Study Buddies discussion

Butterfly's Dust is the poison Valek gives to Yelena to keep her from escaping, but she finds out that Butterfly's Dust doesn't exist and the "antidote" will cause her to have withdrawal symptoms. Her life was never in any danger. Were you surprised? Would you be as understanding of Valek's tactics as Yelena was? Should she have been angrier at Valek?

I wasn't all that surprised that Butterfly's Dust wasn't really a poison and she was never in danger. I wasn't 100% sure, but I had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to prove to be all a threat in order to keep her to stay. (Another book I read had a very similar situation, although completely different circumstances.)

But had it happened to me, I would have been pretty livid. It's easy for a reader to think of all the possibilities, and what makes the most sense for the storyline that the author would write, but real life doesn't work like that. If I was Yelena, I don't think I'd have ever thought that it was fake. Especially with the withdrawl symptoms. So I would have been crazy mad to have been so tricked.

To be honest the first time I read the book I somehow missed that the poison wasn't really a poison so at the end of the novel when no one made mention of Valek handing over antidote to Yelena while she's in Sitia I was like 'WAIT! This makes no sense!' so I had to re-read XD

From my experiences I would have been hurt and angry. I tend to forget that circumstances (and feelings)change so what may have been True then wasn't necessarily True now.

But taking it from Yelena's perspective--she knew how fantaticallyloyal Valek was to the Commander and his safety and when he met her he knew nothing about her except that she had murdered her benefactor's son brutally. On paper there was nothing at all to make him believe she was trustable. So she understood his precaution and forgave him (I believe she even sort of admits on paper she sounds horrible).

She was ready to die at the beginning of Poison Study. She knew she had broken the law, she knew what the consequences would be and she knew that there was no reason for Valek to trust her. She has already gotten over being mad that he had "poisoned" her, so why be mad to find out that he hadn't poisoned her?

Tina wrote: "She was ready to die at the beginning of Poison Study. She knew she had broken the law, she knew what the consequences would be and she knew that there was no reason for Valek to trust her. She has..."

That is an interesting question although I would probably be mad just because he had lied and let her believe that if she ran that she would die. But after the initial shock wore off I wouldn't be angry about it.

Well I think that it was more relief that she wasn't going to die in the cell(it has been a while so if I am incorrect I am sorry) is the reason that she wasn't that angry. She was going through withdrawls but remember she was having issues about being in the place that had tortured her. So to know that she wasn't going to die there probably made things mentally a little easier for her.

i probably would have tried to hit him when i found out i was poisoned and then tried to do it again when i found id been lied to but thats just me ....:D