This Fatal Kiss

I received an ARC by NetGalley from in exchange for an honest review. This book was absolutely amazing. I love stories inspired by folklore and this book is inspired by Slavic folklore which is a refreshing change from your typical western fantasy. This is definitely a cozy fantasy that you can read in one sitting. The cover is also stunning and reflects the vibes of the story. While there is talk of murder and danger, it’s low stakes and still lighthearted. I love poly romances, and here they all fall in love with each other without there being (an annoying) love triangle. The “plot twist” was predictable but not in a way that made me lose interest, instead I was looking forward for the characters figuring it out. The story leaves us with an open ending, so I hope there will be a sequel. The only reason why this wasn’t a 5 Star book for me was because it was not quite clear at what time this story takes place. Many people still know all the stories about the magical creatures living there and their grandparents still believed in them. The current generation doesn’t take them as seriously and many are now Christian, so I thought it was a historical setting, but then Kazik is annoyed by the tourists and the clicking of their cameras, which kind of threw me off.

This book starts cozy and describes the rural town of Leśna Woda, located next to a river and a forest. To me, it felt like a dream to read. What to expect: There are magical bathhouses and a farmers‘ market with wonderfully described food, like blueberry-filled dumplings with crunchy sugar on top. In the first half, the story feels cozy, before in the second half the real action starts and demons start to bring plot-twists I didn‘t expect. Watching the characters figure themselves and the relationship out was satisfying. The story is narrated in three perspectives. First, Gisela, a witty water nymph, who tries to get a human to kiss her to regain her own humanity by making a bargain with Kazík, the grumpy local exorcist. Their target is Aleksey, a human boy. Things escalate when Kazík realizes his own feelings for Aleksey. And there‘s also demons, so go read it :D Reading about a queer love triangle that gets solved via polyamory was refreshing. The characters are well developed and Kazík being easily flustered by Gisela‘s and Aleksey‘s jokes feels very satisfying to read about. The whimsical fantasy-vibes and the folklore combined with the witty characters and the romance lead me to rank this book a solid 10/10. :)