by Maria V. Snyder
ages: 14+ (though M read it and was okay with it)
First sentence: “Locked in darkness that surrounded me like a coffin, I had nothing to distract me from my memories.”
First one for the 48 hour Book Challenge

Shall I list the people who inspired me to check out the book (Em, Kailana, Tricia, Corinne, and M, among others…)?

Or should I just say that yeah, yeah, yeah, this one is good? Really, really, really good. And that I was lame in letting it sit on my nightstand for so long (except I did that on purpose, because I knew it would be an awesome trilogy to read for this challenge).

Basic story: Yelena is in prison for murder. When her execution date comes up, she is offered a choice: hanging now, or become the Commander’s food taster. She — of course, since the book is longer than three pages — decides to take the gamble and become the food taster. It’s more complicated than that, because the General whose son she murdered is out for revenge, and well, things get, um, complicated with Valik, the Commander’s chief of security and her boss. Assassinations, revenge, plot twists, betrayal, friendship…

Remember that list I had for the perfect fantasy? Yep. This one works, too.

And I’m off to read the next in the triology.

Buy it at: Amazon, Powell’s, or your local independent bookstore.