Reviews - Master of Poisons

243 reviews for:

Master of Poisons

Andrea Hairston

3.39 AVERAGE

addimop's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

caseythecanadianlesbrarian's review against another edition

3.0

Sadly this fantasy novel is going to have to go in the category of "I admired but didn't actually enjoy reading it." The writing is beautiful and insightful, and the world-building is rich and unique. My issue ultimately was that I never got invested in the plot or the characters.

The first half moves at a slug's pace, which I wouldn't have minded if I'd felt like I was getting to know the characters. But by the time it picked up action-wise about halfway, I didn't feel emotionally invested in the people or the environmental disaster coming their way.

The tone of the storytelling felt very removed, as if the narrator is zoomed out the whole time, as if most of the story is the backstory to the story proper.

I did enjoy the African and Indigenous influenced fantasy world and the inclusion of nonbinary people and queer relationships. And the prose is incredibly beautiful at times. The opening paragraph is amazing.

Perhaps other not so character-driven readers such as me would enjoy this more.

thuto's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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: Yes

cwarne9's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

dayday_reads's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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: Yes

I loved thia book! It was everything that I'd hoped and so much more. It's blackity black, magical, fantastical, lyrical, beautiful, heartbreaking, endearing, lush and I want more! It's dystopian and a bit apocalyptic and I ate it up! Djola was a tragic anti-hero who finally found redemption after losing himself. Awa was a young girl who grew in to a woman who found her way, found love and herself. I loved the people and how while no one people was "good" per se, most tried to be and believed those lies they chose to believe as truth. Smoke-land is such a fascinating place and I would love to learn more about it and the people who inhabit it. The ending is beautiful and so fitting that I was surprised when it was over.

lavenderteacat's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I loved this book. I generally don't enjoy books where climate change (especially the human-created aspect of it) is a major theme, but Master of Poisons manages to inspire hope without diminishing the scale of the problem. Not to mention, I adore the characters, and the prose was gorgeous! The way characters grew and changed (or didn't) felt deeply realistic. This is a book I'm going to be thinking about for a long time.