Poison Study Review

The Chronicles of Ixia Series by Maria V Snyder

From the Back

Choose: a quick death… or slow poison…

Locked deep in the palace dungeon for killing her abuser, Yelena knows she’ll never be free again. The laws in Ixia are strict, and murderers must be executed, no matter the reason. But just as she’s resigned herself to her fate, she’s offered an extraordinary reprieve.

As the food taster, Yelena will eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace — and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia. To make matters worse, the chief of security deliberately feeds her Butterfly’s Dust, and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can’t control. Her life is threatened again, and in order to survive, she must unravel the secrets behind the past she’s been running from.

Themes

• Survival and Agency: When facing execution, Yelena opts for the risky life of a food taster. She constantly needs to prove herself to survive, turning from a victim into someone who takes charge of her own fate.

• Trust and Betrayal: The main drama is about figuring out who to trust in a deceitful court, especially when it comes to Valek, the assassin who poisons her to keep her loyal.

• Power, Corruption, and Justice: The story delves into Ixia's harsh and strict society, where the Commander has total control and justice can be deadly.

• The Ethics of Magic: Magic is seen as a dangerous and banned force in Ixia, associated with political rebellion, unethical experiments on kids, and the need for self-protection.

Review

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first book in this series. It's filled with political intrigue, assassination attempts, battles, magic, friendship, and betrayal. The story unfolds at an excellent pace, and the characters develop and become more engaging as the narrative progresses. You end up genuinely caring about the main characters. Yelena is quite a mystery. The author provides glimpses of the abuse she endured at an orphanage managed by one of the Commander's generals. There are subtle hints, but I wasn't entirely sure if my assumptions were correct until Yelena chose to confide in Valek. Valek is a resilient character responsible for the Commander's safety, and the banter between him and Yelena is some of the book's highlights. I loved the sibling-like dynamic between Yelena, Ari, and Janko. The author resolves many mysteries by the end, but also sets the stage for a whole new set for the next book in the series.