WHAT I LIKED: Lots of mystery about people's motivations. Marinda worries about who she can and cannot trust throughout the story. It's well-done, and I liked how the characters are complex enough that the reader doesn't always know who Marinda can trust.

There are a few surprises. Particularly involving Deven, Mani, and Iyla, Marinda's partner-in-crime who helps her set up the murders.

It's short and fast-paced. The story moves quickly, and I was sucked into the action right from the first page. It's also relatively clean (see content notes below). Poison's Kiss would make a great middle school alternative to Throne of Glass and Grave Mercy, both of which get pretty racy as the series goes on.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: I chose this story because it is based on Indian folklore, but I wish it had more Indian folklore weaved into the story. I also wish we knew more about the original visha kanya legends.

I'm not sure I'll remember this story in a few weeks. It is a fun read, but there's nothing unique about it. Nothing makes it more remarkable than other female assassin YA like Throne of Glass, Grave Mercy, or Graceling. The female assassin storyline has been done--and better--already.

Deven is boring. And though it's not quite insta-love, the L-word is tossed around a bit too quickly for my taste.

THEMES: trust, family, good versus evil

THE BOTTOM LINE: Poison's Kiss is a fun distraction from real life, but I doubt I will remember this one in a few weeks. Read it if you are craving a new female assassin book and you've already read Graceling, Throne of Glass, and Grave Mercy.

STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: I've already ordered it, and I will booktalk Poison's Kiss in my library. My students love female assassin stories, and that front cover will easily entice my girls to check this one out.

RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 4/5
Creativity: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Engrossing: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Appeal to teens: 5/5
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: very mild; attraction, hand-holding, chaste kissing
Violence: medium--Marinda is a reluctant killer; human sacrifices
Drugs/Alcohol: mild--addiction to snake venom

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 a friend who is from India shared with me some issues with the cultural representation. I felt like this should be taken into account. While I cannot speak on it from a personal perspective, it seemed worth mentioning.

I liked the premise of this book, but found the main character to be . . . lacking in her ability to make me like her. She certainly suffered a horrific childhood and is forced into doing heinous crimes (killing people), but other than her love for her little brother, she doesn't seem particularly affected by the murders until the guy she's attracted to becomes her next mark. I would have liked a little more pluck and savvy and introspection beforehand, but maybe her lifer experiences just didn't shape her to be that type of person. It was hard to read about a weak, victimized, helpless main character who seemed to make one poor decision after another. However, there are many teens who would probably really enjoy this book, so take my adult perspective with a grain of salt.

I tried to get into this book, but i made it to about 30% and am not motivated to continue. The main character doesn't seem to have any reason for her interest in the boy she is trying to save. It's not well developed.