Published: 2006
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Paperback
What is Magic Study about?
YOU KNOW YOUR LIFE IS BAD WHEN YOU MISS YOUR
DAYS AS A POISON TASTER...
With her greatest enemy dead, and on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago, Yelena should be pleased. But though she has gained her freedom, she can't help feeling isolated in Sitia. Her Ixian background has changed her in many ways—and her newfound friends and relatives don't think it's for the better....
Despite the turmoil, she's eager to start her magic training—especially as she's been given one year to harness her power or be put to death. But her plans take a radical turn when she becomes involved with a plot to reclaim Ixia's throne for a lost prince—and gets entangled in powerful rivalries with her fellow magicians.
If that wasn't bad enough, it appears her brother would love to see her dead. Luckily, Yelena has some old friends to help her with all her new enemies....
With her greatest enemy dead, and on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago, Yelena should be pleased. But though she has gained her freedom, she can't help feeling isolated in Sitia. Her Ixian background has changed her in many ways—and her newfound friends and relatives don't think it's for the better....
Despite the turmoil, she's eager to start her magic training—especially as she's been given one year to harness her power or be put to death. But her plans take a radical turn when she becomes involved with a plot to reclaim Ixia's throne for a lost prince—and gets entangled in powerful rivalries with her fellow magicians.
If that wasn't bad enough, it appears her brother would love to see her dead. Luckily, Yelena has some old friends to help her with all her new enemies....
Thoughts:
Magic Study was a
fast paced, intense book with many twists and turns and cliffhangers. Okay, so time for a story: I buddy read this series with a friend. We read five chapters and then check in and
wait for the other person. Every single
time I had to stop, there was a cliffhanger.
It was horrible. When I got to
meet and talk with Maria v. Snyder, I asked her about it. And she admitted that she likes to end each
chapter on a bit of a cliffhanger. So,
basically, once you pick this book up, you won’t want to put it down.
Going into Magic Study, I was wary. This is the second book in a series, and in
Magic Study, Yelena finds herself in Sitia, away from all of my other favorite
characters in this series. I wasn’t sure
how I was going to feel about that. But,
as always, I loved it. Even the absence
of some of my favorites did not detract from Magic Study and I loved it just as
much. The fact that this book basically
surrounds Yelena in Sitia, all with new characters and a new setting and is
still just as amazing is a testament to Maria V. Snyder’s wonderful
writing.
It
was really fun, actually, to get to explore another part of the Poison Study world. Before, we only really got to see the main
palace in Ixia. Now, we get to see
Yelena as she goes back to her birthplace of Sitia. We get to see so many different parts of this
world, especially when she visits the Zaltanas and the Sandseeds.
In Magic Study, we are introduced to new characters,
such as Cahill and Leif. I don’t even know where to start with those
two. Leif is a very complex
character. I don’t really even know what
to say about him that’s not spoilery, except for “woah”. Cahill…I always had a bad feeling about
him. But, I don’t really see him as a
threat because he’s not exactly the brightest.
*shakes head* Oh, Cahill.
I
also really loved seeing the relationship between Yelena and Irys. Seeing it go from Irys trying to kill Yelena
in the first book, to Irys being Yelena’s mentor is really cool. Getting to see Yelena learn from and meet other
magicians was great. In this book, we’re
also introduced to Opal, who has her own spin off series. She seems really cool, and I’m sure her
series will be great.
Yelena, as always, never failed to impress me in Magic
Study. She deals with so much crap in this book, but
she always fights through it and tries to do what’s right. It just proves her strength and
capabilities. She is learning how to
manage her newfound powers, dealing with family issues, and trying to hunt down
an evil magician/kidnapper/rapist. Not
to mentions evil siblings coming back for revenge. Yelena never gets a break, does she? But, Yelena deals with all of this pretty
much on her own and (as expected) kick everyone’s butts. Even towards the end, when we see Valek and
Ari and Janco (which is great), Yelena still continues on her independence and
rarely needs their help.
Rating:
Final Thoughts:
Overall, Magic Study was everything I was expecting
from the sequel. We got to see the same amazing characters, but
with some new ones thrown in. As expected,
there was wonderful character development.
Maria V. Snyder never fails to keep me on my toes with her great plot
and plot twists. This series is only
getting better, and I can’t wait to continue on with the next book.
Olivia
Have
you read Magic Study? What were your
thoughts? If you haven't read the Poison Study series yet, definitely check it out!
I've heard so many wonderful things about this series Olivia, but for some reason I've been scared to start it. However, your review has given me the motivation to pick it up ASAP. It sounds like such an amazing story! Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3
ReplyDeleteIt definitely deserves the praise! YAY :)
DeletePoison Study is amazing and I can't wait to see what you think of it!!
Thanks <3