Breeana ShieldsRezensionen

This was a better read than I thought. Reminded me of the movie Sliding Doors...except with magic. On the day that was supposed to lead her down a path, not of her choosing, turns into a split future, timelines that will eventually smash together. Saskia the Tudor doesn't know if her reality will continue or if her "other" life path will take over. The way the author weaves the two stories with many twists and turns, with the two timelines coming together (no spoilers!) was surprising. How she managed to keep the flow of the two stories going was a testament to her writing. Both versions of Saski were fighters, women who were determined to "choose" their own destinies. The tension reflected in both timelines drove the storylines, making the reader turn the pages faster, although I didn't want it to end!

“That's how you know something is ready to be devoured, when it gives just a little under pressure. It's the same with people.”
― Breeana Shields, Poison's Kiss

This book is breathtaking. The cover art is magnificent. So is the story within.

Snakes, Mythology and a great fun read!

So this is about about Marinda, the visha kanya, whose kiss is poison. She works for the government and it is her job to kill by kissing, anyone the government wants her to. However, when the boy she falls for is added to the kill list, she begins to question everything.

I LOVED the whole mythological aspect to this story. The whole idea is riveting and makes for an intelligent and dazzling novel filled with Mythology, snakes, romance, mystery and suspense.

I never got tired of reading and read this in one sitting. The pacing is great and so is the world building. Our protagonist wants to do the right thing. But..in this world....can she?

This is part of a series but I think there is only one other book not two. I have the second one on my TBR list..any day now. Hope it is as riveting as the first. Four amazing stars.½

The Splendor had me hooked by the second chapter...okay, so maybe the premise alone is what actually had me hooked, but those first few chapters grabbed me and told me to hold on 'cause this is going to be quite the ride!

Well, those chapters were right. The Splendor is quite the ride! It has beautiful, descriptive writing...missing no small detail of the world. Magic just oozes from this story and it makes you literally crave turning to the next page.
"She spoke sentences delicious enough to eat."

There are alternating POVs between Juliette and Henri so you get a good look into the story from both characters eyes which I greatly appreciated. You will literally be swept away into the wonder that is The Splendor.
But, be prepared for unexpected plot twists on top of plot twists and for your heartstrings to be pulled on as this book is heartbreakingly beautiful. I could not recommend it more.

Definitely pick this one up!

Huge thank you to Page Street Publishing for the ARC to read, enjoy, and honestly review.

If you could get rid of your worst memories, would you?

Juliette and her older sister Clare have always wanted to visit The Splendor. The magical hotel promises a once-in-a-lifetime experience of decadence and luxury as the only place that can make your wildest dream come true, and Juliette dreams of it fulfilling the emptiness of growing up without parents. When Juliette finally saves enough to send one of them, she chooses to send Clare, the older sister who loved her and made the children's home bearable. But then Clare comes back, and she doesn't want to be around Juliette anymore.

Heartbroken, Juliette steals the rainy day fund she and Clare were saving to buy their own place and books herself a reservation at The Splendor to find out what took Clare away from her.

The glitz of the The Splendor and its magical illusionists will draw you in as much as it does Juliette, until you find out that all that glitters is not gold. Imagine being the star of a masquerade ball, or being able to wish a dragon chariot race into existence. But someone has to pay the price of all that magic, and slowly but surely, The Splendor's sinister side is revealed.

Juliette bonds with Henri, the foster son of the Splendor's owners and heir apparent. He blames himself for breaking her heart, since he's the reason Clare doesn't want anything to do with Juliette anymore. Henry removes unwanted memories, then reworks them for other people. He can take a perilous battle scene that's giving one person PTSD and change it into a heroic experience for someone who wants memories of saving the day. He can rework the shape of a person's life - at least in their memory. Henry sees himself as using his power for good, so learning of Juliette's pain shakes him.

But the secrets of The Splendor go far deeper than either of them have dreamed, weaving a tapestry of lies around everyone associated with it. Henri and Juliette will have to work together if either of them will have a chance at escaping.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Review Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable read and different from the medieval fantasy. The whole story is center around the visha kanya myth set in a unique world. There lies and betrayed, twist and turns all made for an interesting read.

Good twists and turns, adventure, and a strong emphasis on friendship! A bit weak on the romance and villain motivation. Saskia was horrible and obsessively focused on her task yet I didn't hate her. I also think some characters were underused like Niklas. Still, the pacing was great.

In the midst of Saskia's quest for revenge, the apprentices have bone games, different trials they must complete for their studies. I enjoyed the first one because it dealt with morality and the law, whereas the second one felt a bit YA tropey. Unique ending since the protagonist and the antagonist gets a happy ending. I'm a little iffy with this. On one hand, there's a "revenge is not the way" message, but, after all of Latham's dirt, I wanted him to suffer to some extent. I guess Saskia defeated him before he became the villain this time.

I think for the most part this was a fitting conclusion though I liked the first book better. The different bone magics and their subsets are still fascinating to me. I wouldn't mind another story set in this universe.

3.5

I absolutely loved this from beginning to end! The plot-twists are so good, and I like the somewhat strained relationship between Saksia and her mother. That woman really loves her beneath the iciness. In addition, I enjoyed the tattoos with different meanings and bone abilities. Major spoiler: and this book had the guts to kill off Saskia in the alternate timeline. whoa! it felt like a bad ending in a videogame. I'm impressed.

I'm eager for book 2!

Bones help determine the fates of young people - and Saskia is lucky enough to the be daughter of the resident Bone Charmer. But she wants a different fate than the one her mother chooses and an accident with the bones leads to two different paths. I liked that there was a mystery going on - who was the bad guy? what was the hidden agenda? and how did it all tie into Saskia's dual lives. I enjoyed the journey.

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Great
Grade Level: High School
Recommended: Yes

Saskia never wanted to be a Bone Charmer (someone who uses bone magic to see the future, past, or present), so when she is destined by fate at a kenning ceremony to follow that path she lashes out, breaking one of her Gran's bones that told her fate. With the splitting of the bone, Saskia's path is broken into two and each path takes her through separate vocations and different love matches. As long as the bone is broken, though, Saskia is not safe. It must be mended to ensure that one of the paths continues on to fulfill her destiny.

I really loved the writing in "The Bone Charmer." The imagery and emotion that Shields evokes is rich and captivating. I love the world and the concept of bone magic. Truthfully, I would have been a happy reader if she chose to only follow the path of "Saskia the Bone Charmer" and explore life at the Ivory Hall, fleshing out just that path and nixing the entire parallel universe concept completely.

As it stands, the two paths are clear and easy to follow for the majority of the book. In the later chapters the two paths start to become intertwined and it's more challenging to keep track of who did what and where. I imagined that this was the author bringing the two paths together with the goal of them fusing, just like the broken bone, but this was not the case.

The only real issue I take with this book is the ending. It wasn't bad. I just hoped that it would go a certain way (the two paths coming together) but it went a different way (one path ending and another carrying on), This is a personal issue and not a reflection of the character of the book. I would definitely recommend this title.½

So very impressed with this book! It took me a few chapters to really settle into the way that Breeana Shields wanted to tell this story, but once I was there I was hooked. Saskia's life has has always been dictated by bone reading. Each moment painstakingly created so that she'll stay on the path to her happiest life. That is, until it's her turn to find her true calling. I can't remember if I knew that this book was about to split into two stories, or not, but I can tell you that it's a wonderful way to navigate Saskia's journey.

First off, let me be the first to assure you that there is no love triangle in The Bone Charmer. You have no idea how happy that made me, since that's one of my pain points in YA lately. Instead, there are two very seperate romances here. As Saskia's life splits off, one road leading to what she believed she wanted and one road leading to what her mother believed was best for her, these two romances grow in very different ways. I absolutely loved how Shields doesn't shy away from putting Saskia through all manner of trials. As she follows each of these paths, she learns more and more about herself, her mother, and the two boys who she has been matched two. The idea that we don't always know what is best for us, even if we are so sure of it, is heavily featured in this story. It's perfection.

It's honestly tough to say too much more about the plot without giving anything important away, so I'll start focusing on the world building instead. In Saskia's world, as I mentioned above, bone readings are part of life. Matches, both with jobs and with romantic partners, are an essential part of a person's future. It was fascinating watching the way that this played out, in a place like Midwood. Much like our own world, the people with the most money always seemed to have an advantage over those who were poorer. The fact that Saskia's mother, the bone charmer herself, was so upset about that made me smile. This book speaks of "wild magic" and how it used to grow without monetary interference. As I found my way through Saskia's story I saw how that could both help, and hurt, a civilization. There's a lot of deep thoughts in this book, hidden in a way that almost makes them invisible. I loved every minute of it.

Was this book perfect? Perhaps not. There were a lot of things I wished for more of. I wanted more time with Saskia's potential matches. I would have loved more background on Saskia's family, and especially on her amazing mother. While the magic system was fairly well fleshed out, I also wished there would have been more time spent with Saskia as she learned to grow her abilities. I do believe that this is the first book in a series though, so I have hope! There's still time for all of this to become a reality.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my read through of this book! I'd recommend it to those out there who love "sliding doors" stories, and are looking for something without a love triangle. You might just enjoy it as much as I did.

A teenage assassin kills with a single kiss until she is ordered to kill the one boy she loves..

Marinda has kissed dozens of boys. They all die afterward. It’s a miserable life, but being a visha kanya, a poison maiden, is what she was created to do. Marinda serves the Raja by dispatching his enemies with only her lips as a weapon.

Until now, the men she was ordered to kiss have been strangers, enemies of the kingdom. Then she receives orders to kiss Deven, a boy she knows too well to be convinced he needs to die. She begins to question who she’s really working for. And that is a thread that, once pulled, will unravel more than she can afford to lose.

MY THOUGHTS:

I was sent this book in exchange for my honest review.

Okay, when I researched some of the things I struggled with in this book I found many, many poorly researched issues and inaccurate Indian references. When my uncle married an Indian lady, we were introduced to a beautiful culture. She educated us about many things to do with living in India and its folklore/myths. It inspired me at the time, to research religion and caste belonging to the East Indians. I also write fantasy, science fiction, so this was difficult for me to read without cringing…

First, suggesting that all women of India wear saris is like suggesting that all African Americans prefer to wear their hair as Afros. It’s insulting and a bit over the top lumping a group of people together because of stereo-typing.

My aunt’s daughter who was fifteen, at the time, did not wear a sari and in fact, her and her Indian friends wore blue jeans and sweaters. My aunt explained and showed me how to put a sari on and trust me, it’s a very involved process that takes a lot of time. If writing about a culture of the past, or even a mythological past, it’s important to research religion, language, culture, fads, clothing, etc. especially if the book is written in the fantasy genre. I just didn’t see enough of this or see accuracy with what was done.

Seriously, stereotyping a culture as a whole is a sure sign of the author not researching the culture she’s writing about and frankly, she shouldn’t attempt it unless willing to take the time needed to be accurate with what she shares with her readers. There are spelling mistakes too when referring to language that she uses in her book, and some words are used in the wrong context or for the wrong purpose. This is why fantasy writers, such as Tolkien, make up a whole new language for their characters. I think the author could have done this and kept the lore value she’d chosen for her story. She chose not to and wow, what a hot mess. I’m surprised there hasn’t been more disgruntle Indians who have read this book leaving comments.

If you are going to create a fictional world but base it on a real folklore/myth… DO YOUR RESEARCH!

Otherwise, create your own myth, your own world, your own cultures, your own language… see where I’m going?

Where on earth has there ever been a country, city or place of ONE CULTURE? This is virtually impossible to achieve… No matter where you are, there will be many sub-cultures within a larger one. There will be a division of languages and ways of life, beliefs, styles, etc. How can the author create an Indian culture that is made up of only one? There is no such thing as ONE Indian culture, one Indian religion and never mind languages which are often different based on the caste that’s speaking it. For the life of me, I cannot understand why the author did this?

The whole issue of how the Indian culture looks at love as it’s written by this author is ridiculous. Seriously, how people address each other alone is wrongly depicted in the book, let alone how seduction is looked upon. I just can’t say anything more about this without turning this review into a rant…

Using a culture simply just for the purpose of creating a story and depicting it inaccurately and insultingly, boy… I can’t help but wonder if she had chosen a western culture to exploit inaccurately, if she would have gotten away with it. I doubt it.

When learning about what it takes to write about myth/lore, cultures and eras, a writer who chooses to write a historical fiction/cultural fiction, needs to sound like an expert of the subject matter.

It’s very disappointing. I can’t stop shaking my head. The premise was incredibly interesting and I couldn’t wait to get the book. Then, all this… These issues are a huge faux pas in the writing world…

If you add all this to the many tropes involved in this book, the unlikable main character who grates on your nerves and the unexplained elements that leave you lost throughout the book, including magical healing fruit, two girl seduction team, and ya… This is just a mess of what could have been fantastic.

This book gives readers more insight into Miranda and Iyla's backgrounds as well as into the mythology behind this story. It gives us twice as much drama, intrigue, and heartbreak as the first story and perfectly wraps up this story.

Miranda literally has the kiss of death. As a visha kanya, she serves the Raja by poisoning his enemies with a deadly kiss. Miranda hates her job but in exchange for her services, she receives medicine that keeps her younger brother Mani alive. Mani is the only thing thing that makes her life bearable and up until now, she has never known any of the men she has been tasked to kill. When Miranda is told to kill Deven, she begins to suspect that all of the men she has killed have not deserved to die. This story is full of action and twists!

Marinda wasn't expected to survive as a baby as she was bitten by snakes in order to become the visha kanya or poison maiden. After many painful and horrific treatments, she can be ordered by the Raja to kill anyone anywhere. Marinda hates it and only copes by repeating to herself that these are enemies of the state and people she doesn't know while she keeps her sickly brother healthy. She's finally ordered to kill someone she knows and likes, which causes her to question much of what she's been told, unravelling their secrets.

Poison's Kiss is an interesting fantasy that infuses Indian folklore into the story. Marinda is a sympathetic character who would do anything for her sickly brother Mani, who she cares for like a mother. Her handlers threaten him constantly to make her comply. Other than that, I had nothing but problems with her character. I found it a little unbelievable that she never asked questions about anything until now, but I guess curiosity was taken from her through such an abusive, extreme childhood. Unfortunately, her reaction to almost everything is sitting and crying about it at length. I liked that the books went into much darker places than I expected with assassinations and living gods.

However, it was balanced by Marinda's flatly good outlook on everything and apparently her inability to figure out anything at all. I wanted inner conflict and an antihero, but she had very little agency throughout the book, just going with the flow. Another problem was Marinda's role in the assassinations. Even though she had to kiss to kill, she never really seduced anyone maybe to keep her "pure" in a totally outdated, backwards way. Ilya is the girl who seduces for information (which is an arrangement that doesn't really make sense) and Marinda views her as more terrible for some reason. Marinda was the only part I really had a problem with, but she's the main character, so I don't feel enthused to read the next book.