Poison's Kiss by Breeana Shields

Poison's Kiss (Serpent's Promise)

by Breeana Shields

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.

Reviewed by shannonmiz on

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You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
3.5*

(My really quite brief thoughts, technically!)

I really quite enjoyed this one! I liked Marinda as a character so much. She was in such an awful position, having to kill people she didn’t want to kill, but knowing that she (and more importantly to her, her brother) would be killed if she didn’t. I like the moral complexity of that situation so much. I also was such a fan of her love and care for her brother.

The reason I am doing such a small not-really-review of this book is that so much of it is a flat out spoiler. I kept being surprised by the things that were happening, and I don’t want to take any of that surprise away for anyone else, so I am leaving it short and simple. There were a few things that I did kind of see coming, and were a tad predictable, but there was also so much that I didn’t see coming, so I still enjoyed it! I loved the side characters so much too- and there is a bookstore involved, guys!

Bottom line: It was fast paced and quite compulsively readable. And I will definitely be looking forward to the sequel!

I also wanted to point out that Rashika @ Xpresso Reads did find some issues with the cultural representation. I felt like this should be taken into account, so I want to link to her review so that everyone can kind of have all info, I don't want to overlook her thoughts and feelings on this! So here you are: http://www.xpressoreads.com/2016/12/poison-kiss-by-breeana-shields.html

**Copy provided by publisher for review

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 28 December, 2016: Finished reading
  • 28 December, 2016: Reviewed