Review Detail

The first in a series, Snyder has
created a world filled with lies, betrayal, murder, and magic. It's a
place where an eye for an eye is law, and trials don't exist. At the
start of the story, Yelena is waiting to be executed for the murder of
the only son of a general. Naturally, when she's offered the chance to
live, she takes it despite the fact that she has to become the food
taster (to check for poison) for the Commander of Ixia. She's escaped
being hanged, but she could die at any time....

It
was nice to read a story with a strong female heroine. She doesn't need
to be rescued, and she makes her own decisions (within the limitations
that have been put on her by her handler). Her life hasn't been easy,
but she never uses that as an excuse. I also liked that Snyder waited
to reveal why Yelena commited murder. I won't give anything away, but
it really made me understand and empathize with her character. I also
loved the cast of supporting characters! Yes, I used an exclamation
mark...I was always suspicious of them (which was, in my opinion, the
point). I never knew who was trustworthy, or who would could be leaking
information to the rebels.