Reviews with content warning for Rape - Poison Study

The plot was entertaining and Yelena and Valek were very fun characters.

The writing was occasionally graphic and occasionally juvenile, which left me with a feeling of whiplash.

I had a hard time keeping many of the side characters straight. It suffered the weakness that many YA novels do of trying to do too much that ends up not being related to main plotline.

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kesbooks's review against another edition

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4.5

When I first started this book, I didn’t expect to give it a high rating but by the end it was closer to a 5 star than any fantasy this year.

The Story follows Yelena, a woman set to hang for murder, receive an offer she can’t refuse. Die or become the food taster for the Commander and leader of Ixia. She takes the deal but there is a catch. She must take a poison every day to insure she doesn’t attempt to escape with the only antidote being in the hands of a trained assassin and head of security for the Commander.

Yelena is a character you will root for. Healing. Found family. Love. This book was so good! It's been so long since I have felt generally sad for a book to end. The second book can’t get here fast enough!

*Please look up TW if needed. This book is dark. *

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amandaquotidianbooks's review

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I enjoyed the complex characters, but didn’t find them particularly lovable. The plot kept me guessing for the most part.

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tynga's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious medium-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

5.0

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asagecalledq's review

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dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

It was a pretty good read until the last 3rd of the book. I get having a romance is a YA fantasy staple but without spoiling the author could have made a less problematic choicen. Outside of that the world was interestingand I liked the friendships that developed.

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jillpar's review

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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auri_underthing's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

To describe this book in three words:
Metallic. Butterflies. Hazy.
I enjoyed this book, but I couldn’t help but feel there was something missing, something that would take it from good to extraordinary. Anyway, the world building was good and it had an interesting magic system. Ari and Janco were the best vibe.
Oh and I was pleasantly surprised by the

Commander being trans.

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jgalla's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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