Review: The Antidote by Shelley Sackier

Laini Taylor meets Sara Holland in this lavish fantasy from lauded historical romance author Shelley Sackier!

THE ANTIDOTE by SHELLEY SACKIER

Series: Standalone

Genre: YA fantasy

Publication Date: February 5, 2019

Publisher: HarperTeen

Synopsis

Magic is not allowed, under any circumstances — even if it could save someone’s life. Instead, there are herbal remedies and traditional techniques that have been painstakingly recorded in lieu of using the mystical arts. Fee knows this, so she keeps her magic a secret.

Except her best friend, Xavi, is deathly ill. He’s also the crown prince. Saving him is important, not only for her, but for the entire kingdom.

Fee’s desperation to save her friend means she can barely contain the magic inside her. And after the tiniest of slips, Fee is thrust into a dark and secretive world that is as alluring as it is dangerous.

If she gives in, it could mean she can save Xavi. But it also means that those who wish to snuff out magic might just snuff her out in the process.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shelley Sackier grew up in a small farming community in Northern Wisconsin continually searching for ways to grow warm. Realizing she would never be able to enjoy ice cream like real people should, she left the state and lived the blissful life of a traveling musician. Discovering her stories needed more space than two verses a bridge and a chorus could provide, she began storytelling in earnest. And then in Virginia. Which is where she lives now and continues to write.

Her first novel, DEAR OPL (Sourcebooks 2015), is a tale about a snarky, overweight thirteen-year old, who suffers from loss everywhere in her life except on her body.

Her next novel, The Freemason's Daughter (HarperCollins, 2017) is a story about a 16 yr old Scottish girl living in 1715 who's raised entirely by six burly Scotsman--and they're all smugglers. The Antidote (HarperCollins February 2019) is a YA novel about magic and medicine, and the witches who wield them both.


To learn more about Shelley, visit shelleysackier.com where she blogs weekly about living on a small farm atop a mountain in the Blue Ridge and how it’s easiest to handle most of it with home grown food, a breathless adoration for tractors, and a large dose of single malt scotch.

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REVIEW

The Antidote by Shelley Sackier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

    Like a pernicious weed, they will pull you out by the roots and destroy you. Keep your secret close, for your enemies are all around you.”

The Antidote revolves around three central characters: Ophelia "Fee," Xavi, and Rye. The beginning of the story introduces you to them as children. The three of them are thick as thieves, and from an early age they knew they would be connected to each other all of their lives. Fee and Rye are bound in an arranged marriage set up by their parents. Xavi and Rye are brothers and heirs to the Firelli kingdom, one of the four that make up Aethusa. They all knew their destiny, their futures were mapped out for them: Fee would eventually be the castle healer after her apprenticeship is finished. Xavi would become King, and Rye his right-hand advisor. Rather than feeling trapped, there was a comfort in that for them. Firelli mines produced precious metals that left the kingdom prosperous and financially secure. Until one day, those mines released a toxin that wiped out huge numbers of the population and left chaos in its wake.

The three have all lost their parents and must adjust to the disaster that's befallen them. A ten year quarantine is ordered for the safety of everyone. For the first time they must be separated. During those ten years, "The antidote" is administered to the survivors by her mentor, Savva in order to prevent any possible further deaths. Fee goes from a precocious, sassy girl to a lonely, hollowed out young woman.

    She’d not been allowed to feel the edges of anything for ten years. She’d been held prisoner smack dab in the middle of an insipid life, intentionally held back from the spectrum of experience available.

For a short while, I was worried there would be a love triangle and maybe she would fall for sweet Xavi, but it didn't take long to see that she really only saw him as a brother. As for Rye, it took me a while to get a handle on what type of person he was. He had prejudices against those with magic and I didn't think that bode well for his future with the heroine. For several reasons. One thing remained clear throughout: they both deeply loved Xavi, and would do anything in order to protect him. They would have to work together to not only find a cure for his mysterious illness, but to save the kingdom from unknown malicious enemies. Fee was a strong female lead that showed a lot of courage and grit. She's the kind of person you would want in your corner because she doesn't give up on those she loves. In the end, she must decide what she's willing to sacrifice for the good of Firelli. Even if it's something that will change her life irrevocably for the worse.

The magic was interesting, though it wasn't a very complex system by any means. My reason for not rating higher was because the first half of the book I had some problems staying engaged with the story, and and it caused the pace to drag. I liked the main characters it took me a while to feel any enthusiasm for them because of it. The author keeps you guessing as to who is truly out to harm whom which eventually did draw me into the story more. On the positive side, this book is a standalone YA fantasy. There are a lot of trilogies/series saturating the genre, and it's nice to see a book with a complete ending for a change. While I did have some issues in the beginning, I enjoyed the story overall.

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