The thing that stands out for The Kindly Poison is its character voice - the main character, Zahru, is engaging and funny, immediately drawing the reader into her world and inviting them to join her squabbles with her best friend, and her hopes for the future. In moments where the story is weak, Zahru's internal stakes carry her forward.
The unfortunate thing is that many of the other characters seem caricatures of traditional YA character tropes. The cold hearted prince (Badprince) and the kind prince who doesn't want the throne but would be the better ruler (Goodprince) move most of the plot. The story kindly allows a few charming scenes with Badprince before showing him for what he really is.
I did love the animal magic, and the bones of the general system. But I won't be reading book 2 - it just doesn't have much interest for me.
The unfortunate thing is that many of the other characters seem caricatures of traditional YA character tropes. The cold hearted prince (Badprince) and the kind prince who doesn't want the throne but would be the better ruler (Goodprince) move most of the plot. The story kindly allows a few charming scenes with Badprince before showing him for what he really is.
I did love the animal magic, and the bones of the general system. But I won't be reading book 2 - it just doesn't have much interest for me.