Poison Study (ISBN 978-0-7783-2433-1, published in 2005) is Maria V. Snyder's first step in the world of young adult fantasy, and she churned out a riveting tale about a young girl made to be the ruler of Ixia's food taster. On the surface, it sounds a little bland, but it's actually a decadent mixture of magic, a rebellion in the mist, and rite of passage. It also has a tinge of poison.
Yelena Can Either Become the Commander's Food Taster or Die
Yelena is the next in line for the noose on Ixia's death row as she killed one of the General's sons, and the law in Ixia decrees the death penalty for all murder, no matter the reason. As Yelena is out of the dungeon and towards her fate, she makes a brief stop with Valek, the Commander's security chief and leader of Ixia's intelligence network (in other words, a top assassin and spy). Valek offers her a chance to live, if she acts as the Commander's food taster. The last one recently died, and by law, the next prisoner scheduled to die must be offered the job.
And so Yelena accepts, and quickly becomes more involved with Valek and the Commander than simply tasting the Commander's food for poisons. She ends up practically working as a spy in an intriguing plot mixture of a rising insurrection and learning about her own past and magic abilities.
Maria V. Snyder Keeps Readers Hungry
At first, it seems hard to imagine how this book could keep a reader glued to the pages. Sure, there is the promise of eventually learning exactly why Yelena killed the General's son, but that wouldn't be enough to keep most readers' interest throughout.
Snyder never lets that be a problem. She definitely knows how to keep a story moving and keep it interesting. By the end of the book, Yelena's reasons for murder pale in comparison to everything else that is going on around her.
Poison Study Has a Few of Its Own Poisons
Poison Study does have a couple of downsides, namely its overall predictability and the fact that it really seems to adopt the same methodology for magic found in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. This latter point was the most disappointing aspect of the book, and it left the question of whether Snyder intended to copy Jordan's True Source or not.
However, none of these downfalls detract from the overall story in any way. It's incredibly enjoyable, and it's easy to recommend to readers who enjoy either adult or young adult fantasy.
Keri Honea - Keri Honea is all over the place. She's involved with video games, animation, strategy guides, and fantasy books, and not just on Suite ...
