Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

42 reviews

poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

2.5

The story premise is good but it almost reads like a rough draft.  We get told rather than shown what happens.  The narration was also flat and the strange music at the end of every chapter break pulls you out of the story and at times seems to mock the story itself.  if you are interested in this series,  I hear there is a revision coming.  Listen to that one instead.  its probably better done and the story itself isn't bad. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, Rape, Torture, War, Child abuse, Murder, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

kassidyreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence

jamby4546's review against another edition

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Torture, Slavery, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Sexual violence

maevebillings's review

adventurous dark emotional fast-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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Blood, and Transphobia

malima's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Poison study starts with Yelena, a girl that has been in prison for a year because she killed the son of a powerful man, both of which had tortured her, being selected to become the food taster of the Commander, Ixia's ruler, after the previous one had died.
She learns to recognise poisons and to defend herself, she makes some friends, falls in love, finds out she has magic, and gets involved in the country's politics.
Mostly, this book is okay. It's exactly what you'd expect from a YA Fantasy book, nothing less, nothing more. Nothing bad about it, but also nothing special about it. 
All the relationships - both platonic and romantic - somewhat lack chemistry, but not to a degree that makes them unbelievable either.
I kept reading because it was an enjoyable enough read and I had no reason to stop, but planned not to continue with the sequel. Luckily, the end does pick up, and once we get to know more about the political plot brewing inside Ixia and Yelena gets involved in it, the plot did catch my interest.
The relationships didn't become any more interesting, though, but the dimension of their political allyship between Yelena and her love interest made me willing to overlook their lack of chemistry towards the end.
There is no way this series will become one of my favourites, but the glimpse we got into the magical and political landscape in Ixia and its neighbour Sitia towards the end, makes me think the series will probably turn out to be in overall an enjoyable, if mediocre, read after all.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Physical abuse

Moderate: Rape, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Trafficking and Transphobia

There's a character who says transphobic things, but these are turned against themselves, as they are trans themselves and call their transness a "mutilation"

zia_c's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

1.75

The story had its moments of intrigue, but I couldn't fully enjoy it because of the YA writing style and the closed-door romance. It just didn't click with my personal preferences, you know? But hey, I'm sure there's a whole bunch of readers out there who absolutely love that kind of writing and will devour this book. 

So if you're into that vibe, go ahead and give it a shot. It might be exactly what you're looking for!

Characters - Yelena | Valek | Commander Ambrose | Jenco | Ari | Irys | Mogkan | Brazzel 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Sexual assault

msstearns13's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Rape and Torture

Minor: Vomit, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Trafficking, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, and Panic attacks/disorders

amandaquotidianbooks's review

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Torture, Child abuse, and Blood

tynga's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Minor: Torture, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape

auri_underthing's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, and Torture