"Poison" by Bridget Zinn

Title: Poison

Author: Bridget Zinn

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Publication date: March 12th, 2013

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book read on May 1st, 2013,  from an e-ARC received from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.)

Summary:

 

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction - which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.
But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress - she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

 

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

 

Before I read Poison, I was expecting a fun & cute fairy-tale-like fantasy book, and I was right, but what I didn't expect was to fall in love with it as much as I did.

In Poison we meet Kyra. She's a potion-master, but she's on the run for months now because she tried to kill the princess.

She didn't want to do it, but she thought that was the only choice she had. We get to learn about her past & why she made the decisions she did, and we learn that there's more to her than only a potion master.

I absolutely loved Kyra as a character. She's fun, smart, she can kick some butt, she's loyal, and most of all, she wants to save the kingdom, and she's ready to do whatever it's necessary.

I also really liked all the secondary characters. Fred was a sweetie, although I guessed right away who he might be, but I loved him as a character. And Rosie - sweet Rosie, I never thought I would want a pet pig, but if I can have Rosie, then yes, I want a pet pig :) And Arianna the princess is another great character, too.

As for the story, it was great & I loved every second of it. It was laugh-out-loud funny, really cute & entertaining, magical & enchanting, adventurous, romantic, action-packed, and most of all full of twists & turns. Some I guessed, but some I didn't, and the ending itself was perfect, and it made me love this book even more. I won't say anything more, so I won't spoil the story, you'll just have to read it & see for yourself why this book was so great.

I also loved the interactions between Kyra & Fred, and the way they got close - they were just so cute, and I had a smile plastered on my face most of the time. The moment I started Poison, I couldn't stop, so I read it in a day.

I also absolutely loved Bridget Zinn's writing style. She had that something unique & magical that I adore, and that's not found often in books, so I would've loved to read more of her books.

I highly recommend this book. If you love fairy-tale-like fantasy books, with lovable & well-developed characters, great story & lots of surprises, that in the end will make you feel good, then this is a must-read for you. Poison has joined my list of favorite books, and I'm definitely going to get myself a copy, because I know I'll enjoy reading it again & again!

 

Challenges:

Clean Sweep ARC Challenge