The Poison Daughter is written by Sheila Masterson and published by Wayward TxF.
The Poison Daughter is available now, online and at your favourite bookstore.
Synopsis
To err is human. To avenge is Divine.
Every person Harlow Carrenwell kisses dies immediately, and that’s the way she likes it. The poison-lipped youngest daughter of Lunameade’s magical founding family has used her power to annihilate their opposition.
Her first husband is in the ground. Her new betrothed is next.
But the merry widow has a secret. When she’s not acting as an assassin at her parents’ whims, she moonlights as a vigilante for abused women in their walled-off city.
Meet a man. Lure him in. Kill him with a kiss. Until one night Harlow kisses a mark and he doesn’t die.
Worse, her invincible partner in passion is her new betrothed, Henry Havenwood, and now he knows about her double life. Instead of selling her out and bringing the rival families to blows, he does something much more sinister—whisks her away to wed in his wild mountain fort.
Harlow doesn’t trust Henry, but the only way to protect her family and the city of Lunameade is to figure out what his family is planning.
Cursed with a husband she can’t kill and trapped in a fort miles of vampire-infested woods from home, Harlow’s survival requires her to do the impossible: Make the man who knows she’s a killer fall in love with her anyway.
The Poison Daughter is a standalone dark fantasy romance that combines the vigilante justice for abusive men of Promising Young Woman with a romantasy arranged marriage and a dash of vampires.
Review
The Poison Daughter, crafted by Sheila Masterson, is a new enemies-to-lovers entry into the ever-growing world of romantasy, and it’s one of the genuinely refreshing ones. Originally, The Poison Daughter was self-published and amassed remarkable global momentum, which resulted in it being picked up by Wayward TxF. With over 100 million Kindle Unlimited page reads, more than 17 thousand Amazon ratings, and over 34 thousand Goodreads ratings, this book has been hotly anticipated, and the Get Your Comic On team is thrilled to have got our hands on a copy to review.
Story
It’s a standalone story, which is rare in this realm, as most fantasy books are mapped out as series. The main plot is well-paced and suited for what it aims to achieve, though it does feel slightly rushed in parts. I would’ve loved to have seen the threat in the book, as well as some other characters and the world in general, explored more. However, I’m aware that for a standalone book, there’s a lot to achieve, and within the space allotted, it does a solid enough job.
I will say some aspects of the plot are a little predictable, if you’re an enjoyer of this style of book — you learn to pick up on X equals Y. However, the author does them in such a way that makes it fun and gripping. You won’t want to put it down.
The spicy scenes, which are important to this genre, are excellent — on par with the likes of Sarah J. Maas. If you’re someone who wants spicy sequences, then this book is definitely one you’ll get a kick out of — true to its romantasy genre title.
Spice aside, I also liked that the book doesn’t overload you with a huge cast of characters, which is nice. For a standalone book, you don’t want to be overwhelmed with too many characters, so I appreciated that quite a bit.
Themes
- Enemies-to-lovers
- Arranged marriage
- Deadly gift/curse
- He’s immune to her power
- Morally grey love interests
- Political family rivalry
Characters
The selling point and core aspect of the book that will draw you in and keep you hooked is its characters, specifically Harlow and Henry. It’s split between their two POVs — some chapters are in Harlow’s, some in Henry’s, which is something I personally quite like.
The main characters are your typical tropes: a flawed yet likeable female main character and a typical fantasy boyfriend, but the author does a great job of making you root for them, even when they’re morally grey. They’re horny, spicy, and sparky, which is everything you want in this style of story.
At the beginning, they don’t like each other — it is enemies to lovers, after all — but what I like about this is that the enemies part really drags out, in a refreshing way. It takes a long while for the lovers part to kick in, which again was a really refreshing change of pace for this genre. It was well done and thought out. As far as characters go, they’re both trope-heavy — we’ve seen this style of story before — but with fun mini twists to keep it feeling fresh.
How does it compare to the genre?
As I mentioned at the start of the review, this genre is quickly becoming saturated, which means it takes a lot to stand out from the crowd. Here, Masterson does an excellent job with the magic system, finding unique and inventive ways to make something fans of this genre will have seen time and time again feel fresh.
Every time a child is born, they’re dipped into a magic well. One of the 8 magic divines can choose to bestow them a gift, which is where the powers come from. These can range from common to rare, and not everyone gets a gift — everyone is categorised by their magic style. Powers manifest differently in everyone, which is a fun twist on the magic system. There are no magic races; everyone is born normal and human, and, be it by luck, powers are granted to those worthy — a nice change of pace.
Verdict
The Poison Daughter is a searing new entry into the ever-growing world of romantasy, and one you can’t afford to miss. Compelling characters, a gripping plot, a world you won’t want to leave — this one earns every bit of its hype.
If you thought romantasy was starting to dwindle, think again. Sheila Masterson has cultivated a cult-like following and earned every bit of the hype surrounding this book, and rightfully so. Her work here is inspired, fun, and a genuinely entertaining read — further proof that romantasy’s still got plenty of bite left.
The Poison Daughter is available August 18th 2026, online and at your favourite bookstore. Pre-order it, clear your schedule, and thank me later.
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