Friday, November 8, 2013

Review - Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Title: Poison Study
Series: Study #1
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Release Date: 2005
Pages: 361, Hardcover
Goodreads Rating: 4.2 stars
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
My Content Rating: Adult or very mature YA (Sex is not explicit, but includes sexual assault)

Summary from Goodreads: Choose: A quick death…Or slow poison...

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear...


When I read Maria V. Snyder's Inside Out awhile back, many people mentioned to me how much they loved Poison Study.  Several people said it was one of their favorite series of all time, so I decided I had to check it out.  I'm really glad that I did because I loved it!  

Poison Study is an amazing fantasy novel filled with intrigue and danger and I found myself immersed in Yelena's journey!  

The negatives:
  • Predictable twist.  There isn't much that I could think of to say as negatives for this book, except that I had figured out one of the book's major twists pretty early on.  This didn't really lower my enjoyment of the book, though, because I wasn't sure that I was right - even up till the point that the twist was revealed.  Plus, there were plenty of other twists to keep me guessing!
Neutral:
  • Very little romance.  This book does have a romance, but the romance is not at all central to the plot throughout most of the book.  Rather, there are hints of a romance that you're never sure whether or not they will actually turn into anything real.  I was actually totally fine with this, but people who really like romance will feel a bit cheated in this department.
What I Loved:
  • Yelena and Valek.  Yelena is a strong woman who will do anything to survive.  She has had a very hard life, which influences her thoughts and decisions, but she still hasn't given up on hope.  Then there is Valek, the man who has put Yelena in the position of poison taster.  He is a complete mystery - sometimes seeming like a dangerous enemy and then at other times showing his softer side.  Throughout the book, I found myself growing more and more attached to Valek, just as Yelena herself was, but this is the type of book where you can never assume that a character is either "bad" or "good" and Valek's true loyalty always lies with the Commander.
  • Secondary characters.  I loved just about every character in this book and there were so many secondary characters to love!  At the top of the list are Janco and Ari who take Yelena under their wing and help her learn to defend herself.  They were sweet and funny and I loved just about every scene that they were in.  The Commander himself is a very interesting character and there is an interesting twist with his character that I honestly don't think anyone will see coming in a million years.  I thought that all of the secondary characters in this book were incredibly well-developed - there are lots more of them, but I won't go on and on - you get the idea.
  • Political questions.  I love that this book questions the political situation of Ixia without giving easy answers.  The Commander is definitely a dictator, but does that automatically make him evil?  His law is completely black and white, with no shades of gray - no chance for explanation and no excuses - so is his rule just or unfair?  Is Valek's loyalty to the Commander justified?  Lots of questions are presented, but unlike the Commander's laws, the answers are not nearly black and white!
  • Danger.  Yelena's world is full of constant danger.  There are so many people who are trying to kill her, that it's honestly hard to keep track of them all.  And it's almost impossible to figure out who's truly on her side and who isn't.  Yelena can't let her guard down for a moment!  I found myself constantly intrigued, wondering what dangers would lie around the next corner and how Yelena would make her way out of all of each new perilous situation.
  • The mystery of Yelena's past.  I love that Yelena's past is laid out for us in bits and pieces and that we discover it along the way.  Who is she and where does she come from?  Why did she kill Reyad?  Even Yelena herself does not know all of the answers to these questions and those she does know are sometimes too painful for her to reveal.  So, we discover her past slowly, throughout the book.  But, somehow Snyder does this in a way that feels honest and is satisfying - sometimes drawn out histories can feel forced or can just make me antsy for the truth, but that wasn't the case here.  
I highly recommend Poison Study to anyone who enjoys fantasy.   With fun and interesting characters and an exciting plot, this book is sure to keep you entertained and emotionally engaged! 4.5/5 stars.



Comments (14)

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I really need to get this book and read it! I love your review, and you loved a lot more things in the story than you didn't :) Interesting characters and an exciting plot are sure winners for me.

Thanks for the great review :)
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1 reply · active 592 weeks ago
I definitely recommend it!!
Awesome review Nicole!! I love the sounds of it and I personally don't mind books that I can figure things out in advance - especially when I'm not 100% sure I'm right. Definitely adding this to my TBR!
1 reply · active 592 weeks ago
Book #2 is really good too - I'm moving on to book 3 now!
I really enjoyed this book - your thoughts are almost the same as mine! The only thing I was a little annoyed with was Valek and Yelena's relationship - I was picturing him as more of a father figure (I was imagining him being twice her age) and then their relationship turned romantic. It was strange at first, but I think their relationship worked in the end!

I haven't read any of the other books in this series because I've heard it gets repetitive (as in how many more times is Yelena going to be assaulted?). I see that you liked book two...maybe I'll give it a try.
1 reply · active 591 weeks ago
I was picturing Valek a bit older at first too - I guess because of his position. Later, I realised from the way that Yelena described him that he was younger than I thought, though.

I really did enjoy book #2. Yelena does seem to be a target, which I guess could get old, but the story itself for Magic Study is very different from Poison Study, so I didn't think that it was too repetitive.
Sounds like a fascinating book, I haven't read this series yet but it's sitting on my shelf. I'll need to read it sometime because with the focus on adventure and not the romance, I'll definitely enjoy it!
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1 reply · active 591 weeks ago
Yes, I think the lack of focus on the romance will really work for some people and might not for others. I certainly don't mind romance, but I like to occasionally read a book where it's not the main focus of the book.
I have had this one on my TBR for a while. It was one of the titles to read last year one month with a virtual book club too but it had a really long waiting list at my library and I just forgot about it. Thanks for the review and for putting it back on my radar. I am glad you enjoyed it.

Lily
1 reply · active 591 weeks ago
I have lots of books like that - that I planned to read and got put off for one reason or another and then you kind of forget after awhile. I really need to make myself a separate list of Goodreads for books that I want to read sooner rather than later.
I am over the moon that you are liking this series!! This was the first series of Snyders that I read and I just loved it!! Ari and Janco are just the greatest!! I wasn't too worried about the romance myself, because the storyline is just so good! Looking forward to what you think of the next books!

Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace

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1 reply · active 591 weeks ago
Yes, Ari and Janco are such awesome characters - I LOVED them!! Loved Magic Study too and can't wait to read Fire Study!
I am so excited to read this book! I really liked Inside Out, but I missed a few secondary characters that were well developed, so I like that this one has that!
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1 reply · active 591 weeks ago
Yes, I thought the secondary characters were much better developed in this book than in Inside Out. I keep hearing that people didn't love the last book in this series, though, so I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't let me down!

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