Poisonby Chris Wooding

Poison has always been a willful, contrary girl, prone to being argumentative and stubborn. So when her sister is snatched by the mean-spirited faeries, she seeks out the Phaerie Lord to get her back. But finding him isn't easy, and the quest leads Poison into a murderous world of intrigue, danger, and deadly storytelling. With only her wits and her friends to aid her, Poison must survive the attentions of the Phaerie Lord, rescue her sister, and thwart a plot that's beyond anything she (or the reader) can imagine. . . (goodreads.com)

I have now realized that when Michelle Harrison tells me to read a book, that it is fantastic, that I have to listen to her better. Sure I went out and bought two books based on her recommendation, but it took me forever to get to them. Aside from this book, Michelle also told me to read The Merrybegot, which I finally did last May. I'm not sure what possessed me to pick up Poison from my TBR shelf, but I did. Next thing I know? I wasn't putting it down for anything and I finished it in an afternoon.My hesitation over reading this was over such a silly thing - the font. I found the font face of the text very hard on my eyes. It made me dizzy at times and I had to re-read some of the passages. I am very sensitive to the look and texture of words and this book sadly was one that did not agree with my eyes.However once I started reading and realized how amazing the book actually was I forced my eyes to focus and I would look away occasionally to steady my head. It's hard when reading a book gives you a vertigo type sensation!Poison is a wonderful fairy tale (phaerie tale?) that is suspenseful and whimsical all at the same time. It has some very creepy bad guys and some very charming and lovable good guys.I think Poison was a great main character. I loved her voice and her way of thinking. She seemed to keep cool under all sorts of pressure and rather than feel like she was acting out of character for someone in her situation, I honestly felt she was reacting the way she was because she was meant to. She was different.There's a really cool twist towards the end of the story which made me love the entire book so much more. It was so original and surprising I actually breathed "oh... cool!" while I read it.If you like dark faerie stories, that aren't all romancy and paranormal, but more like a fairy tale, then I would suggest you find a copy of Poison and read it right away. The book originally came out in 2006 so it likely won't be featured on the display at the store, but I would make an effort to check the shelves under "W" to see what you can find! I must read more by Chris Wooding now because he tells a great story!