A Poison Dark and Drowning by Jessica Cluess

A Poison Dark and Drowning by Jessica Cluess

Published: September19th 2017 by Random House Books for Young Readers

The magicians want her to lead. The sorcerers want her to lie. The demons want her blood. Henrietta wants to save the one she loves. But will his dark magic be her undoing?

Henrietta doesn’t need a prophecy to know that she’s in danger. She came to London to be named the chosen one, the first female sorcerer in centuries, the one who would defeat the bloodthirsty Ancients. Instead, she discovered a city ruled by secrets. And the biggest secret of all: Henrietta is not the chosen one.

Still, she must play the role in order to keep herself and Rook, her best friend and childhood love, safe. But can she truly save him? The poison in Rook’s system is transforming him into something monstrous as he begins to master dark powers of his own.

So when Henrietta finds a clue to the Ancients’ past that could turn the tide of the war, she persuades Blackwood, the mysterious Earl of Sorrow-Fell, to travel up the coast to seek out strange new weapons. And Magnus, the brave, reckless flirt who wants to win back her favor, is assigned to their mission. Together, they will face monsters, meet powerful new allies, and uncover the most devastating weapon of all: the truth.

I’ve had this book sat on my shelf since it came out – so when I saw someone I knew reading book 1 and enjoying it, I decided it was about time to pick up book 2. I really enjoyed this instalment and I am definitely looking forward to the next book.

This book starts off where the previous left off. I liked the fact that not a lot of time had passed between the end of book 1 and the start of this one because there wasn’t a lot to catch up on. It was easy to remember what had previously happened so it was easy to follow.

Having said that, it took a little while for me to get into.I often felt that the beginning of the story felt a little disjointed and jarring in some places. I didn’t feel that the events joined together in a manner that flowed well for the first two chapters and it really affected the way in which I connected to the story and the characters in general. After a few chapters, the flow sorted itself out and it became easier to really get lost in the story and the characters.

Loved reconnecting with Blackwoods character. It was really interesting watching him develop throughout the book, whether it was good or bad. I liked watching the moments where he acted like his dad and how he handled it. In the first book, Blackwood was a relatively closed off character and I liked watching him begin toped umpire towards Henrietta and the connection that he felt toward her, even if she didn’t see it herself at the time. It was interesting watching his character develop – even if there were moments where he acted like his father.

I did find myself screaming at the characters. I wasn’t a huge Rook shipper, in either the first booker this book. I felt that Rook was more of a brotherly kind of character andI didn’t seem with Henrietta in any kind of romantic aspect… I just wanted to push him out of the picture.

I also enjoyed the fact that we got more of a backstory in this book. It was great to see how the monsters cam into the world ad how all of the characters were linked before Henrietta’s time. I liked the way in which the story started to come together, but in a way that kept the main elements of what we have already learned, but also introducing new elements to the backstory which kept it interesting.

I had guessed a major plot point before it had happened, but it didn’t detract from what had happened at the end and how it all came together. I liked the end and the way in which the characters and their connections really began to come to light and I am looking forward to seeing how things will continue in the next instalment.

All I all, I really enjoyed this story and I am looking forward t the net instalment. I loved the plot and the character development in this bookend I am really looking forward to seeing how develops in the book – especially after the ending! I have this book 4/5 stars.

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