I was given a free e-copy of A Little Poison by Tim Stretton (author), Battle Cat Press (publisher), and Net Galley. Little Poison is the second book in the Fractured Empire series.

This review will be spoiler free.

I would characterize A Little Poison as a secondary world steam-punk fantasy with espionage and political intrigue and no magic.

The story takes place after a major war involving several countries in a city that is governed by a young man who is the duke and has noble families, members of the duke’s court, high ranking military officers, and ambassadors.

It appears a magic system is not featured in this story.

The main character is a person who specializes in undertaking dark deeds and operates in the shadows. He has some expertise in using poisons. The main character arrives in a city when the last time he was in there was after he ended a relationship very abruptly and badly with a young woman. A significant minor character is the brother of the young woman who remained in contact with the main character throughout the interceding years. This significant minor character is a naval officer. The other significant minor character is a woman who has been the governess of the young duke for the last seven years. The main character is intrigued and interest – albeit with conflicted feelings – with the governess. Each of the characters, from the main to the minor, is fully developed, three-dimensional, engaging, and contribute to the story.

The plot of the story moves at a steady clip, but it is not a break-neck speed, and each scene organically flows into the next scene. Mr. Stretton includes some swerves and curves, and I thought I knew what would happen next for each of the primary characters, but I was wrong. Mr. Stretton had me hooked from the first chapter and had a wild ride until the final surprise in the epilogue.

A Little Poison is a very nice blend of interesting characters, engaging story, and well-written prose.

I really enjoyed A Little Poison, and I have already started reading Bitter Sky which is the first story in the Fractured Empire series. I recommend A Little Poison to readers who enjoy steam-punk fantasy stories with espionage, political characters, gray characters undertaking dark deeds such as using poison to commit murder.

I rate A Little Poison 5 stars.

I would like to thank Mr. Stretton, Battle Cat Press, and Net Galley for the free ARC.

A Little Poison

[Blurb goes here]

I'm not a fan of this genre. That being said, I loved this book from start to finish. I have nothing but good things to say about it. It's fast paced, the characters are great and the writing is riveting. I'll be sure to follow this author's future novels.

Thank you for the free copy!