Fire Study
by Maria V. Snyder

I have to say after devouring and adoring both Poison Study and Magic Study, I just did not feel the same way about this third book. Not that I don’t highly recommend this entire series to fantasy lovers, because I so completely do! I just didn’t get the same sort of feeling of enchantment with this book as I did with the other two.

Fire Study has much more summarizing of the first two books than Magic Study did of the first. I found myself skimming through the first few chapters since I had just read books one and two days before. Whereas I still loved Yelena, I didn’t quite care for the plot of the book as she embarks on her quests. I did like the addition of Moon Man and the horses, however I didn’t like, nor quite follow the sudden distance between Moon Man and Yelena about three quarters of the way through. I get what the author was trying to imply happened, but I thought it rushed and sort of off-handed.

We find out more about Yelena’s powers and the people around her. There’s a final battle of sorts at the end that I thought was fast and I had already predicted part of the story back in book 2! But, I found that the series was closed out well and if there are more books to come, I’d like to experience this world through other characters, like Valek, or one of the other students in the towers.

What I do consistently love is the cover art for this series. Even just looking at the images I have in this blog I feel happy and get the urge to re-read the series – even having just read it last month! Of course I won’t… just yet. I have a couple of other books that are vying for my attention and I should give them a chance. Even though their covers aren’t as esthetically pleasing to me as these ones are.

Magic Study
by Maria V. Snyder

My only slightly negative comment about this series is that you can’t really read the books as stand-alone novels. Magic Study takes up right where Poison Study leaves off and there isn’t much summarizing of the previous book (which makes me happy I read one right after the other.) On one hand, I found that to be pleasant because I hate reading a sequel only to find that at least a quarter of it is a retelling of the previous book.

Once more I found myself enchanted and enraptured by the story of Yelena and her journey to find out who she is and how to control her magic. Accompanied by Irys the Fourth Magician of Sitia, Yelena is reunited with the family she was stolen from 14 years earlier. Yelena is now Yelena Zaltana and a daughter, sister, cousin. Though her reunion with her brother Leif is less than joyous, as they travel together to the Citadel where Yelena is to be trained in magic, they are attacked and Leif convinces the attackers that his sister is really a spy from the North. Taken as a prisoner the rest of the way, Yelena is still regarded with suspicion even when the Master Magicians confirm her true reason for being there – training and once more she must fight for her life as she is constantly attacked and captured.

I might have liked the first book more, but to be honest I am not entirely sure. Though I didn’t like all the characters this time (Cahill was a bit of a brat and I thought the First, Second, and Third Magicians were slightly one-dimensional) I still loved those I met in Poison Study and was delighted when they reappeared further along in the story. The novel ends on a cliffhanger though so I am happy that I had the bookstore hold a copy for me. I just got back from picking it up and plan on doing nothing but  READ this evening.

I don’t actually know what the third book, Fire Study, is about because I tend to not read the summaries when it’s a series that I already know. I’m not a person who generally stays away from spoilers, but sometimes I just like to be surprised as to where the story will take me.

If you’ll excuse me, I have some reading to do!

Poison Study
by Maria V. Snyder

How excited I was to finally enjoy reading again. I was completely immersed in this story once I sat down and gave it a chance to enchant me. The reading slump I have been in since the fall isn’t quite gone and I am having trouble staying focused on pretty much everything these days. So it took me a couple of days before I truly got into the book – not because it wasn’t great, because it is! But I had been sick so I took the book into the bathroom with me while I sat there with the bathtub running with hot water trying to clear my head and body. I would read about a chapter at a time and then just leave it there while I shuffled miserably to my bed or the couch. But when I finally picked it up one night before bed I was on chapter 8 and suddenly the book was finished and it was past midnight. That went FAST. It has been a long time since I have found an adult fantasy novel that really enchanted me. The entire story was like a beautiful painting come to life.

After a year in the dungeon for murder, Yelena is offered a choice – her immediate execution or accepting the position of food taster for the Commander of Ixia. Death is in both pictures, though the execution would be much faster and as food taster she would live in her own room, eat meals, be clothed and she could potentially escape death altogether depending on her luck. Thus began her training with Valek who schooled her in all things poison, learning to smell them, taste them and make sure the Commander’s food is safe for him to eat. In order to keep her from trying to escape Yelena is poisoned by Valek with a deadly substance called Butterfly’s Dust and for her to stay alive she must return to him each day so that he might administer the antidote. Missing one day would result in a cruel and painful death. Trouble finds Yelena at every turn however and those who would prefer her death for the murder she committed are still trying to kill her on their own, as well rebels are plotting to take over Ixia and suddenly Yelena develops a magical power that she can’t control. Not to mention anyone found with magic in Ixia is sentenced to execution. Yelena must fight for her life on a daily basis and though she starts off alone she earns the trust and friendship of a few who help her survive.

Only a very good book will keep me up past my normal bed time. Generally I can stop reading when exhaustion over-takes me and I finish up the next day. But I could not put this book down once I truly gave it time. I was so happy that I had bought the second book as well because I just could not imagine not reading more. The story is well crafted, well written and the characters are spectacular. I loved Yelena and how she handled the problems that faced her. She’s smart and crafty and at times sarcastic. The friendships she forms along her journey are not planned and yet they are strong and true. She wins people over with her loyalty and truth. Ari and Janco, two of the Commanders soldiers earned promotions due to her honesty and they take her under their wing and teach her self defence and some of my favourite scenes in the book are with them.

There’s a quote from Publisher’s Weekly on the cover of this book that states “This is one of those books that will keep readers dreaming long after they’ve read it.” And I swear that is right on the money. I have had this story on my brain since I started reading. Two books down and I am ready for more.

I started Magic Study the following day and have finished it as well.  Look for that review in a day or so. I even scoured the city to find Fire Study with the same cover art as the first two books. Since they seem to be reprinting them with different covers right now they are hard to find. But I found one store downtown that had 3 copies in stock and I phoned them right away to put one aside from me. I don’t like when my series don’t match. I think these covers are beautiful and am so thrilled that I have them in my book collection now.