Review: Poison

POISON

Bridget Zinn
Young Adult/Fantasy
288 pages
Disney Hyperion
Available March 12th
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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
Poison, perhaps unsurprisingly given the publisher, is a lot like a Disney movie – sweet and fun with a nice balance of levity and seriousness to leave us with light hearts, smiles on our faces, and fond memories of the characters with whom we just spent a few hours. Kyra's world is easy to fall into despite some of its more fantastical elements, and the focus on potions and poisons as the trade of choice for our young heroine is more than unique enough to pique our interest from page one and hold it throughout. There's a lulling quality to this story, the way it progresses and unfolds almost effortless, creating a sense of comfort and familiarity even as Kyra finds herself in tight spot after tight spot.

Kyra herself is someone we want to know more about instantly, her assassination attempt on her best friend and heir to the throne something we're aware of from the first page, but we find ourselves completely in the dark for most of the book as to what motivated her to take such violent action. She's highly skilled at her chosen trade and has a cute sense of humor, though those positive attributes are tempered by an unfortunate tendency to cut and run from the deliciously handsome Fred and his adorable canine companion Langley, but overall she's an entertaining young woman to follow from one mini adventure to the next.

Those looking for a quick and light read with a nice mix of mystery, magic, romance and friendship, complete with unforgettable animal sidekicks, will thoroughly enjoy Ms. Zinn's debut novel, and will likely walk away from it warm and content with the experience. There's not a great deal of emotional intensity or heart-pounding conflict, Kyra's story instead reaching only a layer or two under surface level, but it's certainly the type of book to pick up for a little something fun and different.

Rating: 4/5