supercheesegirl

I found this book in the little lending library at my work and thought it looked interesting, but I was caught by surprise by how fun and genuinely good this book was. Yelena, a young woman who's been hideously tortured and abused, had murdered her abuser, and been convicted and sentenced to execution for the crime. Then she's offered a deal: she can instead become a food taster, making sure no one poisons the Commander of Ixia, which will save her life--at least, until someone tries to poison him. What Yelena makes of her second chance is really remarkable--she's smart and resourceful, determined to survive. I found it a bit similar to the beginning of the Kushiel series--fantasy, romance, a smart and plucky heroine with special abilities. Yelena's abuse memories may be triggery for some readers, but I thought she was a terrific character, and I'm really looking forward to getting the next two books in the series.