Poison Study By Maria V. Snyder Review #44

Author: Maria V. Snyder
Publisher: Mira; Original edition
Pages: 416
Rating:
About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have a room 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...

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!!!Who said it was bad to date a assassin?? They can be good to, sort of. They're real sexy though *chuckles to self*. If you don't understand what I'm saying then read Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder. I promise you, you won't be disappointed. The story follows Yelena, a young women who is about to be executed because of a murder she has committed. But a young man, named Valek (who is a assassin) gives her a second chance. He lets her become the Commander of Ixia's food taster. The job is deadly, but Yelena humbly accepts. But even though Yelena has a chance to live, others want to see her dead and will stop at nothing to achieve this.

Your in for a roller coaster, that will leave you wanting to re-ride it over and over again. The novel is very different from others book that I have read lately, and I enjoyed that. It was fast paste and intriguing. Maria V. Snyder has created a world that is easy to follow along, as well as fully enjoy without to much info. The characters are all very well develop and it is easy to see the differences in personalities. I didn't find any characters that I hated, other then the antagonists who were down right evil. Yelena (protagonist) is a very strong, female character who was a joy to read about and imagine. But even though she's strong, she has a lot of obstacles to face in the present and in her past. I loved how the author made Yelena not weak after every obstacle, but more stronger as the story goes on. The writing is very well done, and flows nicely. You're easily attached to this book after the very first few pages, and you won't be able to put it down. The dialogue and Yelena's thinking are very catchy at times. The emotion and imagery is nicely done, and you really feel sorry for Yelena when you read about her past and all the horrific abuse she had to go through. You can clearly see and understand why she killed somebody.

Valek (love interest) is probably the hottest guy I have ever read about. He was so cool, and deadly. He was a really good guy, which you wouldn't suspect in the beginning but after reading for a while you kind of see it. Basically any reader will fall for him. The ending was very satisfy, and will have you craving for more. Which is lucky for you since there is a sequel, Magic Study.

The only thing I didn't like was the whole Commander's gender thing was introduce to late and it was unbelievable, and some chapters weren't needed, in my opinion.

So in the end, I can't say enough about how I recommend this book to you guys. I don't even think my review does the book justice, because it's so great. This is one of those books that you can read over and over again. You also keep imagining it, even after it's over. Certainly a pick that I would recommend to you.

Yours Truly,