Everything Is Poison

Everything Is Poison is a historical YA novel in prose and verse from New York Times bestselling author Joy McCullough, now available in paperback!

This gripping historical narrative reveals a deadly secret lurking in plain sight and follows the courageous women who risk everything to care for those with nowhere else to turn. It's perfect for fans of Blood Water Paint and The Lost Apothecary.

Early Seventeenth-Century Rome

For as long as she can remember, Carmela Tofana has desperately wanted one thing—to be allowed behind the counter of her mother's apothecary in Campo Marzio, Rome. When she turns sixteen, she is finally permitted into the inner sanctum: the workroom where her mother, Giulia Tofana, and two assistants craft renowned remedies for their customers. However, for every sweet-smelling flower extract in the workroom, there is another potion requiring darker ingredients.

And then there is Aqua Tofana, the apothecary's remedy of last resort for husbands who are just as deadly as any disease. In all Carmela's years wishing to follow in her mother's footsteps, she never realized one tiny vial could be the death of them all.

Everything Is Poison was chosen as one of the Chicago Public Library's Best Books of the Year.