Zarq Darquel has lived on the dragon estate for the whole of her life. As she grows older she realises that her half-breed mother has abilities that most of the others do not share but although, like her mother, she can be a little outspoken she luckily has escaped the attention of the Temple of the Dragon.

But when, during the ceremony of Mombe Taro (where boys are chosen as temple apprentices) she comes to the attention of a dangerous dragonmaster she is touched by dragon venom and inadvertently unleashes a tragedy onto her clan. As a result her sister is sold into slavery and her mother seeks peace by retreating inside herself.

Intending to rescue her sister, Zarq and her mother flee from the settlement and find safety within the Dragon Convent or Tieron – a society of women dedicated to looking after old dragons on behalf of the Temple. As she grows older she is forced to undergo a form of surgery as part of her dedication to the Convent then, one night, she discovers a secret known only to a few women within the society. This secret (which I cannot really detail here as it is rather explicit in nature) revolves around the almost psycotropic effects of dragon venom. As a result her addiction to the venom increases and she becomes almost unable to function without it.

Touched by Venom is the first book in the Dragon Temple Saga and follows the exploits of Zarq Darquel as she comes to terms with the reaction of others to her mixed-race heritage and later her addiction to dragon venom.

I think it is only fair to mention that some aspects of this book are of an extremely adult nature. There are descriptions of various rituals that would not be suitable for younger readers or anyone of a more sensitive nature. Putting this aside the story is extremely compelling and had me hooked from the very beginning.

As Zarq grows older she becomes more aware of the differences between her mother and the other women of the clan and it is these differences that drive a barrier between the older women. So when the clan is faced with possible destruction Zarq and her mother are quickly driven from their home and forced to manage alone.

The story has a strangely cyclical nature. It starts with Zarq gaining the attention of a dragonmaster during the ceremony of Mombe Taro (which is supposed to be restricted to the boys of the various clans) and ends with the adult Zarq becoming the first apprentice to the Temple.

Many fantasy novels inevitably end up feeling as though they have been written for young adults as the overly "inoffensive" nature of the writing makes them a little anaemic. Touched by Venom is far from this. Grown up fantasy for grown up people. And it's stunning!

Synopsis
On a large dragon estate in Malacar, young Zarq Darquel's rebellious ways go unnoticed by the watchful eye of the Dragon Temple-until she accidentally captures the attention of an eccentric and dangerous dragonmaster and unleashes a storm of tragedy. Zarq and her delirious half-breed mother flee through the underworld of their land-from The Zone of the Dead to a sanctuary for outcast dragons, through discovery and persecution. Consumed with the desire for revenge, Zarq develops a taste for the highly addictive venom drawn from the dragons she has been taught to revere, and sinks into a realm of bizarre magics. Here, influenced by the divine grace of dragon memories, Zarq glimpses possibilities of revenge and social revolution; but to achieve such, she must defy not just the sexual taboos and patriarchal conventions of her society, but the Emperor who rules her nation.