was because the character of Rigo wasn’t properly fleshed out. we practically know nothing about him or his past – which led to the lack of his individuality.

as a result, the romance didn’t click well for me because i couldn’t see them connect. and the smut wasn’t phenomenal either. it was good but definitely didn’t reach my expectations.

────୨ৎ────

all in all, despite the few flaws in characterization and the romance subplot, i truly enjoyed the book A LOT. i would definitely recommend it to you if you are looking for a quick and interesting read with a gothic background and elements of mystery and paranormal in it.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Skull & Violet Books and Talia Greer for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading Posioner’s Vengeance, which is a romantic fantasy standalone with a gothic vibe. If you loved phanatama, nocitacdia, one dark window- then this will be right up your street. Focusing on Annette, a nun who seeks revenge on those she trusted the much ends up with her sparking a deal with a demon and goes on a journey to seek retribution. It was fast paced, easy to follow along and I couldn’t stop reading to see what would happen next.

I felt like there maybe could have been a bit more chemistry / banter between Annette and Rigo but overall I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend reading when it’s published in March!

Tropes :
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity
Forbidden romance

Spice 🌶️🌶️

3.5/5

If I had to sum this book up in one sentence it would be this: just a nun and her demon bestie against the world.

Overall, this was a super fun and unique book. I genuinely do not think I have ever read anything like it before and I love when that happens. (The more books you read, the harder it is to come across something that feels so original.)

I do wish that there was a bit more background or information on characters and their relationships, some just didn't quite add up to me. I felt like I needed to know more to understand why certain characters felt and acted the way they did with others.

I also wish that there was a little more oomph to the plot, this wasn't super plot heavy, it felt more lore heavy. I don't know if that makes sense to other people, but that statement makes sense to me.

This was cool, I just think it needed to be fleshed out a little bit more.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into this one, but what I got after the vibe of the cover was not at all what I thought it would be.

In saying this, I really enjoyed the idea behind the plot, it was very unique and like nothing at all like I’d read before. There were a few times where I found myself questioning a lot of things, what was going on and why on earth all these things were happening.

I didn’t really enjoy the romance. I honestly feel as though it’s undercooked and it has no buildup to justify the feelings between the two parties. I think if it had been left out altogether, it would have made more sense that it was just a mutually beneficial friendship and still achieved the same thing.

Not a bad read, but I think romantasy probably isn’t the correct way to describe this book since it’s not the main focus. I would describe this more as a gothic fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the early copy of this book.

⭑⭑¾ — poisoner's revenge has my absolute favorite trope of all time: demon/incorporeal nightmare creature camps in the protagonist's mind, provides scathing commentary on all her thoughts, and causes general havoc. think one dark window or jujutsu kaisen i guess. unfortunately, this is the first time i've ever not liked a book with this trope.

sometimes, a book is just a victim of overmarketing. this was honestly pretty average as far as romantasies go, but if you say "adult romantic fantasy novel with a slow burn enemies to lovers romance perfect for fans of ava reid" and then not deliver any of that, it automatically becomes awful, regardless of the quality of the content itself.

first of all, this is not "adult" in any definition of the word. if adult exclusively refers to the exactly one sex scene, then sure, but if you consider the complexity of the narrative or maturity of the characters, then absolutely not. one thing i really liked about this book is that the plot moves forward through annette's active choices. this might be a basic thing, but recently, i've been reading a lot of books where random things happen to the characters rather than characters actively navigating their lives, and annette was very refreshing to me for that reason. unfortunately, almost every decision she made had the innate stupidity of the first person to die in a slasher film. somehow, it worked out for her, but i can't suspend disbelief that much. for example, her trust in the relic? she just asked it "are you holy" and it said "yeah sort of" and that's all the vetting that occurred before she gave him her body to possess. alright. and this was not a one-off thing, either. she basically did the same thing with the demon, except she hated him for slightly longer.

not only is this not adult, it's also not romantasy either. i'm being absolutely serious. that is not the genre. this is fantasy with a mystery subplot, and somehow, the two mcs end up together, but no romantic development takes place within the novel. it's slow burn in the sense that it takes until the halfway point for her to think that he's cute, and then suddenly she loves him near the end, but no explanation of how we get from point a to point b. i understand how two people in their situation can fall in love (both isolated for years before finding a friend in each other) but i want to know why annette and rigo, specifically, care for each other, and there's barely anything there. this is the first romantasy book where the romance was sidelined in favor of other storylines and it actually detracts from the experience. and then it's not enemies to lovers either. truly, the marketing for this book is atrocious. not everything has to be enemies to lovers, i promise. she dislikes him in the beginning, and he's indifferent, but that's not enemies, that's the relationship you have with your annoying neighbor. just say forbidden romance or something!! and this is very, very nitpicky of me, but i absolutely hate the whole "i shouldn't have wanted him. he was a demon, the very type of monster i'd been taught to fear" thing almost every romance fantasy has written verbatim these days. like you do. so now what? stand on it? it's so whiny and insufferable.

and finally, the writing was just underwhelming, lacking in gravitas and complexity. there are many instances of annette having an emotionally torturous experience, but you can't feel any of it because the writing is too simplistic. regrettable because annette is entirely motivated by emotion, and i wasn't able to relate to her on that level.

Sadly I wasn’t ever able to really get into this book. I never really got attached to the fmc and the writing style just wasn’t for me. I don’t want to drag any ratings down so I won’t be leaving reviews on any other platform. Thank you for the arc though!

I really enjoyed this story, although I did feel that some parts could have been a bit more developed. However, as an introduction to a new world, it does a good job of explaining the lore quite well and I really enjoyed the characters. They felt real! As such thus is a 4 star read for me and, I'm hoping that there will be more books on the future because it was such an atmospheric and fun read! The lore was really interesting and I liked how it was delivered through snippets of old books and journal entries.
Annette is a nun with a talent for plants and poisons, which she is counting on for advancing her path. However, when things dont go to plan and she feels betrayed by those she trusts, she cooks up a plan for revenge. This is where she meets the demon, Rigo. He, too, has been betrayed and framed for a crime he did not commit. As they work together to right their own wrongs, they forge a connection that should not be but can't be denied. Annette also realises that possibly not all of the Order's teachings have been correct.
This is a read for those that enjoy slow burn romance, world building, and forbidden romance/enemies to lovers. I really enjoyed taking this journey with Annette, and was definitely left wanting more!

This was a very easy read. The storyline was one I had never read before. The MC of the book starts off feeling very slighted and her need for revenge. As time goes on and the more she finds out the less she feels the need for revenge but to protect everything and everyone she knows. Beautifully written! Would recommend if you need an easy read, minimal spice, but love a good twisty path to the end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

A bit of a slow start but once things started moving the pacing really picked up. I liked the gothic abbey vibes. It felt more like reluctant allies than enemies to lovers to me but I liked seeing Annette and Rigon grow as characters as things are revealed to them. I also enjoyed their slow burn. I would have liked to see more from the poison master side of things but overall I enjoyed this.

𝕀 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕𝕟’𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕙𝕚𝕞. ℍ𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕒 𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕠𝕟, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕥𝕪𝕡𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕞𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕀’𝕕 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕥𝕒𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕗𝕖𝕒𝕣. 𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝕙𝕖’𝕕 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕖, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕀 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕤𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕝𝕪 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕀’𝕕 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕒𝕓𝕓𝕖𝕪 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕖. 🥀

Where do I even begin with this book? While the beginning was a little slow to start, everything picked up pretty quickly around 25-30% in and I was hooked The world building was done so beautifully & I really appreciate the author’s attention to detail! It painted a wonderful picture of the gothic abbey and the world they live in!

Annette, while she was unlike by so many individuals in her abbey, was loved by me. How her inner thoughts and dialogue were written was something I relate to wholeheartedly as a neurodivergent individual. You can really tell she struggles with black/white thinking, especially at the beginning of the book. All she wanted was for her rights to be wronged, to get what was rightfully hers! She couldn’t understand why no one helped her because things were unfair! And so, the idea of revenge pops into her mind and I, for one, loved this for her!

Insert a relic that she finds in the archives that promised to help her get that award back and a mysterious, beautiful demon that she finds locked in a cell, and we got a whole gang to help Annette reach her goals! Or so we thought…

With twists at every turn and the tension building, this was a book I could NOT put down! I was drawn into the world and those in the abbey, drawn to Annette and then, drawn into the immersive plot. Not to mention that slow burn? I LOVE ME A SLOW BURN! Seriously though, this book was so deliciously good & I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for this world!


Tropes:
🥀 Romantasy 🥀
🥀 Gothic/Dark Academia 🥀
🥀 Forbidden romance 🥀
🥀 Slow Burn 🥀
🥀 Enemies to Lovers 🥀
🥀 Forced proximity 🥀
🥀 Demon bargain 🥀
🥀 Religious themes 🥀
🥀 Neurospicy mfc 🥀

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! It was truly a wild ride! 🥀🖤

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️

Firstly thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Secondly, while I was looking forward to reading this, I’m sad to say I had to DNF this book. The writing was amazing don’t get me wrong however the FMC wasn’t it for me. She made it soooo hard for me to continue with the book because of her actions and internal dialogues. Mainly the fact that she gains such big and intense hatred for the other girl just from one encounter. Her proceeding to hurt that girl both physically and verbally didn’t sit right with me as well. Overall I just didn’t like the fact that her hatred for this girl she just met once is the driving force behind the plot, it doesn’t feel a strong enough of a motive to go out of her way and make a deal with a demon. Now I know that the FMC is written as an autistic rep and I do understand that there is soooo many different types of autism when it comes to the spectrum but I just couldn’t keep going when it was used as an excuse for the main character just to be pure mean and evil and petty, just wanting to hurt other people for the sake of jealousy and pettiness. Like I mentioned the writing is good and I wouldn’t mind reading more of the author’s work in the future and I know a lot of people will like this but unfortunately this book wasn’t for me at all.

So I have to be completely honest I didn’t really enjoy this book. I couldn’t connect with the characters at all I found them quite unlikeable. I did like the idea of the main character being a nun as I hadn’t read a fantasy book involving a nun before however I just could not get into this book. I found the romance side slight dull as well, this just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I enjoyed reading this story as considering myself a social outcast at times as well.
I did enjoy the plot, romance, and character growth/development, but I was only disappointed to find the excerpts included at the beginning of each chapter gave the lot line and ending away. For example: I knew the ring and bracelets were relics and demonic as soon as they were introduced because the journal experts hinted at it too hard. And you knew she would be physically harmed in that chapter and that no one would likely do anything because it had been mentioned in the excerpt at the beginning of that chapter. I feel as if it would have been better to place each of those excerpts maybe a chapter or two later than how they were presented to follow up on what the reader had just read. And to maybe take out those mentioning demonic relics at all.

Rating-
4/5 stars

Genre-
Romantasy

Age Rating For It-
16 or 17+ because there is some violence and the fmc gets hurt and punished because of some of the things she does, and it is a tad bit dark and gothic too. There is also an opened door scene near the end of the book that is explicit and some kissing and stuff as well.

Tropes-
Slow burn
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn
Revenge

Quotes-

“I’ve been trying to show you how I feel all this time. You’ve captivated me, Annette. Every time I think I know you, you surprise me again.”

“When his hand slipped into my own a moment later, I did not pull away.”

Thoughts/Would I Recommend This?-
I really enjoyed this book a lot! I loved the dark gothic kind of vibe I got from it and the whole revenge plot and everything. I do wish it had dived more into the whole poison master aspect of this book and I wish that there had been some more depth to the revenge plot like the instant hatred I kind of get because I do know in some cases you can just instantly dislike/hate someone, but I wish there was more depth to that instant hatred like if they had more things that Narissa did to make her dislike her or stuff. All in all, though, I really enjoyed this book and would totally recommend people read it!

Nuns and demons? Sign me UP.

I loved the relationship between Annette and Rig and the plot/story was unique and lived up to the hype!

I found the concept of this book rather fascinating, a nun with a taste for revenge named Annette and a scheming demon named Rigo are thrust upon each other when Annette stumbles upon a forgotten relic.

Overall, I liked the writing of the story. I like the attraction between Annette and Rigo and there kind interactions at first. I like that Rigo genuinely listens to her and makes her feel seen, especially when she’s been shunned by so many. They were a cute pairing.

One thing that I didn’t like was Annette’s instant hate of Narissa. It seemed startling at first and strange. I felt Annette was weirdly vindictive for no reason. I would’ve preferred if they had been life long rivals and then she had been replaced perhaps. It would’ve been more believable.

Overall, this book was fun to read and a solid dark romance read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Talia Greer for the opportunity to read this e-archive in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️
I can not stress enough how I LOVED Annette and Rig
Not just them I loved the storyline itself. I’ve never read any book that took place is such world. The mix between real world and fantasy here I loved it.
What I loved most was the anguished story line of Annette, and all the built up emotions that drove her into revenge and how slowly she was getting back on her feet again.
The only bad thing about this was how little time I got to see Rig and Annette together. I wanted to see more of their romance and work. I also wanted to see more of rig’s personality and backstory
Alas, the book ended before I got to know more about this world but it was fine. I had so much fun and I enjoyed every second of it ❤️

Thank you @netgalley and Talia for giving me an early copy of such beautiful book

I didn't quite know what to expect going into this, but what a pleasant and exciting read! Annette was left abandoned at the steps of Moriah Abbey as a child where she was raised for the last 15 years. She never truly fit in with her peers, being ostracized for her off-putting nature and aloofness so she dedicates herself to her studies to achieve the title of Chief Poisoness, where she will be able to leave the abbey and travel abroad. As Annette is prepared to receive her award, she is outraged when it is given to someone else. Bent on revenge, she develops a plan to sabotage the abbey and steal back the award she has worked for her entire life. She encounters a sentient ring, a relic, that helps her in her plan as well as a forgotten demon prisoner in the basement of the abbey. With their help, she discovers there are more secrets and dark history within the abbey involving murder plots, evil demons, and a much bigger world than she ever thought.

I really didn't have any idea of where this book was going to go when I started it, and I couldn't put it down until I finished! I really liked Annette as a character, at first I was surprised at how her morals revolved around her personal goals in an almost villainous sort of way with being raised in an abbey, but she actually is a strict rule follower who does show kindness-unless someone gets in the way of her goals, of course. She is naive and selfish, but also intelligent and cunning. A very interesting combination that was very fun to read.

The pacing of the book was excellent, many times I looked at the percentage I had left and thought how was the author going to unfold and tie all these ends together?! But Talia Greer was able to tell a compelling and full story that was satisfying all the way through, and by the end of the book I felt so sad it ended but like all my questions were answered. The plot was so fun and dark and what an interesting setting that I had never experienced before in a book. Instead of dark academia, it was more dark gothic church. And I was so pleasantly surprised by the romance and spice!!

My only gripe was that I wish we had been able to see more of Annette being a top-of-her-class poisoner, especially because the title and plot revolve so much around that. I feel like the only time we really see her use her talent is in identifying some ingredients in tea, I wish we could have seen her knowledge of poisons been used more. She was also painfully naive at times, like after discovering that basically everything she knew was a lie and SO MANY red flags from those she trusted, and yet it takes her basically until someone else explains what's happening for her to realize what's going on. And only because this conflicts with it being pointed out many times that she is clever and intelligent. However, I don't think this takes away much from the book as a whole.

I do hope I get to see more of Annette and Rigo, but also I feel this book is complete just as a standalone! I had so much fun reading, I recommend this for people who love dark academia, demons, a touch of gothic horror, and a morally grey fmc who isn't afraid to do whatever it takes to get her revenge.

Not your average nun

I really enjoyed Poisoner’s Vengeance! This is so unlike what I typically read, I don’t think I’ve read another series in a religious setting in this genre. I think this book would be a good intro to fantasy romance for readers who are into horror/suspense, because the vibes are spooky from the start.

When I first began reading, I thought we might be getting a morally gray FMC with Annette, but as the story went on, I realized that wasn’t necessarily the case—Annette just doesn’t censor her thoughts and doesn’t shy away from feelings that are self-serving. She’s always honest with herself and I grew to admire that about her. Even with her initial motive in this story being revenge based, she still comes out the heroine.

The nuns in this story are not your typical nuns. They don’t adhere to the same rules as the nuns we’re familiar with, and one of their primary roles in their world is creating poisons and their antidotes. “To heal the sick and sicken the wicked” is the motto they live by.

While there is some spice, this story is very much plot driven. It almost feels like it could be the first book in a series, although I believe it’s a standalone. Overall, I’d definitely recommend!