
This Fatal Kiss
by Alicia Jasinska
AUCK IN STOCK
WGTN ON ITS WAY
416
1 Aug 2025
Paperback
Walker Books Australia Pty, Limited
9781760659158
An immersive fantasy, filled with dark magic, mystery and romance, from the author of The Dark Tide.
Cursed to haunt the river running through the magical spa town where she drowned, water nymph Gisela dreams of returning to the living world and the family she left behind. All it takes to regain her humanity is a kiss from a mortal ... if only others didn't see her as monster.
Kazik, the brooding, interfering, spirit-hunting grandson of a local witch is determined to rid the world of unholy creatures like Gisela, but his plans go awry. Gisela strikes up a deal: she won't tell the other spirits that he's losing his magic, if he agrees to play matchmaker. But trouble arises when both she and Kazik set their sights on the same, devilishly handsome, young man ...
Expertly crafted, this hauntingly opulent quest through the spirit world is a slow burn enemies-to-lovers story told in multiple perspectives.
After a tragic event, which she cannot remember, Gisela has found herself trapped in the spirit world where life as a water nymph holds a certain charm and magical benefit. Nymphs and other creatures exist alongside the human world in relatively peaceful harmony but Gisela longs to return, both to her family and also to a life she feels cheated out of. Enlisting the help of an unlikely ally she embarks on a quest to capture the affection of someone (anyone) before it’s too late. This was so much fun to read; a blend of Polish folklore and queer romance with a few gentle twists and turns, plus a nod to The Little Mermaid, as Gisela requires true-love’s-first-kiss in order to return to the mortal world.



