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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
It was cute, but predictable (especially the boringly linear romance). The main character is a lot like Katniss from The Hunger Games (serious, clueless, has the weight of the world on her shoulders). I did enjoy the poisons, although other elements of the world didn't seem terribly well thought-out.
I enjoyed this book but it was very far from perfect. It wasn't without flaws in writing and a few in other areas. I'll expand this review soon, but I would say f you find yourself reading this book and enjoying it, please do finish! but I wouldn't go out of my way to read it.
Rating: A cute, whimsical little fairy tale with a sense of humor and an insanely cute pig. Though it lacked some depth, and I encountered one or two tiny plot holes, I was basically charmed from beginning to end! 3.5
The cover: I keep flip-flopping on this one! I can't decide if it's whimsical and appropriately cutesy, or if I think it looks like a cheesy movie poster, like Ella Enchanted or something (a book I love and a movie I refuse to speak of). I will say that's EXACTLY as I pictured Kyra, and the pig is perfection. I'm also crazy about that title font.
The story: Well, that was just delightful. Seriously, this is such a fun, whimsical little book, full of light, humor, and magic. This is feel-good fantasy at it's finest, the kind that feels more middle grade than gritty YA. But sometimes, all you really ask for in life is a little pink pig, a cute boy with a sunny smile, and a sassy lady potioneer whose sole purpose is to entertain you. And in that regard, Poison most definitely succeeds.
Let's start with the lady herself, Kyra the master potioneer. I thought she was a blast from page one, in which she is scaling the side of a building, attempting to break in. She's funny and tough, but not... hard, I guess, like your typical bad-ass YA girl adept with poisonous potions. She has a royal best friend, an ex-boyfriend, and people she loves, though she's understandably on the outs with them, having just attempted to assassinate said best friend. She's driven, sure, and very focused, but not entirely closed off. She's not as tough as she pretends to be, and I enjoyed spending time with her.
Sidebar: Is it just me, or is there a trend for K-named fantasy/dystopian YA heroines? Kyra from Poison, Kira from Prophecy, Katsa from [b:Graceling|3236307|Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1)|Kristin Cashore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331548394s/3236307.jpg|3270810], Karou from [b:Daughter of Smoke and Bone|12812550|Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #2)|Laini Taylor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461353798s/12812550.jpg|17961723], Katniss from [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447303603s/2767052.jpg|2792775], etc. Not a complaint, just something interesting to think about.
Plus: pig. Really, really cute pig. Expect major giggles during a certain river-crossing scene (tip: Do not ever cross a river with a pig on your head), and, for me, the scene with the "man lesson". And FRED! I loved Fred. I wanted more from Fred, though I was certainly happy with what I got. Yes, their romance was underdeveloped, but it suited this light fairy tale feel. Fred is hilarious, adorable, dorky, and relentlessly cheerful. I just loved that guy (and his wolf dog!) to pieces. Basically, Fred is ALL MINE, and if anyone tries to take him from me... well, let's just say I won't stand for that.
Sadly, Bridget Zinn, the author, passed away from cancer in 2011, and she is an author who will definitely be missed. I love her voice. It's vibrant, upbeat, and funny. She does this whimsical sort of light-fantasy very well, even if I felt Poison needed one more round of editing, just to polish up the prose here and there and flesh out a couple plot points (the gypsies, the witch, Ned and Hal, Dartagn, ARLO. And possibly introduce some Kyra back story a little earlier, though I did enjoy the surprise of her late-in-the-game reveal). The climax could have been bigger, the emotional points could have had more (or any) impact. But in the end, I just shrugged and kept reading. I was seriously enjoying myself. There was a pig, people were making jokes, the guy was cute. I was a happy camper.
The story unraveled in the strangest way. Kyra (and Zinn) kept secrets from you. I was just railing the other day about how much I don't like that, but this is different. This was like they were handing out little dollops of information about Kyra's plans, her background, and why she has to kill her best friend, Princess Ariana, in tiny spoonfuls. Just enough so you wouldn't go crazy *ahem, [b:Dark Star|216442|Dark Force Rising (Star Wars The Thrawn Trilogy, #2)|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1510280150s/216442.jpg|463790], the book in which we got no dollops at all the entire first half* , but enough that I was turning the pages fast.
Kyra's back story, sneeeeaking up on you
Of course, when it got to the big Kyra SURPRISE near the end, I was kind of like, "Well, I would have appreciated this knowledge a bit earlier", but it did make a fun surprise. And again, it suited this kind of book: the kind that pokes at you, giggles with you, and winks.
This is one I'll definitely go back and reread when I need an emotional pick-me-up. Poison,/i> was the very definition of delightful.
Originally posted at Writer of Wrongs
The cover: I keep flip-flopping on this one! I can't decide if it's whimsical and appropriately cutesy, or if I think it looks like a cheesy movie poster, like Ella Enchanted or something (a book I love and a movie I refuse to speak of). I will say that's EXACTLY as I pictured Kyra, and the pig is perfection. I'm also crazy about that title font.
The story: Well, that was just delightful. Seriously, this is such a fun, whimsical little book, full of light, humor, and magic. This is feel-good fantasy at it's finest, the kind that feels more middle grade than gritty YA. But sometimes, all you really ask for in life is a little pink pig, a cute boy with a sunny smile, and a sassy lady potioneer whose sole purpose is to entertain you. And in that regard, Poison most definitely succeeds.
Let's start with the lady herself, Kyra the master potioneer. I thought she was a blast from page one, in which she is scaling the side of a building, attempting to break in. She's funny and tough, but not... hard, I guess, like your typical bad-ass YA girl adept with poisonous potions. She has a royal best friend, an ex-boyfriend, and people she loves, though she's understandably on the outs with them, having just attempted to assassinate said best friend. She's driven, sure, and very focused, but not entirely closed off. She's not as tough as she pretends to be, and I enjoyed spending time with her.
Sidebar: Is it just me, or is there a trend for K-named fantasy/dystopian YA heroines? Kyra from Poison, Kira from Prophecy, Katsa from [b:Graceling|3236307|Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1)|Kristin Cashore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331548394s/3236307.jpg|3270810], Karou from [b:Daughter of Smoke and Bone|12812550|Days of Blood & Starlight (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #2)|Laini Taylor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461353798s/12812550.jpg|17961723], Katniss from [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1447303603s/2767052.jpg|2792775], etc. Not a complaint, just something interesting to think about.
Plus: pig. Really, really cute pig. Expect major giggles during a certain river-crossing scene (tip: Do not ever cross a river with a pig on your head), and, for me, the scene with the "man lesson". And FRED! I loved Fred. I wanted more from Fred, though I was certainly happy with what I got. Yes, their romance was underdeveloped, but it suited this light fairy tale feel. Fred is hilarious, adorable, dorky, and relentlessly cheerful. I just loved that guy (and his wolf dog!) to pieces. Basically, Fred is ALL MINE, and if anyone tries to take him from me... well, let's just say I won't stand for that.
Sadly, Bridget Zinn, the author, passed away from cancer in 2011, and she is an author who will definitely be missed. I love her voice. It's vibrant, upbeat, and funny. She does this whimsical sort of light-fantasy very well, even if I felt Poison needed one more round of editing, just to polish up the prose here and there and flesh out a couple plot points (the gypsies, the witch, Ned and Hal, Dartagn, ARLO. And possibly introduce some Kyra back story a little earlier, though I did enjoy the surprise of her late-in-the-game reveal). The climax could have been bigger, the emotional points could have had more (or any) impact. But in the end, I just shrugged and kept reading. I was seriously enjoying myself. There was a pig, people were making jokes, the guy was cute. I was a happy camper.
The story unraveled in the strangest way. Kyra (and Zinn) kept secrets from you. I was just railing the other day about how much I don't like that, but this is different. This was like they were handing out little dollops of information about Kyra's plans, her background, and why she has to kill her best friend, Princess Ariana, in tiny spoonfuls. Just enough so you wouldn't go crazy *ahem, [b:Dark Star|216442|Dark Force Rising (Star Wars The Thrawn Trilogy, #2)|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1510280150s/216442.jpg|463790], the book in which we got no dollops at all the entire first half* , but enough that I was turning the pages fast.
Kyra's back story, sneeeeaking up on you
Of course, when it got to the big Kyra SURPRISE near the end, I was kind of like, "Well, I would have appreciated this knowledge a bit earlier", but it did make a fun surprise. And again, it suited this kind of book: the kind that pokes at you, giggles with you, and winks.
This is one I'll definitely go back and reread when I need an emotional pick-me-up. Poison,/i> was the very definition of delightful.
Originally posted at Writer of Wrongs
NOTE: I figured I would write this one first, so you remember that I don’t always hate books. In fact, it’s not that I hate books at all. I simply see mistakes and continuity/editing/story/character/plot/etc. issues that could be fixed if writers would buckle down, suck it up, and actually set about writing the best story they possibly could without letting their pride get in the way. And I say that not with a spirit of judgment, but with a HUGE plate of experience in that area. I wrote eight manuscripts that got scrapped because they completely sucked. You know why? My pride got in the way of what was really supposed to happen, and I could only see where I wanted the story to go. Only when I let go of myself did God give me the story He wanted me to be telling. And I’m glad He waited until I got it through my head, because I would have messed up BIG TIME.
Anyway.
That being said, I want to tell you about a book that rocked me with so many emotions, I’m really not sure everything I want to say about it. I don’t know if you remember, but I said in a post awhile back that I learned a valuable lesson about libraries and why one should visit them before deciding to buy a book that happens to be very expensive (and very crappy). I’m looking at YOU, Life of Pi.
(Also, a massive shout-out to my mom for reminding me that money is valuable, and so are libraries, and the two go hand in hand for a reason.)
I frequently cruise Amazon looking for prospective books to check out, and I ran across Poison by Bridget Zinn on there in my suggestions. Now, step one in deciding a book for me includes research. My research stopped short here, though, because the author passed away before her book got published. (Which also happens to be the point where my emotional maelstrom starts for this book.) I thought, “What? She died before it was published??? No! That’s awful! I MUST READ THIS BOOK FOR HER SAKE.”
The description also had a couple of effects on me. At first, I thought it would be some other fantasy story that really was all, “Oh, yeah, it’s fantasy. Great.” However, it’s rare that I’ve come across a female MC that’s a potions master exclusively before being all “I’m a princess,” or “I’m a magician,” or whatever. You know, the kind of plot point that makes it mushy and crap. *rolls eyes, sighs, and sits down for an annoying ride*
Kyra, our FMC, is a normal girl. She’s a potions master. She’s strong, she’s smart, and she kicks serious ass.
The other fantasy point that I liked about this is that it goes into the genre without being extremely over the top. Now, I’m not talking Tolkien or Lewis; they’re worlds are purposefully built where everything interconnects, everything has a purpose, everything makes sense while remaining wonderfully abstract and fantastical. I’m talking Avatars: So This is How It Ends by Tui T. Sutherland, or Dust by Arthur Slade, or The Time Travelers by Linda Buckley-Archer. All of which are incredibly, presumptuously full of crap. Seriously. I deleted the review for the first one because it was too snarky, and I didn’t review the other two because I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to do so.
Poison sends them to the cleaners. Within the first chapter this book made me smile. Not an oh-hey-that’s-cute smile, but more of a this-is-terribly-promising smirk, showing teeth and all. The story moves really quickly, and while if paced incorrectly this could be bad, Poison has enough content to make everything important. Because everything is. When Kyra and Fred get caught by the witch, the scene not only clues us in to some very important points (without one, the plot never would have happened in the first place), and shows our characters to be worth their mettle.
And speaking of characters, not only are the names fantasy-worthy and easy so as not to be ridiculous (lookin’ at YOU, The Hunger Games), the characterizations themselves stick to their trueness, even through all the growth that happens. For example, Kyra doesn’t want to be caught up in a relationship, so she ditches Fred (short for Frederick). She ditches him a lot. And every time they meet up again, you get the hint that maybe Fred’s caught on to her secret, but you can’t exactly be sure. He puts on a good show of “not knowing” when he needs to and when he finds out that ***SPOILER ALERT***Kyra’s innocent and the princess isn’t dead , his reaction was genuinely funny. Fred’s genuinely a good guy, with a lot of great facets and nothing stereotypical. Kyra describes him as being beautiful, but that’s really the only descriptive word I found that would irritate me; not exclusively, mind you, but I recently read a book that was so clichéd I felt like I was gonna throw my Kindle across the room.
Fred isn’t the only character that defies stereotypes. Kyra is strong and smart, and when she can take care of herself she’s not prideful to the point of being an immature little brat. She claims her independence with a bloodied flag and stands upon the hill, displaying her wounds as trophies. Rosie, her pig, is adorable beyond proper comparison, and Ariana took the tomboy princess stereotype and gave it attitude instead of trying to stand out by being aggravating and pushy.
Sure, the villain was a bit typical, but overall I really can’t complain. The twists and turns did leave me doubling back over previous guesses, and the obvious clues I overlooked were huge hints that made me have the right guess one minute, then second-guess the next. The plot to overthrow the kingdom was expected; the way it was done wasn’t.
Small details that needed polishing can be overlooked because this was Zinn’s first novel and the plot was really good. Her technicalities would have gotten better to the point of nonexistence had she lived to write another. I can’t in good conscience point my finger. And I can’t, anyway, because I liked this book so much, after reading it in a day and a half, the next week I bought my own copy, book-plated it, and stuck it on my shelf.
Rarely do I find myself sitting back in satisfaction at the end of a book. If I do with restlessness, I attribute the itch not to poor writing, but to a story so compelling I yearn for the next book. (Divergent, that’s you.) However, few standalones cause me to sit back, grin, and sigh with satisfaction (like Julie Klassen’s The Tutor’s Daughter). Poison was one of these books. In fact, I haven’t even found any pictures to illustrate my points. I think the story speaks for itself in every way possible. I felt satisfaction and so much more.
At the beginning of the post, I told you that this book caused me a maelstrom in my center. The center of gravity is that Bridget Zinn did not live to bring us anymore stories of such caliber. The fact that she left us so early is an ache I cannot fully describe and a grief I have encountered few times before. Her book immortalizes her, and if she was anything like her manuscript—funny at all the right moments, charming, out-of-the-box, adventurous—then the world has lost a dear and blessed soul. I want to send a thank you to everyone who helped pull this book together in her absence. You’ve done her an amazing justice. Thank you.
Poison by Bridget Zinn gets 20 flipped pages out of 10.
Original Review posted on http://the-complector-coterie.blogspot.com/
Anyway.
That being said, I want to tell you about a book that rocked me with so many emotions, I’m really not sure everything I want to say about it. I don’t know if you remember, but I said in a post awhile back that I learned a valuable lesson about libraries and why one should visit them before deciding to buy a book that happens to be very expensive (and very crappy). I’m looking at YOU, Life of Pi.
(Also, a massive shout-out to my mom for reminding me that money is valuable, and so are libraries, and the two go hand in hand for a reason.)
I frequently cruise Amazon looking for prospective books to check out, and I ran across Poison by Bridget Zinn on there in my suggestions. Now, step one in deciding a book for me includes research. My research stopped short here, though, because the author passed away before her book got published. (Which also happens to be the point where my emotional maelstrom starts for this book.) I thought, “What? She died before it was published??? No! That’s awful! I MUST READ THIS BOOK FOR HER SAKE.”
The description also had a couple of effects on me. At first, I thought it would be some other fantasy story that really was all, “Oh, yeah, it’s fantasy. Great.” However, it’s rare that I’ve come across a female MC that’s a potions master exclusively before being all “I’m a princess,” or “I’m a magician,” or whatever. You know, the kind of plot point that makes it mushy and crap. *rolls eyes, sighs, and sits down for an annoying ride*
Kyra, our FMC, is a normal girl. She’s a potions master. She’s strong, she’s smart, and she kicks serious ass.
The other fantasy point that I liked about this is that it goes into the genre without being extremely over the top. Now, I’m not talking Tolkien or Lewis; they’re worlds are purposefully built where everything interconnects, everything has a purpose, everything makes sense while remaining wonderfully abstract and fantastical. I’m talking Avatars: So This is How It Ends by Tui T. Sutherland, or Dust by Arthur Slade, or The Time Travelers by Linda Buckley-Archer. All of which are incredibly, presumptuously full of crap. Seriously. I deleted the review for the first one because it was too snarky, and I didn’t review the other two because I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to do so.
Poison sends them to the cleaners. Within the first chapter this book made me smile. Not an oh-hey-that’s-cute smile, but more of a this-is-terribly-promising smirk, showing teeth and all. The story moves really quickly, and while if paced incorrectly this could be bad, Poison has enough content to make everything important. Because everything is. When Kyra and Fred get caught by the witch, the scene not only clues us in to some very important points (without one, the plot never would have happened in the first place), and shows our characters to be worth their mettle.
And speaking of characters, not only are the names fantasy-worthy and easy so as not to be ridiculous (lookin’ at YOU, The Hunger Games), the characterizations themselves stick to their trueness, even through all the growth that happens. For example, Kyra doesn’t want to be caught up in a relationship, so she ditches Fred (short for Frederick). She ditches him a lot. And every time they meet up again, you get the hint that maybe Fred’s caught on to her secret, but you can’t exactly be sure. He puts on a good show of “not knowing” when he needs to and when he finds out that ***SPOILER ALERT***
Fred isn’t the only character that defies stereotypes. Kyra is strong and smart, and when she can take care of herself she’s not prideful to the point of being an immature little brat. She claims her independence with a bloodied flag and stands upon the hill, displaying her wounds as trophies. Rosie, her pig, is adorable beyond proper comparison, and Ariana took the tomboy princess stereotype and gave it attitude instead of trying to stand out by being aggravating and pushy.
Sure, the villain was a bit typical, but overall I really can’t complain. The twists and turns did leave me doubling back over previous guesses, and the obvious clues I overlooked were huge hints that made me have the right guess one minute, then second-guess the next. The plot to overthrow the kingdom was expected; the way it was done wasn’t.
Small details that needed polishing can be overlooked because this was Zinn’s first novel and the plot was really good. Her technicalities would have gotten better to the point of nonexistence had she lived to write another. I can’t in good conscience point my finger. And I can’t, anyway, because I liked this book so much, after reading it in a day and a half, the next week I bought my own copy, book-plated it, and stuck it on my shelf.
Rarely do I find myself sitting back in satisfaction at the end of a book. If I do with restlessness, I attribute the itch not to poor writing, but to a story so compelling I yearn for the next book. (Divergent, that’s you.) However, few standalones cause me to sit back, grin, and sigh with satisfaction (like Julie Klassen’s The Tutor’s Daughter). Poison was one of these books. In fact, I haven’t even found any pictures to illustrate my points. I think the story speaks for itself in every way possible. I felt satisfaction and so much more.
At the beginning of the post, I told you that this book caused me a maelstrom in my center. The center of gravity is that Bridget Zinn did not live to bring us anymore stories of such caliber. The fact that she left us so early is an ache I cannot fully describe and a grief I have encountered few times before. Her book immortalizes her, and if she was anything like her manuscript—funny at all the right moments, charming, out-of-the-box, adventurous—then the world has lost a dear and blessed soul. I want to send a thank you to everyone who helped pull this book together in her absence. You’ve done her an amazing justice. Thank you.
Poison by Bridget Zinn gets 20 flipped pages out of 10.
Original Review posted on http://the-complector-coterie.blogspot.com/
this was SUPER CUTE i loved it. light quick read, the pace picks u up straightway & never lets u go. kyra is a delight, smart & quick witted & so devoted to her friendship with the princess but so determined to kill her bc she loves her kingdom!!! she loves it & its people so much she's willing to sacrifice herself & her best friend to keep it from being destroyed. i know i talk a lot about how much i love when ladies are allowed to be strong & fierce but also vulnerable, but i refuse to apologize for how much i love this & this girl: she is so, so strong, & it tears her apart to think that she may have to kill ariana, it kills her to be consorting with criminals, she's filled with so much self loathing for becoming this future murderer. & yet she's also so filled with light. i love her