Me on A Poison Dark and Drowning

Title: A Poison Dark and Drowning
Author: Jessica Cluess
Release Date: September 19, 2017
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (Random House imprint)

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.

A Poison Dark and Drowning is like a dark ruin, full of shadows and secrets and death. So many secrets, so much time spent searching and hiding. But the truth will always be revealed, and in situations like the ones Henrietta finds herself in, the truth often leads to destruction.

Henrietta isn't the chosen one destined to save England from the Ancients, terrible monsters pulled from another plane of existence, but that don't mean she isn't still a sorcerer. The first female sorcerer in ages. That doesn't mean she still doesn't have a job: to protect England and to fight back. She will do whatever it takes to defeat the Ancients, whatever it takes to save Rook. Her search leads her deeper into magician-magic, into someone who first explored its powers, and towards what she hopes will be a new tool of the sorcerers. But in a world like this, there are still hidden truths out there. Secret motives, plots, and plans. And the truth becomes something Henrietta doesn't want to face. But she has to, because she's one of those people who hates feeling useless.

This second book of the trilogy was one thing going wrong after another after another. So much is thrown at Henrietta, be it Rook's sickness or the Ancients coming or the men around her trying to curtail her. Even though she had their powers, they still saw her as less than them. Considering how this book ended and where certain characters ended up, the last book's plot is sure to be interesting.

(I borrowed a copy of this title from the library.)