Rating: 5/5 

I'm not really good at telling what a book's synopsis is (really) but I'll try so here it goes:

Yelena, is a convicted criminal, on the day of her execution, she was offered a job instead, as the food taster for the Commander. The food taster basically, taste the food for approval--not for the taste--but if it is poison-free. So yeah it was not a fun job, but a rather deadly job. Like can you imagine eating something and then all of a sudden it has a poison in it! What a good way to die though because hey it's food! So of course, she accepted it, she does not have choice, she was poisoned from the start, and she's in need of her daily dose of antedote of the butterfly's dust. And also because she wants to be free and surpass her demons.

So before she becomes the official food taster for the Commander, she has to study poison (hence the title!) and train excruciatingly in the hands of her mentor, the ever moody, Valek. 

But that's not the only thing the story revolves to since the first general/commander from the MD (Military District) where she was from was hunting her down for the sins she had done. So yes a lot of almost death scenes on this one.

So yes I would totally totally recommend this one! It was recommended to me by my boyfriend actually. I was kind of hesitant at first of course, because well we might have different taste of literary piece. But I was wrong. This is such an amazing read. Spoke to me in so many levels. 

I loved Maria V Snyder's style! It was absolutely flawless and something new for me. A huge break from YA novels, I've been reading, perhaps maybe because it's not a YA book, Not sure. 

She's an incredible writer. I didn't find it hard to read, when I expected it to be. It's a fantasy book, mature themes, complex setting and a very unique world she had created but how she delivered into words, is beyond me. It's incredible. It's so easy to read, yet the words she used were so accurate you can actually feel what's happening. 

I'm utterly in awe. 

The world she created, I really want to live in it. Because of this: in the Territory of Ixia they assigned people on jobs not based on their gender but based on their intellect and what they can really do. Which how should the world be, I think. And I liked that the place was took over by the military, because in that world, loyalty and integrity matters. 

I liked that our protagonist, Yelena is a really strong character. And that it's kind of funny that she just actually felt something towards Valek on the half of the book. It's definitely a good thing for I want to focus on how Yelena will be honed to be a fighter. And that she herself, realized that she doesn't need anyone to protect her, she wants to be able to protect herself. (Yes preach it girl)

At first it's so cute that the author or Yelena tried to be subtle on sudden unexpected actions of Valek towards her. Because our knight in shining armor is always present to save our girl. He's always there I swear. And like How Valek? How? 

Friendship, trust, loyalty, betrayal, strategy, survival, food, magic,violence and love sums this book. But not enough to describe I how feel towards this book,  I have a bunch of feels after I read and maybe a possible book hangover.