Customer Reviews

Poison

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved this book, it's a fairy tale, more-or-less, which I have a fondness for from the start, but it's also one of the fairy tales you feel is actually parodying them. Poison lives in a little village in the swamps, with her father and stepmother (who is not so much wicked, they just don't get along too well) when her little sister is kidnapped by the Phaeries. So, Poison sets out to rescue her, venturing into worlds the likes of which she's never imagined and facing intrigue and prejudice and witches that like to eat bones and then has her whole world turned upside down when a startling revelation is pushed upon her.

I found myself laughing with glee as several points to the plot materialised. Just brilliant and deserves better recognition then it appears to be getting. Read it in one sitting, more or less.

Chris Wooding's ability to build suspense and keep the plot twists coming make "Poison" an engaging read and Wooding a memorable author. Wooding doesn't take himself too seriously and pokes fun at fairy tales while crafting an entertaining one himself.

Poison is an easy character for young adult readers to identify with because she feels out of place in her village and does not get along with her step-mother. Although she possesses some cliches (such as her violet eyes and refuge found in books), she's a proactive character with convincing motivations and relies on her wit to solve problems.

I gave this book four out of five stars because at times the writing seemed poorly polished and it made it a little more challenging for me to get into the novel. There was a point of view shift in an early chapter I found jarring, and at times I felt things were explained (such as over-described speaker attributes) that had already were clear through dialogue and action.

This book is brillaint for teenagers.it is about a girl who lives in the marshes and her baby sister is taken away by the Phaerie Lord so she is forcerd to make her dad and her stepmother to look after a ugly clone whilst she goes on a breathtakingly exciting adventure.

poison is absolutely fun. very labyrinth-esque (i kept expecting David Bowie to pop in), this is a tale where a girl truely comes into her own. poking fun at no less than 9 different `phaerie' tales (i am sure i missed several), the book keept me entertained from start to finish.
poison's rebelious teenagerisms are fantastic, realistic, and i thought her companions were comforting not just to poison but to me as well (especially andersen!). even the peripheral characters, from the trolls to the weird disembodied floating thingie are fascinating.
the evil phaerie lord is the perfect antagonist and the hierophant is a concept that I just love in literature (especially the 'who's created whom' mind bender questions).
another easy booktalk i can't wait to take into schools!

When I first bought this book I thought it ws going to be just like The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray. But, when I started reading it I thought I made a mistake. It wasn't nearly as fast paced as Alaizabel Cray. But, once I started to get into I realized it was just as dark and spooky as Chris Wooding's first book. It's about a girl who lives in the marshes, but longs for adventure. She finally gets her chance after her sister is stolen from her. She travels with a scared girl, a enchanted cat, an old man, and a life-long friend. With their help she battles pharies, giant spiders, a scarcrow, and her own destiny.

I highly reccomend this book. It shows the battle of the heart, mind, and soul. Even if it was slow paced at the begining it speeds up adn become a tale you'll always remember

The fantasy genre owes Chris Wooding a huge favour. In a genre awash with sad Tolkien knock-offs filled with magic swords, plucky heroes, wise wizards, princesses-in-distress and other tired clichés, Wooding continues to churn out exciting and intriguing stories that contain a rare force of imagination. Even though "Poison" is not quite as successful as some of his earlier efforts (especially "The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray") it certainly deserves credit for its skill, style, fast-pace and clever ideas.

Which is ironic considering I was rather concerned on reading the first chapter. A young girl named Poison lives in the gloomy swamplands of the Black Marshes, together with a woebegone father and a nasty stepmother. An outcast in her own village (she chose her own name, which should give you some idea of her attitude) she dreams of adventures outside her dismal existence. Despite Wooding's snappy prose and deft hand at forming such a grim atmosphere, I couldn't believe the predictability of the opening. Yet perhaps the typical fairytale beginning has a purpose...

It so happens that Poison's baby sister Azalea is kidnapped by the Phaeries, and Poison commits herself to the quest of tracking her down again, seeking out the Phaerie Lord himself to demand her sister be returned to her. Collecting a motley crew along the way, Poison finds her way into the Realm of Phaerie - there are some snags along the way of course, predominantly the horrifying Bone Witch, whose home serves as the gateway between the human and Phaerie worlds. But things get even stranger when she reaches the Realm of Phaerie, filled with rules and quirks (and breathtaking beauty) that baffles even the headstrong Poison. Attempting to negotiate this new world of political intrigue and secret plots, she also has to deal with minor characters who say some rather inexplicable things, like: "you haven't meet half the cast yet," and "at least you're not the typical muscle-bound warrior, beautiful sorceress and amusing thief sidekick."

Poison doesn't have a clue what's going on, but it all seems to have something to do with the mysterious figure known as the Hierophant. It would be wrong of me to discuss anymore of this surprising book, save to say that it gradually gets quite existential and rather reminiscent of "The Neverending Story" in its use of stories-within-stories and the blurring of the lines between author, reader and character, raising some interesting questions about our relationship with books in the process.

It is a book that demands to be read more than once, much like "The Six Sense", one needs to experience it initially, and then retread the story in order to better appreciate the 'rules and clues' that were strewn amongst the story. Ultimately, "Poison" is a book about books themselves - where can a book-lover go wrong with such a premise?

After reading The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray, I decided to pick up another of Chris Wooding's books: Poison. To be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be that great. I figured it would be similiar to The Haunting of Alaizabel without all of the plot details. I was so wrong. Poison is an amazing book; in some ways it is even better that The Haunting of Alaizabel. The ending chapters left me sitting with my mouth open. Wow. So much to think about, and not only did it have some mind-boggling ideas, it was fun to read. I really couldn't ask for more in a book...except maybe for more pages. How about a sequel?

This book is definately worth purchasing. You'll love it.

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.

This book felt like a dark fairytale to me. I absolutely loved it. It's written for young adults but I think that even adults like myself would enjoy it.

This was a surprisingly good book. I have never read a book by Chris Wooding before, and although I had to slog through the first chapter, the book really picked up pace from that point on.

Poison lives in a swamp with her step-mother, father and baby sister. Poison is an outcast, she can never understand why the people of the swamp village put up with living the way they do, she can't understand why someone doesn't change things. When Poison's sister is stolen by the Phaeries it is the last straw. Poison leaves the village with the local wraith-catcher determined to get her sister back.

This book starts out as a wonderfully Gothic and classic Brothers Grimm-like story. These is not your Disney fairy tale but the dark and scary fairy tale that stays true to a Grimm fairy tale. Initially you think this book is just a very well written story about a girl on a quest to save her sister. As the story progresses it ends up being about so much more. There is much more at stake than Poison's sister. Poison quickly finds out that reality is not what it seems; and deeper questions come up as to who weaves the stories that are a person's life.

This was a delightful book. The details are magnificent and the story is very creative. The plot weaves irony in and out of the story and you will say "huh, wow that was clever." Poison is a strong character and the side characters are also intriguing. Wooding has developed an interesting world where humans are on the bottom of the food chain, except in one aspect.

This is not a book for the faint at heart. Although it is appropriate for preteens and young adults; it is a creepy and scary book. I would put the creepiness right up there with Joseph Delauney's Spook's Apprentice series. This is a wonderful young adult horror though.

I also have the book The Storm Thief by Wooding and I am very much looking forward to reading that book. I am definitely going to look into acquiring more of Wooding's books. He is a great storyteller. I don't think I have gotten such delight out of a fairy tale since I read Ironside by Holly Black. Although this tale is set in a different world; the characters are just as engrossing.