This was everything Throne of Glass tried to be, and failed. Poison Study excelled in every area without fail. The characters were all very well written; the main character especially. She was everything Celaena Sardothien strived to be. Yelena is better than Celaena because of the way she grows as a character. Maria V. Snyder actually writes training sequences, and scenes to distinguish how Yelena has bettered herself (something SJM did not do in Throne of Glass).


The romance is also so much better than whatever awfully written love triangle went on in Throne of Glass. Valek and Yelena deserve the world. Valek is such an intriguing character, and really compliments Yelena’s personality well. They had undeniable chemistry, and their interactions were very well written.


The court intrigue, the mysteries, and the motives of each of our characters kept me on my toes the entire time. I really haven’t read a fantasy novel that’s made the plot have this many twists in a very long time. This is exactly what I wanted to read when I read Throne of Glass. If you want Throne of Glass done well, please read Poison Study.


I’m very very excited to continue on with this series and this was definitely a great first book to read for the new year.