About the Book:Title: The Fairest Poison
Author: Lauren Skidmore
Pub. Date: May 10, 2016
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.
Pages: 256
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
Princess Bianca returns to her court to find it poisoned from the inside out. Faced with mysterious sicknesses, power disputes, and whispers of impending death, Bianca turns to an unlikely ally--a former assassin--to find the antidote that will save her kingdom. But Bianca quickly realizes that she might not even be able to save her own life in this Snow White story.
Review:
I have had a great love for the What Is series since it first debuted, and while this book wasn't my favorite, it was still a great addition to the series. Although there was a departure with the title in regards to following the "What Is" theme, just like the others in this series, The Fairest Poison can be read as a standalone. It technically is a continuation of the story in some aspects, and I would highly recommend checking out the first 2 novels in this series because it makes this amazing world come alive so much more. However, you don't need to read them in order to understand what is going on in the story.
This book follows Princess Bianca. She was mentioned more in passing in the first novel, and did have a role in the second installment. However, this book is entirely her story. I did like getting to know her more, but I never felt that connection that I did with her character as I did with Evie (from the first book) or Joch and Kit (from the second book). Nevertheless, I did enjoy her fiery nature and adventurous spirit. I would like to see more from her in future books. I'll be completely honest, I think the main reason that I didn't feel that connection to Bianca's character was entirely due to the length of this novel. With the story only being 256 pages (and the print being HUGE), this was a very quick read. Because of this, the story read more like a novella to me, setting up Bianca's story for a future novel. I do wish that I could have spent more time getting to know Bianca because she was a well-developed character whose POV I enjoyed reading from, so that is why I'm hoping we see her in future books. Joch is also back, and better than ever! I love him so much, and especially after the last book, I am glad with the direction his character took. Evie makes a couple of appearances as well, but I wish she was in the story more!! I really miss her, and I hope she will be more present in the future.
Another thing that let me down slightly was the fact that there wasn't much of a Snow White feel to the story (there are some exceptions to this though). The parts where the Snow White aspect came into play were amazing, and I loved the twists Lauren Skidmore took to weave in this fairytale that we all know and love. But, the fairy tale wasn't incorporated as much as the previous two books (each with their own fairy tale inspiration). Because I was expecting this to be the same, I think I was a left a little disappointed since I was expecting a bit more. Yet, there were definite elements of Snow White, and these were very enjoyable elements to the story. There really wasn't much action either (especially when compared to the previous novels). However, this lack of action didn't really affect the story for me because it would have been out of place with the plot. It is still something to keep in mind though as you read this third book if you are a fan of this series.
Overall, I do think this is worth checking out if you're a fan of the series. I would highly recommend reading the other books before reading this novel just because you get so much more out of the book than if you read it as a standalone. You understand this beautiful world of castles and royals, murder and chaos, that Lauren Skidmore has created. You easily get swept away by her rich writing style and even richer characters. I truly hope there are more books in this series, just because I would like to see more from the characters that now have a special place in my heart, as well as seeing what fairy tale Ms. Skidmore decides to use for inspiration next! However, if this would be the last book, the ending was definitely a good one and will satisfy any reader. It didn't end on a cliffhanger and everything was wrapped up nicely. Definitely check this series out when you get a chance!
This book follows Princess Bianca. She was mentioned more in passing in the first novel, and did have a role in the second installment. However, this book is entirely her story. I did like getting to know her more, but I never felt that connection that I did with her character as I did with Evie (from the first book) or Joch and Kit (from the second book). Nevertheless, I did enjoy her fiery nature and adventurous spirit. I would like to see more from her in future books. I'll be completely honest, I think the main reason that I didn't feel that connection to Bianca's character was entirely due to the length of this novel. With the story only being 256 pages (and the print being HUGE), this was a very quick read. Because of this, the story read more like a novella to me, setting up Bianca's story for a future novel. I do wish that I could have spent more time getting to know Bianca because she was a well-developed character whose POV I enjoyed reading from, so that is why I'm hoping we see her in future books. Joch is also back, and better than ever! I love him so much, and especially after the last book, I am glad with the direction his character took. Evie makes a couple of appearances as well, but I wish she was in the story more!! I really miss her, and I hope she will be more present in the future.
Another thing that let me down slightly was the fact that there wasn't much of a Snow White feel to the story (there are some exceptions to this though). The parts where the Snow White aspect came into play were amazing, and I loved the twists Lauren Skidmore took to weave in this fairytale that we all know and love. But, the fairy tale wasn't incorporated as much as the previous two books (each with their own fairy tale inspiration). Because I was expecting this to be the same, I think I was a left a little disappointed since I was expecting a bit more. Yet, there were definite elements of Snow White, and these were very enjoyable elements to the story. There really wasn't much action either (especially when compared to the previous novels). However, this lack of action didn't really affect the story for me because it would have been out of place with the plot. It is still something to keep in mind though as you read this third book if you are a fan of this series.
Overall, I do think this is worth checking out if you're a fan of the series. I would highly recommend reading the other books before reading this novel just because you get so much more out of the book than if you read it as a standalone. You understand this beautiful world of castles and royals, murder and chaos, that Lauren Skidmore has created. You easily get swept away by her rich writing style and even richer characters. I truly hope there are more books in this series, just because I would like to see more from the characters that now have a special place in my heart, as well as seeing what fairy tale Ms. Skidmore decides to use for inspiration next! However, if this would be the last book, the ending was definitely a good one and will satisfy any reader. It didn't end on a cliffhanger and everything was wrapped up nicely. Definitely check this series out when you get a chance!
Happy reading :)
~Cassie
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