Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Poison Study

Yelena had been sentenced to death for murdering the son of a very powerful man. She's awaiting her execution in a cell when Valek - the head of intelligence for the Commander of Ixia and the famous assassin who took the life of the last King, gives her a choice: die for her crime or become the Commader's taster and risk her life checking the ruler's food for poison. Yelena, wanting to live, chooses the latter.

I absolutely adored this book. One of the best books I've read this year!

I haven't read a protagonist as good as Yelena in a while! This girl just stole the book for me. Yelena is an incredibly complex character, one whose layers are being peeled off as the story progresses. She goes from a total mystery (why is a 19/20-year-old charged for murder?) to one of the most heartbreaking characters I have ever read to a fierce young woman. She's incredibly intelligent and resourceful which makes her a force to be reckoned with but she never comes off as a "mary-sue" type of character. Her journey in this book is just stunning.

She's supported by a wide range of characters each better the last most notable Valek. He is just a treat, a total scene-stealer that you cannot resist. Their romance is just *chef's kisses*. A slow burn of all slow burn! But, boi is it worth it. This book made me literally giddy with excitement for them.

The worldbuilding was well done. So far the world didn't blew me away but I'm certainly intrigued by it. I wish there was more history and details in the book, but since this takes place mostly in one place I can forgive not developing the entire country and lore for now.

This is definitely a character-driven story so the plot isn't anything out of this world, but the mystery plotline that runs alongside Yelena's development kept me guessing and ultimately concluded in a very satisfying way. I enjoyed how this world and its politics are not so black-and-white and how that is reflected in the characters' behavior, their choices, and the plot. I also enjoyed how daring some of it was. There were themes implemented and choices made by the author that I don't see often in modern YA. It felt like a breath of fresh air in that way.

A final note I would like to make is that despite it being YA, this book doesn't pull its punches. There are a lot of hard-hitting scenes and themes that made me wonder whether this shouldn't be considered NA or even Adult. Ultimately, I still think this is YA, albeit for older teens, but I would recommend checking out trigger warnings if you're affected by themes of assault, violence against children, and rape.

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stephaniemcuervo's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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zia_c's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

1.75

The story had its moments of intrigue, but I couldn't fully enjoy it because of the YA writing style and the closed-door romance. It just didn't click with my personal preferences, you know? But hey, I'm sure there's a whole bunch of readers out there who absolutely love that kind of writing and will devour this book.

So if you're into that vibe, go ahead and give it a shot. It might be exactly what you're looking for!

Characters - Yelena | Valek | Commander Ambrose | Jenco | Ari | Irys | Mogkan | Brazzel

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kesbooks's review against another edition

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4.5

When I first started this book, I didn’t expect to give it a high rating but by the end it was closer to a 5 star than any fantasy this year.

The Story follows Yelena, a woman set to hang for murder, receive an offer she can’t refuse. Die or become the food taster for the Commander and leader of Ixia. She takes the deal but there is a catch. She must take a poison every day to insure she doesn’t attempt to escape with the only antidote being in the hands of a trained assassin and head of security for the Commander.

Yelena is a character you will root for. Healing. Found family. Love. This book was so good! It's been so long since I have felt generally sad for a book to end. The second book can’t get here fast enough!

*Please look up TW if needed. This book is dark. *

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owlishbookish's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I could have sworn I had already reviewed this book, but I guess I was wrong. This is another book that I've read many times over and I always come back to it. Yelena and Valek are my very favorite pairing out of all the literary couples I've read. Is it because they both speak fluent sarcasm and thus speak my language? Maybe. In any case, this story never fails to enthrall me. I was supposed to be (re)reading this for a book club, but before I knew it I was on the last chapter, well ahead of the book club's schedule. Whoops. To say that I highly recommend it should be fairly obvious by now. The audiobook is phenomenal, as well, so you really can't go wrong no matter what format you read it in.

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lupin92's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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