Poison Study

by Maria V. Snyder

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0778324338
• ISBN13: 9780778324331
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Mira Books
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Accurate condition quality

Book was truthful in it’s description and in great condition!

Favorite book

This is my favorite book and series all together. Maria writes a fantastic world with the best character development I've ever seen. You won't be disappointed and you'll be hooked. But don't worry there is so much more

Smelly!

The copy I got smelled like smoke so I had to throw it away! I’ve read the book already before this but I just want a copy for myself and the copy I received smelled like cigarettes! Great book and I can’t wait to read it again!

It Grabs You and Will Not Let Go!

Yelena has committed the ultimate sin and for that, she has been sentenced to die by hanging. Yet when she faces the man whom will send her to the noose, she receives an offer instead to live. Granted, there are catches, first and foremost the duty of food taster. Assassination by poison is ever a favored way to strike at the Commander and as the next prisoner to be executed, and as they need to fill the position, Yelena is next in line for the job. Thinking escape is surely in her future, she takes on the dangerous new duty. Her new handler though, Valek, has many tricks up is sleeve and soon Yelena finds it's not as easy to escape as she thought. The castle walls of the former King of Ixia hold secrets and dangers, and they all seem focused on the newest member to the Commander's staff. As Yelena begins and perfects her new poison detecting skills, she'll still have to deal with a general that wants her dead, the stigma of a murderer and strange powers that, while having manifested slowly long ago, are now to the point of no return--she must learn to control them or she'll be in even more trouble than when she faced the noose. When a conspiracy against the Commander comes to light, Yelena will come face to face once more with the demons that drove her to kill. The question is; will this stoic poison detector be able to triumph over them again? Yelena's story is a first person tale, told entirely from her perspective and it was a wise choice for Snyder. A young woman, one of immense promise and obvious talent, readers can only be drawn to the reasons for the choices she's made. From the moment she's given a life in exchange for another kind of prison, Yelena does not look back. After all she'd been through up till that point, she still possesses a strength many of us can only hope to have. She' smart, a little ruthless in her own right and capable of taking care of herself--to a point. When she needs help too, especially from Valek, she's not afraid to accept it. Ixia is an interesting country, which houses all sorts of traits from Medieval village life to a more modern society as well. It's one in which readers can easily identify with and understand, yet it carries its own weight in being a made-up, new "world". Excellent visuals, but not an overload of them, carry throughout with Yelena on her strange and gripping journey as she becomes embroiled, and finally center stage persona, in a race to save a country she's come to love in spite of its unforgiving nature. The general gunning for Yelena is a chilling addition and an excellent villain. Valek is an impossible to look away from character and one can only hope he makes plenty of appearances in the sequel, "Magic Study", already available in hardback. As debut novels go, this one sets an amazingly strong example of what good, solid fantasy fiction can be like.

I absolutely loved it!!

I loved this book! I work at a book store and we get advanced copies in to review. I wasn't expecting much since it was a first time author but it intruiged me. Once I started reading, I read it all the way through in one sitting! It was great!! I gave it to my sister to read, who is rather picky about what books she thinks are good, and she loved it too!! I am a fan of different genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Action, Adventure, and some Romance. As some have said, this book encompasses multiple genres and does it very well!! One person said that the romance was a little unbelievable as it came from nowhere. I dissagree! Valek and Yelena grow from mistrust and suspicion to grudging respect, to trust, attraction, and almost friendship, to love. I thought it was very believable! It wasn't love so much for the background information they knew, but what they had learned and knew about each other's character and person! It isn't like the typical romance novel at all, which I liked! They often seem the same after a while! As the story line and plot progresses, you learn new twists and turns that recolors the previously given story. I have already read it twice and loved it even more the second time! I think this will be a book I could read over again at least once a year and not get tired of it! I really can't wait for the sequal! Come on October!!

Finally impressed by a Luna book!

I was hesitant to pick up this book but am so glad that I did. I've found Luna books to be subpar so far but blew through Poison Study in two days and raced to find out when the second book would be released. Yelena is a great main character as others have pointed out because she's an excellent balance of smart and strong while still having flaws. The other characters are just as interesting especially Valek. Plot wise the book gives you enough to start putting things together while not giving everything away and saving some twists for the end. This was a great book to snuggle up with over the weekend and left me wanting more.

The best book I've read in months...

I bought Poison Study on Saturday, finished it on Sunday, and now, I can't wait for the sequel. Poison Study is one of those books that you cannot start at night, unless it doesn't matter what time you have to wake up in the morning. Yelena (the main character) is excellent, she is brave when there is need, and she is frightened and cautious. She is not perfect like many other heroins, but her good qualities cause you to forget that. Valek is awesome. His cool manner and brilliancy jumps out of the page and settles in your heart. This is a brilliantly written book, and I cannot wait for the sequel!

The best book I've read in months...

I bought Poison Study on Saturday, finished it on Sunday, and now, I can't wait for the sequel. Poison Study is one of those books that you cannot start at night, unless it doesn't matter what time you have to wake up in the morning. Yelena (the main character) is excellent, she is brave when there is need, and she is frightened and cautious. She is not perfect like many other heroines, but her good qualities cause you to forget that. Valek is awesome. His cool manner and brilliancy jumps out of the page and settles in your heart. This is a brilliantly written book, and I cannot wait for the sequel!