I had Maria Snyder's books in my library for awhile but had always forgotten about them or, like a child with ADD, simply got distracted by other pretty shiny things to read.
When I finally did buckle down to read, I ended up finishing all three books in the span of two nights. My attention span when it comes to books is notorious. If I demand peace and solitude whilst reading, it means that the book is worth nothing. That I want to detach myself from everything around to be thrown and completely immersed in the world drawn up and coloured for me by the writer.
The Poison Study series did that.
I can't pinpoint which element in it that had me hooked. The theme of discovering magic, of espionage and spies and the underdog who somehow beats all the odds, suspicion and intrigue and even the romance that somehow managed to weave itself in, always lingering but not made the primary theme and eventual focus of some other similar books I have read.
Truly, this series was a pleasant surprise from a few things I have read. I'm trying really hard to nitpick and find fault in this series.
Flow:
The story flow in itself was good. It was realistic. You don't suddenly find yourselves going through a drama that you know in reality would have taken a month or so but only happened in a few hours (read: Romeo and Juliet). Time does pass, even if its in the pages of a book. And with that, it creates the perfect sense of urgency and at times, helplessness depending on the situation. Nothing here is rushed, even when the lead has a penchant for running into things and going into things without a solid plan, there is still a sense of time and placement that allows for the readers to feel the apprehension sink in as the characters do before they embark on their near-impossible task.
Characters:
I wouldn't say that Yelena is now my favourite fantasy heroine (because despite the months I still can think of Celaena Sardothien) but compared to Celeana, she seemed so human and real. Human and real in the sense that her struggles, though set in a fantasy land, is almost realistic. The beginnings of the story when she was first introduced reminded me too much of Celaena but I liked how Snyder didn't really make life easy for her. It's not a matter of continuous putting Yelena in bad situations and then manipulating the reader to feel pity just because of the brutalities and injustice that was put on her. You grow to admire her, like her initial rough and unpolished ways and then her determination and resilience in braving and upsetting the odds. In fact, I very much liked how magic didn't even become the central focus of the story and of Yelena's character till much later. The story stayed true to its namesake and made sense and at home in my brain.
Plot:
Wow. There's actually a lot going on here. It may seem like so many things are happening at once and perhaps anyone else may have felt that all of sudden, from one plot bunny we're thrown another right in our faces. It didn't feel that way to me and in fact, it felt more like Snyder was aware that introducing a new plot element too soon when her readers are just about settling with the introductions would be too rude and abrupt. Hence my comment on the story flow, smooth.
Action/Drama/Conflict/etc:
Oh there's a healthy dose of this. I'm glad though that Snyder didn't paint Yelena to be one of those dramatic girls who's somehow been typecasted and written to be clamouring for attention just because she's the heroine, the lead. Yelena strives to be unnoticed but of course we notice her so much because the story is written from her perspective and thus, we are always privy to her thoughts and feelings. I did half expect her and Valek to have more intimate moments but I get the feeling that Snyder respects fantasy for what it is and even if there is romance thrown into the mix, it shouldn't be made the primary focus for the story. Apart from the romance (which honestly isn't really a lot), there was enough conflict, drama and chaos to keep you pulled in and never wanting to put the book down. Dare I admit that even the solutions posed to some of the obstacles everyone in the story faced actually seemed pretty logical and realistic. And would definitely make sense as compared to actions taken by lust/love-crazed and infused main characters who can only think selfishly for their gratification.
Overall:
Really, I do love and adore this book. I think it's like an underdog for me to be caught and swept up in the story and even had to tell my boyfriend to wait until I was done with the last ten pages before he could talk to me! I'm trying my best not to spoil this book for anyone else (which I do believe is what people expect when reading a review - whether it's good enough to read or so bad you should trash it instead of spoiling the whole plot).
Rating: 5/5
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