As a Sacrifice and possession of the Supreme Lord, Khala has no right of decision over her own life. For he wants to use her special gift, her Talent to kill by a single touch, for himself. Only in this way can he increase toxic power over his empire and destroy his enemies forever. To stay out of his clutches, Khala must flee. Together with a mysterious bandit and a red-haired fury, she embarks on a hellish adventure. Until, during her flight, she gets the perfect opportunity to fight the Supreme Lord herself. To do so, however, she must go to extremes. And to win, she must kill. But can her allies be trusted? And who is the Black Snake who knows how to find her everywhere?
-
"Toxin" is the young adult fantasy debut of Rani de Vadder. The book's beautiful cover and synopsis immediately set high expectations for many readers. To get straight to the point, this is a fantastic, compelling, mysterious and exciting fantasy story that every young adult fan will enjoy while reading. "Toxin" is a standalone story, which is quite surprising these days since most fantasy stories consist of at least two parts. After reading this book, you will know that a story does not have to consist of multiple parts to be good.
-
We read the story mainly from Khala's perspective and because you read what she is thinking and feeling throughout the story you can empathize with her person very well. Khala has already been through a lot in her life and therefore you immediately sympathize with her. Although she is uncertain about her future and she is far too gullible towards people, you do notice that she is a fighter. At the beginning of the story she meets a boy who calls himself Bandit. From the beginning you immediately feel a click between the two and gradually their friendship grows. The characters in Toxin are true to life and they are all in place in this story.
-
Rani de Vadder's writing style is smooth, super exciting and evocative. She uses a lot of details, making the story come alive just a little bit more, but it's not too much of a stretch. Rani takes you on this adventure and from the very first chapter, this story doesn't let you go. At no point is it boring and each time things happen that make you want to keep reading. It is surprising at times and there really are some unexpected twists in it. The structure of the story is very nice and chronological and towards the end you are more and more on the edge of your seat because of the tension. Wow, what a debut! I definitely want to read many, many more books by Rani de Vadder in the future.