Full review to come....after my fangirling

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

I am so in love with this book!!! Poison’s Kiss by debut author Breeana Shields has topped my list of favorite books. I know 2017 just started BUT this may wind up being my favorite read of the year. The author does a marvelous job of combining Indian mythology with her own brand of fantasy. It is done SO well that I found myself looking up the original mythology just because I wasn’t ready to let this world go.

The book follows Marinda, a young woman with a deadly kiss. She is a visha kanya or poison maiden. As a child she was slowly introduced to poisons until she herself became toxic to others. Now she is an assassin for the Raja or at least that is what her handler would have her believe. Marinda has one purpose, kill those that oppose the Raja. She is a lethal assassin, one that can easily slip in and with one kiss kill those that she is assigned to. The problem is she has a conscience which makes her character easy to empathize with.

Marinda isn’t just a poison maiden. She has dreams and wants that feel hopeless to her. If one kiss from her is deadly, how can she have love? Her own brother is dying and in the back of her mind she always questions if it is her proximity to him. Let’s also not forget the guilt she carries for all the people she has killed. It’s really an awful existence. She’s naive to the world around her, only knowing what her handler deemed she know. Her one reprieve is a bookshop she apprentices at a few days a week. But even that becomes a nightmare when her next target becomes a boy she knows.

My breath feels lodged in my throat, because I want to shake him off and at the same time I never want him to stop touching me. No one ever touches me. Not like this, all affectionate and casual and unafraid.

Deven is a kind young man, too kind in Marinda’s eyes. He barely knows her yet he shows her kindness by caring for her brother, offering comfort. It is easy to see why Marinda likes the boy, it is even easier to understand why she pushes him away. As the blurb mentions he is her target, I don’t feel like I’m spoiling too much. Marinda cares for him, and for the first time she questions her handler. She makes a choice to save Deven and that choice turns her world upside and sets the plot in motion.

Overall I really enjoyed this fast-paced read. The author’s blend of fantasy and mythology creates a beautiful, realistic and haunting world for Marinda. And Deven *swoon* His kindness alone is enough to make the reader root for him which is why it is easy to forgive the insta-love typical of YA books. If you’re a fan of fast-paced adventures, fantasy and of course a mix of romance, I highly recommend you grab a copy.