THE KINDER POISON, by Natalie Mae, Razorbill, June 16, 2020, Hardcover, $18.99 (young adult)
Three potential heirs will stop at nothing in Natalie Mae’s fantasy adventure The Kinder Poison.
In the magical kingdom of Orkena, Zahru has long dreamed of a life beyond the desert, even though she knows her lowly position as a stable girl who can commune with animals will never afford her such a luxury.
All that changes when the ailing ruler invokes an ancient tradition known as the Crossing. It’s a death-defying race across the desert, in which the first of his heirs to finish–and take the life of a human sacrifice at the journey’s end–will ascend to the throne and be granted unparalleled abilities.
As preparations and celebrations commence, Zahru jumps at the chance to experience a small taste of glamour by sneaking into the palace. But the minor indiscretion quickly turns into the worst mistake of her life as she gets caught up in a feud between the heirs and is ultimately forced to become the Crossing’s human sacrifice. Zahru is left with only one hope for survival: somehow figuring out how to overcome the most powerful people in the world. —Synopsis provided by Razorbill
I read The Kinder Poison about a week ago, and I have to be honest, while I enjoyed it while reading it, it wasn’t particularly memorable. There’s nothing wrong with it per say… It just didn’t make as big an impact as other fantasy novels I’ve recently read.
Zahru is a likeable character, and she grows a lot throughout the course of the novel. It was the three royal siblings that drew more interest. I wish the author would have spent more time on them.
The Kinder Poison is a decent introduction into the fantasy genre. It’s a fast-paced page-turner that’s a great option as a summer read. Even though the book didn’t stick with me, I still enjoyed it, and would happily reread it again prior to reading the next book in the series.
