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Saturday, August 14, 2010

Review: Poison Study

Poison Study
Title: Poison Study
Author: Maria V. Snyder 
Author's Website: http://www.mariavsnyder.com/
Series: Study, #1
Pages: 416
Release Date: March 1, 2007

Goodreads Description: Choose: A quick death and hell or slow poison and hell. 
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. 


I have to admit the description didn't perk my interest.  A book about a food taster didn't appeal to me.  I decided to give it a shot after several people kept recommending it.  I'm so glad I did because I really enjoyed it! I was sucked in after the first chapter.  The pace never slows throughout the rest of the book.  There are constant twist and turns in the plot that grabs and demands your attention.  Piece by piece we learn more about Yelena's complicated past, the demons that haunt her, and the skills she never knew she had.  Through all of this, we come to care for her as she faces the possibility of death by the hour.  Luckily, she is strong, has the will to survive, and a quick mind that helps her out of impossible situations. 

Then there is Valek, the sexy assassin who gave Yelena the Butterfly's Dust poison to keep her from escaping.  While he is the one who poisoned her, he is also constantly using his vast array of fighting skills to protect her from all of the dangers that lurk around the corner.  He is very mysterious and it's almost impossible to not fall in love with him!

As for romance, there is a slight undercurrent throughout the book that erupts towards the end.  I know many books that tend to do this, which I usually love.  In this book's case, I felt it was a little too rushed at the end.  It almost overpowers the story. This is the only negative mark I have against the book.  

Overall, this is an adventuresome and captivating novel that is hard to put down.  It definitely has a highly original plot! Now I understand why so many people recommended it!

Rating: 
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11 comments:

Brooke T said...

Seems like a great book. It's something original and different too which I love. Adding to me TBR pile!

Kapri (Book Fanatics) said...

I've been meaning to read this one for quite some time. I'll definitely have to go get it now!

Great review!

Kristen said...

I love this series. I have to say the first book is the best out of the series and I really think the reason is the pacing and the background that we slowly discover about Yelena. Maria is a fantastic writer and I've had the pleasure of meeting her in person, which was fantastic! Hope you enjoy the rest of the series!

Lydia said...

This is one of my favorite YA series (and this book is my favorite of the bunch).

I hope you have a blast with the rest of the series. So much fun!

Emily said...

Ooo - I have this one sitting on my shelf but haven't started to read it yet. Might have to move it up on my to read list :)
Thanks for the review!

Brittany said...

The official review doesn't pique my interest either, but after your review I'll add it to my list! :)

BURIED IN BOOKS said...

I've seen this book and never even looked twice at it. I didn't know what it was about, but it is a unique story line. Thanks for the review. It sounds interesting enough to check out at the library. I like fast paced novels so I'm sure I'll like this one.

Heather

Danielle said...

Love this series and the rest of the books are just as good.

Jen said...

I've seen this book in the library, but didn't pick it up --- yet. Now, I'm intrigued. That's what nice about reading what people write on blogs - they make me reconsider picking up a book that I might not have seen otherwise. :)

And -- hey -- nice blog!!! :)

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

Another one I have yet to read - sounds good!

Becky said...

Definitely do not let the cover or description fool you! I know the old cover isn't as pretty as the new. It's a really good book!