It seemed to take place around the 16th century, maybe.

I had a hard time placing this book on a timeline. I loved seeing their relationship change from hostile to passionate throughout the book. There’s also the blossoming romance between her and the man who poisons her daily and literally holds her life in his hands. She’s fighting with some strong emotional demons throughout the book, and at times is haunted by the man she killed. Yelena did not have a happy past and the events that led up to her committing murderer are sickening. But there’s also some deep emotional scenes mixed in. There’s plenty of action with Yelena constantly being pursued or grabbed by someone who’s after her, or simply doesn’t like her. The only thing she can’t control is her emerging magic. She learns to identify poisons by smell and taste from Valek, and self-defense from the castle guards. And staying alive is hard when you’re faced with possible poisoning at each meal, have the father of the man you killed seeking revenge, and have a powerful magician (or two) after you. She thinks about her options and chooses the one that has the best chance of keeping her alive.

Yelena is a strong character, and she’s also smart.

How’s that for different? I absolutely loved the concept of Poison Study! A food taster, not some supernatural being, just someone meant to check for poisoned meals. Yelena is an ex-acrobat, convicted of murder, the Commanders new food taster, and possibly a strong magician.

Maria v snyder study series