Genre: YA Fantasy
Series: Study Series #2
Published: 2006
Pages: 400
My Rating: 4.5 stars
In the sequel to Poison Study, we follow Yelena, in exile, back to her homeland of Sitia where she is to study under the fourth Magician, Irys.
After a reunion with the family that she hasn't seen since she was kidnapped at the age of 6, Yelena travels on to the Citadel to begin her training; to develop, harness and control her magic.
The writing in Magic Study is definitely more refined, descriptive without being tedious and on a whole more enjoyable. There were none of the annoyances present in Ms Snyders writing that I found so irritating in Poison Study.
While the whole magic theme wasn't quite as fascinating as the details on poisons in Poison Study, it was extremely enjoyable nonetheless.
Once again danger and adventure are Yelena's constant companions so the story moves along at a good pace. Yelena becomes embroiled in the hunt for a rogue magician who is torturing young girls and stealing their souls to increase his own power. This takes place while Yelena is in the process of discovering some unique and powerful abilities. Control of her magic is a slow developing skill, as is the dawning of understanding of the difference between self-reliance, independence & arrogance.
I thoroughly enjoyed the appearance of familiar characters from Poison Study in this story, the loveable Ari and Janco and of course Valek. Valek's re-appearance allows the love interest between Yelena & Valek to subtly develop. I wasn't quite as attached to the new cast of characters in Magic Study but I did like Moon Man and the boy Fisk.
The shortage of characters to love was more than made up for by the inclusion of Kiki, Yelena's horse. Kiki plays an intricate part in Magic Study, she's a delightful addition to the story & the magical connection between Yelena & Kiki touched my heart.
Yelena's journey in Magic Study is one of growth & self discovery & I can't wait to see what awaits Yelena and readers in Fire Study.
What a great review. I have heard about this author, but never picked up one of her books. Shame on me, I know. If there were only more reading hours in a day.
ReplyDeleteYou make both these books sound interesting. Yikes!! So many books, so little time!
ReplyDeleteThe good news is that Storm Glass is out now. So, even if you decide to finish Fire Study there's another book in the same world to move onto next! I can't wait!
ReplyDelete