Poison’s Kiss

A FEW pages into this book, and I was totally captivated by the story.
The main theme here is not exactly new, but it’s the way author Shields weaves her story that takes you directly into the scene.
Marinda is a poison maiden, what is known as a Visha Kanya. Her kiss can kill.
Her training with snakes has caused her to be ­immune to poison (at a high price), while being deadly to others, and she uses this to serve the Raja – by killing his ­enemies.
Although wrought with guilt after every kill, she at least consoles herself with the fact that she knows her victims were bad men.
But then one day, she is tasked with killing a man whom she knows to be good.
And it doesn’t help that she seems to have fallen for him. But to disobey her ­handlers mean deadly ­consequences to both ­herself, and her young brother.
The setting for this tale, Sundari, is not real but it is ­influenced by India and its culture and ­mythology, thus certain aspects may sound strangely ­familiar. ­
Perhaps in a way, that’s the reason it tugs at the ­heart-strings.
The author’s goal was to create a unique world, with its own history and culture, while still paying homage to the origin of the Visha Kanya myth. And in that, she has totally succeeded.
Poison’s Kiss is an ­entertaining read.
– Author: Breeana Shields
– Publisher: Ramdom House New York
– ISBN: 9781524719579