Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Visit Stay Bookish for more book reviews!
In this time and age, it's often accepted that readers judge a book at face value. I'm normally one of them since I like to choose reads based on book covers. Fortunately, reading Poison's Kiss has made me rethink my own reading habits. Despite its undistinguished cover, Breeana Shields' debut novel leaves quite a grand impression that I never expected.
Poison's Kiss was my first high fantasy read of 2017 and it actually set the bar pretty high. The plot is incredibly unique and piques your interest. About a teenage assassin who kills with a kiss, this book draws you in with a whirlwind of romance, a mountain of tension and a touch of Indian folklore (although my desi book blogger friend Mishma from Chasing Faerytales explains it is more of Hindu mythology.)
Finally, I have to mention that the world-building is very interesting and I really want more of it. I'm not sure it measures up to the worlds Maas and Aveyard (whose works have been compared to Shields' debut) have created just yet. However, I do find Poison's Kiss' world to be very promising and have high hopes for the sequel. I definitely recommend reading this one if you want to pick up a quick, fast-paced, romantic fantasy read! If you've already read Poison's Kiss, do join me in very enthusiastically and impatiently waiting for the next book.
In this time and age, it's often accepted that readers judge a book at face value. I'm normally one of them since I like to choose reads based on book covers. Fortunately, reading Poison's Kiss has made me rethink my own reading habits. Despite its undistinguished cover, Breeana Shields' debut novel leaves quite a grand impression that I never expected.
Poison's Kiss was my first high fantasy read of 2017 and it actually set the bar pretty high. The plot is incredibly unique and piques your interest. About a teenage assassin who kills with a kiss, this book draws you in with a whirlwind of romance, a mountain of tension and a touch of Indian folklore (although my desi book blogger friend Mishma from Chasing Faerytales explains it is more of Hindu mythology.)
"That's the thing about poison. The deadliest ones always come from the inside."I personally found the book pretty fast-paced but I think this will vary from reader to reader and how quickly you'll get hooked by the storyline. Immediately immersed in reading, I was happily and excitedly turning pages while devouring Poison's Kiss. I think it's a really kick-ass book with very strong characters. Besides being a poison maiden, Marinda, the main character, is a young lady who is trapped in an arrangement with an abusive and manipulative handler who orders her to assassinate enemies by kissing them. With nowhere else to go and with fear for her adopted brother Mani's safety, she carries out their bidding. That is until she ironically meets a boy she likes enough not to kiss.
"On the day I was supposed to kill him, he was memorizing the things that I love."Deven, Marinda's love interest, is definitely a new fictional character to add to your book boyfriend list. (You know you have one. Don't deny it.) After reading this book, he's definitely on mine. He's a boy with a golden heart but is also a bit enigmatic since the reason for his appearance and knowledge on his background were obscure from the start. I was wary that the romance might be a little bit of instalove but then I became too obsessed with the chemistry between Deven and Marinda to care. Just check out this kissing scene quote:
"I didn't know kissing could be like this–like creating instead of destroying, like beginnings and not endings. Like melting. Like love."While I was fond of Breeana Shields' treatment of the romance, I loved Marinda's bond with her brother Mani more. Their loyalty and fierce protectiveness for each other was really sweet, Even when she struggled a lot with her own morality, I liked how Marinda's soft heart showed whenever she was concerned for her brother. That said, her convoluted dynamics with more antagonistic supporting characters were also fairly engrossing, A cast of characters with hidden layers and complex relationships, in addition to surprising twists and revelations, made this book so much more remarkable to me.
Finally, I have to mention that the world-building is very interesting and I really want more of it. I'm not sure it measures up to the worlds Maas and Aveyard (whose works have been compared to Shields' debut) have created just yet. However, I do find Poison's Kiss' world to be very promising and have high hopes for the sequel. I definitely recommend reading this one if you want to pick up a quick, fast-paced, romantic fantasy read! If you've already read Poison's Kiss, do join me in very enthusiastically and impatiently waiting for the next book.
Full review to come....after my fangirling
I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
I am so in love with this book!!! Poison’s Kiss by debut author Breeana Shields has topped my list of favorite books. I know 2017 just started BUT this may wind up being my favorite read of the year. The author does a marvelous job of combining Indian mythology with her own brand of fantasy. It is done SO well that I found myself looking up the original mythology just because I wasn’t ready to let this world go.
The book follows Marinda, a young woman with a deadly kiss. She is a visha kanya or poison maiden. As a child she was slowly introduced to poisons until she herself became toxic to others. Now she is an assassin for the Raja or at least that is what her handler would have her believe. Marinda has one purpose, kill those that oppose the Raja. She is a lethal assassin, one that can easily slip in and with one kiss kill those that she is assigned to. The problem is she has a conscience which makes her character easy to empathize with.
Marinda isn’t just a poison maiden. She has dreams and wants that feel hopeless to her. If one kiss from her is deadly, how can she have love? Her own brother is dying and in the back of her mind she always questions if it is her proximity to him. Let’s also not forget the guilt she carries for all the people she has killed. It’s really an awful existence. She’s naive to the world around her, only knowing what her handler deemed she know. Her one reprieve is a bookshop she apprentices at a few days a week. But even that becomes a nightmare when her next target becomes a boy she knows.
My breath feels lodged in my throat, because I want to shake him off and at the same time I never want him to stop touching me. No one ever touches me. Not like this, all affectionate and casual and unafraid.Deven is a kind young man, too kind in Marinda’s eyes. He barely knows her yet he shows her kindness by caring for her brother, offering comfort. It is easy to see why Marinda likes the boy, it is even easier to understand why she pushes him away. As the blurb mentions he is her target, I don’t feel like I’m spoiling too much. Marinda cares for him, and for the first time she questions her handler. She makes a choice to save Deven and that choice turns her world upside and sets the plot in motion.
Overall I really enjoyed this fast-paced read. The author’s blend of fantasy and mythology creates a beautiful, realistic and haunting world for Marinda. And Deven *swoon* His kindness alone is enough to make the reader root for him which is why it is easy to forgive the insta-love typical of YA books. If you’re a fan of fast-paced adventures, fantasy and of course a mix of romance, I highly recommend you grab a copy.
WARNING: there may be some mild spoilers!
Alright, well, that was a bit underwhelming.
I didn’t hate this book by any means, I read it quickly and didn’t find it hard to stay interested, but it was just not what I was hoping it would be.
The premise sounded so intriguing, I couldn’t wait to read it; but once I started I soon had issues with it.
Firstly, the world building was lacking. I found myself wondering what era it was supposed to be set in, present day or long ago. I was excited to read something that was set in India or an invented place that was inspired by Indian culture, but found it didn’t do true Indian culture justice.
Secondly, the insta love romance. Marinda knew Deven for like 5 minutes and was already falling head over heels for him and had decided that he was such a wonderful person. When she found out that he was her next mark, she suddenly decides she can’t or won’t kill him. She is suddenly so concerned with the morality of killing someone, when she’s killed so many before. Yes she felt guilty for the other kills but she still went through with them. That just irked me through the whole book.
Also, I just didn’t like Marinda much. She was a bit..stupid. I don’t understand how someone who claims to love to read and spends so much time in a book store never picked up a history book and learned the truth about the raja, etc. Or tried to educate herself on what was wrong with her brother/how to help him instead of just trusting Gopal.
Anyway, otherwise it wasn’t a horrible book. It had some good twists and turns, but ultimately not a series I will continue with.
Alright, well, that was a bit underwhelming.
I didn’t hate this book by any means, I read it quickly and didn’t find it hard to stay interested, but it was just not what I was hoping it would be.
The premise sounded so intriguing, I couldn’t wait to read it; but once I started I soon had issues with it.
Firstly, the world building was lacking. I found myself wondering what era it was supposed to be set in, present day or long ago. I was excited to read something that was set in India or an invented place that was inspired by Indian culture, but found it didn’t do true Indian culture justice.
Secondly, the insta love romance. Marinda knew Deven for like 5 minutes and was already falling head over heels for him and had decided that he was such a wonderful person. When she found out that he was her next mark, she suddenly decides she can’t or won’t kill him. She is suddenly so concerned with the morality of killing someone, when she’s killed so many before. Yes she felt guilty for the other kills but she still went through with them. That just irked me through the whole book.
Also, I just didn’t like Marinda much. She was a bit..stupid. I don’t understand how someone who claims to love to read and spends so much time in a book store never picked up a history book and learned the truth about the raja, etc. Or tried to educate herself on what was wrong with her brother/how to help him instead of just trusting Gopal.
Anyway, otherwise it wasn’t a horrible book. It had some good twists and turns, but ultimately not a series I will continue with.
3.5 stars!
I really enjoyed this book. I think the plot was unusual and well written. It was a storyline I really have never come across before (which is rare for YA) and I enjoyed Breeana Shield's writing style!
I liked the characters, their conflicts and their overall story arch's of the book - I think the characters are the driving force of the book!
I defintely think there needed to be more world-building! I think https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8492956-rashika-is-tired's review of this book describes perfectly where the world-building was lacking!
I would recommend this book for an easy, quick YA fantasy!
I really enjoyed this book. I think the plot was unusual and well written. It was a storyline I really have never come across before (which is rare for YA) and I enjoyed Breeana Shield's writing style!
I liked the characters, their conflicts and their overall story arch's of the book - I think the characters are the driving force of the book!
I defintely think there needed to be more world-building! I think https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/8492956-rashika-is-tired's review of this book describes perfectly where the world-building was lacking!
I would recommend this book for an easy, quick YA fantasy!
I really enjoyed it. Being an Indian I felt strongly connected to Marinda and her story and her world. Suspenseful and entertaining read which I would definitely recommend to all!
3.75 stars! I actually really liked this book. The plot was different from any thing I have previously read and it was written so well. I thought the storyline was unique and intriguing. The explanations and tradecraft within the story felt believable and was well done. I could definitely see myself getting the sequel
I saw some mixed reviews for this book, so I was a bit hesitant with reading it. I also lowered my expectations and I was pleasantly surprised that I quite liked this book. I understand where people were coming from and some things did annoy me with this book but I still feel it's a 4 star read because the plot really intruded me and the characters were quite alright.
I liked the premise of being able to kill with just one kiss, but also having the assassin of this power, Marinda, feeling guilty and not wanting to have this ability. She was an assassin who just wanted to escape. She was pretty 'precious' and didn't take blame for a lot of stuff that was actually her fault. She was also really, really naive. Like seriously, why couldn't she figure so much important stuff out.
Something that really irked me though was, why wasn't Marinda trained to be a seductress as well??? Like all she did was the kiss. Someone else seduced the men and then Marinda came in. Like what? aren't the men thinking that's weird?
Marinda really loved her brother Mani and was so protective and that sibling bond was beautiful to watch. I loved Mani. He was so adorable and I felt so bad for him being sick. It was so sad. He was only 7 and just so innocent.
Also, Marinda was working in a bookstore and I love me some books. It was a good part of the book.
There was some strong girl hate in this book but really wasn't needed. I was rolling my eyes.
I LOVED Deven. He was just adorable and he was really good to Marinda. He was just so protective and like, even when he was mad at Marinda, he still wanted to make sure she was OK. I liked the relationship that grew between them as well. It was really sweet.
I liked the world and all the Indian elements but somethings didn't add up. Like hot showers? why?
The plot was really good though and I was shocked by some of the revelations and that is always good. Books being too predictable isn't the best. I'm excited to see where the plot goes.
I liked the premise of being able to kill with just one kiss, but also having the assassin of this power, Marinda, feeling guilty and not wanting to have this ability. She was an assassin who just wanted to escape. She was pretty 'precious' and didn't take blame for a lot of stuff that was actually her fault. She was also really, really naive. Like seriously, why couldn't she figure so much important stuff out.
Something that really irked me though was, why wasn't Marinda trained to be a seductress as well??? Like all she did was the kiss. Someone else seduced the men and then Marinda came in. Like what? aren't the men thinking that's weird?
Marinda really loved her brother Mani and was so protective and that sibling bond was beautiful to watch. I loved Mani. He was so adorable and I felt so bad for him being sick. It was so sad. He was only 7 and just so innocent.
Also, Marinda was working in a bookstore and I love me some books. It was a good part of the book.
There was some strong girl hate in this book but really wasn't needed. I was rolling my eyes.
I LOVED Deven. He was just adorable and he was really good to Marinda. He was just so protective and like, even when he was mad at Marinda, he still wanted to make sure she was OK. I liked the relationship that grew between them as well. It was really sweet.
I liked the world and all the Indian elements but somethings didn't add up. Like hot showers? why?
The plot was really good though and I was shocked by some of the revelations and that is always good. Books being too predictable isn't the best. I'm excited to see where the plot goes.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
After reading a 5 star book I immediately picked up Poison’s Kiss without reading the synopsis. I had no expectation whatsoever about this one, me being quite picky when it comes to my fantasy reads! But to my surprise I didn’t regret picking this one up, it was AMAZING!!!!
Beautifully crafted story based on an Indian folklore- visha kanya- poison maiden! It’s a great addition to my favorite fantasy series. I literally live for anything folklore may it be Russian, Victorian etc. It makes me more curious on how the author will work his/her magic in writing the whole story and add his/her own spin to it. And there it was, Poison’s Kiss! I loved Marinda’s character, she’s an assassin for the Raja and her secret weapon is her kiss that was poisonous that could kill anyone she kisses without escaping the venom. Her undying love for her brother Mani was everything. You could see how vulnerable she was when something happens to him. And let’s talk about Deven, he is now my NEWEST book boyfriend, can we just appreciate how direct and how he wasn’t afraid to show his feelings.
Right from the very first page, I was drown to the author’s writing style. I can picture everything in my head when I was reading this, it’s quite addicting! I couldn’t put this book down I just wanted to know what’s going to happen next!
I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the second installment! You should too 😉
Beautifully crafted story based on an Indian folklore- visha kanya- poison maiden! It’s a great addition to my favorite fantasy series. I literally live for anything folklore may it be Russian, Victorian etc. It makes me more curious on how the author will work his/her magic in writing the whole story and add his/her own spin to it. And there it was, Poison’s Kiss! I loved Marinda’s character, she’s an assassin for the Raja and her secret weapon is her kiss that was poisonous that could kill anyone she kisses without escaping the venom. Her undying love for her brother Mani was everything. You could see how vulnerable she was when something happens to him. And let’s talk about Deven, he is now my NEWEST book boyfriend, can we just appreciate how direct and how he wasn’t afraid to show his feelings.
Right from the very first page, I was drown to the author’s writing style. I can picture everything in my head when I was reading this, it’s quite addicting! I couldn’t put this book down I just wanted to know what’s going to happen next!
I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the second installment! You should too 😉
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No