The Poisons of Caux: The Tasters Guild (Book II)

By Susannah Appelbaum and Jen Taylor

The Poisons of Caux, Book II

A macabre and funny fantasy trilogy

After the perilous adventure of The Hollow Bettle (Book I), the dark reign of the Nightshades is over at last, and a new day has arrived in Caux, a land long ruled by poison and deceit. The ancient Prophecy-the coming of a Noble Child to cure the one, true King-has finally begun.

But fear still grips the people of Caux, for they live in the shadow of the powerful, poisonous Tasters' Guild. Sequestered high within its corrupt walls sits Vidal Verjouce, the Guild's diabolical Director, his dark magic more potent than ever. Eleven-year-old Ivy, famed healer and Noble Child, and her friend and taster Rowan must venture inside the Guild itself if they are to find the door to their sister world, Pimcaux-and fulfill the Prophecy. But a deadly weed-once thought extinct-threatens their journey: scourge bracken, a plant dedicated to domination and destruction, also known, ominously, as Kingmaker. Who else has detected it? And will Ivy's remarkable gift-her dominion over plants and nature-be enough to thwart it?

Susannah Appelbaum's imagination soars with poison inks, flower codes, catacombs, secret crypts, and sinister twists in this middle volume of the macabre and magical Poisons of Caux fantasy trilogy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 10, 2010
• ISBN: 9780375896194

Reviews for The Poisons of Caux

[violetbramble · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The second book in the series. In the world of these books an evil king and queen - the Deadly Nightshades - have taken over Caux, imprisoning Good King Verdigris, and inviting people to poison each other. The Deadly Nightshades love poison. Poisoning has become so popular that there is a Taster's Guild to teach people to detect poisons. Everyone who's anyone has their own taster. As the second book starts the Nightshades have been defeated by Ivy Manx and her friends. Ivy Manx is an 11 year old healer and botanist. People believe that she is the Noble Child, prophesied to heal the Good King. Ivy and her friend, former taster Rowan, must travel to an alternate world to rescue the King and her mother. Unfortunately, the minions of the Deadly Nightshades, including Ivy's own father, Vidal Verjouce, head of the Taster's Guild, are out to keep her from completing her quest. They have managed to poison Ivy with scourge bracken, a horrible weed that forces her to live her life in the shadows. She finds her mother and the King (her great-grandfather) but is unable to save them. The King gives her 2 stones to bring back to Caux to plant. Ivy is kidnapped by her own former taster just as she reaches Caux. I enjoy the world of these books. There is no real system of magic but tapestries come to life and travel to other worlds through doorways or book pages is possible. Most of the magic is plant related. The plant and herb lore is my favorite part of these books