Poison by Bridget ZinnPublished by: Disney Hyperion on March 12, 2013
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 288
Source: Gifted
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Rating: ★★★★½
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.
Fun
Magical
Fluffy
Disney
These are all words that describe Poison. If fun and a bit fluffy is what you’re looking for, this is your book!
I feel like Poison really took me back to basics—in a good way. I wasn’t concerned with the world building, or if the plot made sense, or if there were any holes. I was just enjoying the book. It made me feel like I was a teenager again, just reading about princesses, castles, and magic. Think Disney movie! This kind of simple fun and fluff may not be for everyone, but it SO worked for me!
If I looked closer, I could probably find holes and imperfections in this book. I could find things to critique, but it would be purely for the sake of critiquing, which I don’t want to do because in the moment, nothing bothered me. I was just enjoying this book for what it was: simple, magical fun.
At first I thought this book would be a little ridiculous. I mean, just the tagline: Can she save the kingdom with a pig? That sounds ridiculous. But in the book, it totally worked! It was just pure sweet. And I seriously came to adore the pig (named Rosie!).
I loved all the characters. Kyra was a great one, but I think I mostly loved the awkward moments she got herself in (like wading across the river in her frilly pink underwear! Hah!). I also adored Fred, who was super sweet and good natured. I could see myself wanting to be friends with him! And then there was Princess Ariana who was hilarious. She was kind of a rebel at heart, which made her really carefree and kind of hilarious.
And the potion making was pretty cool! Just the way it was described reminded me so much of my old chemistry classes LOL! And I like how there was kind of a struggle between science and magic.
I think if you’re not in the mood for the simple entertainment that is Poison then you won’t be wow’d. It might be a mediocre read. But if you happen to be in EXACTLY that mood (like I was) then you’ll adore the book!
The Verdict
Aw, a pig! I love it when books make an animal/creature/thing adorable and loveable! (I don’t usually like pigs so much. But whatever works.) I heard a lot about this book when it first came out, and the author’s story and all. 🙁 But I never got a chance to read it. I should move it up my TBR. I like a bit of light and fluffy.
Lol I’m not exactly a pig fan either, but this book kind of made me fall for sweet little Rosie. That little pig had personality!
(And yes, it’s so sad about the author… :()
I love when a book makes you forget about what you should be looking for in a good book and you can just sit back and enjoy it. I think I will have to pick this one up.
Exactly! It’s such an awesome feeling.
“Fun” and “fluffy” are not words I would’ve thought described a book named “Poison”. 😛
It’s so interesting that you just loved this book for itself, and didn’t even mind the plot holes or inconsistencies. I love magical and disney, I’ll have to take a look at this book! 😀
Haha I totally didn’t think about how my wording would sound. It seriously is fun and fluffy though.
Sound like a good book to read! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sounds fun and cute! I haven’t heard of this one but I might have to keep watch for it. 🙂
I read an advanced copy of this and it definitely was fun and fluffy, and I loved the potion stuff and the adventure too 🙂
I didn’t love this book but I didn’t hate it. I feel badly that the author won’t get to write a follow up, b/c I think it would be great to have another story to go along with this one. It was a fun read, though. Glad you enjoyed it.
That’s exactly how I imagined people would feel about the book if they weren’t quite in the same mood I was (that “didn’t love it but didn’t hate it” feeling). I get that!
I love the cover of this book. Some books are just fun to read and when we’re in the mood for that the other things don’t matter as much. I’m going to look for this book. Thanks!
I love the cover too! 😀 It’s so sweet!
I knew you would like this one! I just had a feeling 🙂
Sadly it didn’t work for me, but I’m glad you enjoyed it!
You’re totally psychic! ♥
YES. I could really SEE this movie as a Disney movie, done like Enchanted was! *sigh* I’m so sad the author passed on, because I think if she’d had time to really perfect her story-telling and writing, she would have gotten even BETTER. I loved this little light fanstasy!
Molli | Books and Whimsy
Enchanted! That is such an excellent comparison!
And yes, it’s so sad about the author. 🙁 I would have loved to read more from her!
Yes I totally agree with you! It was a book that kind of made you forget everything about what was going on and the flaws with the book. It was just so lighthearted and cute, I honestly loved it so much. I’m really glad you felt the same way, and I agree Rosie was such a cute pig (I keep saying cute but that’s the only way I can describe this book) and Fred and Kyra were amazing characters. Fantastic review, Ashley! <33
Yes, this book also reminded me of Disney – which is probably the reason why I loved it so much, haha. I liked all the characters. Fred was so funny and Rosie is adorable 😀 This is really a book you don’t need to think about too much; you just need to enjoy it.
I was giving some Juvenile Fiction books to my little cousin the other day (The Frog Princess, Dragon Slippers, etc.). I was feeling extremely nostalgic as I went through my bookshelves. I miss the days of Disney movies and fairy tales. Poison sounds like the perfect book for the mood I’m in right now 🙂
Poison does a great job of being clear up front of what to expect. From the moment I saw the cover, I suspected it would be Disney fun times, so I read it when I was in the mood for just that :D. I really wish there would be more 🙁
When I was little I wanted a pet pig so bad but my parents wouldn’t allow it saying “it’s not going to stay cute and little forever” and “I think it’s time we just get her a dog” 😉 So I never got a pet pig but I still have a soft spot for them so I would love to read this book and love reading about magic and it sounds like a great read for the younger me inside that enjoys some fun, lighthearted, cute reads. Thanks for the review!
I loved this book so much, i was wondering if there was a movie about it?