The Kinder Poison
- Downloads：8639
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-19 09:51:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Natalie Mae
- ISBN：198483522X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Holly Black， this enthralling fantasy adventure follows a teenage girl chosen to be the human sacrifice in a deadly game between three heirs who will do anything for the crown。
Zahru has long dreamed of leaving the kingdom of Orkena and having the kinds of adventures she’s only ever heard about in stories。 But as a lowly Whisperer， her power to commune with animals means that her place is serving in the royal stables until the day her magic runs dry。
All that changes when the ailing ruler invokes the Crossing: a death-defying race across the desert， in which the first of his heirs to finish—and take the life of a human sacrifice at the journey’s end—will ascend to the throne and be granted unparalleled abilities。
With all of the kingdom abuzz， Zahru leaps at the chance to change her fate if just for a night by sneaking into the palace for a taste of the revelry。 But the minor indiscretion turns into a deadly mistake when she gets caught up in a feud between the heirs and is forced to become the Crossing’s human sacrifice。 Zahru is left with only one hope for survival: somehow figuring out how to overcome the most dangerous people in the world。
Zahru has long dreamed of leaving the kingdom of Orkena and having the kinds of adventures she’s only ever heard about in stories。 But as a lowly Whisperer， her power to commune with animals means that her place is serving in the royal stables until the day her magic runs dry。
All that changes when the ailing ruler invokes the Crossing: a death-defying race across the desert， in which the first of his heirs to finish—and take the life of a human sacrifice at the journey’s end—will ascend to the throne and be granted unparalleled abilities。
With all of the kingdom abuzz， Zahru leaps at the chance to change her fate if just for a night by sneaking into the palace for a taste of the revelry。 But the minor indiscretion turns into a deadly mistake when she gets caught up in a feud between the heirs and is forced to become the Crossing’s human sacrifice。 Zahru is left with only one hope for survival: somehow figuring out how to overcome the most dangerous people in the world。
Reviews
Polak22
，
definitely a very intriguing concept - as a surprise to absolutely no one ，I favor the morally grey protagonist Kasta over Jet （yuck）。 I sincerely hope the author plays with that relationship more in the next book。 The tension between Zahru and Kasta are great， and if they become endgame then I will definitely buy this series in print
Rafaela Camilo
，
I have very conflicting emotions about this， so the 3 stars are not meant as meh， but as I can't decide if I love or hate this。 I should have been aware of what I was getting myself into when the blurb compared it to Red Queen， which I absolutely despise， and it does have a lot of things in common with it （though nothing as idiotic as staking a whole revolution on a crush）。The Kinder Poison is very character-driven， even if it has its moments of action， the characters， along with their backgroun I have very conflicting emotions about this， so the 3 stars are not meant as meh， but as I can't decide if I love or hate this。 I should have been aware of what I was getting myself into when the blurb compared it to Red Queen， which I absolutely despise， and it does have a lot of things in common with it （though nothing as idiotic as staking a whole revolution on a crush）。The Kinder Poison is very character-driven， even if it has its moments of action， the characters， along with their backgrounds and motivations are the most important thing。 I love character-driven books， the problem was that I only cared about two of them and when they were not on page I was bored out of my mind。Kasta was the star of the book for me （and for everyone else too， judging from the comments/reviews I saw）， he's the whole package: dark hair， misunderstood， daddy issues， and could really use a hug。 I'll be starting the sequel right away to find out if the author will be brave enough to make him the LI we all want， instead of insisting on Jet， who is as interesting as a plate full of mayonnaise。The second character I loved was Maia， who is a tiny baby （view spoiler）[（cannibalism aside） （hide spoiler）]， and should have been protected at all costs。I did not care for Zahru， our MC， one way or another。 She had her growth， but not as much as I felt she should， so I can only hope that's going to be fixed in the next book。And just because I cannot stress this enough: Jet is BORING and insta-loving and I CANNOT STAND HIM。 。。。more
Surbs
，
OH my god this is so good。 absolute banger。 this would be in my "favorites" list if it wasn't for the obviously endgame romance pairing。 the writer was SPECTACULAR。 so fun， so likeable。 you know when you start reading a book and within the first few pages， you just KNOW you're going to love it？ that's what this book was for me。 also， i love character-driven stories so much。 god。 pacing was also great， which i've found to be an issue in some other YA books。 sometimes， it did get a bit exposition OH my god this is so good。 absolute banger。 this would be in my "favorites" list if it wasn't for the obviously endgame romance pairing。 the writer was SPECTACULAR。 so fun， so likeable。 you know when you start reading a book and within the first few pages， you just KNOW you're going to love it？ that's what this book was for me。 also， i love character-driven stories so much。 god。 pacing was also great， which i've found to be an issue in some other YA books。 sometimes， it did get a bit exposition dumpy （ex。 when zahra first got to the palace）， but aside from that， was great overall。 hehehehehe。 。。。more
Katie McFarlane
，
Great adventure book。
Alfa ✨
，
‘The world changes whether we like it or not。 But who you are is always something you have control over。’ I have to say， I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I was going to。 This was honestly an impulse buy at a Waterstones because it was part of the ‘buy one get one half price deal’ and I chose it because of the striking cover and intriguing synopsis。 This book was an absolute whirlwind， which had me changing my mind probably every 50 pages as to my opinions of the characters。 Initiall ‘The world changes whether we like it or not。 But who you are is always something you have control over。’ I have to say， I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I was going to。 This was honestly an impulse buy at a Waterstones because it was part of the ‘buy one get one half price deal’ and I chose it because of the striking cover and intriguing synopsis。 This book was an absolute whirlwind， which had me changing my mind probably every 50 pages as to my opinions of the characters。 Initially I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this book because the protagonist Zahru seemed somewhat bland。 She had charm and determination， but everything just seemed to be happening around her rather than her making things happen。 But I guess this was what made the book good， because she grew as a character and she tries many times to change her fate and choose her own path。 As she grew as a character I grew to like her， which made the book more and more enjoyable as it progressed。 The world building was good， if not a bit confusing at times because there is so many different things to consider。 What I did like were the sociopolitical debates that took place within this novel and how they were central to the plot and character motivations。 The two princes and the princess were by far the most complex and at times confusing characters within the novel。 The two princes especially don’t get off on the right foot， and for a long time I was skeptical that either of them could be redeemed。 But I think that as Zahru began to see the nuances of her situation and of those around her， it opens the door for readers to rethink their opinions。 I just wanted for these characters to be GOOD。 To be good people， to make the right decisions。 Zahru’s narration helped me as a reader to see the good in each character she encounters， and how no one is truly bad。 Also I’m a sucker for the overarching message of choosing kindness and compassion over power。 Now I just need to read the next book and see how morally complex these characters continue to be 👀 。。。more
Varsha
，
I love the stunning book cover。 But more than the book cover， the summary is what drew me to the book。 The premise was promising but not as well delivered as I would have liked。 The beginning of the story was brilliant and I was hooked from the first sentence。 But once the race began I was utterly bored。 I was expecting some high stake adventures during the race but the only thing I got was the idiotic decisions of the annoying characters。 The race was supposed to be deadly and yet the deadly si I love the stunning book cover。 But more than the book cover， the summary is what drew me to the book。 The premise was promising but not as well delivered as I would have liked。 The beginning of the story was brilliant and I was hooked from the first sentence。 But once the race began I was utterly bored。 I was expecting some high stake adventures during the race but the only thing I got was the idiotic decisions of the annoying characters。 The race was supposed to be deadly and yet the deadly situations they came to face were only because of their stupidity。 I didn't like any character， expect maybe Kasta a little bit。 I almost wanted to DNF the book mid-way through but pushed myself。 The book does become a little interesting towards the end and the epilogue was mind-blowing; and yet I have no desire to continue with the next book。 。。。more
BookswithChantal
，
The Kinder Poison is a fantastic debut novel。 The world-building is interesting and immersive， with fascinating mythology and a fun magic system。 Fun is probably the word I would say best describes this book- from the writing style， to the plot and the characters- it was a fun ride。The writing is easy going and flows really well， it has a sarcastic undertone to it， that makes it really enjoyable。 The book is quite fast paced， this allowed me to be hooked from the very first page， this book is on The Kinder Poison is a fantastic debut novel。 The world-building is interesting and immersive， with fascinating mythology and a fun magic system。 Fun is probably the word I would say best describes this book- from the writing style， to the plot and the characters- it was a fun ride。The writing is easy going and flows really well， it has a sarcastic undertone to it， that makes it really enjoyable。 The book is quite fast paced， this allowed me to be hooked from the very first page， this book is one of those that poeple describe as 'un-put-down-able' and I completely agree。 The ending was set up so well for the sequal that was out June 2021。 I would say that my favourite part of this book is that cast of characters。 each character is so different， with their own viberent personality。 Each character jumps out of the pages and is so realistic， when there is dialogue， it actually feels like they're talking to you as the reader。 Zarhu is an amazong heroine that develops really well throughout the book。 Each challenge that she faces， she faces with every fibre in her body。This book does it's world building really well， a little more detail wouldn't go a miss， but overall， seeing the world develop and understanding it's history and conflict is really interesting。 The first line of this book drew me in so well - "ALL good stories start with bad decisions。"， what a start to a book！ 。。。more
Sarah
，
Contains: some blood， fantasy violence， and drinking。 Pretty mild otherwise （at least during the first 50% because that’s all I read）。 Lots of low reviews claimed that this was too juvenile for YA—I think they， as readers， should just move to adult fiction instead of insulting what teenagers might like。 （Stop expecting YA to have mature content！） But also。。。 character and plot-wise， YA should still be good。 This one was a bit lacking in the character department。 Seriously， what is this insta-lov Contains: some blood， fantasy violence， and drinking。 Pretty mild otherwise （at least during the first 50% because that’s all I read）。 Lots of low reviews claimed that this was too juvenile for YA—I think they， as readers， should just move to adult fiction instead of insulting what teenagers might like。 （Stop expecting YA to have mature content！） But also。。。 character and plot-wise， YA should still be good。 This one was a bit lacking in the character department。 Seriously， what is this insta-love pyramid？ The MC is so gullible。 I think she’s only 16？ But so naive。 And Kasta is like the ickiest and also flattest antagonist ever seen in YA。 And Jet is a perfect stoic dreamboat who never does anything wrong， or when he does， it’s just explained away and forgiven like it’s nothing。 The world building。。。 is。。。 eh。 The magic system has some unique elements but it’s kinda boring tbh。 Maybe I would have changed my mind if I’d actually read the ending but I couldn’t make it that far。 It really bogged down during the race across the desert that was supposed to be intense and dangerous but was actually slow and kinda pointless？ Idk。 I don’t want to say this novel was horrible and badly written， it wasn’t， it was just kinda cliche， and it wasn’t my cup of cocoa， you know？ Maybe I’d actually like it more if I read it and not listened to it。。。 the narrator was okay but I think her voice added to the “naive” characterization of the MC。 。。。more
Kalyani
，
DNF @ 60%
Heather Wood
，
Kasta is completely toxic but I will die on the Zahru and Kasta ship。 Jet is too annoyingly perfect， yawn。
Katelyn
，
I really enjoyed this book！ Zahrou is a Whisperer， someone who can communicate with animals， which sounds cool but in this world they are practically deemed useless。 One day she sneaks into the palace to view a competition amongst royalty on who will become the next ruler， and part of the competition includes picking someone with powers to help the royal on their journey through the desert。 Zahrou accidentally becomes a sacrifice for the competition and now she must try to escape。I loved the cha I really enjoyed this book！ Zahrou is a Whisperer， someone who can communicate with animals， which sounds cool but in this world they are practically deemed useless。 One day she sneaks into the palace to view a competition amongst royalty on who will become the next ruler， and part of the competition includes picking someone with powers to help the royal on their journey through the desert。 Zahrou accidentally becomes a sacrifice for the competition and now she must try to escape。I loved the characterization of each sibling and how we got to know them little by little。 I thought the dynamic between each character was so interesting to see。The whole concept is using kindness as a weapon but the message wasn’t executed that well。 Zahrou didn’t really use kindness to work for her。 I would argue that “kind” isn’t one of the character traits I would associate with her。I wish we got to see Zahrou talk to more animals。 At times she would be useless。 There’s honestly nothing special about her and I don’t understand why Jet loves her？ But towards the end of the book we got to see a glimpse of her strength so I’m super excited to see how the second book will go！ 。。。more
Kat Robbins
，
I found all the characters in this book extremely distasteful。 The only one that was acceptable was the talking horse that snacks on human flesh。
Esme
，
Loved this book， had a kind of hunger games feel to it。 But I was kind of disappointed that Zahru didn't end up with the cruel prince （not good with names）， I think they would have made a great couple。 She would have made him a better person。 When they were alone in the tent together it looked like there was a glimmer of hope！ I was disappointed they didn't end up together but I am really looking forward to the second book。 Loved this book， had a kind of hunger games feel to it。 But I was kind of disappointed that Zahru didn't end up with the cruel prince （not good with names）， I think they would have made a great couple。 She would have made him a better person。 When they were alone in the tent together it looked like there was a glimmer of hope！ I was disappointed they didn't end up together but I am really looking forward to the second book。 。。。more
Trigger Warning Database
，
Trigger & Content WarningsAlcoholismMurder
casandra
，
3。5/5 hero x villain ships ruin lives！ i have depression
Liz
，
The boys were so DRAMATIC。 Otherwise， this is a fun adventure/fantasy。
Athena Goddess Of Books
，
It was good， I liked it。 The book kinda reminded me of Ashlords by Scott Reintgen so I wouldn’t say it’s a unique concept。 I thought the romance was alright， didn’t much feel the chemistry between Jet and Zahru。 I was also conflicted on the other two royal siblings。 I think they were meant to be morally gray but I thought it was confusing。 Overall， it was a fun read but it wasn’t captivating enough for me to continue with the sequel。
Erin
，
I thought the world and plot were interesting。 Only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because I hate love triangles， especially a love triangle involving brothers。 Maybe too many years of watching the Vampire Diaries led me to hate this trope。 Kasta is a really interesting character and I hope his presence is even bigger in the next one。
Tricia
，
This story is about a girl with low magic who sneaks into a party to find herself in the middle of a contest between heirs for the crown。I thought it was ok。
Alyssa
，
3。7/5 stars。
Bookdragon
，
I loved this book1 great plot， and great worldbuidling！ 9/10
！
，
Natalie Mae i know you won’t disappoint me This is the new revolution
Kait
，
I've had this audiobook for over a year and just got around to it！ 🙈While not perfect， this was fun！ The characters were intriguing （though Kasta is the Darkling-style "bad guy you're secretly supposed to root for， even though he's a madman" trope and that's not my favorite，） the drama was unexpected， and I'm genuinely interested in where this goes next。 Could've used a little less pontificating on kindness as "the ultimate weapon，" however。 I get that the main character is supposed to be "pure" I've had this audiobook for over a year and just got around to it！ 🙈While not perfect， this was fun！ The characters were intriguing （though Kasta is the Darkling-style "bad guy you're secretly supposed to root for， even though he's a madman" trope and that's not my favorite，） the drama was unexpected， and I'm genuinely interested in where this goes next。 Could've used a little less pontificating on kindness as "the ultimate weapon，" however。 I get that the main character is supposed to be "pure" person， but it got tiresome pretty quickly。 。。。more
Elle Cheshire
，
This is an excellent debut novel。 The premise of the plot is that three siblings have to battle across the desert in a deadly race to win the title of heir。 At the end of this race， they must make a human sacrifice – and on the other side of this， Zahru is our protagonist who just wants to see the palace and then this goes wildly wrong and she accidentally becomes this sacrifice！ The writing was very easy to read and I was immediately gripped from the first page。 I liked the style of writing as This is an excellent debut novel。 The premise of the plot is that three siblings have to battle across the desert in a deadly race to win the title of heir。 At the end of this race， they must make a human sacrifice – and on the other side of this， Zahru is our protagonist who just wants to see the palace and then this goes wildly wrong and she accidentally becomes this sacrifice！ The writing was very easy to read and I was immediately gripped from the first page。 I liked the style of writing as it made the story fun and real but also an easy light read。 It had great imagery and descriptions which made the story very vivid and immersive and I enjoyed learning about the world and the characters。I loved the concept of the race and the sibling contest。 Getting introduced to each sibling was wonderful and they were all so unique。 We got an insight into each of their pasts and we got to see that they all experienced something different and this has made them into who they are today。 I liked them all – even when I know I wasn’t supposed to love them – and enjoyed reading about each of them！ I loved the setting of the desert and it was wonderful getting to know all the characters。 The sibling rivalry was constantly entertaining， and I loved all the switching and adjusting during their journey’s and by the end， I loved them all and the dynamic each of them brought。 I can’t wait to see where the story takes them in the next book。Zahru was our protagonist that has some seriously unfortunate luck。 After several accidental missteps， she ends up as the sacrifice for the contest。 I loved having Zahru as our main character because she is the epitome of a “normal” person， in the sense that she has no special powers， she’s not trained in combat or in any way “special”。 She’s just a stable hand with below-average magic who dreams of having an adventure like those in the tales she’s heard。 I loved that this was our mc as it reminds us that you don’t have to be special to have amazing adventures。 And yet， despite her pretty normal upbringing， she turns out to be incredibly brave and empathetic and the perfect person to reach out to the siblings。 The magic system was fun， though not ground-breaking or completely new， it was entertaining reading each character use and manipulate their abilities， as well as seeing the judgment surrounding ‘lower/ lesser’ abilities。 Overall， this story encompasses sibling rivalry， friendships， danger， magic， and romance， all wrapped up in one extremely entertaining race。 I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun， entertaining easy YA fantasy！ I am already dying for the next book。Edit: One of my all-time favorite series！ 。。。more
Carrie Irick
，
4。5 stars
amanda
，
the kinder poison was my comeback to fantasy books and it definitely didn’t disappoint ❤️ ZAHRUKASTA WE MARCH
Chelsea
，
This was。。。a little disappointing。 The hype had my expectations so high， for adventure and romance， and then nothing happened。 I highly enjoyed the characters， especially Marcus and Melia， and I can understand Sakira's motives。 The romance between Zharu and Jet seemed。。。insubstantial， while the romance between Zharu and Kasta just seemed toxic， so I'm not sure I'm on either side。 Overall the plot seemed lackluster and was just really unimpressive。 However， I do now feel obligated to read the sec This was。。。a little disappointing。 The hype had my expectations so high， for adventure and romance， and then nothing happened。 I highly enjoyed the characters， especially Marcus and Melia， and I can understand Sakira's motives。 The romance between Zharu and Jet seemed。。。insubstantial， while the romance between Zharu and Kasta just seemed toxic， so I'm not sure I'm on either side。 Overall the plot seemed lackluster and was just really unimpressive。 However， I do now feel obligated to read the second book， so I feel like the story actually rounds out and like the conflict get resolved。 。。。more
Nadja Miller
，
It wasn't bad but it was a very young YA read。 I will not be looking for book two It wasn't bad but it was a very young YA read。 I will not be looking for book two 。。。more
Shirley
，
This books was a recommendation from a bookstagrammer。 I agree with her this is a superb book which has not been given enough credit。 I loved the story and the characters。 The storyline seemed familiar。 There are other books out there with a similar story， but the author gave it a unique twist。 Zahru's presence made it rich， engaging， and likeable。 My only problem with the book was that most of the names in the book began with letter M。 It became a bit confusing for me。 There were a few paras wh This books was a recommendation from a bookstagrammer。 I agree with her this is a superb book which has not been given enough credit。 I loved the story and the characters。 The storyline seemed familiar。 There are other books out there with a similar story， but the author gave it a unique twist。 Zahru's presence made it rich， engaging， and likeable。 My only problem with the book was that most of the names in the book began with letter M。 It became a bit confusing for me。 There were a few paras where I found it difficult to understand。 I had to reread those sections to let the meaning sink in。 Otherwise， its a fun book。 。。。more
Emily （moonlight&moths）
，
I think this is the craziest book I’ve read all year。 The Kinder Poison is one of those unexpected delights。 It looks unassuming from the premise but it manages to be a solid story with a healthy amount of drama， angst， and action。 What makes this book so good is that the world and plot are built through the action。 The story rarely stops to explain things to you but rather lets you get a feel for the characters through interactions and conversations。 While there are a few sections where a chara I think this is the craziest book I’ve read all year。 The Kinder Poison is one of those unexpected delights。 It looks unassuming from the premise but it manages to be a solid story with a healthy amount of drama， angst， and action。 What makes this book so good is that the world and plot are built through the action。 The story rarely stops to explain things to you but rather lets you get a feel for the characters through interactions and conversations。 While there are a few sections where a character actively sits down and explains a dynamic to the main character， it never upsets the pacing of the story and instead adds to the tension。As someone who's been taking a break from big fantasy books due to their slow build-up up， I was relieved to get such a fast paced story that kept me on the edge of my seat while reading。 I was constantly trying to predict what would happen next and couldn't。 It was incredibly delightful。The relationships in this story were built in such interesting ways。 The main girl character never suffers from the "y/n" syndrome that some YA character do。 Instead she develops her own strengths and weaknesses throughout the story and works as a greta foil to the otehr characters as she actively challenges their perspectives and encourages them to be better。 Plus we never have to deal with the whole girls hate other girls for weird reasons trope and instead get some solid friendships throughout。The only other thing to touch on is the love triagle aspect which actually didn'r ruin the story's plot but maybe possibly even added to it？？？？ I enjoyed that the main character didn't constantly think about romance in life or death situations。 Instead she kind of went with where the journey took her which feels really normal to how a typical teenager would react。 Maybe my opinion on this will change with the second book， but for this one I was impressed with how it was handled。Finally the weakest link of the story is the world building， which even that wasn't too bad it just left some loose ends which I hope will be covered in the next story。 Overall I enjoyed reading this story and am currently buying book 2 for Kindle because I didn't expect to be so enthralled by it。 10/10 Can't believe I found my favorite read of 2021 because of fanart I saw。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Kinder Poison
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Kinder Poison&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Kinder Poison&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0