I loved this book. This is the first novel in the Poison Study series, and was recommended to me by a good friend of mine. The characters have such wonderful depth to them, and I really like the relationships that are built very slowly throughout the course of this novel and the other novels.
Yelena is a fantastic main character (and, honestly, with this series, I haven’t been able to get through any of the books after the third one because I like her as she is so much), who goes through a lot of growth and learns that there is a lot more to people and the world than even she knew. And she had a terrible time. She killed the son of the man who raised her, for very good reason.
Now? She has been on death row for years, and as the food taster (you know, the one who see’s if The Commander’s food is poisoned?) has died, and Valek, the head of the spy network, offers the job to her instead of her being killed outright for breaking a rule. Did I mention that this is a very strict country, where there is no grey area when it comes to laws. Killed someone in self defense? You still killed someone. Death for you.
If you enjoy fantasy or fantasy adventures, and intrigue, I think this is a book you should give a shot. Even romance fans might like this.
