Poison Study (Study, #1) in The Not-So Austen Bookclub

Nov 11, 2012 ♥ Becky 22 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, loved-it, recent-awesomeness, awesome, unputdownable, fave-covers, favoritebooks, favorite-heroines, kickass-series

Unputdownable.
If I had to describe this book in one word, that would be it.
This book had me staying up till 2 am two nights in a row because I could not stop reading. Sleep? Screw sleep! I needed to know what would happen next!
If I had to describe it in two words, it would be "freaking amazing".

"Poisoned, pursued and living with a psychopath. Not what I would consider the good life." - the stupid ghost.

I usually don't care much for book covers, but check out this beautiful cover:

I only own it ...more

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May 08, 2012 Varsha rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2016, 2016-favorites

Actual rating: 3.5
This book has been on my tbr pile for as long as I can remember and I finally got to it so yay. It's one of those early YA fantasy books that's well loved and not talked much about now and having finally read it, I can see the appeal. It's a well put togather story with good world building and hints at more to come. The characters were fleshed out and relatable, the plot was good although the pace did slow down at times. ...more

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Sep 21, 2013 Aliki rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

ΗΤΑΝ ΕΝΑ ΠΟΛΥ ΠΛΟΥΣΙΟ ΒΙΒΛΙΟ.ΟΙ ΧΑΡΑΚΤΗΡΕΣ ,Η ΠΛΟΚΗ,Η ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ.ΚΑΘΕ ΣΕΛΙΔΑ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΤΙ ΔΙΑΦΟΡΕΤΙΚΟ ΠΟΥ ΠΑΝΤΑ ΟΜΩΣ ΣΥΝΔΕΟΤΑΝ ΜΕ ΤΗΝ ΠΡΟΗΓΟΥΜΕΝΗ.ΕΝΤΟΝΟ ,ΜΕ ΠΑΘΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΓΩΝΙΑ .ΝΑ ΝΟΙΩΘΕΙΣ ΚΟΜΠΟΥΣ ΣΤΟ ΣΤΟΜΑΧΙ ΣΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΝΑ ΠΕΡΝΑΕΙ Η ΩΡΑ ΚΑΙ ΝΑ ΜΗΝ ΤΟ ΚΑΤΑΛΑΒΑΙΝΕΙΣ.

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Aug 06, 2012 Emily V rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012

Review also posted at: http://emily-confessionsofabookaholic...

Series: Study #1
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: September 1st 2007
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars
Synopsis: Choose: A quick death Or slow poison...
Yelena has a choice – be executed for murder, or become food taster to the Commander of Ixia. She leaps at the chance for survival, but her relief may be short-lived. Life in the palace is full of hazards and secrets. Wily and smart, Yelena Review also posted at: http://emily-confessionsofabookaholic...

Series: Study #1
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: September 1st 2007
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars
Cover Rating: 2/5 Stars
Synopsis: Choose: A quick death Or slow poison...
Yelena has a choice – be executed for murder, or become food taster to the Commander of Ixia. She leaps at the chance for survival, but her relief may be short-lived. Life in the palace is full of hazards and secrets. Wily and smart, Yelena must learn to identify poisons before they kill her, recognize whom she can trust and how to spy on those she can’t. And who is the mysterious Southern sorceress who can reach into her head? When Yelena realizes she has extraordinary powers of her own, she faces a whole new problem, for using magic in Ixia is punishable by death...

Poison Study was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. It's the first book I have read by Maria Snyder though I had heard her name being thrown around the blogosphere. The only reason I picked up this book was because it sounded unlike anything I had ever read and I wanted a change - that and the fact the shop was having a 3 for 2 sale and I needed a third book. The book follows Yelena who's waiting to be executed when she gets a lifeline. She can be executed or be the royal food taster. Both of which almost certainly make her death inevitable but the latter gives her a bit longer at least. She chooses to be a food taster and is immediately made to train with the dangerous Valek. She is taught to identify the poisons but not before being given one herself to stop her running away, a poison that will kill her unless she takes the antidote once a day. With escape impossible Yelena adapts to life in Ixia but she is not safe...

Yelena was exactly how a heroine should be. She was smart, stubborn and strong. She didn't rely on anyone and didn't whine. Not even when she was waiting to be executed! There's nothing I hate more than a whiny heroine. Yelena wasn't described as pretty, she has personality instead of looks which I've noticed is becoming a more and more popular trait in Young Adult books. Valek was also amazing. He was a ninja! Well maybe not a ninja but assassin doesn't sound as cool. Anyway, I loved the chemistry between him and Yelena, their relationship was entertaining to watch. Two other characters, Ari and Janco were awesome. They are both guards so you would expect them to be hard and mean. Well they weren't. Once they became friends with Yelena their protective sides came out. They were fiercely devoted to protecting her and just very sweet.

I really enjoyed this book and am going to pick up the second as soon as I can. The world building in Poison Study was exceptional, there was even a map at the beginning of the book which I reverted back to at many points in the book.It was very helpful. I would reccomend this to those who enjoy fantasy or even those who don't have much experience with it (like me) because this makes a great first. One thing I should say is although the book is young adult it is a very adult, young adult book for more mature readers.

My Favorite Quote

“Poisoned, pursued and living with a psychopath. Not what I would consider the good life. Death has its perks.”

Email me at: confessionsofabookaholic@LIVE.CO.UK ...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Elena Love rated it it was amazing

*Reviewing a re-read. Check out more on my blog @ Book Lady's Reviews*

Let me start by saying that, I try to re-read the series at least once a year. Which might sound crazy but this is at the very top of my favorites list and I'm completely addicted to it! If you've been following me and this blog for a while, you probably have seen all three books featured in various posts already. You might want to get used to me mentioning them all the time if you haven't yet. The main reason why I want to re *Reviewing a re-read. Check out more on my blog @ Book Lady's Reviews*

Let me start by saying that, I try to re-read the series at least once a year. Which might sound crazy but this is at the very top of my favorites list and I'm completely addicted to it! If you've been following me and this blog for a while, you probably have seen all three books featured in various posts already. You might want to get used to me mentioning them all the time if you haven't yet. The main reason why I want to re-read the trilogy again - more than anything - is to finally get my hands on the rest of the books that were quite recently published, devour them and be happy!

Moving on to the actual review, I'm going to try and make it as brief as possible. I love Yelena and her character development throughout the books is more than impressive! She has a fierce heart and mind from the very beginning, she's loyal, brave and basically a kick-ass. And please don't get me started on Valek. I love that guy! I probably would've been head over heels in love with him if he actually existed. He is my favorite fictional boyfriend though. Even if he comes off as being very serious, closed off and basically a jerk, he's such a caring softie under the surface.

As for Ari and Janco, I'll never get tired of reading about their bickering and fighting and everything else that makes them who they are. I just love those guys to pieces and would have loved it if they were my best friends. Seriously! They're so protective, extremely loyal and more than entertaining!

The plot itself never gets boring or repetitive and you definitely will not want to put the book - any book of hers really - down, once you start reading. It's unique, fascinating and more than interesting! The story an its flow are more than enjoyable and I've been obsessed with them since the first time I got my hands on them, read them and fell in love with Fantasy! This series was kind of like a starting point for my love for the genre and I cannot get enough it. It's my weakness and each time reading it is a completely new experience!

Maria V. Snyder's books are just...magical! Her writing is beautiful and makes everything seem so real and vivid inside your head. Her stories never fail to blow my mind and I cannot recommend them enough! If you're a fan of Fantasy and you haven' t picked this series up yet, well...Seriously?! ...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Megan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-books-of-all-time, 2013-favorites

Poison Study reminds me so much of Graceling though both books have very different story line with each other.
This book does really have a very unique plot. Carefully and beautifully written. I love the twist and turns and the unique magical abilities.
The characters are so awesome!I just ...fell in love with them. I don't like Yelena at first though because she seems weak and doesn't voice out what she thinks but then, as the story goes on, she became a different person; a much stronger person w ...more

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Jan 01, 2020 Marie Gonzalez rated it really liked it

4.5 stars
Be still my beating heart.
Poison Study was very easy to get into-- the need for more sets in quickly and pulled me out of my reading slump. Yelena is a great protagonist, and the revealing of her past is enticingly slow. I also appreciate that it ISN'T necessarily a dystopian at this point (a bit of a breath of fresh air in today's YA climate).
Although I liked the hint of romance- and it was just that, a hint- I do feel like it went a little overboard near the end. It was building and ...more

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