'Poison Study' by Maria V. Snyder

Review written on Saturday, 5 June 2021

FTC disclaimer: I was not sent this product. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned. All opinions are my own.

Buy Link: https://www.waterstones.com/book/poison-study/maria-v-snyder/9781848452398

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60510.Poison_Study

About the Author: https://www.mariavsnyder.com

Overall Rating: 5 out of 10

Choose: A quick death… or slow poison…

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...

In this fantasy novel, a unique, intriguing premise is let down by a lack of character development, and subsequently, we have a flattened romance. Occasionally there is a delve into a character’s backstory, but it is not consistent enough, nor does it reflect in their actions and dialogue enough. This leads to blurred personality traits and a few clichés.

Despite this, ‘Poison Study’ remains an enjoyable, easy read.

The plot and setting tactfully drew inspiration from other novels such as ‘The Hunger Games’, which worked, and the militaristic regime was a good frame for the story. However, the narrative ended up being weakened by one predictable twist (although there were other twists that were satisfying).

On a different topic, towards the end of the novel one character is willing to turn on their partner to please a superior (after which they would undertake a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ style suicide). I like the ‘loyalty outside of the main romance’ idea, and the moral questions it raises. The absence of unswerving devotion in the couple sustains a healthy amount of mystery around their relationship.

The topic of transgender people is at times discussed insensitively, although eventually this is remedied.

Striking descriptions:

· “My stomach felt as if it contained a live mouse, trying to chew its way out.”

· “I’ll dangle on the hook to see what fish swims out. But who’s going to hold the net?”

· “He held his head like a full cup of water, moving slowly as if to avoid spilling over.”