Poison - Book Review

Poison – Book Review

Bridget Zinn

YA Fantasy

Synopsis:

Sixteen year old Kyra, a highly skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the brink of destruction - which means she's the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom's future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But for the first time ever, her poison dart misses...

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king's army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she's not alone. She's armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can't stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Review:

I really loved this book! It was fun, adorable, a little tom-boyish and held plenty of surprises. It just contained everything I could possibly want in a YA Fantasy. Although I definitely think that this story would be enjoyed by a slightly younger audience too, perhaps girls aged 10 upwards.

Poison’s story follows Kyra – a master potioner on the run. After failing to assassinate her best friend, the princess, Kyra has spent the last few months living off mouldy bread and sleeping it rough. But after making a deal with Arlo, the kingdoms most notorious crime lord, she thinks she can finally track her friends whereabouts, and end the princesses life once and for all.

Setting out with her tracker pig, Rosie, Kyra plans on ending things as soon as possible. But then she gets rescued by Fred, a dashing lone traveller and Kyra finds him impossible to shake off. But can she really draw him into her world of poison and death? As her feelings for him grow, Kyra knows she must come clean about who she really is, but with evil forces pulling her from all sides, Kyra must decide what she is more willing to sacrifice. Her best friend and the Kingdom… Or the truth and her heart?

There were so many things about this book that I loved. The humour, the romance, the plot, it was all brilliant.

Kyra is a spunky heroine and her sharp wit and sarcasm made her extremely likeable and easy to connect with. Fred, the handsome love interest, was both sweet and dashing and everything a fairytale heart-throb should be. The Princess however, with her un-princess like manners and ballsy attitude, remains my favourite character. She managed to make me laugh again and again.

However the secondary characters… I felt many of them lacked depth and were a little under developed. I would have loved to know more about Arlo and the duchess, even the two other master potioners, however that alone is my only criticism of this book.

The plot kept me guessing with many unexpected twists and turns. However, I don’t quite know how to explain, but this book was fantastical in a way that appealed to the child in me. It reads as an almost fairytale like story and has so many magical elements that I couldn’t put it down. A younger me would have really really loved this story!

So overall a truly spell-binding read that I would recommend to all. Cute, fluffy with a slightly deadly centre, Poison is a fantastic read for any lovers of fantasy. 4 stars!