Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
The first book of Maria Snyder's Study series and her debut novel, Poison Study was recommended to me as a bolt-through-it-in-one-day read, and I have to agree with this assessment. Condemned to death for murdering the son of her childhood benefactor, Yelena is offered a choice between hanging or the job of food taster to the country's ruler. Accepting the latter position, she finds herself embroiled in a new life of politics, castle life, and lessons in poison. This new life also comes with enemies, both familiar and unfamiliar: the General whose son she killed, the many who work for him, and those who distrust her as a murderer they believe should never have been offered reprieve. There is also Valek, chief of security and spies, towards whom she is torn between trust and wariness. Valek was the one who diverted her path from the noose and teaches her about poisons; but he has also poisoned her with lethal Butterfly's Dust, for which only he has the antidote, to ensure she does not escape.
Yet Yelena finds friends in spite of all, and begins to prove herself a worthy adviser even as she must dodge numerous attempts on her life. As if she didn't have enough problems, Yelena is haunted and taunted by the demons of her traumatic past; as the novel progresses her story unfolds, and we gradually learn why she killed the General's son, and the events of the night the murder occurred. There is some degree of gore and torture, but nothing too graphic: Snyder's writing is at times quite striking and effective, but not so vivid for me to find even the more descriptive scenes particularly confronting. Nonetheless, the characterisation was well-done and I liked the construction of Yelena's character and story: her first-person voice is strong and invites a connection between her and the reader, while the piece-by-piece revelation of her past is suspenseful and intriguing.
The storyline was also pulled off well, I thought. The intrigue wasn't heavy or ambitiously intricate, and more time was spent on Yelena's personal story and growth than lofty matters of state and politics. I enjoyed reading a book told from a poison-taster's point of view, since that was quite unusual for me. Wizards and warriors are somewhat standard protagonist fare in fantasy, and even when they're done well I get a little tired of the same old character types. I prefer more offbeat or unique central characters, such as spies or thieves (or just plain normal people, which are somewhat fantastical in nature themselves) - or, in this case, food-taster. Perhaps such characters figure largely in books I haven't heard of, but still I found the perspective refreshing.
Snyder's writing isn't the most striking or compelling I've read, and there were numerous instances in which characters used quite modern colloquial terms. This didn't detract from the story at all, of course - in fact, it was occasionally endearing - but it did make the world-building a little inconsistent for me. Nonetheless, some of the descriptions were poetic or captivating, and it was well-written enough to carry me along without hesitation for 400 pages, so I have no real complaints.
This novel was highly recommended to me, and I highly recommend it to you. The characters, romance, atmosphere and plot all satisfied me, and I'm already halfway through the sequel after starting the first only yesterday. They are enjoyable books, good for settling back with on a rainy day or when you feel like a fantasy bludge, but by no means insult the intelligence either. Give Poison Study a try, because I don't think you will regret it.
Links
Maria V. Snyder's homepage, which contains most pertinent links and information (including an extract).
The Fantasticfiction page on her might also prove useful.
Yet Yelena finds friends in spite of all, and begins to prove herself a worthy adviser even as she must dodge numerous attempts on her life. As if she didn't have enough problems, Yelena is haunted and taunted by the demons of her traumatic past; as the novel progresses her story unfolds, and we gradually learn why she killed the General's son, and the events of the night the murder occurred. There is some degree of gore and torture, but nothing too graphic: Snyder's writing is at times quite striking and effective, but not so vivid for me to find even the more descriptive scenes particularly confronting. Nonetheless, the characterisation was well-done and I liked the construction of Yelena's character and story: her first-person voice is strong and invites a connection between her and the reader, while the piece-by-piece revelation of her past is suspenseful and intriguing.
The storyline was also pulled off well, I thought. The intrigue wasn't heavy or ambitiously intricate, and more time was spent on Yelena's personal story and growth than lofty matters of state and politics. I enjoyed reading a book told from a poison-taster's point of view, since that was quite unusual for me. Wizards and warriors are somewhat standard protagonist fare in fantasy, and even when they're done well I get a little tired of the same old character types. I prefer more offbeat or unique central characters, such as spies or thieves (or just plain normal people, which are somewhat fantastical in nature themselves) - or, in this case, food-taster. Perhaps such characters figure largely in books I haven't heard of, but still I found the perspective refreshing.
Snyder's writing isn't the most striking or compelling I've read, and there were numerous instances in which characters used quite modern colloquial terms. This didn't detract from the story at all, of course - in fact, it was occasionally endearing - but it did make the world-building a little inconsistent for me. Nonetheless, some of the descriptions were poetic or captivating, and it was well-written enough to carry me along without hesitation for 400 pages, so I have no real complaints.
This novel was highly recommended to me, and I highly recommend it to you. The characters, romance, atmosphere and plot all satisfied me, and I'm already halfway through the sequel after starting the first only yesterday. They are enjoyable books, good for settling back with on a rainy day or when you feel like a fantasy bludge, but by no means insult the intelligence either. Give Poison Study a try, because I don't think you will regret it.
Links
Maria V. Snyder's homepage, which contains most pertinent links and information (including an extract).
The Fantasticfiction page on her might also prove useful.