Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Poison Study

Don't get me wrong, this was a good book. I might even say it was a great one but it was just nothing special. I really wish I would have enjoyed it more. This could have been a five star read but something was missing. I liked the writing, loved the characters, loved the plot and magic system. My only real concern was that the romance felt rushed and underdeveloped. Since the rest was good I don't really mind though.

I think the reason I didn't like it as much as I could have is how much YA Fantasy I have already read. At some point it just starts to become repetitive. I really hope that is not true though because I love YA Fantasy. :( If I read this book 2 years ago I would have probably liked it more.

Another concern I had was that certain serious topics where discussed quite graphically which I don't like and which always makes me uncomfortable. It was used to establish Yelenas character and her past trauma but still I wished it had been less graphic.

Nonetheless I will definitely be reading the following books of the series. I also hope Ari and Janco will be in the next booka as well since they were my favourite characters. (Btw. I thought their friendship could have been established better. They basically went from not knowing Yelena to wanting to die for her which felt very rushed.) I guess I just wished it was longer but since it is the first book of a series that's not really a big issue.

Edit: One more thing. I didn't expect the romance to be Between thlse two people for two reasons. 1. it was underdeveloped and 2. he is 33 and she is 19!! I didn't even realise it that much while reading the book but at first I did think he was going to be a sort of mentor/father figure. When they started hinting at a romance I aged him down in my mind but now that I finished the book I looked it up and he really is 33! Idk what to think about that tbh

Content Warnings

leah_j's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

a weirdly interesting and concept. ari and janco own my heart. yelena is such a good protagonist, morally-grey, determined, and caring; i liked her a lot. i’m excited to read the follow-up as the magic system is compelling and is going to be explored a lot more in that.

though i would take heed to the content warnings as they are incredibly necessary as it isn’t a one-off occasion in the book. i would recommend this if you don’t mine a slow-burn romance as more of a side-plot to political intrigue and magic.

Content Warnings

somberliving's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

2.0

Everything seemed a bit rushed in the 2nd half. It didn’t give me enough time to love the characters, catch up with the feelings of the MC, or truly care about the love interest. Idk it seemed cliche when she found her “found family” in so far that the bonding went from 0-100 real quick without a proper flow. Another fast pace was the

I love you scene

, which I found very random and out of place. It’s like it was thrown together just so there was an ending to their relationship arc. There was also no fun or humour to balance anything out.

I see why people could like this, but I struggled to finish. I’m not planning on reading the second book, sadly.

Content Warnings