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A Beautiful Poison
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
Just beyond the Gilded Age, in the mist-covered streets of New York, the deadly Spanish influenza ripples through the city. But with so many victims in her close circle, young socialite Allene questions if the flu is really to blame. All appear to have been poisonedand every death was accompanied by a mysterious note. Desperate for answers and dreading her own engagement to a wealthy gentleman, Allene returns to her passion for scientific discovery and recruits her long-lost friends, Jasper and Birdie, for help. The investigation brings her closer to Jasper, an apprentice medical examiner at Bellevue Hospital who still holds her heart, and offers the delicate Birdie a last-ditch chance to find a safe haven before her fragile health fails. As more of their friends and family die, alliances shift, lives become entangled, and the three begin to suspect everyoneeven each other. As they race to find the culprit, Allene, Birdie, and Jasper must once again trust each other, before one of them becomes the next victim.
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review
StaceGhost
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Pickpick

Not for the faint of heart— you may find yourself rooting for the killer. Of course, the murders are also painful & affecting, but who was most guilty? Quite thrilling but damn dark 🖤

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mcctrish
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Pickpick

This was a delightful multiple murders mystery that kept me guessing until the end 🖤🖤 thank you so much @ulrichyumiodd for the #allhallowsreadswap it was perfect for my scaredy-cat fright level

LeahBergen I‘m eyeing those chips. 😆 1y
mcctrish @LeahBergen those are my fancy chips, from Spain and I only find them once in a blue moon! I decided to eat them to celebrate dragging all the Christmas stuff down from the attic and putting most of them out and about 💪🏻 1y
Tamra What a scene 😍 1y
mcctrish @Tamra chips, wine and books are my love language ❤️❤️❤️ 1y
ulrichyumiodd I‘m so glad you liked it! 1y
63 likes1 stack add5 comments
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mcctrish
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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TGIF I‘m at school and I‘d rather be reading! Happy Black Friday Shopping Littens 📚📚📚 hope you‘ve got carts full of books

Tamra Love your shirt! And yes, we definitely should talk books. 😍 1y
mcctrish @Tamra I‘m waiting for kids to stop me 🤣🤣 1y
59 likes2 comments
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mcctrish
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Road trip and a new book ❤️ a gift from #allhallowsreadswap the cover is gorgeous and I‘m sucked right in

41 likes1 stack add
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MeJeMiller
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Mehso-so

I had a hard time at the beginning understanding the non murder plot, like how it was connected. It made more sense the further you went. There were a lot of the characters, main and side, that I was conflicted how I felt about. Feelings definitely changed through the book. It didn‘t suck but definitely not a book I‘d read much more of.

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julieclair
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Pickpick

This book was ssooooo good! Plenty of thrilling moments, and interesting relationships between the characters. The depiction of New York City during the Influenza days, and even the descriptions of early 1900s autopsy methodology, were quite interesting. 4 stars.
#Scarathlon #TeamSlaughter #ScarathlonDailyPrompts #Poison @Clwojick

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Texreader
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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DebinHawaii
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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#haunted #scarathlon #teamhendrix

One of my favorite covers and certainly about #poison this is a good fall book as are the author‘s other book.

Eggs Gorgeous 🖤☠️🖤 3y
52 likes1 comment
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GreenGrl87
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang

Nature was fierce in her efforts to cover the dead with life, rooting them down without mercy and preventing them from haunting the living.

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Djspens
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Pickpick

I would give most of the book ⭐️⭐️⭐️ but I did like the ending and grew to like the characters so the ending gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

33 likes1 stack add
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Chrissyreadit
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Congrats @Texreader for your 200k! Thanks for hosting #karensgiveaway 🧡🥳 A book I am “dying” to read is A Beautiful Poison.

Texreader Thanks for entering! 3y
60 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Jess_Franzino
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Pickpick

First off, thank you @ulrichyumiodd for sending me a book that is so “me” that I covered the review pic in stickers to show all of Litsy how much I loved it! I want to gush about it, but word limit ☹️ In short: The writing style, the characters, the amount of research that went into it 😍 Also, as a New Yorker who is currently living through a pandemic, I got all the feels. I just ordered another of Kang‘s books. My giant TBR stack be darned 😂

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Jess_Franzino
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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As someone who lives in NYC, this seems eerily familiar for *some* reason 😷😷😷

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ulrichyumiodd
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Pickpick

I love this book. I just couldn‘t put it down. It is very well written, and the characters are flawed in a way that make them feel real. I enjoyed the murder mystery aspect of the book, but I think I would have been fine with any culprit, as long as it made sense - and it did. As a side note, it was especially chilling to read about the Spanish flu while we‘re in the middle of a new pandemic. Stay safe, everyone!

37 likes1 stack add
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azulaco
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
Mehso-so

I didn‘t like this one as much as I‘d hoped to. It was interesting that one of the MCs was a radium girl, but no one in the book ever learned that she had radium poisoning. There was an unnecessary same-sex attraction that went nowhere and didn‘t help the plot. I thought the characters were pretty well written. It did have a couple of twists that I didn‘t foresee, and the writing was pretty. But on balance...eh.

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writerlibrarian
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Pickpick

Beautifully written. The story lines are intertwine in ways that keep you guessing without making you feel you are being either lied to or the writer is too clever for you. Which in my case, both of these were true. In a good way. A very good way.
It's science porn, mixed with a really good mystery, New York at the end of WW1 where more than one killer is roaming around one human, one terribly inhuman. #booked2019 #happyplace

42 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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writerlibrarian
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Need to win. Pens vs the Blue Jackets. Third jersey tonight and no Bob in the 🥅. I'm at 60% in this historical mystery. It's really, really good.
#readingandwatchinghockey

Annl I cannot figure out who is your team or if you just love hockey. I love hockey and am a leafs fan. 🏒🇨🇦 5y
writerlibrarian Phil the Thrill 🚨 on PP. 1-0 🐧😁😁. With less than 2m to go in the 2nd, 🐧🚨 2-0. There were fights, puck in the face in this period. Schultzy got an 🍎 . Empty net 🚨 for 87. 3-0. Big win 🕺 has left the building. (edited) 5y
writerlibrarian @Annl being a good Canadian girl I'm a hockey fan at the core. I am a 🐧 fans first, i love the Leafs, i will watch the Hawks because well, Jonathan Toews is my kind of player, I'll listen to the ⭐️ and the Caps. Hockey fan to the core. I'm also old enough to have seen Roy play, Gretzky play, even Dryden play, when I was really young. (edited) 5y
Annl I also saw the old guys play (on tv). It is an amazing sport! 5y
writerlibrarian @Annl i was an arena brat. My family was involved in minor hockey, hence weekend at the rink. Hockey, good hockey is the most amazing sport. Fast, emotional, physical and smart all on skate. 😁 5y
25 likes5 comments
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writerlibrarian
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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I'm half way through this one. So far it is still keeping me interested. 🐧 at home battling the Florida 🐆 it's a must win game to stay in the last 16 teams for the playoffs. Canes are in Boston, if they lose 🐧 jumps over them and if the Isles also somehow lose it's only 2 points between 2nd place. All the games are important now. Matt 'Dad' Cullen is playing his 1500th game tonight. #readingandwatchinghockey

writerlibrarian Geno in the 📦 and 🐆 🚨. 🐧 opened the 2nd period with a JakenBake 🚨 we are tied at 1 and 🐧 just kill a penalty. 🐧 on PP and 87 🚨 2-1 🐧. 🐆 tie with 2m to go in the 2nd. 🐧 won in OT 3-2 (edited) 5y
SpeculativeFemale Funny to see this today when I just posted about being at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex yesterday. Go 🐧 5y
37 likes3 comments
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writerlibrarian
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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This is the main event. ? in Montréal and ? vs Buffalo in TO. Will probably switch between the two.
#readingandwatchinghockey

throwmeabook @writerlibrarian I‘m at the Montreal game tonight! Go Habs Go! 🔵⚪️🔴 5y
writerlibrarian @throwmeabook wave to 87 for me 😉 5y
writerlibrarian I'm up to 40 % into this book and it's a lot darker than I was expecting. Still very good but quite dark 5y
writerlibrarian 21s in 87 🚨. 🐧 PP 81 to 87 to 71 🚨. Set play, 87 wins the face off to 59 🚨 59 again 4-0 🐧. Habs get on the board 4-1 🐧 add an empty net 🚨 🐧win 5-1 (edited) 5y
35 likes4 comments
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writerlibrarian
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Saturday late afternoon game is Hawks in LA. #readingandwatchinghockey

writerlibrarian Hawks are having a difficult afternoon. They finally 🚨 3-1 👑 . Hawks on a break away 🚨 it's mow 3-2. Long shot from the blue line goes ding and 🚨 3 all. Hawks are trailing by 1. 4-3 👑 it's now 5-3 👑 (edited) 5y
35 likes1 comment
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writerlibrarian
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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This has the making of a 🔥 dumpster game. But I hope the 🍁 will rise above the idiotie. So far the Gilded Age story is good.
#readingandwatchinghockey

writerlibrarian It's tied at one all. Again tied 2 all. But it's challenged and no goal. 2-1 Isles. SH 🚨 for the Isles. 3-1 NY. Now it's 4-1 (edited) 5y
37 likes1 comment
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writerlibrarian
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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A really cold evening... hockey and a good book. McDavid vs Matthew then Hawks in California.
#readingandwatchinghockey

writerlibrarian It's tied at 1 after 20m. Marner from Hyman then Kappy to Johnsson it's 3-1 🍁it's 4-1 since Willy 🚨 in an impossible shot. 2nd 🚨 from Johnsson on PP 5-1 🍁 (edited) 5y
28 likes1 comment
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writerlibrarian
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Snow drift upon snow drift with a dash of icy road. This is my next #booked2019 📚
Tonight is the battle of the QEW. Sabres at TO.

#readingandwatchinghockey

writerlibrarian 5m into2nd period 🍁 lead 2-1 now it's 3-1. After 2 periods, 🍁 lead 4-2 (edited) 5y
33 likes1 comment
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Matilda
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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😂

DarcysMom 🤣🤣🤣 5y
mdemanatee I just listened to this last week! 5y
Matilda @mdemanatee ooh this would be great on audio! 5y
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mdemanatee @Matilda I had done The Impossible Girl on audio too and really enjoyed it so I decided to go audio this one too. 5y
Matilda @mdemanatee after you mentioned it I switched over to audio and finished the book 😂 5y
mdemanatee @Matilda 😂 I hope you enjoyed it! 5y
Matilda @mdemanatee I did. I‘ve loved both the books I‘ve read of hers! 5y
50 likes1 stack add7 comments
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UnabridgedPod
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Pickpick

This is my second Lydia Kang book, and I enjoyed it as much as I did The Impossible Girl. The development of the central mystery and of the three protagonists' alternating perspectives is strong, with some great twists and effective nuance. I listened to this one via @scribd, and the narrator was great!

9 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Maria514626
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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@kspenmoll — sent this off to you today for the #lmpbc! Should arrive in 2-3 days.

kspenmoll Thanks! 5y
35 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Maria514626
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Panpan

I had high hopes for this book. I was disappointed. The three main characters were caricatures and the weird comparisons—and overuse of—drove me bonkers. And so. many. adjectives. and. adverbs. Leave no noun or verb naked! 😟 #lmpbc

Wife Well that‘s two of our group that have panned this one. Maybe the others will want to see how bad it really is?🙄😐 5y
Maria514626 @Wife 😆 I‘ll back in my emails to see who the next lucky reader is. Should I be sending around a book I picked? Or do we wait until this book has been all around? I don‘t remember the instructions. 🤦‍♀️ (edited) 5y
Wife Send it on to the next poor Litten 😉 5y
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Wife Did you send out your pick the previous month? 5y
Maria514626 @wife No, I didn‘t. Yikes! I‘m a month behind! I‘ll get right on it. 5y
Wife 👍🏻 5y
26 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Maria514626
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Knocked out 2:44 so far in the #24b42019. Looking forward to finishing this one. It‘s “fine.” 😉 #lmpbc #dogsoflitsy

If only my editing work was complete. We have a ton of snow and it‘s 🥶. Perfect reading weather! #snowydayreading

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Maria514626
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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🙄🙄🙄 Seriously? #lmpbc

BookishMarginalia 😱🤦🏻‍♀️😱🤦🏻‍♀️😱🤦🏻‍♀️😱 5y
Cedar_and_Grapefruit Working a little too hard🤨🙄 5y
23 likes2 comments
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Maria514626
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Cabbages don‘t make decisions!

I‘m intrigued by this story but the author‘s overuse of adjectives and weird comparisons is driving me a bit bonkers! @Wife @kspenmoll @RedxoHearts @suvata #lmpbc

Wife I did a lot of eye rolling 🙄while reading this book. 5y
Maria514626 @Wife It was hard to keep my editor in check. 😂😂😂 5y
Cedar_and_Grapefruit Working a little too hard🤨🙄 5y
28 likes4 comments
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Shadowfat
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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I woke up this morning to a surprise gift in my email! Thanks @Eyelit I'm excited to read to it and to spread the joy myself! #kindlitsy

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thereadingowlvina
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Mondays are deadly and toxic. In the mood for some poison reads 🤨

How do you cope with Monday blues?

#mondayblues #mondays #mondaymood

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Maria514626
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Forgot to post when this arrived from @Wife
Group R, #lmpbc, @kspenmoll @RedxoHearts @suvata

I‘m looking forward to giving this a whirl. Must finish book club book first. Focusing on finishing a book on a deadline can kind of stink. 😄 Too many enticements ...

Wife 🌹I‘m looking forward to to getting my next #LMPBC read. 5y
28 likes1 comment
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Wife
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Panpan

#LMPBC GroupR @Maria514626 @kspenmoll @RedxoHearts @suvata I‘ll be sending this out today. I don‘t want to say too much, but I had high hopes for a book that includes Radium poisoning, the Spanish Flu, and Bellevue Hospital. I was disappointed ☹️ I give 1/5☠️. It was a quick read and does have some Litsy Love from others.

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Texreader
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Pickpick

This is a terrific book, set in 1910s New York with multiple murder mysteries whose resolution did surprise me, even when I thought I figured it out. Add in a “radium girl,” CSI at the old Bellevue hospital, and many characters coming of age terrified of the draft. Your feelings for characters will change as the story progresses. Very well done. Free on Kindle/Audible!

Ncostell Thanks for the tip. I just downloaded this, sounds good! 6y
kamoorephoto Have any of you read her new book? 6y
Texreader @kamoorephoto No but I will be happy to read more of her writing! 6y
Texreader @Ncostell Great! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 6y
Cathythoughts Great cover & title 6y
70 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Texreader
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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I‘m surprised at how well-written and interesting this Amazon free Kindle/Audible book is. Like this quote describing a folded piece of paper: “The ink smelled fresh and the paper was springy, as if it hadn‘t been folded for very long.” What a lovely detail to determine whether a note was recent in this murder mystery. I‘ve seen this book described as YA. I disagree; it‘s absolutely not. I‘m 37% in and strongly recommend it so far.

61 likes1 stack add
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MeganBGReads
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
Mehso-so

I thought I had it figured out (I kind of did) but there was a twist! However, it didn't quite fit.

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MizLit
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
This post contains spoilers
show me
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Pickpick

Loved the historical feel of this novel. Loved all the various interpretations of “poison.” Loved the intricacies of a triple narrative.
Frustrated with the characters struggling over the cause of Birdie‘s illness and that the author seemed ambivalent that the reader would understand the cause. While the narrative flowed well, the idea that Birdie was keeping all that from us is disingenuous, mad capped ghost in the machine ending.

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TracyReadsBooks
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Pickpick

The first time Allene sees two childhood friends in four years, a woman dies at the party they are attending and not long after, a strange note appears. While this is the first death, it isn‘t the last. The three friends race to solve the mysterious deaths even as more people die. Jasper & Birdie, in particular, are great characters, Gilded Age NYC a fantastic setting, and the book a fun YA historical fiction full of secrets and mysteries.

14 likes1 stack add
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TracyReadsBooks
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Previewing another book by an author participating in the book festival I‘m helping to organize. Gilded Age New York, mysterious deaths, and unsuitable friends... Certainly sounds fun, doesn‘t it?

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Lwiesman
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
Pickpick

I did not see that ending coming. This was an easy read and I enjoyed it.

39 likes1 stack add
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ralexist
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Pickpick

This in no way ended the way I expected it to, and that's a good thing! I picked it up because I was drawn to the era and the promised mystery. While it's a YA, I think it deviates from your standard characters found. There is a love triangle but it's not sappy, and honestly each main character of the trio is a little bit unlikable at times, which is not something that YA always does.

Solid read. Solid stand alone. Thoroughly enjoyable story.

DebinHawaii I enjoyed this one! 📚👍 6y
31 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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julesG
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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1) want to read at least one physical book per month
2) beautiful poison, city of bones, I see you
3) fantasy, ?
4) depending on my funds, 1-4
5) Have none. Why should I? I joined for the fun.

#2018goals @IheartYA

jhod Agree on 5 :-) 6y
67 likes1 comment
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ralexist
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Never heard someone wax poetical about chemistry before.

JoeStalksBeck My chem professor used to say molecules were sexy 6y
julesG @JoeStalksBeck I say so, too. I just bumped this book up on my TBR. 6y
29 likes2 comments
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Jess_Read_This
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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The plot sounds intriguing and it‘s only $1.99 on Amazon for your Kindle! (Or $5.99 in paperback for people like me that love the feel of a book in hand...)

Any Litten friends read this one? Would love to know if it‘s a Yay or Nay!
#cybermondaydeal #sotempted

Amie I can't help much... I got it free a few months ago but I haven't gotten around to reading it. I've heard mixed reviews about it. 6y
Jess_Read_This @amie That‘s good to know. I didn‘t see much on it on the Litsy page for it and am wondering if it‘s one that everyone hasn‘t quite gotten to yet. 6y
76 likes1 stack add2 comments
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julesG
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Just picked this up and opened it randomly at chapter #eighteen.

#novemberbythenumbers @Tiffy_Reads @JoeStalksBeck

50 likes1 comment
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hes7
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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I have very little self control when it comes to books right now. #BookMail #HereItGoesAgain #TuneIntoNovember

Cinfhen You & EVERYONE else on Litsy!!! 😂😂😂😘 6y
hes7 @Cinfhen At least I know I'm not alone! 6y
Cinfhen Definitely NOT ALONE 6y
94 likes1 stack add3 comments
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julesG
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Dear Jo ( @Itchyfeetreader) - you have outdone yourself! This is a wonderful and generous surprise.

Don't worry about the wrapping, my daughter tore into it without a second thought. 😉 I'm supposed to tell you, the witch was yummy and she's looking forward to trying the eyeballs. Further she plans to colour in the bookmarks for me. 😁
See, you've made two people happy.

Thank you very much!

Itchyfeetreader So glad everything got there in good order. Happy chocolate fed reading! 6y
Cinfhen 👻🎃👻 6y
Kalalalatja Awesome gifts! 6y
See All 12 Comments
bitterbear stiff was soooooo good!! 6y
robinb ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
Bookzombie 💝💝 6y
LeahBergen 😍😍 6y
scripturient Awesome! DarkMatter is sooo creepy! 6y
RaimeyGallant What a haul! :) 6y
Reviewsbylola Stiff is excellent. 6y
90 likes12 comments
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edb.esq
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang

I thought this was fantastic. It made me want to read some of the non-fiction works she listed in the acknowledgment section and I rarely read non-fiction. It was just so fascinating.

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CoffeeCatsBooks
A Beautiful Poison | Lydia Kang
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Yay! Gift opening time for #letsgetcozy ! Very excited to read the two (!) books @Rachael_reads picked for me. Love that cover for A Beautiful Poison. I also got a very pretty bookmark and a journal. Thank you so much!!

drokka I'm going to add some of these to my wish list. 😁 They all look interesting. 7y
47 likes1 stack add1 comment