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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
It's difficult to discuss this book without discussing the fact that the author, Bridget Zinn, passed away between completion and publication. It means reading and thinking about the book not as much in terms of the book itself, but rather what could have been.
The story itself is fun. The lead girl is a potions master. She'd has a pet pig. She's good with a crossbow. She had to kill the future ruler of the empire, who is also her best friend.
So it's a fun, interesting read that toys with some different ideas. It had an opportunity to be a series and obviously can't be. This is why it is hard to discuss without the context of the clear talent that has been lost in Zinn. I definitely recommend it independent of the author, but it will be hard not to keep that tragedy in mind.
The story itself is fun. The lead girl is a potions master. She'd has a pet pig. She's good with a crossbow. She had to kill the future ruler of the empire, who is also her best friend.
So it's a fun, interesting read that toys with some different ideas. It had an opportunity to be a series and obviously can't be. This is why it is hard to discuss without the context of the clear talent that has been lost in Zinn. I definitely recommend it independent of the author, but it will be hard not to keep that tragedy in mind.
After my last read Rose Under Fire, a heavy WWII fiction, this was the perfect wind-down read. It was more middle-grade than young adult, and had a sense of rom-com about it. It wasn’t perfectly written, the plot was fairly predictable (okay, there were a few twists I didn’t see coming), and it was overall just an okay book. But it was so charming. I mean, come on. There’s a piglet.
The plot was strangely paced, but enjoyable. The characters followed common tropes – the tomboy princess, the handsome, aloof love interest, the sinister, bulgey-eyed villain. As a fantasy, there world wasn’t too developed. A few appearances of goblins and trolls, but not much. I feel as though the book could have been more thoroughly developed.
The main character, Kyra, was very well developed. Her emotions were clear throughout the book. She had motivation behind her actions. She was witty and imperfect. Her relationship with Fred was questionable at times, but her relationship with her best friend (mostly through flashbacks) was sweet. I liked her. And the pig. The pig especially.
It was funny, but it was a young, simple type of humor. It had a modern feel to it, with vocabulary like “cool” and such slang. Not high-end literature, as stated before, but overall enjoyable and quick read, especially if you’re looking for something light and clean.
The plot was strangely paced, but enjoyable. The characters followed common tropes – the tomboy princess, the handsome, aloof love interest, the sinister, bulgey-eyed villain. As a fantasy, there world wasn’t too developed. A few appearances of goblins and trolls, but not much. I feel as though the book could have been more thoroughly developed.
The main character, Kyra, was very well developed. Her emotions were clear throughout the book. She had motivation behind her actions. She was witty and imperfect. Her relationship with Fred was questionable at times, but her relationship with her best friend (mostly through flashbacks) was sweet. I liked her. And the pig. The pig especially.
It was funny, but it was a young, simple type of humor. It had a modern feel to it, with vocabulary like “cool” and such slang. Not high-end literature, as stated before, but overall enjoyable and quick read, especially if you’re looking for something light and clean.
Read this one in my teen years and I absolutely loved it, read it in a day. I just got it in hardcover to read it again!!
When I read this book’s description and saw it was about a potion master/rogue, I was instantly interested. Friends, this book was SO much fun. The story was full of fantasy, whimsy, action, and humor, but still had its scary moments, too. I really loved the world Zinn created, with magical creatures, scheming witches, and adventurous royalty. I mean, Kyra is supplied with a PIG to help her find the person she’s trying to assassinate (and the pig is just the cutest thing ever). This was like a light, whimsical version of a Forgotten Realms rogue novel. I also like that, refreshingly, this is a standalone book. While series are great and everything, it’s nice to have the story finished when I close the book. There was definitely room for more stories to be written about this world or these characters, but the lack of cliffhanger at the end was nice. My only complaint is that Kyra spent way too much time noticing how beautiful and gorgeous the male characters were. As they said in the 80’s: gag me with a spoon!
[NOTE: I read this book as an ARC, borrowed from my sister, who receives many, many awesome things in her mailbox.]
[NOTE: I read this book as an ARC, borrowed from my sister, who receives many, many awesome things in her mailbox.]
This book is for younger teens, and has an enjoyable fantasy feel. The author added bits of information and you might think, well, wasn't THAT convenient--but the groundwork had been put in place earlier. A fun read--and you've got to love Rosie!
First of all, I really like the cover. Unfortunately for me, I get to see most covers on my e-reader and thus they fail to impress me much, so saying that I liked this one should be indication enough.
I liked the plot, but the writing lacked some coherence in my opinion.
I liked all the characters, specially the heroine Kyra for being such a badass who can kick butts on any given day. To add to the icing, Kyra's best friend is another badass tomboy, princess Arianna, who is much different than most other annoying 'bechari' ones (i.e. Lissa from VA, go figure).
Oh and I hate pigs (Even the teacup ones, I just don't get what makes girls go all googly-eyed around them) but somehow ended up liking Rosie, so that's clearly an accomplishment as a debutant, so good job there Bridget! On other notes, I have a feeling there's a sequel up in her bags and I sure won't be disappointed to get one.
Update: Just figured the author died back in 2011, so she couldn't even see her debut work getting published :(
I liked the plot, but the writing lacked some coherence in my opinion.
Spoiler
For instance, Kyra being the princess as well as being the queen's niece and her best friend's (The same she intended to kill) cousin seemed really unlikely all on a sudden and I didn't really see the point of such an abrupt turn. Fred being the prince was nice touch though, I thought he was one of the bad guys.I liked all the characters, specially the heroine Kyra for being such a badass who can kick butts on any given day. To add to the icing, Kyra's best friend is another badass tomboy, princess Arianna, who is much different than most other annoying 'bechari' ones (i.e. Lissa from VA, go figure).
Oh and I hate pigs (Even the teacup ones, I just don't get what makes girls go all googly-eyed around them) but somehow ended up liking Rosie, so that's clearly an accomplishment as a debutant, so good job there Bridget! On other notes, I have a feeling there's a sequel up in her bags and I sure won't be disappointed to get one.
Update: Just figured the author died back in 2011, so she couldn't even see her debut work getting published :(
What to say about this book? There is a reason I haven't reviewed this before, after the first time I read it, I tried, I really did but I couldn't form coherent thoughts about this book, I just love it, okay? It's a fun whimsical fantasy adventure and it's just epic, okay?
This book follows the adventures of Kyra a master potioner on the run from the Kingdom for trying to kill the princess...and missing, now she must finish the job, of killing the princess, before she gets captured by the guards or worse her ex-business partners. There's also an adorable pig called Rosie, a handsome Prince in disguise, a hilarious princess...oh and evil munchkins, not to mention the gypsies and witches, see this book has it all!
A few of my favorite things -
Kyra - She is badass, hilarious and, dude, she's freaking a potions master that's just all around awesome. The last thing in the world that she wants to do is kill her best friend, the princess, but she knows it's the only way to save the kingdom, also she acquires an adorable pig which is just the best.
Rosie - The adorable pig...nuff said.
Ariana - The princess she is the best kind of princess, think Merida from Brave but funnier almost like Rapunzel from Tangled.
Fred - Fred is funny and sweet and everything one could want in a book boyfriend, also of course he's gorgeous.
The world - I love the fantasy world in this so much, it has the things a good fantasy world needs including evil munchkins!
Potioners - I just love the whole potion aspect, I love that the main character fights with the potions and poisons as her main weapon and it's just really cool.
Overall - I could continue gushing over this book or you could just read it yourself!
P.S. I am giving away 3 copies of this book on my blog - http://www.the-story-goes.com/p/fangirls-spotlight-new.html
This book follows the adventures of Kyra a master potioner on the run from the Kingdom for trying to kill the princess...and missing, now she must finish the job, of killing the princess, before she gets captured by the guards or worse her ex-business partners. There's also an adorable pig called Rosie, a handsome Prince in disguise, a hilarious princess...oh and evil munchkins, not to mention the gypsies and witches, see this book has it all!
A few of my favorite things -
Kyra - She is badass, hilarious and, dude, she's freaking a potions master that's just all around awesome. The last thing in the world that she wants to do is kill her best friend, the princess, but she knows it's the only way to save the kingdom, also she acquires an adorable pig which is just the best.
Rosie - The adorable pig...nuff said.
Ariana - The princess she is the best kind of princess, think Merida from Brave but funnier almost like Rapunzel from Tangled.
Fred - Fred is funny and sweet and everything one could want in a book boyfriend, also of course he's gorgeous.
The world - I love the fantasy world in this so much, it has the things a good fantasy world needs including evil munchkins!
Potioners - I just love the whole potion aspect, I love that the main character fights with the potions and poisons as her main weapon and it's just really cool.
Overall - I could continue gushing over this book or you could just read it yourself!
P.S. I am giving away 3 copies of this book on my blog - http://www.the-story-goes.com/p/fangirls-spotlight-new.html
This was such a fantastic book, and a pretty darn sad story behind it with the author. Really, really great book!
I was skeptical only because the summary on the inside cover sounded childish, but I ended up really enjoying this. Instead of feeling adolescent, it felt like a normal young adult book with humorous characters that felt real. Enjoyable!
Poison is a cute, fun, short book. It throws you right into the adventure from the start. It skips over the assassination attempt and starts with Kyra having been on the run for months.
Kyra is fierce, independent, brave, and stubborn. The great making of a fun main character. You could tell that after months of being on the run she is lonely and dealing with the aftermath of trying to kill her best friend. She is racked with guilt, but still perseveres to save the kingdom from what she saw in her vision. I enjoyed the romance between her and Fred, and that it didn't take main stage. The story focuses more on the adventure of saving the kingdom then on the two of them.
Kyra meets Fred while crossing a stream in her underwear with a pig on top of her head. Fred offers to help only to be rebuffed by Kyra. It was great that they both had an opportunity to save each other. Kyra was not just a damsel in distress. She could fend for herself (probably better than Fred could), but still need saving sometimes. Fred was hot and arrogant. I enjoyed how the author described Kyra's attraction to him when they first met.
Rosie the Pig had added to the fun. She was adorable even when Kyra didn't want her and only saw Rosie as a worker and not a pet. Rosie and the wolf-like dog, Langley, took to each other right away and became adorable besties.
Overall, I really liked this book, but you could tell it was geared towards a younger YA demographic. It had a bit of everything in it, adventure, drama, comedy, and romance. It was a bit predictable, but I did not see the little twist with Kyra's family, which was nice surprise.. Even though the author did drop a clue earlier in the book.
Kyra is fierce, independent, brave, and stubborn. The great making of a fun main character. You could tell that after months of being on the run she is lonely and dealing with the aftermath of trying to kill her best friend. She is racked with guilt, but still perseveres to save the kingdom from what she saw in her vision. I enjoyed the romance between her and Fred, and that it didn't take main stage. The story focuses more on the adventure of saving the kingdom then on the two of them.
Kyra meets Fred while crossing a stream in her underwear with a pig on top of her head. Fred offers to help only to be rebuffed by Kyra. It was great that they both had an opportunity to save each other. Kyra was not just a damsel in distress. She could fend for herself (probably better than Fred could), but still need saving sometimes. Fred was hot and arrogant. I enjoyed how the author described Kyra's attraction to him when they first met.
His face looked like a painting of some kind of trickster god-equal parts mischief and pleasure. Like the world had been created as his playground and he was enjoying every minute of his time here.
Rosie the Pig had added to the fun. She was adorable even when Kyra didn't want her and only saw Rosie as a worker and not a pet. Rosie and the wolf-like dog, Langley, took to each other right away and became adorable besties.
Overall, I really liked this book, but you could tell it was geared towards a younger YA demographic. It had a bit of everything in it, adventure, drama, comedy, and romance. It was a bit predictable, but I did not see the little twist with Kyra's family, which was nice surprise.. Even though the author did drop a clue earlier in the book.