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Just as she is facing the hangman’s noose for murder, fate intervenes for the young Yelena. She is given a choice – execution, or the opportunity to train to be the new food taster for Commander Ambrose of Ixia. Called many things, stupid was not one of them, so Yelena accepts the alternative presented to her. Thus begins her new life…

In her very first lesson, Yelena is dosed with the poison Butterfly’s Dust to prevent any escape attempts. If she does not receive her daily dose of the antidote, she will succumb to an agonizing death within three days. Valek, head of security for the Commander begins Yelena’s instruction in the skill of food tasting and they fast fall into an easy routine. In spite of the possibility she could die at any time by poison in the Commander’s food, Yelena blossoms in her new life, even gradually discovering tender emotions for Valek.

However, danger beckons from more than one direction. Enemies of her past would like nothing more than to seek their revenge and see Yelena dead. Someone in Ixia is plotting a takeover, and she and Valek are caught up in the middle. To make matters even worse, a mysterious magician from the south is lurking about, with a startling revelation for Yelena. For our young food taster has strengths she never knew, which could save the Commander, Valek and everyone else she cares about, or result in Ixia’s ultimate destruction. She must now make a choice, but how will that affect everything she’s ever known?

Poison Study by Maria V Snyder is an imaginative novel sure to charm readers from the very first sentence. Politics and intrigue, with a healthy dose of magic are the name of the game in this debut. We are dropped right in to the heart of it all with Yelena as hope beckons her out of her gloomy cell. Intelligent young woman that she is, she adapts rapidly to her new life and takes to her lessons with ease, after surviving her first, and most dangerous, poison test, “My Love.”

The cast of characters is expansive and varied, from the malicious General Brazell who would like nothing more than to see Yelena dead, to the loyal Ari and Jenko (captains in the Commander’s army). We also have a touch of the mystical in the form of the ghost of Yelena’s murder victim and Irys the Magician. Valek is strong and brave, totally swoon-worthy even in light of his chosen profession and a few unusual keepsakes in his apartment (like the still-bloody knife used in the kill that cemented Commander Ambrose as ruler of Ixia) and his rather unsentimental exterior. Of course though, Yelena is my favorite character. Hearing her story about how she rose above her rough beginning and subsequent treatment by the man and his son who fostered her. She has quite a bit of courage wrapped up in a small package and you can’t help but admire her for the person she has become.

Snyder certainly did her research, which she blended into the fantasy world of Poison Study. I was quite fascinated by the attention to detail found in the studies of the various poisons. The different tasting methods, the flavors to watch out for, and the symptoms of the poisons were surprisingly well done, giving us an education right alongside of Yelena.

Gabra Zackman does a wonderful job narrating Poison Study. The various inflections and accents she used made each voice as unique as the character it belonged to. She is a fairly new-to-me performer, this only being the second book she voiced that I listened to, but she has talent and I look forward to future performances by her.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, January 2007. All rights reserved.