Review of Poison Study

Title: Poison Study
Author: Maria V. Snyder 
Published: 2005
Pages: 409
My Rating: 4/5


Choose: A quick death . . . or slow poison . . .
About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve.
She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace -- and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.
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 choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear . . .


I had heard good reviews about this book, and after reading Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder, I was keen to read this. I was lucked out when I found the whole Study Series for sale at £5 (or £1.99 each)! 


There were two things that really made me like this book. First of all, I liked the strong female main character. I've read plenty of books with female leads and strong female leads, but it really takes a lot for me to like them. Yet somehow, Yelena won me over. I also liked the dynamic of the other characters (Valek, Ari and Janco).


This brings me to the second point that made me like this book. You get a lot of cliches with YA books, especially in the fantasy genre. But Snyder was able to avoid them in this book. None of the romance was obvious or forced and there was none of the usual love triangles that you get in a lot of YA novels, which I loved!


I did find some of the details a bit confusing and sometimes got a little bored wondering where the story was going. But there were clever non-obvious plot twists and back story told in portions to keep you wonder and reading on.


Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. Even though I'm not dying to read the next, I will get to it eventually, and look forward to it when I do!

It's Monday What are you reading? (2)

What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey! Where we share what books were read last week, currently reading and what we are about to read.

I've linked my read books to their reviews and my the others to their Shelfari pages if you are interested! 

Read last week: 

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (Review coming soon: I just finished it about 30 minutes ago)

Reading Now:

Across the Universe  by Beth Revis (just started this about 10 minutes ago) 

Planning to read next:

A Killing Frost by John Marsden

The Replacement  by Brenna Yovanoff 

In My Mailbox (2) Birthday Edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren that features books bought or borrowed within the week!
Strangely, all the books I've had this week, I got today because it's my 18th birthday! Half of them I received as gifts and the other half I bought with some of my birthday money when I went out this afternoon. I've linked them to their Shelfari pages if you are interested!

Bought:

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

Second to the Study Series. I'm reading Poison Study, and got the next two for £1.99!

Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder

Third in the Study Series, also bought for £1.99.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

I've been looking forward to reading this for a while, and just couldn't resist getting it today.

Received as gift:

The Killing Frost/ The Third Day, The Frost by John Marsden

I talked about the mystery of these books in a previous post here. This is part of the fantastic Tomorrow Series and had to be ordered special online from the US. I'm so excited to read it! 

Darkness be my Friend by John Marsden

The fourth in the Tomorrow Series. Again had to be ordered special as there is nowhere else to get it here. It's a second-hand library book from Australia! 

Specials  by Scott Westerfield 

Third in the Uglies Series. Looking forward to reading this too!

Review of Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick

Title: Revolver
Author: Marcus Sedgwick
Published: 2010 (?)
Pages: 211
My Rating: 4/5

1910. A cabin north of the Arctic Circle. Fifteen-year-old Sig Andersson is alone. Alone, except for the corpse of his father, who died earlier that day after falling through a weak spot on the ice-covered lake. His sister, Anna, and step-mother, Nadya, have gone to the local town for help. Then comes a knock at the door. It's a man, the flash of a revolver's butt at his hip, and a mean glare in his eyes. Sig has never seen him before but Wolff claims to have unfinished business with his father. As Sig gradually learns the awful truth about Wolff's connection to his father, Sig finds his thoughts drawn to a certain box hidden on a shelf in the storeroom, in which lies his father's prized possession - a revolver. When Anna returns alone, and Wolff begins to close in, Sigs choice is pulled into sharp focus. Should he use the gun, or not?


My Review: 


This was a lightning fast read. Barely 200 pages with large writing, I read it in a day! I'm really having a hard time to come up with anything to say for this review, it was just a perfect little read that was brilliantly written.


Set in the Arctic Wilderness in 1910. Sig discovers his father frozen to death and sits alone in his cabin with the corpse and his father's revolver. Not long after, a strange man named Wolff shows up claiming business with Sig's father which he now expects Sig to complete. 


Wolff was an extremely disturbing character. I felt for Sig as though I was sitting in the cabin with intimidating form myself. The current story was interspersed with chapters cleverly telling of Sig's family and father, and the events leading up to his death. The book also had very strong themes of hope, faith, choices, family and wealth all wrapped up into one. It was a very refreshing read, and like nothing else you'd find in the Young 
Adult genre.


I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick real written YA read!

On my wishlist (1)

On my wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City, where we share what books we are dying to buy and read!

It's my birthday tomorrow, so I'm planning on going on a book spree (in shops and Amazon) with some of the money that I get. Here are my top choices:

Candor by Pam Bachorz 

Iron King by Julie Kagawa 

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Across the Universe by Beth Revis 

Follow Friday/ Book Blogger Hop (2)

Follow Friday!

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee!

What embarrassing thing have you done on cold medicine?

My answer isn't very interesting here, as I honestly can't think of anything. Usually when I have a cold, I just lie on the sofa and sleep or watch TV, so I don't always take a lot of medicine if I can help it.

Book Blogger Hop!

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy-for-Books!

This weeks question is:

Who's your all time favorite Book Villain?

Mine is probably the most obvious you could pick, but it just has to be done:

Lord Voldemort. 

I don't think I really have to explain this much. He is the villain of my childhood. The one person who is known throughout our muggle world. Evil and awesome.

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

Title: The Dark Hollow Places
Author: Carrie Ryan
Date: 22nd March '11
Pages: 384


Annah knows she has a twin sister, but she forgot her long ago. Back when they went to play in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, she and Elias lost her, and after that there was no going back to the village. Life's been hard, but Elias has taken care of her, and living in the Dark City can help one to forget the horror of the Unconsecrated—if you try hard enough. But when Elias disappears, Annah's world crumbles. To her, life isn't worth much more than the walking dead who roam the wasted world she lives in. It's not until she meets Catcher that she cares to start living again. Yet Catcher has secrets. Dark, terrifying secrets that link him to a past she's longed to forget and to a future too deadly to consider. Annah must decide: Can she continue to live a world covered in the blood of the living? Or is death the answer to all her problems?

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. This is the third in The Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy. I loved the first book, but was a bit disappointed in the second. I'm still looking forward to reading this though.