Book Review: The Study of Poisons by Maria V Snyder
Hey all, Sam here.
Today’s blog review post is an interesting one, at least for me, because it is partly a review for a newer release, but it is also a throwback to my college days…which was a couple iterations of my blog ago. My former blogs never had any real viewership. I believe I had at most 7 followers, and I barely had any likes or comments or anything. What I can say is that they were nice learning experiences. I definitely learned a lot from them. I can also say that I still have learning and growth to accomplish. Because while this blog is an impressive success in comparison to those old blogs, I still don’t think I’ve reached my peak yet.
Anyway, I first started reading the Chronicles of Ixia in late 2006 or early 2007, and I quickly fell in love with the characters and the story. Today’s review is for a new book in the series that will feel very familiar to fans of the first book, Poison Study, so let’s just go ahead and jump in.
My Thoughts
Fierce, determined, dangerous. No wonder her soul called to his.
As Chief of Security of Ixia, Valek has spent the last fifteen years keeping Commander Ambrose and his citizens safe. With his complex network of spies, informers, and soldiers, it’s his job to hunt down and capture criminals, including the intriguing Yelena.
Sensing there is more to the story of why she killed a general’s son, Valek arranges for Yelena to become the Commander’s new food taster, training her in the delicate art of detecting poisons. As mysteries and a devious plot to harm the Commander unravel, Yelena’s presence becomes crucial. Will her intelligence, stubbornness, and survivor instincts be a help to Valek’s investigation, or a hinderance?
A companion novel to Poison Study, The Study of Poisons reveals Valek’s side of the story. Return to the world of Ixia and discover just how the lovely Yelena got Valek’s cold heart pumping!
Rating: 5 stars
Okay, so if you couldn’t tell from the summary, this book is basically the first book all over again, but from the perspective of Valek. Now, sure, this has been done in so many series the past handful of years, but here’s where I think this one is different: for the other books, the romantic interest perspective book came out shortly after finishing the original series…but Poison Study came out back in 2005/2006, and here we are now in 2023, where we’re FINALLY getting more from Valek.
I feel like this was such an interesting way to do it, to make us wait and wonder for so many years. There were so many points where Yelena and Valek were apart in the original trilogy, and I found myself wondering what had happened. Sure, Valek made it sound like it wasn’t a big deal, but considering how reserved he was most of the time, I always felt there was more to the story.
So here we finally get everything from his point of view. We get to see how he thinks and processes things from the perspective of his own mind and insight. Plus we get to see more of his interactions with the Commander and more of his scenes with the Generals or just skulking around gathering information and working his information network.
This story perfectly complements the characters we already know and love, but also gives us a deeper understanding of everything that was going on behind the scenes. I was so absorbed into this book, and read through it so so quickly. It also made me hope that we would see Magic Study and Fire Study get similar treatments, because in those books Yelena and Valek are even more separated than in the first one, and I would love to follow on Valek’s adventures.
There was so much intrigue, with hints of action and a deeper understanding of the world-building and the characters with this release. I can’t help it. I want more. I’m also probably going to end up continuing my re-read of all of the Chronicles of Ixia again. I finished the original Study trilogy, and am getting ready to dive into the Glass trilogy, so there’s enough books to hold me for a little while…but I’m really really hoping that Maria V Snyder does continue with Valek’s perspective.
Well, that is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.
