Sometimes there are those books that you want to love at all costs. Perhaps that’s why expectations are too high. Anyway, unfortunately I couldn’t enjoy Poison as much as I enjoyed Stepsister…

Once upon a time, a girl named Sophie rode into the forest with the queen’s huntsman. Her lips were the color of ripe cherries, her skin as soft as new-fallen snow, her hair as dark as midnight. When they stopped to rest, the huntsman pulled out his knife . . . and took Sophie’s heart.It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Sophie had heard the rumors, the whispers. They said she was too kind and foolish to rule — a waste of a princess. A disaster of a future queen. And Sophie believed them. She believed everything she’d heard about herself, the poisonous words people use to keep girls like Sophie from becoming too powerful, too strong . . .With the help of seven mysterious strangers, Sophie manages to survive. But when she realizes that the jealous queen might not be to blame, Sophie must find the courage to face an even more terrifying enemy, proving that even the darkest magic can’t extinguish the fire burning inside every girl, and that kindness is the ultimate form of strength.

It starts fine

In itself, the beginning is quite okay. Something horrible is happening. You immediately start to wonder about things, and the inclination to read on is high. While the alternation of perspective is a little confusing at times, and it’s certainly a bold artistic choice by Donnelly, that’s not what put me off in the first place. Although it definitely takes you out of the story at times.

Very weird

As the story progressed, it got crazier and crazier. And that comes from me, someone who likes Fantasy. I absolutely admire Donnelly for her originality and the way she manages to portray strange characters. But that didn’t necessarily make them interesting. In fact, the combination of jokingly light-hearted and shockingly dark felt very unnatural. In any case, I didn’t manage to make a connection with the main character Sophie, or the other characters. No, ironically the one I liked the most/most normal is; the spider (yes, spider!) Weber who works as a cook for the seven… men. Yes, strange. All very strange.

Disappointing

On the one hand there is a lot going on in the story, on the other hand it feels terribly slow. Very often I couldn’t bring myself to pick up the book. In the long run it even felt like an obligation, in between all the hustle and bustle. That is why it (among other things) has taken me so long to write this review. Stepsister? Loved it! Poison? Not so much. Unfortunately…

But hey, everyone has different tastes and opinions! This might actually be your new favorite book. There’s only one way to find out… 🙂