Poison’s Kiss by Breeana Shields
My Rating: 4 Stars!
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: January 10th, 2017
Received: I borrowed an e-book from my library
Purchase: Amazon
Synopsis:
A teenage assassin kills with a single kiss until she is ordered to kill the one boy she loves. This commercial YA fantasy is romantic and addictive—like a poison kiss—and will thrill fans of Sarah J. Maas and Victoria Aveyard.
Marinda has kissed dozens of boys. They all die afterward. It’s a miserable life, but being a visha kanya—a poison maiden—is what she was created to do. Marinda serves the Raja by dispatching his enemies with only her lips as a weapon.
Until now, the men she was ordered to kiss have been strangers, enemies of the kingdom. Then she receives orders to kiss Deven, a boy she knows too well to be convinced he needs to die. She begins to question who she’s really working for. And that is a thread that, once pulled, will unravel more than she can afford to lose.
This rich, surprising, and accessible debut is based in Indian folklore and delivers a story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
Opening Sentence: “I’m not a bad person.”
Musings:
I read this book almost in one single sitting. It was everything that I have always loved in fantasy novels with a poisonous assassin falling in love. This is the kind of trope I will always love and I don’t think I will ever apologize for it. I had so much fun reading this. Books like this are my hearts joy.
Marinda is a visha kanya a girl who carries poison on her lips. After her lips touch yours know that you only have a few hours left until you die a horrible death. Marinda may actively use her ability, but every time she does the guilt of it consumes her.
One thing I wish was different about this book is the fact that the guilt consumes her so much. All I wanted was for her to be a more confident assassin who truly believes her kills are for a good cause and for her to have a more dramatic, but gradual change of heart to make for a bit stronger of a storyline. However, as the story is now I did really love it, it felt like how Fantasy was for me when a was a little bit younger, drunk with the magic of a distant world.
What made me happy about this book was it being inspired by Indian Culture. I think we don’t see enough of that in young adult books and it made the magic and setting feel all the more beautiful. I think we need a lot more cultural representation in ya including Legends, settings, food, and traditions from every culture out there. It would be amazing to see us all accepting and finding beauty in the diversity around us through ya books and I also think that books like Poison’s Kiss are a part of that.
If your looking for a light and enjoyable fantasy with a diverse setting and lore pick up Poison’s Kiss. It is romance and death combined for a hopeful yet turbulent narrative.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what your thoughts down in the comments below!
-Till next time!
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