Shadow Study ( Soulfinders #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Fantasy

From Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder wowed readers with Poison Study, the unforgettable story of poison taster Yelena. Now she's back with a new tale of intrigue.

Once, only her own life hung in the balance.

Oddly enough, when Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. But she'd survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia. Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands and protect her relationship with Valek.

Suddenly, though, they are beset on all sides by those vying for power through politics and intrigue. Valek's job - and his life - are in danger. As Yelena tries to uncover the scope of these plots, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked. She must keep that a secret - or her enemies will discover just how vulnerable she really is - while searching for who or what is responsible for neutralizing her powers.

Yes, the days of tasting poisons were much simpler. And certainly not as dangerous,

"Doing full justice to the plot of this original and entertaining epic fantasy is impossible. Suffice it to say that the action is nonstop. The many characters leap to life, particularly Yelena, whose first-person narrative is riveting."

It was great to step into the world of Valek and Yelena again.  This is book one in a new series featuring the two and it is off to a great start.  All of the characters from the previous series are here as the stage is set of future stories.  While there is action and danger throughout the story I found that betrayal is at the heart of the story.  Don’t look for things to be solved in Shadow Study.  Instead, everything is put in place for the series to continue.  Sometimes when that happens in a book I am disappointed.  Not this time.  Snyder has produced a well written story that left me wanting more while knowing that what I just finished reading was just right.

Mira published Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder in 2015.

I received an ARC of Shadow Study in return for an honest review.