Review: 134. The Poison Throne by Celine Kiernan...

I can't remember where I first noticed Celine Kiernan's The Poison Throne... But I was intrigued by the premise of having to choose--and between difficult choices at that--and I was looking to try a new-to-me fantasy series (and author!).

Title: The Poison Throne (Moorehawke #1)

Author: Celine Kiernan

ISBN-13: 9780316077064
Trade Paperback: 475 pages
Publisher: Orbit, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Waukesha Public Library

drey's thoughts:
Celine Kiernan's The Poison Throne sets a fifteen-year-old apprentice carpenter on a hard path. When Wynter Moorehawke returns home, she expects it to be just as it was when she left five years ago. Instead, it seems as though the King has gone mad, and things that used to be so much a part of normal daily life--including ghosts and talking cats--are now banned, upon penalty of death.

When Wynter goes to search out her childhood friends--the King's sons Alberon and Razi, she finds that Alberon's gone, and Razi's being pushed to assume Alberon's position as heir. And she has a challenger for Razi's attention in the form of Christopher Garron, Razi's new best friend.

As things at court spiral out of control--some don't like the idea of Razi assuming the throne, some don't like Christopher because he's not one of them, and the King is unpredictable and paranoid--Wynter has to decide between staying with her father, or helping her friends survive this mad King's schemes.

The Poison Throne is part mystery and part coming-of-age, all wrapped in a middle-ages setting. Celine Kiernan's writing keeps you on the edge, waiting and wanting to find out what happens next. I cannot wait to read The Crowded Shadows...

drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

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