Poison, by Bridget Zinn
Goodreads extended blurb…. Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.
But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.
Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?
Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.
Review: This is one of the books I picked up randomly at the library, without being sure of what it really was or having heard anything about. I was very pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the story. The heroine was very like-able, even if I kept wondering at the beginning whether she was actually a good guy or a bad guy. The pig was my very very favorite though. So much cuteness!!! The romance was adorable too, even if it did get a little cheesy, but I don’t mind that every once in a while. The author passed away before the novel was published and there were a few editing issues that might have been fixed, but nothing very major.
Overall, it was a super enjoyable read and I might have hung onto it to read a second time!
Katharine Marie 