Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Review: Poison by Bridget Zinn

Poison by Bridget Zinn
Poison
By Bridget Zinn
Publisher:
Hyperion

To Sum It Up: Kyra was very happy in her life as a master potioner until the day that she tried to assassinate Princess Ariana, the heir to the throne and Kyra’s onetime best friend. Now a wanted criminal and on the run, Kyra continues to search for Ariana and finish what she began. According to a vision Kyra once had, the Kingdom of Mohr is doomed because of the princess, and Kyra is the sole person who can save it, even if it means killing someone who once meant so much to her.

Review: I don’t think I’ve ever used the word “cute” to describe a book before, but that’s what first comes to my mind with Poison. And yes, it has a lot to do with the adorable little pig on the cover (That’s Rosie, by the way.). This was a quick, fun read that packed plenty of action into slightly less than 300 pages.

Kyra was a great main character, stubbornness and all. All she ever wanted to do was be a whiz at potion making, and here she is on the wrong side of the law, labeled a would-be princess killer. Kyra is not only super smart at whipping up all kinds of poisons, but she’s also resourceful when it comes to evading the royal soldiers who are after her. Rosie the pig is her assistant in finding Princess Ariana, and I loved how Kyra grew to care for her little helper. She was so skeptical of Rosie’s tracking ability and viewed her as a nuisance to life on the lam at first, but Rosie slowly worms her way into Kyra’s heart. I did mentally say, “Aww!” a few times while reading this book, but I couldn’t help it. Rosie was too cute!

I was really enjoying reading Poison, but when the mysterious Fred made his first appearance, the novel became even more entertaining. Fred is just traveling about with his dog, Langley, whom Kyra mistakes for a wolf, when he and Kyra meet under some hilarious circumstances. Fred is a serious charmer with a wry sense of humor, and yeah, I loved him. He and Kyra trade the funniest quips, too. The story of how Fred winds up calling Kyra “Kitty” had me laughing long after I’d moved past that page. Oh, and I was going, “Aww!” yet again over how Langley and Rosie became best friends.

The plot here isn’t overly intricate, but it still managed to surprise me in a few places. The world-building is also on the basic side for fantasy, making this more fantasy lite. It was more than sufficient, however, to get me hooked on the story, and Poison was a very charming and delightful read.

All in All: Poison has a fairytale-esque vibe to it, and I think that was part of its appeal for me. It’d been a while since I’d read a really good story like that, and Poison fit the bill very nicely.

10 comments:

  1. Great review. Can't wait to read this one the story sounds interesting.

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  2. Awwwww (I couldn't help it) I just loved reading about all the things you enjoyed about Poison because it reminded me of all the things I loved about reading this one too :D It's very cute but in a good way; it was heart-warming and funny and honestly just really charming! Rosie was a highlight for me too, as was Fred & Kyra - or Kitty haha ♥

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    1. I still laugh every time I think of Fred calling Kyra "Kitty." I had so much fun reading this; glad to hear you did, too!

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  3. Oh this sounds like a fun read!

    Braine

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    1. It is! It's a very quick read, too; I need to buy a copy for myself.

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  4. I've been wanting to read this and I've seen some good reviews! Rosie sounds like so much fun and I'm really interested about the Kitty story, too. I love nicknames! I need to put this on my library list!

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    1. The Kitty story is too funny; the humor in this book was one of my favorite things about it. Hope you get to read it soon!

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  5. This sounds better than I expected! It sounds fun and that's the sort of book I want to read on the weekend :)

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    1. It's a perfect weekend read- light, fun, and fast-paced.

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