I had a really great reading weekend last week! After catching part of the Merlin marathon on Syfy (I recorded most of it since I really couldn't sit and watch tv for 12 hours straight), I pulled Celine Kiernan's The Poison Throne from the review stack. Oh, man! I'm so glad that I did!It might look like a whopper at first, but I read this book in one afternoon. It was amazing! This is another Orbit release, hitting shelves officially on Wednesday, April 7, although it has been out overseas since 2008. It's also the first in a trilogy with book two, The Crowded Shadows, due out in July, and book three, The Rebel Prince, due out in October.
In this first book, we're introduced to Wynter Moorehawke and her father, the Protector Lord Lorcan Moorehawke, who are returning to the kingdom after five years away. Wynter, looking forward to being reunited with her friends, realizes quickly that things have changed at home. No longer is the kingdom the place she remembered fondly. The king has gone all but completely mad in his attempt to secure his throne. One prince has been banished and the other, the king's illegitimate son, has been declared his heir, something many in the kingdom protest in more ways than one. As her home is torn apart, Wynter must also face the fear of losing her father, who has become gravely ill in recent years.
Ghosts, talking cats (and haughty talking cats at that -- but how else would they be?), and conspiracies are just a few of the things Wynter encounters in this first of the series.
As usual, Orbit included a teaser to book two, and although I'm usually able to resist, I had to tear into it. Now I'm left completely on the edge of my seat waiting until July to see what happens next! I haven't read much high fantasy of late (and I think this one is high fantasy -- parallel kingdom, epic themes, kings and all that), but I have to say that Kiernan has sparked a craving that will not be satisfied until I can finish Wynter's story!
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