A very enjoyable read! Give it a few chapters before it hooks you in and to get used to the voice that this is written in. Some very beautifully written reflections. It's more character driven and introspective than some books but I find this a positive point.

The romance subplot is slow burn but believable and it felt good as it progressed. Also some good angsty bits and hurt/comfort vibes.

There are a few minor grievances I have to air and thus spoilers:

1) I try to just ignore it but if I think too hard 14 and 23 is a little weird to me for developing a romance. I mean even 20 and 14 is a bit much. I can maybe excuse it since it's set in a world where this is 'ok' but still. Don't worry, nothing happens while the FMC is a minor tho.
2) The one character death in the latter third of the book that seemed totally random and an afterthought. As it if it was like thrown in to add 'gravitas' to the plot or something.
3) Again, latter third of the book the pacing seemed a bit off. FMC's suffering was prolonged but the payoff didn't completely balance it out. Plus the main antagonist was gotten rid of so easily (like she was just told off) when she seemed so strong and invincible up till then.

All in all. Worth the read! Recommend :D

I absolutely loved this book! I could not get enough. 

Selene is the daughter of the king's royal physician, and is taught all types of medical uses and treatments by her mother. All is well until one day, when Selene's mother forces her daughter to poison the king that she is sworn to protect. 

When the poison fails to kill the king and instead paralyzes him, Selene's mother and father abandon her, leaving Selene to pick up the pieces. 

We follow Selene over the years, as she tries to mend what she and her mother have done, all while in fear of her mother coming back, to finish what she had started. 

I adored this book! I listened to the audiobook version of this one. Between the beautiful writing style and the narrator, I could not get enough! This is the first time in a while that I want a continuation to a standalone😅

If you like enemies-to-lovers(ish), age gap, yearning, and low spice romance, this may be just the book for you!

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC of this book! 

This book hooked me from its very first sentence and kept me captivated until the end. 

We first meet the main character, Selene, at the young age of 14, when she is tasked by her mother to poison the king. Selene isn’t told the reason behind the attempted murder, but she follows instructions out of love and trust in her mother. But plot twist: the king doesn’t die. 
What follows is a heart-wrenching, emotional roller coaster ride, in which Selene must deal with the aftereffects of her actions - all alone. Abandoned by her parents, and forced to serve as the healer for the king she attempted to kill, Selene learns how to be independent, how to trust again, and how she truly has worth. 

Though it’s technically romance, and technically set in a fantasy world with some magical elements, I would really classify To Poison a King as a story of self-growth, acceptance, and trust. The character development is off the charts for me, and because of this, I didn’t mind the slow pace or lessened plot. S.G. Prince truly captures the scale of human emotions and creates vivid, authentic characters that I rooted for until the very end. I think any reader who values character development (even over plot) will be absolutely won over by this. 

I do agree with some readers that the ending seemed rushed. I feel like more space and lead-up could have made the ending more effective, as it felt like many strings had to be tied up in a matter of pages. That being said, the point of this book is truly the journey, rather than the destination, so this doesn’t stop me at all from recommending it to others. 

Though the book follows the MC from ages 14-18, I think fantasy and new adult readers will enjoy this the most - this book contains some emotional, heavy-hitting topics that a mature audience would appreciate more. 

 Selene’s first mistake was poisoning the king, her second was falling in love with him.

What a beautiful book! The prose is exquisite and the character development remarkable. While Selene is the only POV, even minor characters feel real.

There are multiple references to a legend from a fictional book called The River of Reversal. The title is that of an actual short story written as a prequel to this one, and you can get it for free by signing up for the author’s newsletter.

Daughter of the royal physician, young alchemist Selene is part of a long line of healers bound to the royal bloodline. After living under the shadow of her alluring mother, Persaphe, she opens up to people who see the true her. We witness Selene grow from a bullied girl to a powerful woman who reclaims her position in court as she gains confidence in her abilities.

Being an age-gap romance with Selene being a minor for the majority of the book, it walks on the very delicate line of painting the male love interest as a groomer, but given their circumstances, the power shifts from one character to another and I never felt an abuse of authority from any of them.

Part coming-of-age and full slow-burn romance, this book is character-heavy and meant to be slowly savoured. I hadn’t even reached 10% and my heartstrings were already being pulled. I was enraptured by this tale from start to finish. 

A wonderful stand-alone fantasy novel which gets all the feelings going. We are thrown into a world of kings, queens, healers and legends. The story runs though multiple highs and lows and just when you think you are hitting the peak, a new twist is thrown at you. For example when I thought we had hit the discovery bam more twists and we have 30% of the novel left. 

The characters in the book are so well thought out and developed. 
Selena is a wonderful MFC who we get to completely understand inside and out. Her hopes, doubts, self depreciation and love. 

I could not put this book down and devoured it in a day. My only criticism is the continuous in your face statements that something bad was about to happen. With multiple paragraphs ending with sentences like:
 all was good, until the next day
Or
Everything was working, or so I thought. 
It’s almost like the author didn’t trust us to pick up the hints she was putting down. They really weren’t needed and ruined the flow of the book. 

This did not however take away from the story. Which really is a fantastic enemies to lovers, slow burn, twist and turns, witchy/healer, fantasy, adventure, romance novel. 

If you love a slow burn and deep dive into a characters mind this book is for you, if you don’t you might still love it like I did. Usually I’m screaming at the characters to hurry up and like each other already and then annoyed when it’s a first clash of passion and disproportionate to the growing emotions. Prince lets us grow our feeling for the couple alongside them as well as our hate for the ‘villain’ in the most devourable way. 
Now on top of this relationship goodness we got a plot twist that makes sense and leads you to open your eyes to all the hints sprinkled in the first half of the book AND some coming of age/growing into your magic that dose have our main character automatically a master with her magic. She stumbles and needs others to point out some needed actions and strength. Overall this book was beautiful and will likely go on my reread list. 

>>>>>>>>>spoilers<<<<<<<<<<

The only reason I didn’t not give this book 5 stars was I was expecting and wanted an unhappily ever after. The first line of the book reads “My hands did not shake on the day I killed the king.” Seams like pretty clear foreshadowing, especially when we find out her initial attempt failed. Now this line could be interpreted as their relationship killed his old self and he’s a new and freed man because of her but I was just waiting for the twist and second attempt on his life. Prince even gave herself the perfect set up for a twist ending too. In the cavern she states “It seemed, really, as if this was all a dream.”, she also sprinkles in other thoughts and actions that just seams too go to be true. I was waiting for her to wake up with a change of heart or having already killed him in the dream state something that lead to the first line coming to fruition. 
S.G. PRINCE IF YOU SEE THIS PLEASE GIVE US AN ALT TRAGEDY ENDING!

"Who would we be without our scars?"

 

So let's talk about To Poison A King by S.G.Prince. What can I say? I loved it. I was absolutely charmed. It was such an immersive and beautiful read. I finished it in 2 days and only the strength of my will didn't let me devour it in one sitting.

 

The story follows a young physician Selene who finds herself entangled in her mother's mysterious schemes and ends up trying to poison a king. The attempt goes wrong, a king lives though crippled and Selene is abandoned, full of guilt and remorse. 

 

After it, we follow the poisoner and the poisoned king, Elias(all through Selene's POV) struggling with the aftermath of it through the years. 

 

The plot is simple but engaging - it has intrigues, it has a romance, it even has an adventure. I enjoyed it despite predicting some plot turns and twists.

 

But honestly, the plot isn't what feels so special for me in this book. I was immersed in the atmosphere and the writing. The prose feels lyrical, but not too flowery to distract.

 

The story explores deeply the character struggles, the themes of love and forgiveness, guilt and acceptance, finding your own strength and purpose, uncertainty, and anxiety. 

 

It has an interesting blend of atmospheres and themes - it has wood-witch vibes and castle politics, slow-burn romance and inner struggles, fairytale notes, and even a quest. All the little details we meet throughout the book play some role in the end. 

 

I love character work and both main characters feel real to me. I love their growth, their flaws, and the dynamics between them. My favorite part is when our characters spend a lot of time together, get to really know each other - the pictures of them together are so vivid.

 

I can recommend it to readers who love immersive fantasy romance with a focus on the inner character journey and who like the fairytale vibe in books.

 

I'm so grateful to the story's author for providing me with the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.