Rani De Vadder won't let you off the hook in her blood-curdling debut 'Toxin'

Wow, I really enjoyed this book. What an exciting story! I had heard many positive things about Toxin so I was expecting something from it and I can tell you that all those expectations were met. I wanted to read more books written by Flemish authors this year so I made a list. When Toxin came out in February I was really looking forward to reading it. And it was well worth my drive to the library in corona times. Definitely highly recommended!

Insanely good

Incredibly talented writer.
The way she manages to draw you into the world of Rivals is unprecedented.
I sympathized immensely with the characters. Amazingly beautiful writing style and a brilliant plot twist.
I look forward to seeing more of her work!

Snake-like good!

I bought Toxin because I was very curious to see what Rani's debut would be like. The cover finally won me over. Don't judge a book by it's cover, they say. But yes, beautiful covers, I am very weak for them!
Toxin takes you into a magical world and even if you are not a fantasy reader, you are going to love this. It reads nicely and the author keeps you glued to her lip. Lots of action, good resting moments in between and everything worked out to perfection. The characters were well fleshed out. Each character had his or her own personality, own purpose in the story. This was such a strong debut, I can hardly believe this is Rani's first book. Well done, Rani. What a writer you are!

A month ago, I read Rani De Vadder's debut Toxin. I had seen it several times on Instagram and that made me want to read it too. In early July, I finally found it. At first, I wasn't sure if I would buy it because I already wanted to buy two other books, so I had to watch my budget a bit. But in some inexplicable way, the book attracted me, which eventually led to me buying it. How glad I am that I did. Toxin is written in a way that you think you know what is going to happen and who is who. As the story progresses, the tension is ratcheted up in a very enjoyable way. But then came a plot twist that almost literally blew me over with surprise and left me on the edge of my seat. The ending is doubly exciting in part because of the good build-up. Rani really surprised me by putting down such a good debut. I am already looking forward to her next book.
Should you be a fan of the fantasy and snake genre, I definitely recommend reading Toxin. Believe me, you won't regret it

Toxin is the high-profile debut novel by passionate writer Rani de Vadder. Right from the first page, she manages to draw the reader into the story. For a young student, her writing is enviably good. That bodes well for the future.
The story is mainly about Khala. As a young girl, she is branded and her parents are killed before her eyes. After that, Khala is locked up in an orphanage. She knows that the ruler (Overlord) of the country will come for her on her eighteenth birthday. As the date approaches, she has grown up into a brave young woman with a very special gift, she can kill people with a simple laying on of hands. The Supreme Lord is an evil man with magical powers, always looking for Sacrifices (young people with special gifts). He wants to kill all Sacrifices at the age of eighteen so he can take over their powers. He finds Khala's special, deadly talent especially interesting. Khala, however, has no intention of giving him what he wants and flees from the orphanage, with dire consequences.
Now she wants only one thing: to take revenge on the Supreme Lord. It turns out she is not alone in this. What follows is a nail-bitingly exciting adventure full of magical creatures.
At first I thought I was dealing with a fantasy youth book, but after a few chapters it became very clear that this is really a Young Adult book. There are several gory scenes in the story and that is probably not what very young readers are waiting for.
The book Toxin, once you start reading, does not let you put it down until it is out. The main characters are well-developed, allowing you to quickly feel compassion for them. With this debut, Rani de Vadder proves to have a beautifully evocative writing style. The story reads easily, the word choice is simple. The catchy fluency of the adventure makes this a book that will appeal to a wide audience.

The story also has all the elements, emotions, cliffhangers, riddles and so on to be a good story. I am a fan. I read the book in one sitting because I just couldn't stop reading. So more than a successful debut.
Thanks in part to books like these I have learned or understand fantasy, wonderful to be completely in another world for a while.
Full review www.alexs-books-and-socks.com

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?
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"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.
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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.
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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.

I began Toxin, a homegrown fantasy YA, with high expectations. And those expectations were met. From chapter one you are immediately in the action, which also makes you instantly "hooked. The fictional world, Rivals, is also a unique combination of classic fantasy worlds with a touch of modern. Rani has a very nice descriptive and fine writing style that makes you see the world completely before you. Sometimes the storyline felt a bit rushed, but this also kept the exciting pace well and kept you reading page after page.
Toxin is a Flemish Fantasy YA to be proud of, more of this please!

What a great book toxin is
I spent 2 days reading the book. I just couldn't stop reading .
Thank you
For this fantastic book
Love indra