3.5 out of 5 hearts
Poison by Bridget Zinn was the April 2013 selection for Just Read It! online book club that was created by The Literature Lion and Novel Nerd.
Kyra is a sixteen year old Master Potioner. She is the best weapons potioner in the entire kingdom. We meet her as she is sneaking into the Master Trio Potioners' flat - her old home - to steal a poison she invented. She is on the run from royal guard, which is seeping over the kingdom looking for her. She attempted to kill Princess Ariana and has become a fugitive. The princess was her best friend. Why would someone try to kill her best friend?
She goes to the King of Criminals to seek help. After the assassination attempt, the princess is hiding away and Kyra needs to find her to complete her mission. Somehow, she winds up with a tracking piglet, Rosie. As Rosie leads her to Princess Ariana, they befriend Fred and his dog Langley. However, Kyra feels that she is falling for Fred and tries to run away from him a few times to avoid any emotional attachment or distraction. On her quest towards Wexford, the capital and home of Princess Ariana, Kyra and Fred encounter troubles all along their paith from goblin attacks to human-eating witches. But they make it to Wexford, finally, and we learn about the reason Kyra wants to kills her best friend and Kyra discovers the mind-blowing truth about Princess Ariana.
I thought this book was cute and pleasant. It is more of a romantic comedy than action-based fantasy. Even though I tagged it under YA Lit, it was more Middle Grade. Even the romance was very innocent and youthful - very Disney. My rating is based on this book as Middle Grade versus YA Lit.
As I was reading it, I wondered if it was part of a series because some surprises came up and I wondered if they would be discussed more. However, I turned to the very back of the book and read the "about the author" section and found out that Zinn passed away before this book was published. The Chicago Tribune called the release of Poison a "bittersweet debut" (you can read the article here, which discusses the length her family and friends went through to get this book published after Zinn's passing). She died after her battle with colon cancer.
If you are looking for something light and fluffy, especially after reading the ton of dystopian novels, this is a good pick. It has enough momentum to keep you reading and it was overall just plain cute.
-Mariela
"Be careful, my dear. The world needs you." - Bridget Zinn, Poison
Published March 12th 2013 by Disney Hyperion
Edition language: English
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