Kyra is the most wanted fugitive of the Kingdom. She tried, and failed, to kill her best friend, the Princess Arianna, heir to the throne. She's been running for 3 months now and she feels the urgency to kill her or the consequences will be dire. So much so that she turns for help to the worst criminal there is, and it's not the smartest move she's made...
Poison was a fun and engaging quick read and I can't believe it took me that long to read it. The cover was what first draw me in, and the synopsis promised a story full of adventure. I am a fantasy fan and I loved the idea of the main character being a potionnist (I mean, I had an alchemist when I used to play world of warcraft haha), so I knew I had to give it a shot.
I truly enjoyed this debut novel by Zinn even though this is a much lighter read than the likes of Cashore or Snyder. I would compare Zinn's style to Rachel Hawkins, but in a high fantasy set-up. The following quote is a good example of what I mean by 'light':
The whole novel is sprinkled with this same humour, keeping the tone generally joyful despite the whole 'running-for-her-life', 'wanting-to-kill-the-princess' theme.
The characters proved to be highly likeable and it's probably the main reason I enjoyed this book so much. Kyra is a capable young woman and she is full of mysteries. We discover all of her secrets along the way and learn why she wants to kill her best friend. Her determination is commendable and her skill is impressive. Fred was simply amazing and I loved him to pieces. He is fun, trustworthy, a good cook AND he is good looking. What more can a girl ask for? Rosy, the pink pig, also deserve an honorable mention for being such a cute and useful critter.
I loved how smoothly the storyline flowed and how everything made sense when Zinn finally let us in onto her secrets. The conclusion was also very satisfying and I find myself wondering if this novel is a stand alone or the first novel of a series? Either way, I strongly suggest you give it a shot, especially if you like Rachel Hawkins.
Poison was a fun and engaging quick read and I can't believe it took me that long to read it. The cover was what first draw me in, and the synopsis promised a story full of adventure. I am a fantasy fan and I loved the idea of the main character being a potionnist (I mean, I had an alchemist when I used to play world of warcraft haha), so I knew I had to give it a shot.
I truly enjoyed this debut novel by Zinn even though this is a much lighter read than the likes of Cashore or Snyder. I would compare Zinn's style to Rachel Hawkins, but in a high fantasy set-up. The following quote is a good example of what I mean by 'light':
“Ariana, there's a small rodent on your face. Thought you should know."
"It's a mustache. Kyra assured me that it's extremely convincing.”
The whole novel is sprinkled with this same humour, keeping the tone generally joyful despite the whole 'running-for-her-life', 'wanting-to-kill-the-princess' theme.
The characters proved to be highly likeable and it's probably the main reason I enjoyed this book so much. Kyra is a capable young woman and she is full of mysteries. We discover all of her secrets along the way and learn why she wants to kill her best friend. Her determination is commendable and her skill is impressive. Fred was simply amazing and I loved him to pieces. He is fun, trustworthy, a good cook AND he is good looking. What more can a girl ask for? Rosy, the pink pig, also deserve an honorable mention for being such a cute and useful critter.
I loved how smoothly the storyline flowed and how everything made sense when Zinn finally let us in onto her secrets. The conclusion was also very satisfying and I find myself wondering if this novel is a stand alone or the first novel of a series? Either way, I strongly suggest you give it a shot, especially if you like Rachel Hawkins.
Magic is power, and power is magic…
![0daringyou_thumb[2]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTQx29xZB91N1nl4Y-xPVmxjcjxyozmKanZs9WUJNx8Oi4LoyJFc6Exe1Mo_Aw83hGCNn-XeIxvISV3r98z7iq9W2GmTnMUaKLrI4wGafaApVely_lYGc38nMQkJDfGmJ_S_eGLpW9yaA/?imgmax=800 "0daringyou_thumb[2]")
Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. 
Book covers are like snowflakes since the process is a little different every time. Authors sometimes do send us images of inspirations, photos of actors that match their character's descriptions, etc. Most of our dialogue is with the editors, who are not only in contact with the author but also have a strong idea of what is the best way position the book. Is the book for a boy or girl reader or both? What is the genre? What age group should be reading this book? Once the editor is happy with the direction of the cover, the cover is shown to the author as well as our Sales, Marketing and Publicity teams to make sure we have the best package for the book.
Alexandra Bracken was born and raised in Arizona, but moved east to study at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. She recently relocated to New York City, where she works in publishing and lives in a charming apartment overflowing with books.
1. Never trust anyone.
Hi, Daniel, and welcome to Tynga's Reviews! We're so pleased to have you! To start, can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?
I waffle over favorite characters in my work as well, but I'll single out Janine here because she barely existed in the manuscript I first turned in to Disney. My editor, Catherine Onder, suggested that I try working with her more and I'm so glad that she did because Janine really came to life in the subsequent drafts and added considerably to the story. Janine was like a ghost that we brought back into the world of the living--it was was sort of like my experience with Karen in the Gen Dead books, because she started as a walk-on only but then blossomed into a character ai ended up writing a whole novel about. I like Janine so much I could see myself writing another story with her as a lead.
and would probably require an entire essay so I won't go further than that here), and my psychic contract with myself, which requires me to work out my feelings in a subtextual way--I try write "about" something important to me while also attempting to entertain the reader. Generation Dead is about my feeling on how we treat each other as much as it is about zombies; Passing Strange is about my feelings concerning depression as it is about an anti-zombie conspiracy. The reader may or may not notice or care that those elements are there; whether or not a reader notices that Break My Heart 1,000 Times is "about" my take on the various ways people in America deal with loss as much as it is about ghosts and serial killers hopefully does not detract from its value as an entertainment. Secretly, of course I hope that the reader both notices and has an enhanced entertainment experience for noticing, but each person should take their thrills where they find them.
My books thus far have all left questions unanswered, and this is because I tend to think of all-inclusive endings as lies. The world doesn't resolve itself in a tidy fashion.
