It feels like forever since I finished a book even though I know it hasn't been that long. I took a break last week while I was visiting family and I just think reading breaks are not for me (and I can't believe I would ever think they were!).
Anyway, Poison Study. This book in many ways is like an old friend. I read it when I was just getting back into reading because it hit all my 'likes': medieval-esque, magic, and weapons. I'm pretty easy to please. Then, I had the immense pleasure of meeting the author, Maria V. Snyder at a writing conference I attended (my first one, talk about setting a high bar). She is so incredible and I just love her as a person, as a teacher, and as an author. I even daydreamed about attending her college to get my masters because her lessons were just that amazing. Seriously. If I could only ever have one teacher for the rest of my life, it would be her.
This book is about a young woman who is sentenced to death after committing murder. After waiting a year in prison, she's brought out and asked if she would like to change her sentence from hanging to poison tester. She readily agrees, even knowing that the father of the man she killed is a general and won't take the change in sentence lying down. Due to this, she has to fight for her life many times which encourages her to learn self-defense (a tool I wish I knew!) and friendships are made among the soldiers that are some of my favorite dialogue. Additionally, she ends up living in the quarters of the spy master because he 'doesn't want to have to train a new poison taster'. They work along side each other, growing in trust until he gets to the point where he tells her he wishes she would agree to stay and work with him to keep the Commander safe. Yelena can't just agree to that though because she has magic which is illegal in their country. It's been her secret for a long time, but not for much longer because someone has taken control of the Commander using magic and she's the only one who can save him.
The ways that Yelena is foiled in this book are so so good because they feel so real. The not knowing who to trust, the feeling like no one would believe you anyway, and the feelings of betrayal from those you thought worth your trust are so timeless and something we all carry within us.
If you haven't read this book yet, what are you waiting for??
5/5 stars, PG-13
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