Poison

: [...]the basicsThis is the kind of fantasy I really needed during a bad, horrible week. It brings me back to my childhood, of devouring Diana Wynne Jones, Susan Cooper, and Tamora Pierce. It has a childlike streak but it's not really childish. It won't satisfy devotees of the dark, gritty kind of young adult that's smattered the scene these days. You won't find tortured heroines or brooding bad boys falling in deep, tormented love. No doom and gloom and dystopian flair. No deep psychological issues. This is a high fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously, and I love it for that. It's The Hobbit to the Lord of the Rings of the darker young adults. The light romance is adorable, there's plenty of adventure and mystery, Kyra is capable and admirable, and there are all sorts of silly elements (like the piglet) that I found humorous and endearing. To be fair, it can get episodic and the writing lacks some of the sophistication of a Sarah J. Maas or Victoria Schwab. Was it deep and lasting? No. Would I demand everyone read it? Not really. Did I enjoy it? Quite a lot. This book was pure fun, and I think that's something that young adult forgets about sometimes. I only regret that Bridget will never get to see the smiles on many readers faces.plot . 4/5Like I said, it's a little episodic. You're thrown between accidental run-ins with cute boys named Fred, evil witch ensnarements, scrapes with the castle guard and the King of Criminals. Some of the escapes are a little far-fetched, and the reveals at the end are a bit fairy tale. But that's not all a bad thing. Because it did feel like a fairy tale. Like an Ella Enchanted, although not quite as brilliant as that particular high fantasy. On the plus side, there was always plenty of excitement. I constantly craved to know what was going to happen next. There were also some pretty clever twists. Again, a little far-fetched, but if you suspend disbelief and accept the silliness, it was really a fun read.concept . 5/5It's very much a fairy tale sort of high fantasy--and, as I said, devoid of the gloomy seriousness of most modern young adult books. Which is perhaps why so many have said it reads like a middle grade, which I can see. It doesn't go as deep as other books, but it got a lot of traction with me for its pure whimsy. In the vein of a traditional high fantasy, it takes murder, treason, poisoning, and other dastardly deeds and intrigue and casts them as a grand adventure. A little bit Disneyfied, but no less entertaining. It certainly could be enjoyed by middle grade readers, but as an adult and a firm fan of young adult, I still found much to enjoy from it. And so I didn't expect to see extensive world building or deeply psychological characters. I expected kings and queens and witches and spunky heroines and that's what I got. It delves a bit into the more psychological side of things, but in the end, it's all about the thrill. And you get all the fun silly bits, like potions that turn you to wood, hunting pigs, and frilly underwear.characters . 4/5Like I said, we aren't getting incisive psychological portrayals here. They feel real, but like everything else, they're on the silly side. Which meant I enjoyed them immensely, but they didn't necessarily stick with me as deeply as another approach would. Kyra had her superficial moments, but I liked her. She was spunky but not annoyingly so and she was very capable. Fred was adorable, that sort of silly sarcastic kind of adorable. Like a real boy you might want to date, not a brooding antihero whom you want equally to save and love. The princess Ariana was a bit cliche on the defiant princess end, but she wasn't a huge part of the story and I still enjoyed her.style . 4/5It does read a bit young, but there's also that irresistible whimsy that kept me going page after page. There were elements that could have been tightened or that made me grit my teeth a bit. Must every book have the heroine go on for lines about how she's absolutely positively not at all bothered by the apparent disinterest of the boy she absolutely positively has no romantic interest in whatsoever, not at all? Seriously. Are all heroines that transparently dense? Now that I've got that out of my system, I thought the style was very simple but had a good atmosphere to it. I felt sort of giddy and pleasant reading it. Like I knew that everything would turn out fine in the end and I was being gently pulled along on this grand adventure. Nothing I'd gush over writing-wise, but solid anyway.mechanics . 5/5Nicely polished, not much to say here. I think the dialogue got a little crossed between whether it wanted to be old-fashioned or modern sounding which made for some awkward moments.take home messageA whimsical high fantasy that brings some cheer and lightheartedness to the young adult genre. Read more

[...]I've always had this little analogy in my head for what reading books is like. It's like stepping through a door into a new and exciting world, one where you can find thrills, indulge in emotion, or seek refuge in. Reading "Poison" by Bridget Zinn was like slipping down one of those huge, steep, twisty slides into a vast ball pit of multitudinous colours! Right off the bat, I found myself utterly sucked in to Kyra's world of adventure and mischief.Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly skilled potions master, is on the run. She's the only one who knows that the Kingdom of Mohr is on the verge of destruction--which means she's the only one who can save it, even if it means killing the kingdom's heir to the throne. Who also happens to be her 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 as she attempts to track the princess down and finish what she started.When you've just started reading a book and have gotten a couple pages in, you have no idea what the storyline's going to be like, or the writing, even. But what you immediately get a taste of from page one is the protagonist, and when I began reading "Poison", I knew Kyra was going to be one kick-ass heroine! Kyra is quick-witted and independent, which makes her a strong and dependable character. What makes her awesome is her skills with potions--throwing needles dipped in poison and knotting her hair with a wooden hair stick, which just so happens to hide a knife inside. But what makes her lovable to the readers is that despite her badassery, she's still a teenaged girl with issues that we mundane humans deal with in our everyday lives. And that's where Fred, the charming adventurer Kyra can't stop thinking about, comes in. As Kyra struggles with her feelings for Fred and her survival instincts to distance herself away from people, we see a vulnerability in her that makes Kyra an incredibly likable and believable heroine to follow throughout the novel.The other characters in "Poison" are just as engaging and exciting as Kyra--needless to say, there's some amazing character development going on! Fred is undoubtedly charming and so funny. I chortled to myself many times at the banter between Fred and Kyra, which happened to include numerous mentions of ladies' underthings growing from bushes. Now do you see what I mean by quick-witted? I absolutely loved the humour and light-heartedness in the story, despite the darker side of things, like, you know, visions of a scarlet river of blood and such. Another character who is crucial in the story is Ariana, the princess of Mohr and Kyra's childhood best friend. While I didn't fall in love with her character as I did with Kyra's and Fred's, Ariana is still a rebellious, laidback and exciting character who is the perfect partner-in-crime for Kyra. The flashbacks in the storyline helped bring her character to life, even if she didn't show up in the flesh until later on in the novel. There are so many more characters to talk about, like Rosie the pink pig (yes, a pig who accompanies Kyra during her travels), the two other Master Potioners Hal and Ned, Arlo the evil bad guy, and so on, but let me assure you that Ms. Zinn has brought to life an incredible cast of characters that you'll wish you could meet!The storyline of "Poison" is like a roller coaster adventure. I found myself finishing the book in less than a day! (And I don't think that had to do with the short length of the novel, either.) From the very first page, Ms. Zinn captures her readers' attention by dropping them right in the middle of some tension and action as Kyra is in the midst of some slippery-fingered theft, and it only gets better from there. I do have to admit that I got a little bit confused at times with the flashbacks, since the past tense was used continuously throughout when the past perfect tense (e.g. 'had done') would've clarified things a lot more. Nonetheless, the plot of "Poison" is consistently enthralling from cover to cover--I just wish that the climax had been drawn out a little longer! It ended a tad too quickly for my tastes.Overall, Bridget Zinn's "Poison" is a wildly exciting adventure that is not to be missed, with a lovable, witty heroine and a dynamic cast of characters. I mean, there's a pig! How can you not love the book? I highly recommend the novel for anyone looking for a quick, fun read--trust me, it won't let you down!Rating: 4.5/5

I was super excited about this book. After some hype from Laini Taylor, a favourite YA author of mine, I could hardly wait for the book to arrive in the mail.Poison tells the tale of 16-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master who finds herself the most sought-after criminal in the kingdom after her unsuccessful attempt on the princess’s life. As if this wasn’t enough for a 16 year old to deal with, Princess Arianna just happened to be Kyra’s best friend, something she must struggle with while being pursued across the country by her ex-fiancé.Things start off right in the middle of things, with Kyra in the midst of a robbing her former colleagues and flat mates of some special potions. The story starts off with excitement, and carries on at a pretty steady clip throughout. I would have liked a bit more character development: Kyra is awesome, tough, and pretty resourceful given her extensive training in her field but a more thorough explanation of her personality, background, and responses might have made her choice to assassinate her best friend more understandable. It does all wrap up quite brilliantly in the end, but I got the feeling that Kyra wasn’t too troubled. This perhaps just could be a result of the lighter, casual style of writing that Zinn uses and the standard word-count restrictions of some YA fiction.For some reason I was annoyed by how quickly the characters travelled from point A to B—but this could be a result of reading some Robin Hobb before this (descriptive and atmospheric much?). With that said, if I were 12, I probably wouldn’t have noticed.Overall, I liked it a lot, and I am saddened that there won’t be further installments in which Kyra could once again save the kingdom (not sure if Zinn intended to write more about Kyra, however, her untimely passing due to cancer makes that impossible. Do I sound insensitive? I’m more sad that she died, not that she won’t write more books for me to enjoy).Those are my two bits! But don’t listen to me—I’m just an adult fan of YA fiction. Not the intended audience. Poison felt a bit like a transition between mid-grade and teen.