In this spirited anti-fairy tale, Poison seeks out the Phaerie Lord in order to rescue her sister. Finding him isn't easy, and the quest leads Poison into a murderous world of intrigue, danger, and deadly storytelling. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Smart and sassy Poison, the eponymous 16-year-old heroine of Wooding's (The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray) dark fantasy is told, "Some of us are born in the right place, and some of us have to go look for it." The erstwhile Foxglove (she renamed herself to spite her stepmother) does not fit among the complacently miserable people of the Black Marshes, a fetid swamp where daily existence is dicey. When her baby sister is swapped for a changeling on Soulswatch Eve, Poison is unwilling to accept fate, and heads out to find the Phaerie Lord to demand her sister's return. Like Dorothy, she picks up a retinue on her journey: a kindly merchant, a dimwitted but sunny witch's maid and the novel's most likeable character, Andersen the cat. This unhappy band narrowly escapes one scary scrape after another, including a creepy brush with very big spiders. Readers who have made note of the many allusions to the tropes and archetypes of fantasy laced throughout the narrative will be on sound footing when, late in the story, Poison literally meets her maker, a human ruler of the Realms whose power lies in the written word. The abrupt turn from the familiar quest story to a more meditative discourse on authorship, free will and destiny is awkward, but the ultimate resolution satisfies. Unlike Dorothy, Poison finds she doesn't need to go home to find a place for herself. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 7-10-Pale and thin, with long black hair and violet eyes, the sullen, moody girl named Poison is an appropriate heroine for this over-the-top gothic horror fantasy. The 16-year-old has never been out of the Black Marshes, one of the remote backwaters settled by humans in a Realm ruled by phaeries and inhabited by a cast of foul creatures that includes trolls, daemons, and a particularly nasty Spider Woman. When her baby sister is kidnapped and a changeling is left in her crib, Poison sets off for the Realm of Phaerie to rescue her. Her old friend and confidant, the elderly Fleet, who is acquainted with the world outside the Marshes, equips her with directions and money. But her greatest asset is her knowledge of old stories from the books in his library, for her quest leads her into adventures that seem to repeat familiar fairy tales. By the time she confronts Alethar, Lord of Phaerie, Poison has picked up an appealing cast of sidekicks who lighten the relentlessly horrific situations. As thunder and lightning crash, and rain pours down, the plot twists and turns toward an ending that may not surprise careful readers. Suffice to say that Poison is definitely the hero of her own story. Her destiny serves as a fitting metaphor for the self-absorbed alienation that accompanies adolescence. Poison's story should please crowds of horror fans who like their books fast-paced, darkly atmospheric, and melodramatic.-Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information