Breeana Shields

In an alternate world based on the mythology of India, a girl trained since birth as a "poison maiden" in the Raja's service is ordered to kill a boy she loves.

Poison's Kiss

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.

Melissa Palmer

Book #36 Read in 2017
Poison's Kiss by Breanna Shields

This book would be perfect for fans of The Sin Eater's Daughter series. Marinda is an assassin, able to kill someone with just a kiss....a kiss that is poison. It has been her way of life since she was young. As she gets older, and meets Devin, she begins to question how this can be a right way of life and how she can escape with her younger, sickly brother Mani. This book had decent twists and turns and interesting characters, along with romance and action. I believe there will be a sequel, which I will read. I received this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.

In an alternate world based on the mythology of India, a girl trained since birth as a -poison maiden- in the Raja's service is ordered to kill a boy she loves.

Shawna Delellis

Faith

Kesya Sandry

alright, how do i feel about this book?

So, we'd meet Miranda—a visha kanya or a poison maiden. What does that mean? It means that she could kill a person just with a single kiss. Yes, she is an assasin. All is well until her next target is her lover.

Yes, you guessed it right, there's indeed a romance in this book. But don't expect a slow-burn romance, cause this book will give you an insta-love romance. Insta-love often involved with naivete, right? And oftentimes the mc's actions towards their love interest makes you cringe so much. But personally, Marinda's naivete towards what love is or romance in general is understandable because—oh wait, you need to read the book first to know that.

Anyway, this book is kind of a mix of Indian mythology from what I get (i'm so sorry for all of the indian folks reading this, i'm so uncultured about it😭). But... idk how to feel about this book because... well.... white author writing about indian mythology just doesn't sit right for me. But that's not really a big problem for me (just a lil' not sure how to feel about it) because i enjoyed reading this book nonetheless! 

Nicole Lambert

EDIT: This, coming from having read both the first book AND the sequel, was...dare I say it...AMAZING. Having never had an interest in mythology and therefore having never looked into it, I learned so much about the visha kanya and how there are not one, but FOUR other animals detailed in such mythology. I also found the concept of having lives taken away as a form of currency to be very interesting (the only other time I've seen this done was in Everless, and even then there was still something dark and haunting about how it was done here). In essence, I highly recommend this duology.

Though, I suppose, I am still rather partial to snakes. It's the Slytherin in me.

Going back to what I stated before, this book is NOT, and I repeat NOT, an act of plagiarism. Aside from vaguely similar concepts, they were drastically different storylines, and I still feel disheartened that I was led to believe otherwise. I guess the moral of the story is choose your friends wisely.

ORIGINAL: I know that I had originally stated that this book plagiarized another book that had been published years ago, but it has come to my realization that the author in question had lied to me and other people about a bunch of stuff, including, the more that I think about it, that accusation. Therefore, I would like to formally apologize to not only the author of this book and the publishing company but also to everyone who saw the original "review," if you can even call it a review. I do feel extremely bad about my words and actions, so as such, I will at some point purchase this book and give it an honest review in the future devoid of my previously-held beliefs.

Also, for any of you wondering, no I am not associated with the author of The Venomous Monster anymore. And yes, she was one of my best friends even if we had a rocky relationship during most of the time we had known each other. I felt like it was because of that that made me want to come to her aid every time she felt threatened or told me something, and this book was something that had threatened her. I should have known better, especially considering the fact that the accusation was so outlandish to begin with, and she kept telling me over and over again that she had connections to Random House and even had a publishing deal by them that she turned down. I honestly feel stupid for believing all that and for trusting her, and for that I am extremely sorry.

Paige Green

Rating: 2/5

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (sexual references, violence, slight gore)

Pages: 304

Author Website

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Disclaimer: I bought this book on my own accord.

Synopsis: 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.

Okay so what instantly drove me to this book was the concept. It’s intriguing and interesting. The writing for the most part is okay and the characters are fairly well interesting.

However, there are a lot of issues with this book. The world building is lacking, the romance is too insta for my coffee, and the book definitely need some Indian beta-readers and some research on the author’s part. India has a ton of cultures and languages. It’s more of a melting pot in terms of culture and language than the USA. I did some research and realized that some of the language used in the book is misused from its English meaning, which I’m seeing as a big problem with authors writing about a culture and language they might not have firsthand knowledge of. Xpresso Reads has a very well written review on the cultural appropriation that happens in this book and I bow to her knowledge. I also want to say that the book had a pacing problem and it just felt really shakey and incomplete for a finished book. 

Verdict: Research is your friend if you’re a writer.

Poison's Kiss

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