A review by luckykosmos
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

adventurous mysterious medium-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? No

3.75

This felt all over the place, but not in a way I disliked. It had the trappings of other YA fantasies of its age, with a much darker backstory for the lead (which I honestly appreciated, since it gave gravity to the poison testing and politics), great pacing, good characterization. In some places, it felt distinctly 2005 - using some overly modern language like ‘goons’ pulled me out of the story and reminded me of both its time and its audience, and there was a trans narrative whose execution wouldn’t fly today but was well-intentioned and surprising for an otherwise very straight and straightforward YA fantasy romance. It was fun and had enough promise that I’m more than happy to buckle in and see how the author refined it.
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