Poison-Bridget Zinn

	Title: Poison Author: Bridget Zinn Genre: Fantasy, YA Format & Pages: Hardcover, 276 Publication: Hyperion, 2013 Source: Borrowed Rating:

“Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly skilled potions master, is the only one who knows that her kingdom is on the verge of destruction-which means she is the only one who can save it. With no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, 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 and her potioner ex-boyfriend Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute piglet, 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?”

I would be lying if I said I didn’t pick up this book because there is a piglet involved. I mean, who can resist a cute little piggy being the sidekick? The story sounded nice, but really, the pig was what grabbed my attention. Let me tell you, do not underestimate this novel. It was quite good.

Kyra is such a fun character. Even though she is being hunted throughout the kingdom, she is fun and feisty. She is thrown into such a predicament, how can you not love her and want her to succeed? Her constant hungering causes her to settle into traveling with Fred, the extremely happy go lucky adventurer.

The story itself is much more than it seems. There were tons of twists throughout the whole of the novel. Even when I thought I knew everything there was to know, right at the end, another twist is thrown in. I barely even guessed at these twists, they were so well done. I was consistently pleasantly surprised. It was also littered with creative monsters and delightful potions.

The ending of the story was quite satisfying. There were no cliffhangers or unresolved conflicts. I did find that it was a bit short, but I think that contributed to my enjoyment of it. There were no side missions, or unnecessary distractions from the main story. It kept the pace quick. It kept the story from going dull. I did really enjoy reading it, so I wish there were going to be more stories with Kyra and her pig, but unfortunately Bridget Zinn passed away. Such a promising debut novel, too.