I was initially unsure if I would like this book, however as I read on I became enveloped in the world created by a bespoke use of language (providing a sense of other), lush descriptions and detailed character interactions. The narrative may not always go where you think it might (a plus point for me) and has beautiful flawed characters living in a beautiful but endangered world.
The main protagonists are Djola - the Master of Poisons and Awa a young girl sold by her family to the Green Elders. The story arc spans eight years and centers around the search for a cure to the poisons which are spreading throughout the realms .
In this world everything is connected and actions of the people affect the environment and wildlife - a parallel for our current situation. Djola looks for spiritual ways and learning to combat the spread of this human made poison whilst Awa can communicate with the wilds and wild things that live there.
Solutions are available but these come at a cost and it ultimately is down to whether we are willing to pay the cost or not,
I was fortunate to read an ebook ARC, however do note there is a glossary of terms at the end (I only found this when I finished my read ;) ) but was pleased to find I had interpreted the bespoke words correctly. A very different style of fantasy fiction but one I enjoyed.

I had a difficult time connecting with this title. There was something about the writing that made it hard to stay engrossed in the story. I loved the setting and the worldbuilding, however.

The Arkhysian empire is a sprawling land with multiple ethnic groups and a nebulous magic system. Hairston's descriptions are gorgeous and lush as always. I enjoyed how sexuality and gender in the Arkhysian empire allowed for fluidity. This was a very involved read. Concepts would be introduced and executed and then not fully explained until a few chapters after the fact. The first half of the book was difficult to read. The story is told primarily by Djola the idealistic Master of Poisons and Awa the Sprite learning conjure, interspersed with narrations by their animal companions. The chapters are very short, only a few pages each, and it isn't immediately clear how Awa and Djola are connected. The oscillation of narrators made it very difficult to settle into the story. Around the half-way point, Awa and Djola met up, so the story felt more cohesive.
This story's messages about complacence and deflection aiding disaster, and the importance of traditional knowledge felt very prescient.

I wanted to love this book - but it was hard to stay engaged because of the pace. The world and characters had such potential, and I hate to not finish - but it was sometimes a struggle. I think if the editors had a heavier hand, this could be a real gem!!

I have always enjoyed reading epic fantasy. I love to look into an author’s world that they completely made up, and be awed and inspired by it. Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston did have a very rich world that was highly detailed. It was a world mixed with violence and beauty. You can tell that Hairston put her heart and soul into her world and for that, this book was excellent.

Now in every epic fantasy you have names of people and places that you won’t be familiar with, and sometimes it does take a bit for the flow to get going and for the reader to catch on. I expect that and it’s part of what makes a fantasy novel so interesting. But when you add in lots of unfamiliar words for things too, it becomes a lot harder for me to find my flow. If some of the things would have been explained faster this could have helped me to understand better. And when things were explained it was more of an information dump instead of having it flow seamlessly into the story.

Often short chapters are used to keep the action going and this makes the reader want to keep turning the pages to find out what will happen next. But the short chapters in Master of Poisons had more of a choppy effect, often taking me out of the story. There were times when more was needed to be said before jumping to something else.

Even though I couldn’t get into Master of Poisons like I was hoping, I’m not going to say you shouldn’t read it, since it might be something you really end up enjoying.

The world building and the characters in this book are fascinating and intricate and detailed. The writing was thoughtful and immense. This book deserves an attentive and intense reader. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish - I’m blaming my own lack of attention span.

Master of Poisons was a DNF for me, but I’m going to talk about WHY because I rarely DNF books (because I feel guilt towards the book) and because I actually got through 60% of the book before stopping.

Master of Poisons is set in an African-inspired fantasy setting. The Arkhysian empire now controls most of the continent that we see in the book, including a number of northern protectorates that used to be individual smaller countries/large tribes with their own customs and languages. These peoples are usually considered barbarian to some extent because of their connection with Shadowland - a sort of spiritual realm - and the use of some types of conjure - aka magic. These northern people, the sea “pirates,” and others are all connected through marriage to create treaties and keep the peace. Now, their world seems to be facing an impending environmental crisis due to poison sand, which seem to be linked to certain types of conjure or “spirit debt,” as well as environmental exploitation and industrialization.

Djola is from one of the northern peoples, related to both the empire and the sea pirates by marriage, and has become the emperor’s Master of Poisons. A note, because I had unrealized expectations: a Master of Poisons is really good at ANTIDOTES. A Master of Poisons is not a spy master (not really) or a poisoner. Anyway. Djola has come up with a plan to fight and cure the poison sand, but this would involve the rich giving up many comforts, and Djola ends up banished, but also sent on a mission to bring back proof that his plan will work. During his banishment, he works to learn an almost-forgotten magic that I think destroys and purifies.

Awa is a young girl, also from the northern peoples. She is sold by her father to the Green Elders, which are a community which includes magic users, shadow walkers, storytellers, spirit warriors, etc. But Green Elders are despised by the Empire, for not entirely clear reasons. They are much closer to nature and the spirits of the mountains and animals. Awa learns to be a shadow walker, someone who can navigate Shadowland.

After this a whole bunch of dark, and sometimes creepy, and definitely sad stuff happens. The 60% that I read took place over about 5 years. It’s definitely set up to be pretty political, which I’m usually very down for. The pacing is slow (and maybe a little uneven but not awful) and the prose is evocative and metaphor-heavy. I also feel like the plot was a bit unclear. I understood WHY Djola was in these situations, but just had no clear idea about what the endgame was. Get rid of poison sand, but just not very clear.

But all of that wouldn’t have really bothered me that much. So here’s the thing. I feel like the worldbuilding in Master of Poisons is SUPERB. There is so much that’s interesting here, I was very curious, wanted to learn more, and the world was super compelling. Except that I feel like Hairston’s lyrical prose kind of got in the way. There’s a lot of “foreign” words and you get dumped into the middle of the story to some extent, so there’s a lot of jargon that has to be navigated. Which would be totally fine, except that things do not get explained in any sort of timely manner. In chapter 8 I finally got a little bit of an info dump and I was rejoicing! Literally every time I got an info dump in this book I was so happy because I might finally understand something. But these explanations were few and far between.

60% through and I feel like it still hasn’t really caught my attention. If I was allowed to understand the world, I would be totally OK with having a slower pace. Maybe I’m just not smart enough, or am too literal. But this just feels frustrating. I kept hoping it would get better or the ending would have a really big payoff that would make it all worth it. Part of me still really wants to hang on and see it through because I just want a really epic ending, but I shouldn’t have to slog through over half of the book. I really want other people to pick this book up and love it! Maybe I’ll pick it back up again, but I just have too many other books I need to read right now. I feel like I need to give Master of Poisons a lot of credit for potential and the fact that I really was interested, but I just can't justify spending another couple of weeks finishing it. 3/5 stars

Thanks very much to TOR and to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In all honesty, Master of Poisons is a case of "right book, wrong time" for me. It was a good book, and I did like it, but it's one that I think I would have liked more if I had the patience to sit with it and read a little slower. It's one that, I think, if I reread it and I knew what to expect from it, writing-wise and plot-wise, I would enjoy more.

So here's some reasons you should ignore my rating and just read this book anyway.

The worldbuilding: I feel like we are in the middle of a glut of great fantasy worlds, particularly in adult fantasy, and this one is no different. It's so vibrant and real and definitely a world I would want to return to.

The characters: First and foremost, there are hardly any straight people in this, which obviously makes it that much better for me. Not only that, but there's also consideration of non-cis people too, which is always good to see in fantasy (I mean, if your world is mostly made-up, why can't you make up new gender dynamics too?). The one thing I would say though, is that the vesons (effectively the group of nonbinary folks) were often spoken of as being a scapegoat a lot of the time, and there were mentions of vie being murdered for that reason. So it still wasn't a world without that prejudice.

Secondly, the main characters are definitely ones you will find it very easy to sympathise with. Djola starts off as a fairly arrogant, yet well-meaning, man who just wants to save his adopted country, while Awa is a girl whose home is snatched away from her brutally, and is just looking to survive. Add to this a supporting cast of pirates, spies and griots, and you have yourself an exciting story.

The plot: At heart, the plot is one of rescuing one's homeland, but it also has a distinct found family aspect to it, as well as a consideration of reform versus wholesale change in the face of corruption. It is both epic in scope and also very focused on individual relationships, which I really liked about it.

So, if that all sounds like it would be up your alley, please, do pick up this book. Like I said, for me, it was a case of "right book, wrong time" and maybe in the future I can come back to it and enjoy it as it deserves.

What has definitely lost me is the universe of this story. It's a very rich and complex universe, with a plethora of coined terms that are gibberish and are so plentiful that I felt like I was reading Chinese.

I admit, in novels of this kind, I often have a great tendency to skip passages in order to get to the point, to action.

However, I have never been able to do so here because the action is closely linked to the context which is explained to us with too many details I understood that there are political subtleties when Djola goes into exile. Or that magic, which everyone respects and shuns at the same time, is an intrinsic part of the story.

But, when you create a whole universe, as dense and complete as it is, the least thing in order not to lose the reader, in any case, in my eyes, is not to take for granted that he will understand. terms coined without a minimum of explanation. There I was dived among sharks and there was nothing to help me stay afloat.

Pity.

So I feel a disappointment for this novel which promised to be a good epic. Maybe if I had read it in the winter, I would have had more patience and fought harder to finish this story. Perhaps. But I wasn't in the right mood for it. I am frustrated because I feel that I could have loved this story and that I completely missed it.

*Review to be posted on my blog on 8/27/20**

**3.5 STARS**
Thank you to Tor.com and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

My Attention: waned

World Building: African epic fantasy – the most amazing thing about this story is the world building of the Arkhysian Empire. The reader travels across so many terrains and come across different kinds of people and tribes.

Writing Style: beautifully written

Bringing the Heat: no

Crazy in Love: there is love but it isn’t crazy

Creativity: imaginative world building of magic, griots and politics

Mood: inspired

Triggers: violence

My Takeaway: African inspired fantasies are so rich in culture and magic!

Likes:
*The world building in this epic story takes center stage. It is an African inspired fantasy, and filled with lush scenery and characters. There is political intrigue, danger, music, adventure, gods, spirits and so much magic.

*One thing I love about fantasy stories is that diversity is usually a given. This book is no exception.

*The story follows two main characters Djola who is the Master of Poisons, and Awa a young griot. I think both of them were interesting but I was drawn towards Awa more, maybe because she was the female character and griots are something I’ve been reading more about lately in other African inspired fantasies. Djola is an Elder and is knowledgable and knows the political landscape of the Arkhysian Empire. He has magic as well. The story moves faster when Awa and Djola finally meet. I like their interactions because they both learn from one another.

*The writing is so visual, like when Awa’s bees surround her. I can see this book translated into a fantasy series on screen. I can only imagine how amazing the scenes would look. This story is beautiful in the way some sentences flow and sound like proverbs. There are deep meanings and messages in this story.

Random Notes:
*The story is written beautifully but it lost my attention in the middle because it moved too slow and I was learning about the different people, their magic, and the language. Djola is tasked to basically the cure to the land and Awa is a young griot new to her growing powers. I wanted it to move faster in the beginning but I understand the scope of the storytelling especially with the world building.

*While the world building is fantastic, I wish I had connected to the characters more. Awa was my favorite, and her character was vibrant but emotionally, I felt like I didn’t connect to anyone in the story.

Final Thoughts:
This landscape of African inspired fantasy is a wonderful eye-opening reading experience for me. I’m usually a reader of young adult fantasy, but this adult fantasy, Master of Poisons, is epic. Maybe because I’m so used to young adult fiction the slow building of this story challenged my attention span. The world-building for me is the stand out in this book, it is so seamless and imaginative. Lovers of fantasy will definitely enjoy this one.

💕 ~ Yolanda

What I enjoyed most about the world of Master of Poisons was the superb attention paid to the worldbuilding. The story takes place in an African inspired world which is refreshing. The world created was rich, diverse and unique as any modern fantasy, it was quite enchanting.

The story background starts with a dried-up land, crops will not grow, and poisoned tornados are destroying cities. Djola is Master of Poisons, righthand man and spymaster to the Arkhysian emperor Azizi. Determined to find a spell to cure his adopted land and save his family, even in exile. It was the character Awa a young sprite, who impressed me the most, she spends a lot of time learning to be a smoke-walker, which is a combination of storyteller, bard and shaman but also has the ability to travel to other lands in a dream-like state. This reminded me very much of the Tel'aran'rhiod in the Wheel of Time.

This is a richly told story with themes of tragedy, people in power, friendships, and sacrifice. The story does have a literary quality to it as well which was refreshing. The chapters are short, which can make this a fast-paced story. which also means the action scenes can sometimes pass you by in a flash if you don't pay attention. Master of Poisons is a quality book, imaginative, epic, with a very satisfying story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor/Forge for a digital e-arc. All opinions are my own.

Master of Poisons has a lot going for it: an intriguing setting, interesting characters, a well-presented and fascinating magical element, and a pleasing prose style. There is QUILTBAG representation and an environmental message that isn't too preachy. It ticks a lot of boxes, and I really wanted to like it more than I did, but in the end I struggled to get through it. I found the pacing far too slow. My interest would spike briefly when something major happened, but in meantime my attention wavered and I found it difficult to connect with the action and the characters on a deeper level. There is absolutely nothing 'wrong' with the book to my mind, apart from the slow pacing; it simply wasn't a good fit for me. I am sure there are other readers out there who will love it. I am giving it three stars. There were elements I enjoyed and the book has merits; it just wasn't a piece that captured my heart.

"As long as sweet water fell from the sky every afternoon and mist rolled in on night wind, everybody promised to change -tomorrow or next week. Then crops failed and rivers turned to dust. Good citizens now feared change would make no difference or was in fact impossible. Who could fight the wind?"

The land is drying up, crops will not grow, and poisoned tornados are destroying cities. Djola is Master of Poisons and second to the Arkhysian emperor Azizi. Determined to find a spell to cure his adopted land and save his family Djola sets sail.

Awa is a young sprite who has been sold to the Green Elders by her family. She is a smoke-walker who can travel to other lands in a dream like state. "Awa discovered under water river forests undulating to the melodies of golden behemoths who sported white speckled fins. She swam beside creatures twice the size of elephants against the currents..."

This book has beautiful writing. Every line is magical and flows wonderfully. I really liked the magic system, it is quite unique. Awa traveled in dreams and could bring people with her.

This book was very setting focused I learned a lot about the world, but I would have liked more from the characters. It is a beautiful story, but for me not very immersive.

3.5*

With some books there is a moment when everything clicks, even if initially things have been a little bewildering. This never happened with this book. By the end I probably understood 80-85% of what was going on at any one time but perhaps that was the authors intent. This may be one I’d enjoy more on reread. That being said, I don’t think a book should need to be read multiple times to be understood.

One thing I did really like about this book is the magic system which can be accessed by certain people through their dreams. It felt like a blend of Guy Gavriel Kay’s Tigana and NK Jemisin’s Dreamblood and yet something all of its own. I enjoyed how this meant that the action of the book played out on two planes - the real world and the dreamscape.

This is one I do intend to return to and to read more slowly next time around because many aspects of it are new and intriguing. Also I’m really glad that more high fantasy by Black women is being published and I will always be there to support that.

E-arc provided by Tor via netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I DNF’ed this book, but I just want to say this book is not bad. It is just not for me. The world building is amazing and the characters had depth, but the problem that I had was the pace. It is way too slow. I felt like for one hundred pages we were going in circles. Djola has the great plan, but kept running into the same problem. I stopped the moment the circle broke and by the time it drew my interest, it was just too late. I checked out chapters ago. I really like the concept of a dying world and trying to fix it with new and unusual ways, but for me it just wasn’t clicking. I might try this book again, but for now it will be just left unfurnished.

Good new author to watch! This novel is more towards the literary end of the genre and tells a strong environmental tale. The book has several shorter sections within it divided into short chapters so despite the literary leanings it is a faced paced read that flows well and doesn’t lag anywhere. .You follow two main characters of two different generations with a host of minor characters but the book feels more setting and story driven than character driven. I look forward to seeing more from this author!

Delighted to include this novel in the Fall Fiction spotlight of Zoomer magazine’s September/October 2020 print issue as well as new digital Books hub Club Zed (online as well)

"No hope without change, no change without sacrifice."

The world of Master of Poisons is at once both stunning and horrifying. Magic abounds from the sprites who can talk to animals and the griots who can travel through Smokeland, a land of spirits and visions, but it is also slowly dying as a climate catastrophe known as the poison desert consumes the world. Djola, the Master of Poisons (so named because he has an antidote for everything) is frustrated by his inability to solve the crisis that plagues the world. The other masters look for cheap and easily solutions but Djola knows the only way to save what he loves is through hardwork and sacrifice but the other masters exile him rather than follow his lead. Now without resources or friends, Djola must still find someway to save the world.

What I think I love most about the book is the worldbuilding. Everything feels so alive and diverse and unique in this world from the chaotic magics to the various peoples with their internecine conflicts (it's stated outright that the primary means of alleviating wars in this world is marital diplomacy, marrying the enemy) which produces temporary peace but then leads to harsher fights against brothers in the future. In particular, Smokeland was a fascinating spirit world that I never got tired of glimpsing pieces of. The characters too are quite fascinating. Though I obviously dwelt a lot on Djola in my summary, I think he is only the second best character to the sprite Awa who who spends much of the book learning the sacred arts of a griot (something of a storyteller, bard, shaman, and historian all in one). Her chapters have a much slower tragedy that mirror's Djola's while still remaining distinct due to her more spiritual connection to the land (she is often our primary viewpoint character for entering Smokeland for much of the book). I also think this is a thematically rich work with plenty to say about how those in power choose to protect their lifestyles over making hard choices to save everyone (a theme that is, to put it mildly, super fucking timely).

Chapters are extremely short which can make them hit or miss. Sometimes actions happen just a little too quickly or the plot jumps forward unexpectedly when a more traditional fantasy novel would dwell on the events a bit longer which did occasionally result in me having to reread a few passages to make sure I hadn't missed anything. However, in other circumstances the short chapters wind up feeling punchy instead of choppy and manage to go for the jugular in 2 pages in a way books with 83 page chapters never quite manage. The abruptness with which Djola is cast out of his city and loses his friends is a surprisingly effective way of what it must feel like to lose everything. Some of the minor characters also felt a little underdeveloped which did make sense for how quickly this book moves (not every author can tell a story of this scope in just 400ish pages) but it did sometimes make the world feel smaller than it should have

Quite simply, this book is a marvel and I admire a lot about it. I imagine anyone looking for a standalone epic that delivers a satisfying story in a unique world will find a lot to love about this book as well even if the novel demands more attention than you might be expecting from it's deceptively short length.

4.5 stars

Master of Poisons is as epic an adventure as Martin's "Game of Thrones," or Lynch's "The Lies of Locke Lamora," but set in a non-Western empire, clearly drawing on African cultures and concepts of magic.

Djola's world is in danger, and he and his family are threatened by political conflicts. His only hope of saving his wife and children, or his world, is to find the spell, Xhalan Xhala, much storied for its potential to heal the land, but lost -- potentially forever. Awa has been sold by her family into training with the Green Elders, in order for her to have a chance to become a griot, wielding story, and magic. She has been sold because she has the ability to enter the Smokeland - a realm of "vision and spirits," of "possibilities and maybe-nots," and hazardous in itself. Being sold into training is safer than risking growing up into a woman who knows too much, and is a threat. Both Awa and Djola have difficult journeys ahead of them, as Djola seeks Xhalan Xhala, and Awa seeks to develop her skill.

Hairston's writing and worldbuilding is richly detailed, lyrical, and at times dizzying, as when she switches between tenses to capture the urgency of a situation. Chapters switch point of views, mostly between Awa and Djola, and for each, readers are very much inside their heads, seeing and noticing what they see, failing to see what they do not. This choice allows Hairston to build intimate portraits -- grounded in her characters' perspectives, experiences, and bodies. If the precariousness of the land is central, so too is the fragility and urgency of being embodied -- whether hungry, yearning, ill, or broken. This makes Master of Poisons a particularly intense read, and sometimes I wished for the distance that an omniscient narrator might have provided -- but even so, I can't argue with the magnitude of what Hairston has accomplished, and I am glad to have this as an addition to the genre of high fantasy epics.