Futuristic Australia: Poison

Review: Poison by Lan Chan

Title: Poison (Wind Dancer #1)
Author: Lan Chan
Pages: 287
Publish Date: September 1, 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

Synopsis: Since the night her mother was murdered, sixteen-year-old Rory Gray has known one truth: There are no good Seeders.
In post-apocalyptic Australia, the scientists known as Seeders have built a Citadel surrounded by food-producing regions and populated with refugees from the wars and famine. To maintain their control, the Seeders poisoned the land and outlawed the saving of seeds.
It’s been six years since Rory graced the Seeders’ circus stage as the Wind Dancer and still the scars on her body haven’t healed. Even worse are the scars on her heart, left by a Seeder boy who promised to protect her.
Now the Seeders are withholding supplies from Rory’s region for perceived disobedience. Utilising the Wanderer knowledge she received from her mother, Rory must journey to the Citadel through uninhabitable terrain to plead for mercy.
However, the Citadel isn’t as Rory remembered. The chief plant geneticist is dying and rumours fly that the store of viable seed is dwindling. The Seeders are desperate to find a seed bank they believe Rory can locate, and they will stop at nothing to get it.
To defy the Seeders means death. But Rory has been close to death before–this time she’s learned the value of poison.
Recommended for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, strong protagonists, minority characters, circuses and nature!

I received this book from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This will not affect my decision in any way. 

Cover: I absolutely love the cover of Poison. It’s really why I decided to request it.

Characters: Rory is an astonishing lead character. She reminds me so much of Katniss. Aurora is tough, smart and knows what she needs to do. She cares for her younger brother and will do almost anything to save him. She has a good heart, but sometimes battles with what’s the right thing to do. Her flaws and traits were evenly balanced, making her one of my favorite female characters.

I had mixed thoughts on Aiden. I always saw him as shady, but then he kind of seems good. He has a very unexpected role in Poison.

I felt as if there were a lot of secondary characters that made a real impact on Rory and could sometimes be misleading. I thought for the longest time that Gage and Rory were going to get together. I never saw his role. Also, I got confused with the names. Sometimes a secondary would get brought up, and I had no clue who they were and would have to think about it.

Plot: I loved it! There was very little romance which was great for this novel. There was never a dull moment in Poison. There was so many things that Rory had to deal with, I felt bad for her for half of the novel. The other half I was cheering her on hoping she’s stab someone with a fork again. (That was hilarious.)

It did remind me a lot of Hunger Games. The way of life in the time period, and some of the obstacles Rory has to overcome. I kept seeing similarities between the two. So if you liked Hunger Games and are a fan of starting revolutions and stuff, read Poison.

Ending: I need more! It was so suspenseful, and then it switched scenes. I feel as if it should’ve ended with all of the aerialists. That would’ve been suspenseful.

Overall: Poison was a great book. Great characters, original plot, cool concepts. I loved how different it was from your typical futuristic novel. There were just so many fun ideas rolled into one. It was as if the author made a list of the worst possible things that could happen and made them happen. If you read Poison, you’ll be rooting for the characters and wincing at their hardships. It’s a great journey that I highly recommend.

About the Author

Lan Chan is a writer, gardener and professional procrastinator based in Melbourne, Australia. She is still waiting for her super powers to manifest but until then she writes young adult novels featuring strong female protagonists, minority characters and has a particular interest in dystopias and urban fantasy. Lan’s debut novel POISON, the first in her WIND DANCER series is due for release in September 2015.

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