Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Lexie

The brutality of what Yelena faced in a relatively short amount of time
(before the start of the book) would probably have broken most people.
There isn't an in depth description of prison life, but from her
appearance and short clues she gives us it couldn't have been a
particularly good year of living. I often wondered if she could have
turned things back if she would have changed things and tried to live a
less...riotous life. I don't honestly believe so though, because she
doesn't have the character (the will) of a person who would change
things for an easier life if it meant another had to suffer.

There
are occasionally plot contrivances to keep the plot moving or propel
character development (how they finally figure out where Criollo comes
from is such a thing), but nothing as overt as 'Yelena found a book
that told her exactly what was happening and how to stop it'. Yelena
earns most things the hard way--her self-defense, the trust of
practically the entire cast and even her victories come at a price.

I
know from message boards and the like that Ixia, where Poison Study is
located, isn't the ideal sort of set up for most. Its very much a
military dictatorship--with all the paperwork, discipline and
uniformity expected of such. You come to find out though that the two
countries--Ixia and Sitia--are pretty much polar opposites on each ends
of extreme beliefs.

Commander
Ambrose believes that orderliness and properly channeling talents is
the only way of keeping control and from what we are told of the past
monarchy's rule there is something to what he says. He rewards hard
work, but doesn't expect someone to toil away at a job because he has
to. He wants the people of Ixia to want to work towards a better life.
There isn't any poverty or unemployment (at least not in any measurable
amount). Its kind of communist.

Sitia is described almost like a
hippie commune but with magic. Something the Commander does not
tolerate. We find out why eventually.

As far as romance goes,
its not a focal point of the novel at all. It happens over the course
of time--Yelena doesn't see Valek and go 'Wow give me some of that!',
she's actually very distrustful and wary of him for a long time. Since
this is a first person POV from Yelena, we can't know Valek's immediate
feelings upon meeting Yelena, but we can guess (she's basically bones
with a fine tissue paper skin stretched across, smells like a dung pile
and is a confessed murderess, I can't imagine that's a turn on for
him). When feelings are made to be known Yelena doesn't suddenly become
worried about how she looks or acts or Valek's opinion--well she
worries over Valek's opinion, but that has less to do with romance and
more to do with staying on his continual good side as an employee of
his. Doesn't do to piss off the foremost spy and assassin in the realm
eh?

((reprinted with author's permission))