Still on my Mind #2

 

Still on my Mind is a meme created by YA-Aholic to feature a book that you read months or even YEARS ago that was so good (or so scary/unique/funny..etc) that it is 'Still on my (your) Mind!'

This week the book that is still on my mind is...

 

Goodreads Synopysis: 

"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.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, 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 choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear…"

Why this is still on my mind?

I still find this book so interesting. The concept is very cool. I read this series and tried to start her Glass series but this one by FAR was so much better. The characters were emotional and mysterious and the subject of the book was pretty cool-- who would think to put a female protagonist as a poison tester??!! I mean that is so cool. I really enjoyed this series and how Yelena finds herself and her true background throughout the series. However, my advice is to read them all back to back. Otherwise the amount of characters and places can be confusing. 

My review from when I read it in 2010: This was a great book, I read it for a Young Adult book club month, I am so glad that I picked it up.  The book is about a girl living the life of a criminal who has the choice between being executed or living and  testing food for poisons. The book chronicles her time in the Commanders palace and her adventures in studying poisons, tasting them, and actually making more enemies than friends. Yelena is challenged with not only her new job but also the facet that she has a mysterious background and identity. Through finding out more about herself she also finds that she cares for the man in charge of her poison studies and their unspoken affection for one another is captivating.Yelena is such a well formed character and her point of view in the book only makes it better. This was a great story and from here I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

What's still on your mind?!