Customer Reviews
Very well written - By: Amy T, 16 Jul 2008 
Yelena was convicted of murdering a General's son & was sentenced to death. As she is walking to her death she is redirected to Valek's (chief of security) office where she is offered a choice: the noose or becoming the food taster for the Commander. Only the next convict sent to their death after the predecessor has died can become the new food taster as it is a death sentence anyway. Yelena accepts Valek's offer but she is not only in danger from possible poisons in the Commander's food but her life is threatened by the grieving General whose son she killed.
When Yelena was convicted no one knew her motive for the murder so everyone believes she is a cold-blooded killer, though Valek rightly begins to suspect otherwise. In this society any unnatural death is murder & therefore the punishment is always execution.
I was intrigued by the political structure in this society. The monarchy was overthrown by the current Commander & a new military structure was put into place. It seems like a very communist society for example, every child at age 12 is assigned a job based on their skills & is entered into training & every person must wear a uniform according to their political & social standing. This is very different to most of the fantasy books I have read.
Yelena was very well written she is a victim to begin with, she would run away at the first sign of trouble but as she is put in more & more danger she decides to find people to teach her some fighting skills. She becomes more confident & stands up to those that are bullying her.
This is a very easy to read fantasy with plenty of action & adventure as well as a slow burning romance. A brilliant start to the Study series
Strong female - By: A. Simao, 05 Jul 2008 It's been a while since i've devoured a book. This happened with poison study. This female character has fire, power & courage, as well as habilities. But what I like the most is that she does't just have the strenghts & uses it, like we see in so many books, she has to work them. She struggles through life as a girl & developes skills that slowly makes her a powerful woman. Even the romance that eventuallly happens isn't too lame. A nice story, that ends as good as it starts.
NO SPOILERS HERE.
Seriously good - By: J. Burrows, 24 Jun 2008 I bought this book the other day & wasn't able to put it down from the moment i turned the first page. Yelanna's story is captivating, & Snyder's writing style creates a world as real as Tolkien's middle earth. I havent enjoyed a fantasy book this much in a long time!!
Strong Start to Fantasy Trilogy - By: Lesley70, 05 Jun 2008 
Yelena is about to be executed for murder. With her life on the line she's offered a choice - attend her execution or become a food taster for the Commander of Ixia, a man under constant threat of assassination. She accepts the job offer, aware that whilst it may be merely a delay of her death, it also offers her the opportunity to escape.
Poison Study is set in a society (Ixia) which is Totalitarian. But it's made clear that in some ways this is better than the monarchist system it replaced. The people as a whole appear to be better off under the rule of the Commander - everyone has a job, there are no homeless, people are expected to contribute to society. But it's also a rigid system with high standards, there is little flexibility. The use of magic isn't tolerated. Creating another problem for Yelena when her magical abilities start to develop. Unfortunately even within this controlled system there is still room for unscrupulous people to manipulate things to their advantage.
The story did start out slowly for me. Though I was hooked by page 81 & at that point basicallly read until I'd finished the book. Initiallly the story seems very simple. Yelena is the hero, we're on her side. The people who've imprisoned her are bad - but it's more complicated than that. As we progress through the story it becomes more complex & layered - especiallly as Yelena doesn't know who it's safe to trust. Every time she confides in someone it's a risk & you feel that as you're reading. And in sharing her secrets is she endangering the people she's come to care for?
What made this book for me are the relationships between Yelena & the other characters. Not just Valek her mentor & more, but Ari, Janko & also the characters she didn't get on with. You feel like this is a story about a real place & real people, even though some of the circumstances are fantastical.
Valek slightly reminded me of Anafiel Delauney from the Kushiel series, he's one of those men who sees everything. And the author doesn't betray his character. At the end when he has the most difficult choice to make. He makes it, but he makes it his own choice. It's the relationship that develops between Valek & Yelena that kept me turning the pages. How it progresses from jailor & prisoner, to mentor & student to more.
If I had any complaints it would be that some of the resolution was a little convenient & wasn't as involving (for me) as I hoped it would be - slightly too much running from place to place. Apart from that, this is definitely a book I'd recommend. And I've already got Magic Study on my TBR pile ready to go.
Obvious...but thats not a bad thing - By: Read Me, 28 Apr 2008 This has alll the makings of a traditional semi-fantasy trilogy: Castles, soldiers, magicians, forests & poison. The fact that I was so gripped by this that i read it in 5 hours proves that its a good, well written book (also not difficlut to read). Its only with hindsight that I start to think its got elements of many other fantasy novels, mainly Trudi Canavan's Black Magician trilogy (lone girl forced into training in role she doesn't want fallls in love with her superior) but we'll have to see how it goes - & I absolutely want to read the next books.
If you want the details - Yelena is about to be hanged for a murder that she did commit, but Valek the Commander's right hand man gives her an alternative fate. Become a poison taster for the Commander. Not a bad deal except for the certain death. Cue many adventures & lots of running round castles & forests.
All in alll its a good book, a little predictable, but still very entertaining!
