Blood to Poison

by Mary Watson

4 out of 5

Synopsis

An epic South African fantasy from award-winning author Mary Watson, for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and The Gilded Ones.

Seventeen-year-old Savannah is cursed. It's a sinister family heirloom; passed down through the bloodline for hundreds of years, with one woman in every generation destined to die young. The family call them Hella's girls, named for their ancestor Hella; the enslaved woman with whom it all began. Hella's girls are always angry, especially in the months before they die.

The anger is bursting from Savannah – at the men who cat-call her in the street, at her mother's disingenuous fiancé, even at her own loving family. Each fit of rage is bringing her closer to the edge and now Savannah has to act to save herself. Or die trying. Because the key to survival lies in the underbelly of Cape Town, where the sinister veilwitches are waiting for just such a girl.

Blood to Poison is a furious and mesmerising story about discovering magic, historical rage and love in all its guises.

Review

Savannah is one in a long line of cursed women, each fated to die sooner than the last.

She finds herself the target of evil witches, and a ticking clock.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Savannah, a descendant of Hella, an enslaved woman whose fury and magic cursed her abusers and their descendants for the rest of time. Unfortunately, Hella didn't know she was pregnant, and her own family are affected.

Not every woman, but there are a couple every generation who burn with anger.

Savannah is the latest victim. She has always been angry and aggressive, but now her wrists are marked with the curse that will kill her.

As the magic comes to the surface, she starts to attract the attention of good and bad witches, and realises there is a hidden world existing beyond the notice of normal humans.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved the folklore and the magic. It felt realistic and dangerous.

As Savannah discovers what she needs to break the curse, and she has to go to some pretty extreme lengths. She has a cast of characters around her, and it constantly keeps you guessing as to what side they are on, and who the Big Bad truly is.

There are some big red herrings, and I was impressed at how misleading they were! I was wrong at least twice!

I felt that the writing was a little chaotic at times, and with so many conflicting and fantastical elements, it made it hard to follow sometimes.

But overall, I really enjoyed it, and I loved the ending, and the choices that Savannah made.

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