Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (Book #11)

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Link: Good Reads

Synopsis:

Locked in a coffin-like darkness, there is nothing to distract me from my memories of killing Reyad. He deserved to die--but according to the law, so do I. Here in Ixia, the punishment for murder is death. And now I wait for the hangman's noose.But the same law that condemns me may also save me. Ixia's food taster--chosen to ensure that the Commander's food is not poisoned--has died. And by law, the next prisoner who is scheduled to be executed--me--must be offered the position.

Review:

I picked this book up while browsing at Chapters, I spotted it on the shelf and after a quick check of reviews on Goodreads (I discovered it had a pretty favourable rating) I decided to give it a shot. I'll start off by saying that I was not disappointed that I picked it up and I currently have Magic Study (the second in the trilogy) waiting to be read! This book and the main character of Yelena are really interesting and I felt like the world/characters were fairly well developed in the areas they needed to be.

This book progressed at a steady pace, and I honestly had no idea what was going to happen from page to page - something I really appreciate when reading a story (it's no fun when you can guess the ending a hundred pages out). I felt like plot & character developments weren't obvious, and so, they happened extremely organically. I found it interesting of the entire world of Ixia, and particularly, the Commander, since it is very different then most books of this style.

What Type of Read Was It (One Word)? Well Written

Who would Enjoy this book? Someone who enjoys reading & fantasy (think Hunger Games, Insurgent, etc. etc. etc. {there are a million out there}), all three of these novels have been published (this one was originally from 2005) so it is a series that you can read all three back-to-back.

Will I read it again/The Sequels? Definitely yes to the sequels!!!

Overall Review: 4.5 out of 5 (Note: I really loved this book but I have hard time ranking it a 5 - which is what I ranked Divergent)

Questions:

1. Have you read Poison Study? What about did you like/ didn't like?
2. What do you think is the key to character & plot development to have an organic feel?