Poison by Chris Wooding

Poison has always been an independent and strong willed girl, if easily provoked and stubborn. She even chose her name to spite her stepmother. There are very few people Poison truly cares about, one being her younger sister Azalea, so when baby Azalea is kidnapped by phaeries and a demonic changeling left in her place, it’s the final event Poison needs to leave home and embark on a journey. But searching for Azalea is no easy task, especially when phaeries are concerned, because of the gruesome challenges that lie in her way and the deceitful nature of the Phaerie Lord. And Poison’s phaerie tale takes a turn for the worse when she finds herself caught in the middle of a murderous scheme involving the Lords of the Realms, the fate of the race of man, and the all powerful Hierophant. Because the Hierophant is writing again, and his stories will decide not only the end to Poison’s phaerie tale but the fate of the Realms as well.

Entertaining, fantastical, and thought provoking, Poison is a true joy to read. This novel shows fantasty in a postmodernist view that is completely original. The various settings and interesting and adequately described without being overbearing, and the characters, especially Poison, are mostly well developed and certainly delightful. Wooding creates an entire new world with a multitude of dimensions that is unique and exciting in its exoticness. Even better than reading about Poison’s encounters with various dangers and quick thinking was the Hierophant and his almighty pen. This elusive character raises such deep questions about where individual will stops and fate decided by some higher being begins. I’ll admit that some of Poison’s thought processes are confusing and most definitely trippy, but it is also an excellent display of postmodern thought: how do we know we’re even really alive? This inclusion of this into a world where life is made up of one or more stores was just so fun and enjoyable for me to read about. I love how Poison effectively combines story and thought into a novel I feel is more than worthy of being dissected in a high school English class.

This great novel will likely be enjoyed by fans of Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr and Tithe by Holly Black and particularly by those who loved the movie The Matrix.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from personal collection