Written by contributor Uma Shankari
TW: Graphic depiction of death, violence, physical abuse, past trauma, implied rape
Set in a high fantasy world inspired by African culture and folklore, Master of Poisons boasts a lush setting that comes to life with the haunting writing style. The cast is as diverse as the world with characters from multiple cultures. There is also extensive queer rep in the book with multiple non-binary characters who are called “vesons” in this world and use vie/vie’s pronouns. The fact that most of the major characters were not cishet was a breath of fresh air in the high fantasy genre. This is not a world without prejudice though and the author shows how vesons suffer at the hands of the Empire for being different and it seems as though Hairston has masterfully drawn parallels between the book and the real world issues.
“The Empire stole our stories and turned us into savage, barbarian, citizen; they turned Iyalawos and Babalawos into witch women and witchdoctors.”
It’s really interesting to learn about the cultures of the author’s fantasy world as they are incredibly detailed with their own histories and traditions. For me, this was the strongest element of the book.
When it comes to the writing, it is unique and like nothing I’d read before. It has a storytelling quality that can pull readers into a dreamlike state while reading. The descriptions are the kind that would paint wonderful imagery in the readers’ eyes, but also let their imagination add to it. The descriptions were wonderful and atmospheric and while at time the writing slowed down too much for my liking, I couldn’t help but want to read more.
Since the writing was consistently atmospheric, I found that in some serious scenes when one should have been at the edge of the seat, I wasn’t. The tone of the story felt the same throughout, regardless of what was happening in the story. This was wonderful for keeping the immersive storytelling quality of the narration. but also took away from the enormity of some scenes. Overall, despite my little issues with the writing style, I couldn’t put down the book at any point.
None of the characters were devoid of blame in this book; they can hardly be faulted though, considering their circumstances. All the characters at some point made selfish decisions that hurt others and yet readers would feel for them because it’s realistic. That said, I wish I could have felt more connection to the characters. I was invested in the story but not particularly in the characters. While the story is character driven, I failed to get emotionally invested in most of the characters. Despite that, I can appreciate how three dimensional and multifaceted all the characters were.
“Elders always thought Sprites would make the same mistakes they had. She’d make her own mistakes”
The plot is a well-written slow burn that takes its sweet time and merges two different plot arcs into one plotline. If you like slow paced high fantasy with lots of internal monologue and journeys across the world, this book is perfect for you. I loved how the story arcs were so seamlessly connected as the story progressed. The plot was too slow for me at times and I wished something would happen soon, but I did enjoy the foreshadowing and hints that are dropped throughout the book that add to the plot in one way or the other.
Master of Poisons is an incredibly diverse tale of hope, survival, and loyalty. Whilst it is a slow paced high fantasy, it is highly character driven and has all the tropes one could ask for – friends to lovers, quests and adventures, found family, and sacrifice at the heart of it.
Master of Poisons is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
The world is changing. Poison desert eats good farmland. Once-sweet water turns foul. The wind blows sand and sadness across the Empire. To get caught in a storm is death. To live and do nothing is death. There is magic in the world, but good conjure is hard to find.
Djola, righthand man and spymaster of the lord of the Arkhysian Empire, is desperately trying to save his adopted homeland, even in exile.
Awa, a young woman training to be a powerful griot, tests the limits of her knowledge and comes into her own in a world of sorcery, floating cities, kindly beasts, and uncertain men.
Awash in the rhythms of folklore and storytelling and rich with Hairston’s characteristic lush prose, Master of Poisons is epic fantasy that will leave you aching for the world it burns into being.
