"A Wish Made of Poison" by Ruby Martinez

 


















"A Wish Made of Poison" by Ruby Martinez is an immersive YA fantasy following a rebel woman seeking vengeance and a prince in disguise. Written in the first-person POV and divided into four acts, the story alternates between the two. The book has all the tropes I love and ticks all the boxes. Hooray!

In Tindara, a colonizer kingdom, magic is born from trauma and pain and comes with a heavy price: the death of its wielder. Asha is known as Viper. She is poison and can kill with a touch. She mostly keeps to herself and doesn't trust anyone, not even her associate Bunny, who tries to befriend her.

Prince Maxim is dying due to his ability to change forms. He and his brother Jasper compete to win their father's approval. They are desperate for his love, but the king cares only about power. The brothers used to be close, but are now estranged. Maxim desperately wants to please his father, so he sometimes makes the wrong choices. He is too much of a coward, by his own admission, to object to his father's orders.

The paths of the two cross when each tries to solve a riddle that will lead to a great treasure and a wish granted by the goddess Malthea that could change their fate. Maxim wants the wish to gain control over his power and stay alive. Asha wants it for revenge on the entire royal family and their cronies. They are forced to join forces on their quest due to its nature. Prince Maxim hides his identity from Viper because he knows she won't cooperate otherwise. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones looking for the wish, so they have to reach its location first.

Quests, secret caves, a haunted forest, and fatal trials: all the ingredients for a great read. I loved the book immensely and found it rather delightful. The author created a fascinating world with original magic and interesting history. The world-building is excellent, and the details are revealed to us bit by bit. I appreciate that magic exists in an industrial-revolution-era world. It was well-crafted and integrated well into the tale.

Asha and Maxim are complicated characters. I loved their banter, wit, humor, and growth. Maxim is sensitive, a bit clumsy, and kind. He cares about others' opinions of him and fears they won't like him if they get to know the real him. He falls for Asha first, but keeps his feelings secret because he knows how much she hates the royal family. BTW, the author kept referring to him as a boy despite his age, but I took it as a figure of speech.

Asha, on the other hand, is quite different. She has built walls around her heart. She is bitter, afraid to get close to others for fear of hurting them, and afraid that others won't like her. She is afraid to get close to Maxim, but eventually opens herself to him despite her fear of getting hurt. I liked that the two helped each other heal and see the good in themselves. Asha saw his good sides and didn't consider what he saw as flaws to be such. They weren't perfect, and that's what made them human and relatable.

The book explores father-son and brotherly relationships, found family, the corruption of power, choices, and the healing power of love. I loved the idea that trauma can make you stronger. I liked that the characters weren't simply good or evil, and that even those who initially seem villainous have more to them. The side characters are less developed, it's true, but that didn't detract from the story. The ending was satisfying and optimistic and warmed my heart.

This is a standalone and doesn't have smut, which I loved. If you love morally gray characters, enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance, and daring heists, this is the book for you. I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book:"A Wish Made of Poison" by Ruby Martinez