The Poisoned Fruit by Julie Colacchio
Author Julie Colacchio’s exciting new YA book, The Poisoned Fruit, kept me turning pages well into the night. In fact, one night, I hadn’t slept.
You see, the world Colacchio has created has Mages and magic. And that magic? It’s deadly without its host.
Growing up as a Canopian Mage, Topaz Tenkiller was taught how important The Old Ways were. She grew up differently from her family — with different magic, different goals, and a different heart. Confined to live separately, she yearns to leave her home in the croft and enter the land of the “free”. But when she does, she uncovers a conspiracy she never could have imagined.
A World at War with Magic
The Poisoned Fruit follows Topaz as she explores her most pressing questions: Where do Mages go when they die? What happens when they can’t die? How far will she go to protect the Old Ways and save her family? Without the rituals and sacred chanting of The Old Ways, a Mage can’t pass on properly. There’s the first death — the one of the body. Then, after the Mage is dead, it is important to honor a final death and send their magic back to Canopus. If there is no ritual, the magic becomes a Remnant, and a Remnant is deadly. Yet, America is still banning the tradition.
With a work permit in hand, Topaz leaves home and enters America, thinking that life there will be more prosperous. After all, this is the land of the free, and she has to be an example for her younger brother to follow, to get him back on the right path. Her mom won’t do it — she’s too drunk — and her father has joined the Christian crowd, in direct opposition to The Old Ways. As the last to honor her ways, Topaz leaves home and receives a big reality check as to what’s really going on in the outside world, thanks to AnnaLeesa.
AnnaLeesa, the novel’s antagonist, is a mayor with a sour taste for her history. The dual perspective in The Poisoned Fruit bounces between AnnaLeesa and Topaz. A Mage in disguise, AnnaLeesa had her name changed and told the world she’s only human. It soon becomes clear that she was the one to ban her own people’s culture in America.
No more rituals, no more chantings, and all who sneakily try are killed. It’s a war on religion. It’s a war on tradition. AnnaLeesa executed it all, but why? When Topaz uncovers a deadly conspiracy to harvest magic, she must decide whether to speak up and put her family in danger, or make the brave choice to save her people.
An Eye-Opening Fantasy
Not only is The Poisoned Fruit well written, but Colacchio’s depiction of corruption and oppression allowed me to look through Topaz’s eyes as if they were my own. Dying civilians, political giants with hidden agendas, broken families — I lived it all through her. With each chapter, I became more anchored in the book’s depth and submerged in its rich environment.
Colacchio’s ability to paint a picture from both gives us a more well-rounded insight into everything that’s at stake — family, friends and freedom. The doors that were closed to a Mage like Topaz were open for someone with power and influence like AnnaLeesa. This contrast makes the book a fun puzzle to piece together.
This book embodies both conflict and love, while chaos breathes fire into this novel. The Poisoned Fruit guides readers through peaks, dips, and pivots in the life of Topaz and the world of the Canopians — and a few times on this wild ride, my heart skipped a beat.
Julie Colacchio grew up in Roosevelt, Utah, a town located on the Ute Indian Reservation. She witnessed and was angered by injustice at a young age.
All grown up, she has an MFA and has taught Creative Writing, English, and Public Speaking at the secondary and college levels for over 20 years. Guided by the knowledge that teachers save lives, Colacchio can be seen alternately encouraging and nagging her own students to stay focused. She writes characters to teach teenagers about resilience and that smart girls kick ass.
She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her three children and rescued dogs, cats, chickens, and a bloodthirsty turtle. Family, writing, teaching, rescuing animals, and bitter coffee keep her going.
