Book Review: Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder

Fire Studyis the stunning conclusion to Snyder's Study trilogy, wherein Yelena must come to terms with her soulfinder powers, heal relations between Sitia and Ixia, deal with a possible traitor in their midst, and fight the powerful and alluring fire warper. Her choices will affect not only her future but those of everyone she loves.

Having just finished Magic Study, I jumped right into this book. I still love Yelena as a character - in this book, she struggles again with her own identity and powers. The story is compelling and interesting, keeping me reading. I did think sometimes Yelena was being really stupid and purposely not understanding certain things that were very clear to the reader. Perhaps too many storylines going on at once detracted from the smooth flow of story, but resolutions seemed to tie the different stories together in a satisfying way. However, these and a few other minor issues did not truly mar my enjoyment of the book. Poison Study was by far my favorite of the trilogy. I look forward to a different series about this same world told from the eyes of a minor character, Opal. Storm Glassis the first in the series.

Read-alikes:
Yelena still reminds me of Harry from The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
A bit like the world in Warrior Heir, Wizard Heir, and Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
Court intricacies are similar to Crown Duel and Court Duelby Sherwood Smith

RATINGS:
s-factor: !
A few scattered throughout.

mrg-factor: X
A couple of mild scenes and innuendo.

v-factor: ->->
Some gruesome details, but nothing graphic.

Overall rating: ***

Book Review: Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

Magic Studybegins Yelena's time in her homeland of Sitia. Yelena is returning to her family after fourteen years of separation, but not everyone is glad to have her home. Accusations that she is an Ixian spy, threats against her life, animosity from other magicians, and a terrible murderer killing young girls to gain power all conspire to make her homecoming not at all welcome.

After really loving Poison Study, I was eager to pick up this sequel. While I still love Yelena's character and Snyder has produced another great story, this book did not have the same compelling story and interest the other had. Perhaps it was that the main storyline did not seem as personal to Yelena as the first one. Ferde's plans to gain power did not seem to really have any connection at all to Yelena. Her interactions with her family were interesting, but I just didn't have the same compulsion to finish the story as with the first. Still a good book, and definitely ready to pick up the next one.

Read-alikes:
Pick up the first in the trilogy, Poison Study
Still reminds me of The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
A bit like the world in Warrior Heir, Wizard Heir, and Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

RATINGS:
s-factor: !
Scattered throughout.

mrg-factor: X
Commonly mentioned, but action all offstage.

v-factor: ->->
Some fighting and other violence, mostly not described.

Overall rating: ***

Book Review: Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Poison Studyis more a study of Yelena's struggle to deal with her past and find out who she has become. After she is offered the chance to become the Commander's food taster instead of being hanged, Yelena deals with intrigue, doubt, attempted murder, love, and the complicated feelings involved in learning to trust again; all this with the constant threat of assassination by poisoning.

I really enjoyed this intriguing and original fantasy story. The plot was interesting and the twists, while some were obvious from early on, were still pretty good. I didn't quite see how Commander Ambrose's interesting past fit in with the story, but I really thought it was a great book. I was really surprised at how the fantasy elements, which I thought would dominate, ended up not being the main emphasis of the story. It was really about Yelena and her path to recovery and self-discovery. This was published for adults, but will appeal to older teens who love fantasy. I'm already looking forward to the next one in the series.

Read-alikes:
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
also like Crown Duel and Court Duelby Sherwood Smith (review in the works)
the imaginary world reminded me of the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan

RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
Regularly throughout, but mostly mild words.

mrg-factor: XX
A few scenes, not descriptive.

v-factor: ->->
Several fighting sequences, mainly in self-defense.

Overall rating: ****