The Poisoned Princess by Armen Pogharian

The Poisoned Princess Reviews

• 
  Joshua Grant

  Armen Pogharian sets up an Avengers-esque fantasy epic with The Poisoned Princess! Half elf barbarian Toran finds work in a rundown tavern. But when he stumbles into an assassination attempt, he finds himself joining an unlikely band of heroes to stop a catastrophe. I really loved Toran and Pogharian’s cast of characters and rich fantasy world! It was really fun to see this Avengers sort of team of fantasy characters begin to come together in this exciting kick off to the series. If you love deeper fantasy with great characters, definitely come stumble into the thieves quarter in The Poisoned Princess!
• 
  Kim

  Toran, half elven and half barbarian, was exiled from the elven forest because of his barbarian heritage. He finds work in a rundown tavern in the thieves' quarter. With his inherited skills and senses, Toran is able to foil an attempt on the princess’s life which earns him an invitation to join the secret protectors group, known as the Wanders.
  
  This was an entertaining book. The characters are interesting and unique. The author, Armen Pogharian, has crafted an interesting world where even a half barbarian can find his place in the world and make friends.
  
  I listened to the audiobook. The narrator Michelle Babb does a wonderful job bringing the story to life. Her tone of voice gives you a great listening experience, she is excellent at bringing out each character’s personality.
  
  All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I have not been influenced by anyone.
  
  
• 
  Roxanne

  A Tale Worthy of a Hero
  
  The fate of the known world rests upon the petite shoulders of the princess of Veloria. Despite all precautions, however, she has been poisoned by a Shaulan assassin. The healers have stabilized her, but unless she receives an antidote posthaste she will die—and war will throw the world into chaos.
  
  Enter Toran, a half-breed who is just becoming aware of his many talents. He joins a dwarf and the princess’ lady-in-waiting on a hero’s quest to locate the antidote.
  
  The Poisoned Princess by Armen Pogharian is a fun escape into a fantasy world complete with ogres and elves. Each adventure rolls headlong into the next and, of course, our hero wins in the end.
  
  The Poisoned Princess is a quick, enjoyable read, and I recommend it to readers from young adult up. However, because the story begins with a rape scene, I would be careful with younger readers.
  
  In the interest of full disclosure, I was given a copy of The Poisoned Princess in exchange for an honest review.
  
• 
  Lis Carey

  Toran is a half-elven, half-barbarian young man, who has been raised by his elven uncle. It's only when an accident in a war game with friends briefly unleashes his barbarian battle rage that his uncle tells him the full truth of his heritage. It becomes important then because the elf supremacists (no, Pogharian doesn't use this loaded phrase; that's me) succeed in banishing him. Aside from contributing to his banishment, it also means he has a really useful inheritance from his dead father.
  
  His uncle sends him off to the city of Eridan, where elves and elf mixes are fairly common and accepted, with a letter of introduction to an old friend.
  
  Toran finds his uncle's friend in the tavern his uncle said he would, though it's rather seedier than he had anticipated. Nevertheless, he's given work, and room, and settles in fairly easily. His elven hearing makes working in the tavern a more interesting job that it might have been, because it's a hangout for the members of the Thieves' Guild, and other people of dubious means of earning a living. When the imminent arrival of the Princess of Veloria is announced, like everyone else who can get the day off, he's in the crowd watching the procession. He is, as always, wearing that inheritance from his father--two recurved swords slung over his shoulders. He's very skilled with them, and very fast (elven speed), and he thwarts an attempted assassination of the princess. This leads to him being drawn in to a group called the Warders, who are dedicated to protecting the city of Eridan in ways the city guard can't.
  
  It should be no surprise that the tavern owner his uncle sent him to is prominent in it, and his uncle is a former member.
  
  As they work to track down the assassin, a second attempt is made, and the princess is poisoned. Due to a quirk of how Eridan's wine is flavored, she isn't dead--but she isn't going to survive long if the Warders can't obtain the key ingredient for the antidote quickly.
  
  From here, we have two parallel tales. A party consisting of Toran; the princess's handmaiden, Adrelle; and the leader of the group, a dwarf named Draham, are off to obtain and bring back that key ingredient for the antidote, while another team is trying to track down the traitor within the princess's entourage.
  
  These are all interesting characters, with multiple layers. Adrelle in particular is worth noting as tough and smart, and not easily intimidated. Draham is no cookie-cutter dwarf, either, with wit, intelligence, and a very believable conviction that dwarves were not meant to ride horses.
  
  What's surprising is that Pogharian gives that same attention to the assassin, Yuden. He's a member of the Shaulan assassins' guild, and...for him, this is just a job. We get a couple of point of view chapters for him, and see him enthusiastic over a ball game in the street, very professional in his attitude toward killing people, surprisingly squeamish about torture. He's a really bad guy, but he's a quite human bad guy.
  
  I should also say that Toran's skill in tracking, as well as with the bow, are presented as a result of his uncle's elven training, not Toran being particularly "special." The swords are another matter, but they're from his dead father, and, in a world where magic is common, well, I'll say no more. Toran is a clever and tough young man, but not anybody's Chosen Hero. That's part of what I like about Pogharian's books.
  
  The target audience for this is "young adult and up," and it should be noted it opens with a rape scene, though not an explicit one. Some parents might want to be aware of that before handing it to their advanced-reader younger kids.
  
  I received this audiobook as a gift.
• 
  fred jones

  Excellent, entertaining YA story. Toran a half elf, half barbarian young man uses his,skills to thwart a royal assassination and is inducted into a secret organization of Warders who protect the city of Eridan. When a subsequent attempt poisons the princess he an a small team of agents are sent on a dangerous mission to obtain the antidote. A great romp with well described characters and lots of action. I am not the target audience but I found it a really great read suitable for early teens and above. Armen Pogharian is a great writer although he does like using "he said" "she said" a lot but you stop noticing after a while. I lot forward to listening to more of these. Michelle Babb is one of my favourite narrators, she has a great voice and good range. I received a complimentary copy of the audio book and am leaving a honest voluntary review
• 
  Jan

  While I usually don't have the sort of imagination that allows me to enjoy written stories of sci-fi-fantasy but have only rare problems with urban fantasy, this one definitely allowed me to really enjoy the experience.
  The Warders are guardians/fixers. Toran (MC) is half-elf and half-barbarian with many unusual talents and is allowed to join the Warders because of his father's history with them. The is plenty of bladework and adventure with dashes of humor.
  It is a good read made even better by Michelle Babb who can make all the diverse characters clear and real thereby making the book so much better! Besides, her delivery is so great that I can listen at whichever speed suits the tasks I'm up to at the time.
  I won the audio copy in a Giveaway!
• 
  Trisha

  Toran is sent by his uncle to a neighboring town to find some of his uncle’s friends that can help him since he was exiled from their town. He helps his uncle’s friends save the princess and earns him an invitation into a secret society of the warders. But when the princess is poisoned the team must travel to a rough and tough land to get the ingredients for the antidote and make it back before the princess dies.
  This was a fun book, very suspenseful and action packed. I love the narration by Michelle Babb she really brought the characters to life. It was such a joy to listen to I can’t wait for more.
  
• 
  Dana Fernandez

  The Poisoned Princess takes you on an adventure into a fantasy world. Complete with dwarfs, half- breeds and elves. The fate of their world lies in the hands of their princess. But when she is poisoned by an assassin her lady in waiting, a dwarf and the half breed named Toran are going on a journey together to save her life. Will these three locate the antidote and save their princess? A definite must read.
  
  I was lucky enough to to listen to this on Spotify. Michelle Babb always does an amazing job.
• 
  Brian Wilkerson

  Armen Pogharian asked me to read his novel "Poisoned Princess". It is a medieval fantasy, and I want to include high fantasy because it is much like a classic Dungeons and Dragons campaign, but it has a small and close scope that is better fitting of low fantasy. It's basically a quest to retrieve a cure for an important political figure.
  I will examine Plot, Character, and Polish, before assigning a grade.
  
  PLOT
  
  There's a somewhat slow start to the main plot. It takes a bit for the princess to be poisoned, and this is a good thing. It provides space for the world to be set-up and characters to be introduced and developed. I also like the event itself, both in being present and how well it is executed; skillful guardians vs devious assassins.
  
  As the story unfolds, the titular poisoning was the assassin's back-up plan rather than their main effort. This strengthens the plot by making the princess' safety a game of cat-and-mouse between the assassins and the warders (who are basically the royal Secret Service). It would have been easy to make this into an excuse plot to justify an adventure but it is developed and better throughout than that.
  
  Even after the princess is successfully poisoned, the assassin doesn't call it done and go home. He spends the rest of the book trying to knife her in her sickbed. This makes for a continuation of the pre-poisoning dynamic with some of the warders while the others go on the quest.
  
  It is a great quest; a quest in the classic epic style. The adventuring party has to travel a considerable distance within a time limit. They encounter everything from bounty hunters to monsters while keeping their mission as secretive as possible. There are many close calls and dangerous encounters, and both are skillfully written by Mr. Pogharian.
  
  The heroes get a couple of lucky breaks that make these encounters easier but so do the villains. I think it evens out. To me, it was never about making things easy for the heroes or artificially giving the villains an edge to stay threatening, but more of a genuinely lucky thing or a matter of foreshadowing.
  
  This is basically a Save-The-Princess storyline, which is one of the oldest in the genre, and I really like it. This is because it is a well-written use of the trope, which I think is more important than being original.
  
  The ending is great. It closes this book's conflict while remaining open to all kinds of new adventures for latter in the series. I respect and admire that kind of planning.
  
  CHARACTERS
  
  Toran is the story's protagonist (and the hero too). He is a half-elf barbarian fighter who is good with both the sword and the bow. He joins the warders on the recommendation of his uncle at the start of the story.
  While he has significant skill in battle and highly skilled in tracking, this is presented as due to his uncle's elven training and the two halves of his heritage mixing well (barbarian strength and battle lust together with elven senses and speed make a formidable combination). My point is, he is a powerful character without being special in someway. This means he doesn't overtake the story and his teammates are relevant.
  He has angst about his heritage, and it causes him some problems, but he manages that and is a stable young man overall. That's another thing I like about this story; engaging characters without Dysfunction Junction.
  
  Adrelle is a human noblewoman, and the handmaiden of the titular princess. She insists on going on the quest to help her friend.
  Her Establishing-Character-Moment is a thing of beauty. It firmly and quickly establishes her as a both a Deadpan Snarker and a very clever girl. See, the warders aren't used to people tracking their agents back to their hideout.
  There's a twist/secret regarding her character, and I thought I guessed it but I was only half-right. That's yet another thing I like about this story. Despite appearing to be traditional fantasy fare, it still surprised me.
  
  
  Draham is a fine mixture of Our Dwarves Are All the Same and some personal twists. While he is a short and stocky character of great strength, a wielder of a warhammer and is very proud of his large and bushy beard, he is basically a rogue. Yes, he has numerous disguises, aliases and has sufficient dexterity and speed to convincing play the role of a jester.
  He's the senior partner of the adventuring party, the veteran with the two young bucks. He acquits himself very well indeed in both battle and outside of it.
  
  
  Yuden is the assassin who poisons the princess and then spends the rest of the book trying to make sure she dies. He gets a couple of focus chapters that show how he goes about his work. Because of this, the reader knows more about him then "evil poisoner guy". He is not an evil character, so to speak. He's more like an amoral character. As far as I can see, all this assassinating and sneaking around is just his job, and he gets squeamish when it comes to torture.
  
  
  POLISH
  
  I don't recall anything in the way of typos. There might have been one or two near the end.
  
  Trickster Eric Novels gives "Poisoned Princess" an A+
  
  This has been a free review request. The author asked for an honest review, so I provided one.
• 
  Amanda Saint

  Fun romp. Not overly complicated, but decent world-building and fun plot. Hits a few tried and true tropes, but nothing terribly cliche except dwarves being Scottish.
  
  Audiobook narration by Michelle Babb is enjoyable.
• 
  Kimberly #Audiofile

  Enjoyable storyline. I’ll continue this series. Little to no romance aspect but good world building. Narration fit the storyline well.
  3 stars
• 
  Vince Nolan

  If you're a fan of intrigue, suspense, fantasy and mythology, then Armen Pogharian's first book in the Warders Series, "The Poisoned Princess," is the one for you. This introduction to the author's Middle Earth-esque landscape tells the tale of Toran, half-elf/half-barbarian, who takes his place in the league of the Warders, a clandestine group charged with helping to heal the poisoned Princess Erelle. Toran and his comrades-in-arms fight pirates, ogres — even giant killer bees! — in their quest to track down the rare ingredients needed to save the maiden's life.
  
  Pogharian's characters are amusing and entertaining yet complex and meaningful, and the expert plotting of the story kept me interested page after page. Whether for Young Adults as intended or more mature fantasy fans, this story doesn't disappoint. I'm just glad the good reads don't have to end, since there are more in the series.
  
• 
  Susan May

  Such a great story. Perfect for any fantasy lover. It's a story full of courage, devotion, magic & creatures. When Toran learns the truth of his heritage he is forced to leave the elven forest. His uncle sends him to find a friend who will help. After finding his contact he witnesses an assasination attempt on the princess. His life is changed after that as he becomes a part of The Warders. They are called to action when the assasins poison the princess. When you Toran and his companions leave on a hunt for the cure they will encounter many foes and different creatures. A story that you won't want to put down.
• 
  Anne Rightler

  Having read and enjoyed several Armen Porgharian's books, I knew I would enjoy The Poisoned Princess, the first in The Warders series. Even though this is not my usual book genre to read or listen to I was entertained by this fantasy adventure. The book is delightful with quite the cast of characters. The elves, dwarves, and pirates fit the medieval time period. And the giant bees and ogres add huge interest as The Warders continue their quest for an antidote to save the princess. The author keeps the reader's interest high with suspense, mystery, and some edge-of-the-seat action. The narrator, Michelle Babb, does an excellent job of giving characters their unique voice, making for an enjoyable listening experience. I enjoyed the book and look forward to listening to any other books that may come in this series. I received a complimentary copy of the audiobook and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.
• 
  Jennifer Tipton

  The Poisoned Princess: None
  
  Was pleasantly surprised that this book was really enjoyable to listen too and language was clean. The characters made me think of a “Lord of the Rings” vibe of which I loved about this story. The author has a very good imagination with magic and the abilities of each of the characters Toran the half elven and barbarian who was kicked out of his home under devious conditions and the dwarf who has an amusing way about him.
  
  On a quest to get the antidote to save the princes Toran and his new dwarf friend along with the princess’s lady in waiting must try and survive the constant attacks by the forces of evil that always seems to know everywhere they go. Hopefully they can get the antidote in time and if not they will lose the princes.
  
  Michelle Babb has a great way in bringing the characters to life and making them each have a unique personality as well as accents. Love listening to her.
  
  I received this book free in exchange for my honest review.
• 
  Julie Howard

  I enjoyed this book, with so much going on it was hard not too. I did find it confusing to start with, all the unusual names meant I struggled to follow along but once the names started to became more familiar it soon turned more exciting and I was hooked. It's a fun adventure as out hero's cross deadly lakes, forests full of oger's and bees as big as cats. So prepare for battle, cunning escapes, betrayal and deception, this book has it all. There are a lot of characters but with a big adventure like this there needs to be. Look forward to seeing what happens next.
  Toran has his father to blame for never fitting in with the other elvens. When his uncle can't protect him anymore, he sends him to a rundown tavern in Eridan’s to stay with old friends. There he finds a secret group and when Toran jumps in to save the princess from an assassination attempt he joins there ranks. Unfortunately they are to late to foil a second attempt and the princess fails into a coma after being poisoned. Toran, the princess's maid and a warder set off to find a cure before it is to late. If the princess dies then so does the treaty, which is why the rest of the warders stay behind to keep her safe and find the traitor who poisoned her. Can the half Elven, half barbarian keep peace on track?
  I like the narrator. She was the reason I gave this series ago and I am so glad I did, very entertaining.
  I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntary left this review.
• 
  Cmoore

  Too many dialogue tags. There's just no accounting for bad writing!