Monday, March 25, 2013

Mini Reviews: Poison by Bridget Zinn and The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

From Goodreads: 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? 

My Rating: 4 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Bridget Zinn’s Poison had a much younger tone than I was expecting it to have. That said, I was still entertained by the lovable characters, charming world and Zinn’s easy writhing style. All in all, I’d recommend Poison to MG readers looking for a light fantasy with unexpected twists and to YA readers who want a story that’ll leave them with a smile.

Poison was released on March 12, 2013 by Disney Hyperion. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Disney Book Group) for free via NetGalley. 
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From Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare. Literally. Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder. Then Eli’s dream comes true. Now Dusty has to follow the clues - both within Eli’s dreams and out of them - to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target. 

My Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett had a rather predictable mystery. However, I did have fun reading it, and give points to Arnett for coming up with a unique paranormal being – Nightmares. While the secondary characters could have been better developed, I liked Dusty, who I found to be witty and down-to-earth. A solid debut overall, I look forward to seeing what happens with Dusty and her friends in the sequel.

The Nightmare Affair was released by Tor Teen on March 5, 2013. 

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Macmillan) for free via NetGalley.

9 comments:

  1. Poison definitely read a bit younger than I was expecting too Z, but like you, I still had fun reading it:) I'm glad you enjoyed the Nightmare Affair for the most part as well - I loved that book. Dusty was definitely my kind of heroine:)

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  2. Poison sounds awesome! I think I'm going to love it :D

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

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  3. To be honest, The Nightmare Affair was such a huge disappointment to me, I didn't even bother finishing it. Poison, on the other hand, I intend to read as soon as I find the time. I have a feeling I'll enjoy it very much.

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  4. Poison and TNA both sound really good! I love MG, (now that I've made peace) so I'll have to pick this one up. As for TNA, I really like good characters, so I'm not so sure about that one. Fab mini reviews! ;)

    Loves,
    Megan@The Book Babe

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  5. I agree about The Nightmare Affair. It wasn't a brilliant read for me (and I'm still not sure if I'll read the sequel), but I still had fun with it. Poison has been getting a lot of praise, though it seems like most people agree it is better suited to the MG audience. Great reviews, Z! :)

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  6. Poison sounds unbelievably cute. It reminds me of "Princess Bride" for some reason. I should pick this one up soon. I've heard good things about Nightmare Affair. Sounds more like a light paranormal mystery after reading your review. Still plan on reading it, but I'm happy to know to not take it too seriously. Glad your reads have gotten better, Z!

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  7. I like the sound of The Nightmare Affair but have seen so many mixed reviews that I'm hesitant to start it. Also the cover really reminds me of Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan.

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  8. Glad you had fun reading these ones! I think I would too. It's always good to have some light, entertaining reads on hand for when you need them. I also think the idea of the Nightmares is soo cool!

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  9. Yup, I agree with you on both counts. Nicely summed up! I was surprised at the younger tone of Poison too, but I did like it over all. That pig was so cute!

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