Book Review – Poison Heart

by S.B. Hayes (Quercus) ISBN 978-0-85738-570-3

Poison Heart is well-written with a plot that can only be described as engrossing. This Young Adult novel is easy to read and I became involved with Katy’s story of horror when she finds a girl, so like herself, setting out to destroy her life. Wherever Katy turns, Genevieve is there – at school, with her friends, her mother, and her boyfriend, Merlin.

Katy’s mother, a tragic figure who rarely leaves the house, is so well portrayed you can feel her nervousness. There is a secret that involves all three of them. Luke, the boy next door to Katy, is her sounding board in spite of Katy’s relationship with Merlin.

This novel is packed with suspense and atmosphere and the tension is almost unbearable. There is a scene in the book that stands out – the writing brings out all the beauty of a black night with frozen stars in a night sky and a demented girl skating on thin ice. I cannot give more of the plot away. It is twisted and frightening and well worth reading.

Dee Andrew
4/5