Maria V. Snyder

Yelena is up next for execution, but is offered a reprieve if she's willing to become the Commander's food taster. The only catch: she's been poisoned and needs an antidote from Valek, the Commander's chief of security daily to not die a slow agonizing death.

Very fun fantasy with some political intrigue and a slow burn romance that's much more in the background than in more current romantasy titles (fortunately I like it that way). Yelena grows a lot over the course of the story, and I had a blast learning along with her. There are a couple of fight scenes that get pretty gory, but I was enjoying other aspects enough that I could gloss over them.… (mer)

Representation: Side non-white character
Trigger warnings: Near-death experience, death of a character

6/10, I enjoyed this first book in a new YA sci-fi trilogy novel series, but it got boring as I read through more of the book. This novel left me with more questions than answers, and I had two questions that were left unanswered: Who put these terracotta warriors on different planets? Who are the looters and the shadow blobs? The plot revolves around an investigation on a planet where the looters killed almost everyone for no apparent reason, other than to steal the warriors, but what for? I realised that this plot went nowhere, and in the end, there was a confrontation between the main characters and the looters (this wasn't the first time this happened), which led to the main character nearly dying, another one killed, and a cliffhanger, so unsatisfying!
All the characters were either flat, vague, or stereotypical, especially Lan because after she died, the characters just used her research in the investigation and that's it. I don't understand why time dilation and the "crinkle engine", whatever that is, had to be used in this book, can't the author just make some of the characters not die due to time dilation? If you want a better sci-fi novel not set on Earth, try Dove Arising or Icarus Down, and skip this one, oh, and I won't bother with the next two books in the series even though my library has them but only in ebook form.… (mer)

A very very promising first book in the series! Recommended!

World building was good: clear and well detailed descriptions of scenes and environments. You had a good feel for the world the author painted with her words. As this is a new series, there is a lot of describing and explanations about geography, the way of life, the law,... but never did it get boring or did it feel 'unreal'.

Character development was excellent! We follow Yelena through her trials and tribulations as she undergoes her training as a food taster. We learn a lot about her: her history, what she fears and what she loves. We grow alongside her as she works with Valek in keeping the Commander safe. They have a special working relationship those two, and you just feel there is something in the air...
Our support cast is great, they have their own story, they have a lot of interaction with Yelena and Valek and are well written into the story.

Pacing and flow were great. As the first instalment of a series, there is always the necessary 'world building' and 'setting the stage', but that didn't take so long. After that it was a very good spread of action and conversations to further along the story.

The book in itself was well written and I found no (noticeable) errors. What I did find strange is that they kept referring to the weapon Yelena used later in the book as a bow, but was more a staff... so yeah.. that was confusing. There are references to sex, but nothing is described as such.

All in all I am very pleasantly surprised with this book!! I would recommend it to everyone who likes fantasy in a medieval style time-setting with a lot of sword fighting and intrigue. There wasn't that much magic in this particular book, but I'm sure that will be rectified in the rest of the series.… (mer)

One of my favorite genres is female-driven fantasy, and I'm always thrilled when I come across a new book that gives me more of what I crave. In this case, a smart, gutsy heroine, fabulous world building, political intrigue, and a truly messed up, powerful villain. Oh yeah, and a touch of romance that's handled just right. I wasn't a fan of the author's Study books, but she really won me over with this one. Her writing has such a compelling, engaging quality to it. I couldn't put the book down, and I can't wait to read the next in the series.… (mer)