Poison Study

I'm a huge baby when I'm sick. I'm just back from the store, where I bought cold/flu medicine, restocked my tissues, and indulged in some cotton nightgowns. I deserve something nice when I'm feeling sick. Ha! I just took some medicine and I hope it kicks in soon.

I moved Maria V. Snyder's Poison Study to the top of my TBR pile because it is due back at the library tomorrow. I finished it this afternoon before taking a nap. Here's the summary:

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 really enjoyed Poison Study: 4 out of 5. The story has an intriguing opening, and the interest continues throughout the book. The world-building of the story is excellent. I was instantly immersed in Ixian society, and it's an interesting place to read about. There are many small details that add realism to the story, such as the uniforms that are worn by each general's entourage.

The story is told from Yelena's point of view, and the first-person narrative is a nice choice because you really get to know Yelena. It's especially interesting to learn about her history as it is slowly revealed throughout the book.

However, getting the story from Yelena's point of view also means that you don't get to know her love interest as well as you know Yelena. Although he is in the story frequently, I did wish there had been a way to delve into his perspective. He reminded me a little of Roarke from the In Death series. No, he's not an Irish billionaire, but he's morally ambiguous in a way that reminds me of Roarke. I don't mean to suggest that this hero or Roarke is immoral, just that they have different standards of morality.

Toward the end of the story, Yelena goes into the enemy camp unnecessarily. This results in a showdown and the climax of the novel, but I wish there had been a way to make this unavoidable. It seemed like it could have been avoided.

On the whole, though, the book was excellent. I'm keeping it on my book-trading wish list in hopes of getting a copy of my own. The next book in the series is out next fall.