Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
Murder, mayhem and magic...
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.
Yelena is an amazing main character. As she talked about her past, she showed me that she was willing to do whatever it took to save others and herself, a trait which I greatly admire. She has guts, for lack of a better word, and she'll only take so much ill treatment before she takes action herself.
The characters that surround Yelena were awesome as well. I couldn't get enough of Ari and Janco. Talk about perfect older brother material! In the beginning, I really liked Rand as well. A guy who can cook is total win! Valek was another intriguing character. I wasn't quite sure what to think of him at first, but I warmed up to him after a bit. My attitude towards him mirrored Yelena's almost exactly.
The plot in this book is always jumping. Poison Study is one of those books that I absolutely could not put down. It kept me riveted the entire time.
The ending! The ending of this book resolved enough to leave me satisfied, but it also had me rushing out to the bookstore at the very next available opportunity to get a copy of the next book in the series, Magic Study*. A review of it will be coming soon.
Borrow Poison Study* from a friend, from the library, grab your own copy from a bookstore. Read it and then tell me what you think. I think it's absolutely amazing.
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