The minute I opened Master of Poisons, I knew I was in for a journey unlike anything I’ve experienced before.

Sprawling over many years, Master of Poisons is bone-achingly beautiful, intensely emotional & brutally poetic. Pirates & poisonous storms & warhorses & floating cities & assassins & protective bees & lost souls & A Very Good Dog™. I was completely swept away by Hairston’s delivery of this highly intoxicating world! With timely themes of climate change, racism, politics & survival, Master of Poisons is a deeply powerful story. Mind-blowing worldbuilding, rich folklore, a uniquely compelling magic system & gloriously vibrant characterizations.

It is so stunning, in part because of just how wonderfully queer it is. In fact, few cis straight individuals populate this landscape. Rather, there are an assortment of queer relationships & nonbinary characters, known as the Anawanama word “veson” with “vie” their preferred pronoun.
I couldn’t help but fall in love with this magical world!

“You all are my heart beating.”

Master of Poisons felt like it cracked my heart open, while a swarm of bees burst out of the open chest cavity. It’s one of the most breathtaking stories that I’ve read in recent years & I’ll be thinking about it for quite some time to come.

Master of Poisons is a gorgeously-written fantasy novel. Hairston gorgeously builds a world that teeters on the brink of its own end. And yet, there is an undeniable call to hope by the people within— some hope in magic, in religion, in leaders, in themselves.

Like some other reviews mentioned, this book does have a slower pace. It has a more poetic, or storytelling, feel to it. I actually did something I do very rarely, and restarted reading after I’d read about 25% of it. (I was personally distracted from most things when I began this book, and I could tell I would better enjoy Master of Poisons, if I allowed it this extra attention.) I’m glad I did so.) I understand it can be a little weird to get into a different storytelling style in a book, but I highly encourage you to commit to giving this a proper try.

I received an e-ARC of this title via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I have been trying to pick this book up multiple times and just can't get into it. The plot kept losing me and everything seemed too complex, scattered.

DNF

I finally DNFed this after struggling with it for weeks. Master of Poisons has some excellent aspects - an African-inspired setting with eco-fantasy elements, lots of queer representation, and some beautiful language - but I think ultimately it is too long and the reader just gets bogged down by the heavy language and slow-moving, confusing plot. There were stylistic choices made that I kept wondering if I struggled with because I am white and what to me read as distracting language decisions may have been intentional - for instance, routinely not using articles before nouns. So that is an important dimension to note. I just wish more had happened in this book. I kept waiting for something to click and it never did.

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.

Wow, wow, wow. What a book! The concept was already amazing, but actually reading it was such a ride. Of course the author delved into topics such as racism, climate change, politics, survival, and how that all intersects. Loved this book so much.

This is a very beautifully written book. I thought the prose was gorgeous and the pacing was perfect. It felt like I was listening to a story teller that was weaving the story around me. The smoke lands made me feel like I was whisping around them with the characters. The world was very unique and something I had to try to wrap my head around at first because it was so new and creative. It was a very satisfying read.

The characters were each unique and had their own distinct points of view. Awa felt like she was a younger woman trying to find her way in the world (after she began her journey as a child). The pirate scenes weren't unnecessarily gorey but they were brutal enough to be what I would expect from that lifestyle. I also liked the lgbtq+ representation in this book and hope to see more of it in fantasy books to come.

The politics in this book were also well written. I always felt like there was something at stake and no character seemed to have plot armor. There was also a good balance between the politics and the magic in this book. It felt very real and made a really human connection with me as a reader.

I received a review copy of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily.

Andrea Hairston’s Master of Poisons is a wildly original and often wonderfully lyrical fantasy based in an African-like setting that faces a self-created environmental disaster, as poison deserts inexorably advance whilst equally destructive “void storms” crop up both regularly and randomly. It’s a fresh world and voice, but I didn’t think there was enough there to carry across an entire novel, especially one of this length.

The titular character is Djola, counselor to the current Arkhysian emperor, though early on his position is revoked and he is banished, though this is (mostly) a ploy by the emperor to keep his own tenuous position and to allow Djola the freedom to quest for a legendary spell that might be able to push back the environmental armageddon. It also wouldn’t hurt if people also heeded Djola’s long-running advice to stop living the way they have been (the whole reason for the environment gone wrong), but what are the odds of that? Of course, any similarities to our own world are wholly coincidental (cough cough). Djola's somewhat meandering (to say the least) quest takes up one strand of the novel’s two threads.

The other follows a young girl, Awa, who was sold by her father to the Green Elders, a group of gender-fluid mystics, magic-users, and storytellers (Griots). There she meets a mentor, a best friend, and hones her ability to enter the Smokelands, a reflective world of spirits and (human-created) demons.

Eventually, as one might expect, the two strands come together and Awa and Djola work together to defeat the chief (or at least most obvious) villain of the piece and attempt to repair or at least contain the environmental destruction. Interspersed throughout the two main threads are a series of brief chapters from the point of view of several animals who interact with one or the other or both main characters.

As noted, there’s a unique freshness to much of Hairston’s story, from the setting to the magic system to the language (filled with unfamiliar words). Also as noted, though, that freshness wasn’t enough to carry me happily through several hundreds of pages. Honestly, I had to fight my own desire to just stop reading through most of the book. If Master of Poisons had been a novella, the immersive nature of the language and setting would have been enough. But extended over novel length, the plot felt meandering, repetitive, and random, with many events feeling arbitrary. At one point, as Djola and Awa aim for a destination, Djola talks about the journey being a spiral and Awa thinks how tediously, annoyingly long it felt like it was taking, and I couldn’t help but think that was exactly how I was feeling. I liked portions of Master of Poisons, but I can’t say I enjoyed the novel as a whole. That said, another reader’s patience may be greater than my own, so I’d suggest giving it a try and travel as far as your enjoyment carries you.

I'm sorry. This was a DNF for me. I tried to get into the book but I couldn't. I kept waiting and waiting for things to happen, but they didn't. I thought this would be a romance b-plot fantasy with both male and female protagonists in the blurb, but it was not and that disappointed me. The short chapters made the book feel choppy at times, while at other times, it felt overly long in descriptions that did not interest me. No matter how hard I tried, I just did not find it engaging. There is great diversity and representation of LGBT/non-binary elements, which I applaud, but in the end, this just wasn't for me.

Hello Gemmies! I have a new book review to share with you today. Please note: I received a digital ARC of this book (via NetGalley) from its publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston is a new adult epic fantasy. I really wanted to love this book. I enjoy reading epic tales and traveling to new worlds. Andrea Hairston has created a rich world full of magic, beauty, and violence. There are numerous names, places, events, and time jumps that made it hard for me to understand what was going on and when it was happening. The story is told from multiple points of view, mainly from the characters Djola and Awa. Master of Poisons has lots of beautiful writing but I never fully caught the "flow" of the story or found myself fully immersed in this world. I think this has to do with the book being broken into lots of short chapters. I normally like short chapters to keep the action flowing, but with so much going on, plus the constant time jumps, I think the shorter chapters made the story feel choppy.

Now with that being said, I did think this book was well written and is inventive. the flow didn't work for me, but it might be for you! So please give it a try. If you are a fan of high fantasy, griots, pirates, betrayal, warriors, and animals with personality then go read this book! This gem published by Macmillion/Tor-Forge is available for purchase from all major booksellers. I give Master Of Poisons 3 out of 5 gems. Happy Reading!

Let’s start with what I loved. I love the writing. It’s absolutely beautiful. The world is lush and vibrant. The theme of climate change is a wonderful edition to the world of fantasy. My problem with this book is that I just don’t understand what’s happening. I feel like I’m missing a key piece of the puzzle and if I just had it I could unlock this whole story. I feel like I’m missing out on something wonderful. Perhaps this isn’t the fantasy for me.

The Master of Poisons was a enjoyable read for me. This story revolves around two different characters tasked with massive tasks; both face challenges to achieve the goals set out for them.

As far as character develop, I enjoyed both Djola and Awa on page.
Djola whom even though exiled must still find a way to save his world from the poison that is quickly consuming it and Awa whom even though sold must focus on her training. The times she and Djola were on page as the connected through Smokeland were the special.

What works for Master of Poisons is the worldbuilding. Its fluid and strong. Andrea Hairston does an outstanding job of keeping readers invested in the worlds she created; real and spirit. With that said, there were times when I had to push through the book as the flow at times felt...contrived.
I do feel like most readers and state that this one will more than likely require a re-reading but still Master of Poisons is a story worth your reading time.

At the end of it all, Masters of Poisons is properly listed as a epic high fantasy book and if you're a fan, I think you'll appreciate the telling of this tale Adrea Haiston has blessed us with.

Andrea Hairston's Master of Poisons sets up a changing world, one that's struggling to survive.

In a world full of magic, there's only so much that can be done to stop the poisonous desert from creeping ever closer. Yet that is exactly what Djola hopes to do – to save his people, as the Master of Poisons it is his job.

“No hope without change, no change without sacrifice.”

Warnings: Master of Poisons touches upon many intense subjects, and portrays lots of violence, rape (implied), and torture (also implied).

Master of Poisons is the latest fantasy novel, one that highlights different struggles and attempts to survive. It's a dark and dangerous world, and yet this novel has made a point of showing all of the reasons to find hope.

I'm honestly struggling on what to say about Master of Poisons. It's an intriguing and brilliant novel, of that I have no doubt. But I also really struggled with this one. It always felt like I was playing catchup – like I was struggling to put the pieces of the world together in a way that made sense for me. I'm not sure if that's just me, or the mood I was in while reading, or what.

I do know that it kept me from feeling any real connection to this book. Which is a shame, as I really really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did.

That isn't to say that I disliked it. The writing was brilliant, as was much of the world. I just didn't feel much of a connection to any of it. Ironically, if a sequel was to come out, I would read that in a heartbeat. I can't help but feel like I'm on the verge of a breakthrough, and that at any moment a sudden rush of understanding will hit me, and suddenly make me love the book. At least, that's what I'd like to think. I hope that all makes sense.

I did find the magical system to be intriguing, and sincerely would have loved to see more of it (I feel like I say that a lot, but it really is true). The fantasy worlds portrayed were brilliant and bold, showing the good and the bad. The potential, as well as the struggles to get there.

While I did struggle a bit, as mentioned, I never had any problem understanding the stakes at hand. Hairston made it very clear what was at stake, and thus what would be lost of Djola's goal failed. That brought the fantasy elements back down to a darker level, but not in a bad way.

Finally, the writing within Master of Poisons is wonderfully done. There are times where it almost flows like prose, and it's hard not to respect the heck out of that. Here's hoping for more of it's kind down the line.

Master of Poisons is an epic fantasy where the world needs saving – not from some Dark Lord, but from people who are good but weak, and those who are strong but corrupt. The world is being consumed by poison storms, land and rivers ruined more and more every day, and if something isn’t done…

You might expect this, then, to be some kind of preachy environmentalist book. It’s not. Environmentalism is a huge theme – climate change is literally the Big Bad – but Master of Poisons is a big, beautiful fantasy, with magic and mountains, pirates and politics, questions and the quests undertaken to answer them. Djola, the only one on the Emperor’s council advocating for deep and long-term change as a solution to the poisoned land, is exiled for not having easy answers to give. Awa, a young woman who discovers she can travel to the wondrous otherworld called Smokeland, is sold by her father – and raised by Green Elders, a society of wandering bands who live outside of normal life, keeping the old ways alive and weaving new ones for the future.

And then things get complicated.

This wasn’t an easy book for me to read, and not because of the suffering too many of the characters have to go through. Something Western readers should be prepared for is that Master of Poisons is written in a style that’s more reminiscent of African oral storytelling traditions, and for me, at least, it was a struggle to adjust. But that doesn’t make it a bad book. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about why I struggled so much, and reading about how quick white readers are to dismiss books as bad when they’re written in styles we’re not used to, styles that come from different literary traditions than the ones we’re familiar with. It would have been very easy for me to put Master of Poisons down and walk away, give up on it because it was just too much of an effort. But that would have been wrong, and it would have meant missing out on an incredible book.

The issue is not the writing style. The issue is me, and how little exposure I’ve had to other styles of storytelling, and how little I’ve done to fix that. I hope other readers and reviewers realise the same thing, rather than critiquing Master of Poisons for something that isn’t a flaw.

There’s no denying, however, that the sort of choppy writing style did leave me confused a lot. I’m not sure how much of that might be a genuine flaw, or if I’d have an easier time if I read the book again, but it seemed that things sometimes happened very suddenly, out of nowhere with no warning. Characters sometimes acted or spoke in ways that contradicted what they’d done before, or changed their minds without visible prompting. Revelations sometimes came very casually, so that you might almost miss them. That was difficult to deal with.

But gods, this books is so worth it. It’s beautiful. The world Andrea Hairston has created is just breathtaking, so real I felt like I could walk through the pages onto Kyrie’s mountain, or the Floating Cities. There’s some seriously brilliant worldbuilding, and Hairston never falls into the trap of generalising groups or peoples – not all Green Elders are perfect; not all barbarians are savages; and certainly not all good citizens are actually good. Smokeland, the mysterious, magical realm that can be traveled to by the spirit-body, is dreams and poetry spun into a place you can visit – and that I want to visit! It’s more enchanting than any kind of otherworld or ‘fairyland’ I’ve read about for a long time.

“Throughout the Empire, people are just surviving and so water, air, and earth become poison.”

“What do you know?”

“Denial is worse than poison sand.”

I’ve read some interesting thoughts and essays recently about how we, as a society, focus too much on the idea of heroes, the idea of great revolutions that will magically fix everything instantly. The stories we glorify ignore the fact that change is hard and slow and requires everyone to pitch in – not lie back and wait for a single Chosen One to wave a wand and make everything better. More and more, it’s becoming obvious that we need to hear this – that change is hard, and slow, and requires all of us working together. It isn’t all glory and trumpets and wrapped up by the final chapter.

Master of Poisons is very much a story about real change. Djola and Awa might be the main characters, but they can’t fix the world on their own, and a great deal of the book examines the nameless masses and their complicity in the evils that are being done. Everyone is trying to ‘just survive’, as in the quote above – but if you only care about yourself, you’re damning everyone else. And yourself too, in the end, because none of us can survive alone.

“…be a trickster, beholden to no one, responsible to everyone. Create a new realm for all of us.”

The corrupt power structures need to be purged and repaired, but nothing will ever be fixed if the masses, the normal people like you and me, aren’t willing to change how they live and how they think. Djola’s Empire is being torn apart by stirred-up hatreds – quite a big deal is made about vesons (the nonbinary people of this world) and women tainting magic by touching it with their icky female hands being the cause of everyone’s suffering, even though killing these people obviously does nothing. Hezram, the closest thing Master of Poisons has to a single villain, has gained a huge following by using blood magic to stave off the poison sand – and everyone else is willing to look the other way as he sacrifices children and people from the outskirts of society, because they’ve decided the trade-off is worth it. Because they’re scared and just want to survive.

That’s not good enough.

“I’m the end of a story. You are a prelude to change.”

There’s been plenty of talk about how each generation of humanity shrugs and leaves the problems of the world for the next generation to worry about. Master of Poisons says that’s not how it works. Change is slow; it has to be started now, and the work passed on to those who come after. Cynicism and despair have to be fought; idealism and trust and hope are flames that need to be fed. Nothing can be accomplished by those standing alone; it’s only the bonds Djola and Awa forge with their friends, family, and lovers that get them as far as they do. The generational gap has to be closed; we have to be able to work together.

And that ‘we’ doesn’t just refer to humans. It’s been a very long time since I last saw a story that emphasised the interconnectedness of all living things, but Master of Poisons talks about Animal People, Tree People, and gives voices to rivers. Goats, horses, and dogs are all PoV characters at different points in the book, and the trees stand over all. We’re a part of Nature; we don’t own it. It’s not there for us to use, and using it up just means disaster. And again; Djola and Awa are helped and even rescued by their animal friends multiple times. Master of Poisons doesn’t pretend that a dog thinks just like a human – Soot, Awa’s canine companion, isn’t a human shaped like a dog. But he does have desires and fears and loves like all the other characters, ones that are integral.

It’s considered kind of…what? Cliche? Tree-hugger-y? Cringy? To talk about Mother Nature, to seriously consider animals as people, to genuinely honour the trees and the birds. It’s primitive. But it’s also bloody true. Anyone who’s lived with a dog or a cat knows that they’re people. The geckos in the tank opposite me as I type this have personalities. And while I have no idea if plants think in any way I could ever understand, I know burning down the rainforests ought to be a war crime. I know that overfishing the waters results in starvation, that spilling or dumping toxic materials into the sea fucks with the entire eco-system – which includes us. I know you can overfarm land, that you need to let fields rest so they can recover before you plant the next harvest. I know we have more hurricanes than we used to because we’ve spent too long screwing with the atmosphere.

We need the reminder that we’re a part of the world, not its owners. Master of Poisons is that reminder, and what’s impressive is that Andrea Hairston doesn’t beat the reader over the head with it. This review has turned into a bit of a rant or a lecture; the book does not. It’s an unfamiliar kind of poetry, telling a story we all desperately need to hear.

“Impossible is a word for yesterday, not tomorrow.”

Ultimately, Master of Poisons is a story about not giving up. Djola and Awa – and all the other characters – are given plenty of reasons to quit, to walk away or wall themselves off in what safe places are left. But they don’t. Because they can’t.

We can’t either.

Thank you so much to Tordotcom for providing me with an early e-copy of this novel through Netgalley. Master of Poisons is out now.

Unfortunately, this one really did not work for me. While I enjoyed Hairston's writing style and her brilliant imagination, the pacing and the level of detail in this epic fantasy story really left me quite confused. In terms of pacing, the climactic moments of the novel did not really feel different tonally or in terms of pacing, which often left me thinking I had missed something. Given the short length of the chapters, major moments (even at the very end of the novel in the final climax) felt incredibly rushed to the point that I could not follow the action and characters would seemingly enter and leave the scene without cause or reason. This was further exacerbated by the level of detail provided which, while impressive in terms of imaginative world-building, was not easy to wade through to find the bare bones of the plot of this novel. All in all, I was incredibly confused during my entire reading experience, hence my low rating. I would potentially be interested in rereading this novel to see if I understand more of what was going on, but on this first reading, I felt completely out of the loop.

Master of Poisons (2020) by Andrea Hairston is an epic fantasy set in an African-inspired world that is facing environmental devastation. Fertile land is turning into poison desert, and void-storms are a constant threat.

Djola is called Master of Poisons because, when both men were young, he saved the Arkhysian Emperor with his knowledge of antidotes. He was rewarded with the title and a place on the Emperor’s council. Now, he thinks he might be able to save the land with a legendary spell, but he needs to find it first — and in the meantime, he recommends that everyone live more simply, to put less strain on the environment.

Human nature being what it is, this goes about as well as you might expect. Djola is banished. This is at least partly a ruse on the Emperor’s part — he saves face while secretly sending Djola to find the spell — but the situation is nonetheless a misery for Djola. He is separated from his family and cannot protect them from his enemies, and his mode of transportation is a pirate ship run by a brutal captain who trades in human beings and burns cities and libraries.

Meanwhile, a young girl named Awa is sold by her father to the Green Elders, a band of nomadic storyteller-magicians. After the initial shock, she comes to find love and acceptance with them, and further develops her ability to travel to the spirit world, the Smokelands. But trouble waits for Awa too; there are those who hate the Green Elders, mostly because they eschew the gender binary. Djola and Awa’s paths will converge in Holy City, where an evil priest bleeds children to power his spells.

For roughly the first half of Master of Poisons, I was enjoying the book but didn’t feel compelled to read large chunks of it in one go. Trying to put my finger on why, I think it’s that the chapters are very short, and they often switch back and forth between the two characters (who haven’t connected yet) and also make big time jumps. This results in the book feeling episodic, which lends itself to episodic reading. At about the halfway point, the two points-of-view intersect, and the chapters also start following closely on one another in time, and my reading speed picked up dramatically.

Hairston’s prose is unique and poetic. There’s a thing in fiction called the translation convention, in which we know a story wouldn’t really be happening in English, so we just imagine that it’s been translated for our benefit. There’s something about the rhythm of the writing here that creates the strongest sense of being a translated work that I can recall ever experiencing in a book that was written in English. One way this is done is with the use of some repeated phrases that have the feel of being idioms or kennings from that other language (in addition to some actual non-English words that are used).

There are some great themes running through the book. There’s the aforementioned “stop trashing the environment” one, of course. In Marion’s review of Hairston’s earlier book Will Do Magic for Small Change, she discusses the author’s theatrical background and how acting, dance, and music are interwoven with the magic system, and that is true of Master of Poisons as well. There’s the way both Awa and Djola have to fight through despair to make a difference. And I also loved the way the protagonists were helped by all the people and animals they had been kind to along the way. (I have a special soft spot for African wild dogs, and Awa’s canine buddy Soot was one of my favorite characters. [highlight here to view spoiler]: Not only does he not die, he has the book’s last laugh.)

Master of Poisons ends with one major step taken but much work still left to do. I’m curious whether Hairston plans a sequel, but I don’t think it necessarily needs one; we have some ideas of what still needs to be done and how it might be accomplished. This is a challenging book: sometimes challenging to read, sometimes challenging to our complacency. It has atrocities in it, but also some moments of sublime beauty. And it’s definitely not quite like anything else I’ve read.

I loved the world in this story - especially the magic in the form of smoke walking and the songs and dances that serve to weave spells and intent - but there was some big... something that I must have missed somewhere between 50-60% without which I was confused for the rest of the book. When Djola and Awa finally come together, which should have been a victory (because any time you have split POVs like this, the collision of them is monumental to the story) I was too busy going "wait, what? How did we get here?" And that vibe preoccupied me for the rest of the story.

Also when we finally get to our villain, it feels very disconnected from the beginning of the story and what sparked the journey in the first place. Because so much time passes from beginning to end, it leaves me feeling slightly rushed - like I glossed over important information. I do know that I would definitely read short fiction by this author because I think her writing would lend itself very well to a novella or short stories.

This is a complicated book - honestly, most of the time I had basically no idea what was happening or why. It's on the long side with a meandering plot, but oh my word the world building. Hairston creates a rich mythology and fascinating magic system. Despite being constantly confused, I really enjoyed the experience of reading the book. If you're looking for plot and explanations they're not here. However, this is a lush fantasy that can pull you into its world.

I do want to preface this by saying that if you don't like slow-burn fantasy then this book is not for you because book 1 reads very lengthy and even at times repetitive as it sets up the story that leads to the present day journey. Andrea Hairston is a very descriptive writer which means we got beautiful descriptions of the foods they feasted on and the lands they wandered. You could practically smell the brine, hear the gulls by the sea, and taste the nut butter and sweet mango slices. She uses very lyrical language to set up the atmosphere in which this story takes place.

Djola is the male protagonist and he is the Master of Poisons who has been trying to use his wisdom to help the Arkhysian empire as the earth is dying. As right hand to Emperor Azizi he has been warning him since the poison deserts started to appear and urging him to practice conservation. However for years his pleas have fallen on deaf ears until farmland dries our and rivers disappear. Now at this time the people claim it's too late to change their ways.

We follow Djola as he ends up being exiled and apart of a pirate crew as a healer while coping with being separated from his family. To save them and restore his position as the emperor's right hand he must find a cute. During his exile he is working to master Xhalan Xhala, a form of ancient Lahesh conjure which will help him purify the land.

It's actually an interesting way to touch upon climate change which affects us all however people were very quick to deny and ignore until it became more apparent. And the idea of personal responsibility when many have the what's done is done mindset.

The other protagonist Awa is a young sprite from a poor family who is sold by her father to griots called The Green Elders. We follow her journey over the course of a few years as she creates a new family and comes into her own with her powers. As a character I thought she really became interesting when she was ripped from her new family and forced to survive. I found myself leaning more towards her narrative.

The Smokeland was an interesting take on the astral plain/realm often found in fantasy stories. I enjoyed the scenes when Djola and Awa connected with the Smokeland and the lines of reality sometimes got blurred. These scenes were even stronger when their paths finally crossed.

Another interesting thing is the usage of non binary characters in a way that feels very natural and not thrown in for additional diversity. The queer relationships were something I thought she took great care with developing.

If you are an experienced fantasy reader looking for an epic tale I think you will enjoy this. This is a vast world that you are dropped in and navigate your way through. The story truly started coming together for me after the 40% mark. I would love to listen to this one on audiobook as it's a fascinating world with very metaphor heavy writing and vivid descriptions.

I received an arc from Tor in exchange for an honest review
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot.com/2020/09/master-of-poisons-by-andrea-hairston.html

“Crossroads gods are indifferent,” Djola remarked.
“None of the gods care for us.” Awa sighed. “If they exist at all.”
“A skeptic.” Djola touched her cheek. “We bring love to the world.”
Another star exploded and Awa sneered at Elder wisdom. “We who?”
“We who want to get anywhere.”

Djola probably blamed her for stalling on the light bridge. None of this was her fault. Awa bit her tongue on a lie – a Holy City survival tactic. Lies got you sucked into the void; truth did too.

Best to just keep your mouth shut sometimes.

Synopsis: The poison desert encroaches on what remains of a once rich and fertile world. Djola, powerful conjurer and Master of Poisons on the Emperor’s council, is exiled and tasked with solving this problem. Meanwhile Awa, a young smokewalker of incredible potential, is sold by her family to the Green Elders: mystics, storytellers, and followers of the old ways. Under their tutelage, will she grow to be the salvation this world needs?

Who May Enjoy This Book:

Lovers of the Fantasy genre
People interested in African/Postcolonial literature/themes
People who like non-Western-inspired Fantasy settings
People who appreciate inclusive literature
Good afternoon readers!

I’d like to begin by thanking Tor and Netgalley for providing a free eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d had my eye on this book for a bit, and was excited for the opportunity to review it.

My knowledge of Postcolonial literature is, admittedly, minimal. I am not particularly well-read on the subject beyond a University course I took once upon a time (though I do vividly recall Miguel Street by Naipaul, which I still love). I state these facts openly, as I feel my review of Hairston’s novel will, inevitably, be put through the filter of my White/Western/Cis-Gender/Heterosexual upbringing and life experience. This is important to note, as there is a great deal of culture packed into this novel which is inherently alien to me, and I respect this. The tales, history, and folklore drawn upon to craft Master of Poisons are not my own. What they are, however, is “fascinating”.

Our cast of characters is fairly varied and distinct, though the two main characters of note are Djola and Awa. Djola is sort of like the right hand man of Azizi, the Emperor (whom by all accounts is inept and corrupt). His official title (and the book’s namesake), “Master of Poisons”, denotes his capacity to cure anything. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Djola is possessed of a keen mind, though prone to arrogance and distemper. He is a powerful conjurer, and holds great wisdom and knowledge of the old ways. Awa, our other Point of View character, starts as a very young girl, sold to the Green Elders by her ignorant father due to her mother’s mystic”transgressions”. Awa is possessed of a keen mind, great mystic skill of her own, and more than a bit of attitude. Under the tutelage of Yari, the “griot of griots”, Awa grows into a powerful griot (wise person/storyteller/peacemaker) herself. A large portion of the book takes place over several years, and details the events which inevitably bring these two strange individuals together. Their interactions, and the way they grow to learn about each other over time, are one of the main highlights of the story. Both initial narratives are entertaining to read, though their paths and travels are very, very different. Hezram, a fanatical and misguided priest, serves as the “antagonist” of the story. This is not a mustache-twirling sort of villain, which is perfectly fine by me, though I must admit to feeling somewhat underwhelmed by him. He simply was not a particularly compelling character to me, and occupied far too little space to be developed into one.

I’m going to borrow a little from Brandon Sanderson here and say that the principal of “Journey Before Destination” certainly applies to the novel, at least in my eyes. This is a story which pays homage to (likely) numerous different cultures and bodies of Folklore; I felt like the conclusion of the story was somewhat overshadowed by much of this and concluded rather abruptly. Did I care? Not particularly. it was still a pleasure to read, as Hairston writes beautiful prose. I prefer not to dwell on/criticize this overly much, as it’s been pointed out lately in a variety of Twitter discussions that (White)reviewers have a tendency to review through the lens of Western story-structure/canon… and this is absolutely correct as an observation. I am not familiar with African myth/culture/story-structure enough to comment on this, and therefore urge you to ease up on this aspect of the text as well. I’ve also seen criticism of this text from other early reviewers who noted that there is an enormous amount of jargon throughout the story. To these people I say: yeah, you’re right. There is a very handy Glossary at the end which does an excellent job of explaining the abundant terminology used throughout the text, but it can get a bit tedious having to keep flipping back and forth between text and Glossary. I would imagine that readers will have a much easier time with this if they have a paper copy, but on a digital ARC it was somewhat annoying. I understand and respect Hairston’s usage of all these terms, as it is very clear that an enormous amount of effort and scholarship went into accurately and respectfully portraying them. However, I cannot help but be mildly turned off by the flow of things on my first read. I feel that this is something which begs a second read, and imagine it would be significantly more enjoyable on the second pass. Don’t let that deter you! You’ll have a good time. I got used to it by the end, and so will you.

Master of Poisons is a fascinating tale of hardship, redemption, and the lengths people will go to for love. Andrea Hairston’s prose is lush, and will take you outside of the tired and overused “Western-style” Fantasy setting. I strongly suggest you give it a try and broaden your literary horizons.

Happy reading!