Poison Study

The book was great. There was a bit of damage and delivery was late but other than that I was satisfied

(Originally posted on my blog, That Artsy Reader Girl. I bought my copy from a seller other than Amazon.)Much like Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games, I was really worried about this book. I don't usually like books where the main character(s) are violently mistreated. In both instances, I read the back of each book and skeptically thought, "Who on Earth could enjoy such a violent and tragic storyline?" However, I'd heard AMAZING things from friends and fellow book-a-holics that I trusted. I loved The Hunger Games, so I dove right into this book with the same expectations. I loved this one too!Yelena lives in the land of Ixia. She has been convicted of murder, and is therefore sentenced to death by hanging. While lying in her dark, grimy, rat-infested dungeon cell she awaits the noose made especially for her. After living in that cell for just under a year, a guard comes and scrapes her emaciated body off the floor and takes her away. She can only assume it's her turn to die. However, she is presented with a way to live--a new life. There's a catch, though. If she's going to live, she has to do it as a servant in the Commander's home as his food taster. The previous food taster has died, and since the favorable method of assassination is by poison, the commander needs a new food taster immediately. The code states that the next person in line for the noose has to be offered the position. She accepts, thinking that surely there will be opportunity for escape in the future. Valek, her new handler, takes her through an extensive training curriculum, even poisoning her in the process. She comes through with a complete knowledge of all the poisons and begins her job.Brazell, the father of the man Yelena murdered wants her dead. Her life becomes an obsession of his and she has to fight him and his guards off along the way. Not only is he after her, but so are some of the other servants she lives with. On top of that, someone has noticed some special powers she possesses and insists on either killing her or training her. If she does not learn to control these powers, she could cause major trouble for not only herself, but the world she lives in. This makes life difficult, obviously, and Valek, takes her into his suite so he can protect her. Along with Valek, she finds a few friends in the castle who help her and teach her new things.When a conspiracy arises against the Commander, Yelena is forced into the middle of all of it. She has to face the man who drove her to kill, the demons of her past, and the man who just might ruin her future. She also has to quickly discover her true potential in order to help protect those she is bound to by vow and bound to by love. Throw in a ton of suspenseful scenes, some menacing characters, and a love interest or two, Yelena is in for a bumpy ride on the road to self-discovery, love, loyalty, and friendship.I really enjoyed the unique storyline and cast of characters. Yelena is so spunky. You'd think that with the crappy past she had and the dismal life she ends up surrendering to, she'd be all whiny and woe-is-me all the time. She's a fighter! She takes no crap and she kicks butt a few times! It's really entertaining and refreshing to see such a strong female character. Here's this skinny, weak little thing fighting off some of the strongest and most evil people ever. There's a few lessons I think I need to learn from her. I loved Valek from the beginning. He's got that hardened, cold, stand-offish persona but you just know there's a teddy bear in there somewhere. That kind of man is very appealing and you'll know what I mean if you've read about a man like him. The other characters were also likable. Really, the only ones I did not like were the villains (go figure). The storyline was so unique to me that it really pulled me in. I was constantly turning pages wondering how the author would treat the subject matter. It took me way too long to read, since I was on vacation, but it kept calling to me from my carry-on bag or my suitcase.I could not give the book 5 stars, just because I really hated how horrible some of the people in this book were treated. I had a hard time hearing about the sad life of Yelena, as well as the people from her past. I loved the suspense, the little bit of romance, and the unique storyline.

Une idée originale : Yelena, condamnée à mort se voit offrir le choix d'éviter la potence en devenant le gouteur du général, un dictateur étonnamment (et peut être un peu trop) sympatique. Yelena est entrainée à ses nouvelles fonctions par le bras droit du général. C'est à partir de ce moment là que les choses se gâtent (pour le lecteur). Yelena et son mentor se rapprochent l'un de l'autre un peu maladroitement il faut l'avouer. J'ai été choquée par la rapidité avec laquelle les deux héros décident qu'ils sont fait l'un pour l'autre. Le tout a du prendre 2 pages à la fin du roman et "emballé c'est pesé".Une écriture légère: J'ai beucoup aimé le style de l'auteur. Des phrases simples et courtes. Un rythme fluide.Ce livre mérite 4 étoiles car en dehors des quelques défauts que j'ai pu soulever, je dois avouer qu'à aucun moment je ne me suis ennuyée. J'ai lu les trois tomes en qques jours à peine et je ne regrette pas mon achat.

This is a greate read, all three books, interisting thrilling, exciting and a love story. Allmy favourite things in one book.

Yelena was ready to die. She committed the crime of murder and she was more than willing to pay the price. After nearly a year of being imprisoned she was ready to accept her fate and welcome the noose.By killing the General's son, she stopped his abuses on her. But more importantly she stopped him from unleashing his cruelty on the other orphans - her sisters. And she would do it all again.But when the dictates of the land allowed her the choice to become Commander Ambrose's next food taster instead of being immediately executed, she decided that living was worth the risk.Even if her days would be spent living in fear of being poisoned. Even if she had to live with the constant threat of being killed by the General's men for what she did to his son. Even if it meant that any friendships she made would be short-lived. And even if it meant she would be living without a soul.But being the taster was more than Yelena bargained for. Poisoned so that she would remain bound into service, tested so that she would stay sharp, pursued by unknown enemies and betrayed by someone she trusted, made her question her choice to live. Because what she was doing didn't feel very much like living.And when she learned something about herself, a dangerous secret that, if it were ever discovered, could cost her not only her life but her heart, it made execution start to sound like a much better option.***Poison Study is an enchanting adventure and a thrilling mystery filled with action, danger, excitement and suspense from start to finish. With characters that are immediately captivating, a strong heroine with an unbelievably heartbreaking story who becomes even stronger, and an unlikely and surprising hero, Poison Study will charm readers and entrap them in this tantalizing world the author has created.Yelena is a girl sentenced to death for killing General Brazell's son Reyad. She gets a stay of execution by becoming a food taster for the Ixian Commander as is her right under their Code of Behavior. While it's not much of a choice, it does mean she avoids the noose and gets a chance to live, for a little while longer at least. The choice is hers. And even after all the years of torture and cruelty she endured, she still chooses life.As she first learns to become an expert on recognizing poisons and then learns what it means to hope and to live and to love, Yelena discovers that she wants more than just to survive and that she is more. More capable, more powerful and more dangerous than even she knew.But life as a taster is not without risk, and being a murderer does not leave her without enemies. As Yelena tries to regain her strength and learns how to trust, to fight and to live, she must not only keep the Commander safe but she must also keep and eye out for those who want her dead.With known and unknown enemies after her, a job that puts her life in danger with every meal, and a secret she's keeping that could mean instant death at the hands of someone she cares about, Yelena must find a way to escape before she is either killed or her secret is revealed and her career as a taster ends up being a short one.Maria V. Snyder created an absolutely lovable character in Yelena and an absolutely magical and intriguing world and story. Each twist in the story will keep readers glued to the page, each moment that Yelena is under attack will keep readers on the edge of their seats and each dead end Yelena comes up against in solving the mystery or in trying to find a way to break free is a nail-biting and utterly nerve-wracking experience.Poison Study has an amazing flow, the story is totally bewitching and the characters are incredibly varied. They're a wonderful mix of lovable and charming, mysterious and intriguing, fierce, deadly and unbelievably sexy, endearing, warm and fiercely protective, and evil, detestable and downright despicable.It's a story that is unputdownable and will be impossible to break free of even after the last line. It's a world that readers will be intrigued by and will want to return to instantly for the next installment in the series.There is no complicated love triangle. There is no gigantic cliffhanger. But for readers who are looking for a story with characters that are a bit older, for a setting that feels like its gone back to a time of magic and castles and kings, and for a story with an incredibly courageous and remarkable heroine and a fiercely loyal and intelligent and strong hero, then Poison Study is an absolute must devour.