Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
My Rating: ★★★★★
On the day of her execution, Yelena is offered a second chance at life: she can either become the Commander of Ixia’s food taster and live on borrowed time or get on with the execution as scheduled. After deciding to become a food taster, she undergoes training and quickly discovers that being poisoned by food meant to kill the Commander is the least of her worries. She has powerful enemies with seemingly endless resources and they are hell-bent on making sure she dies. Just when she thinks her plate is full, she becomes aware of her growing magical abilities, which wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t an offense punishable by death in Ixia.
I first read this series about a decade ago and I love it now as much as I did back when I first discovered it. The story drew me in as much as it did a back when I first read it and I can honestly say that this book has aged well. Yelena is such a wonderful character with a horrible past that we slowly learn as the story unfolds. She’s a survivor who is quick on her feet, selfless, and fiercely loyal to those who earn her trust. While her decisions don’t always make sense, she usually means well and any negative actions weigh heavily on her mind even if she did what she had to so she can continue to survive.
In addition to Yelena, there’s an array of wonderful characters that I loved seeing again. It was fun to revisit Valek with a new perspective many years after I last read the series. Then there’s the loyal, hilarious, and rambunctious duo, Janco and Ari. I always thought I’d be friends with them if they were real people. There are quite a few characters that I looked forward to seeing again as well, such as Maren, Irys, and Commander Ambrose. It’s lovely how even the minor characters have layers that are peeled away as the story continues. There are so many characters that are truly a delight that I think everyone can find at least one to love.
The way that the magical aspect of this world slowly unfolds is also interesting. At first, we learn why Commander Ambrose outlawed magic. As the story continues, we see signs of magic and encounter magicians on opposite sides of the spectrum. Plus, there are signs that Yelena possesses at least some magic abilities that become increasingly noticeable as time goes on. I look forward to continuing my reread and checking out the newer books in the series that came out some time later.
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