Book Review: Poison Study

This is another one of those books I read some time ago but I’ve been unable to get myself off the couch today (St. Patty’s day weekend, need I say more?) so I decided to give it another look. And when I reread stuff, that always (well, almost always) leads to another book review!

Poison Study, by Maria V. Snyder, Mira, 2008, 416 pp.

The Hook: Locked in a coffin-like darkness, there is nothing to distract me from my memories of killing Reyad. He deserved to die—but according to the law, so do I. Here in Ixia, the punishment for murder is death. And now I wait for the hangman’s noose.

But the same law that condemns me may also save me. Ixia’s food taster—chosen to ensure that the Commander’s food is not poisoned—has died. And by law, the next prisoner who is scheduled to be executed—me—must be offered the position.

(Book description from Amazon.)

My Thoughts: 

*Minor spoilers ahead!*

The description of this book had me intrigued, so I was excited to start. I would say it lived up to my expectations with a few disappointments here and there. The book centers around Yelena, a young woman waiting to be executed for murder. She ends up getting “saved” when the Commander’s food taster dies and she is brought from the dungeons to take his place. In a world where assassination by poison is a common threat, being the food taster for the most powerful man in the realm is no walk in the park, and it seems that Yelena’s execution hasn’t been cancelled so much as postponed for the time being.

I really liked how we were introduced to Yelena. The protagonists of many of the books I read are always portrayed as pure and innocent and if, for some reason, they begin the book imprisoned, it’s always a case justice gone awry. This is not the case with Yelena. We know from the get go that she is a murderer. As the story progresses, we obviously discover that there is more to her crime than meets the eye, but I liked that Snyder created a main character that wasn’t completely “clean.” I really liked Yelena. She was strong-willed and determined and no matter how hopeless her plight seemed, she never gave up. She didn’t whine or drown in self-pity, she simply continued to search for a way to gain her freedom.

The other characters in Poison Study were equally well-developed. Valek, the Commander’s master strategist, was ruthless in his mission to protect the Commander and ensure the safety or the realm, but in the end, he turned out to be a big ‘ol compassionate softy. And I mean that in a good way! I liked how he had more than one layer to him and despite his goodness, he never wavers in his beliefs. The rest of the supporting cast were equally three-dimensional which was a pleasant surprise. (I’ve gotten kind of used to supporting characters being used as plot tools instead of having real personalities.)

The world building was fantastic and I liked how there were elements of fantasy and magic but they were controlled enough that the world was still believable. While I was reading the beginning of the book, I honestly sometimes forgot that I was reading a fantasy novel because a lot of the situations and political intrigues were similar to some of the historical fiction books I’ve read.

There were many great things about this book, but, (and there’s always a but isn’t there?) there were a couple of things I really didn’t care for.

First off, the romance. Now I’m all for a good romance but this one seemed unnecessary. I really don’t think it added anything to the story. It didn’t really take anything away either but, I don’t think I would have missed it at all if it were gone. And, it produced one of the corniest one-liners I’ve ever read. If you’ve read this book, you know exactly which line I’m talking about.

My second issue was with Yelena. As I said before, I really liked her character, I just wished that Snyder hadn’t gone the route of, “She’s special but she just didn’t know it!” I preferred Yelena before we learn of her special magical abilities. I’m partial to books with main characters who are just normal human beings but are able to achieve great things through perseverance and hard work. I hoped that Yelena would be one of those heroines but, alas, I was disappointed.

My last issue with this book really doesn’t have anything to do with the writing or the story, but rather, it’s classification as a YA novel. There are scenes of rape and torture in this book, and while none of them are very graphic, I don’t think it’s a book I would recommend to younger readers. Even though the main character is on the young side, I think that this book would fit better in the adult fantasy section. But maybe that’s just me!

Overall, a good book with an intriguing storyline and well-developed characters, and just a few minor flaws.

Ages: 17 and up- Sexual Content, Mature Themes, Violence

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

You can purchase Poison Study at Amazon.