Reviews with content warning for Rape - Poison Study

Don't get me wrong, this was a good book. I might even say it was a great one but it was just nothing special. I really wish I would have enjoyed it more. This could have been a five star read but something was missing. I liked the writing, loved the characters, loved the plot and magic system. My only real concern was that the romance felt rushed and underdeveloped. Since the rest was good I don't really mind though.

I think the reason I didn't like it as much as I could have is how much YA Fantasy I have already read. At some point it just starts to become repetitive. I really hope that is not true though because I love YA Fantasy. :( If I read this book 2 years ago I would have probably liked it more.

Another concern I had was that certain serious topics where discussed quite graphically which I don't like and which always makes me uncomfortable. It was used to establish Yelenas character and her past trauma but still I wished it had been less graphic.

Nonetheless I will definitely be reading the following books of the series. I also hope Ari and Janco will be in the next booka as well since they were my favourite characters. (Btw. I thought their friendship could have been established better. They basically went from not knowing Yelena to wanting to die for her which felt very rushed.) I guess I just wished it was longer but since it is the first book of a series that's not really a big issue.

Edit: One more thing. I didn't expect the romance to be Between thlse two people for two reasons. 1. it was underdeveloped and 2. he is 33 and she is 19!! I didn't even realise it that much while reading the book but at first I did think he was going to be a sort of mentor/father figure. When they started hinting at a romance I aged him down in my mind but now that I finished the book I looked it up and he really is 33! Idk what to think about that tbh

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lusouto's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

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katiefronk's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

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deenice2819's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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earthlyfaerie's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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racheldiep's review

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

5.0

Anyone who's a fan of The Hunger Games will love (which is...everyone? does anyone not like THG??). I saw so many parallels between Yelena and Katniss Everdeen (and Poison Study was actually published first!) I could even recommend this book to non-fans of the fantasy genre because the world building gets straight to the point, it's not at a snail's pace like a lot of other fantasies. The romance is also p intriguing but doesn't detract from the main events of the novel. Bonus points for the main girl casually being a WOC (even though you can't tell from the cover lol), the casual trans rep, and deftly capturing how a survivor of abuse processes trauma.

Also I thought this book would be YA, but it's definitely new adult/adult fantasy (TWs for sexual assault, abuse).

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reynoldsreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

An utterly engrossing fantasy!

After wasting away in prison for a year while awaiting her execution for murder, Yelena is surprised to be offered a second chance at life as the new food taster for the Commander. She accepts the job, but there is a catch: the Commander’s right-hand man, Valek, immediately poisons her with Butterfly’s Dust, so she must return daily to take the antidote and postpone the poison’s effects by another day.

In addition to the potentially lethal training she must endure to learn to identify poisons by taste and smell, her new position holds other dangers. The father of the man she killed is hellbent on vengeance; she doesn’t know who among the castle servants she can truly trust; and now there is a mysterious woman with powerful magic trying to kill Yelena too!

It’s absolutely gripping and I flew right through it! Although I do wish someone would #GiveYelenaABreak from being attacked every other chapter, poor girl deserves a chance to just breathe for a moment (literally!)

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chuckielittle's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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