Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

Hero: Valek
Heroine: Yelena Zaltana
Category: Paranormal
Grade: B++

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...

MAJOR SPOILERS IN REVIEW, DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ ANY SPOILERS...YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
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Wow.

I zipped right through this book, it was so good.

I zipped from the beginning to the end, loving this book with every word that I read. Maria V. Snyder sure knows how to tell a story. She had me so engrossed in this story that I thought about the book when I was away from it, wondering what Yelena was going to get herself into when I was able to read again.

By page 200, though I was enjoying the new characters and enjoying learning more about Yelena and her background, I was missing Valek horribly. I even bitched at Holly for lying about there being more Valek in this book but then I kept reading and I got more excited.

I'm a reader who loves to revisit with old friends from previous books and Mrs. Snyder doesn't disappoint in this book. I loved seeing the Commander, Ari and Janco and most of all, I LOVED seeing Valek again. Seeing Valek in action and just being the amazing chamelion that he is, made the book just all the more great in my opinion.

I love how pure and strong Valek and Yelena's love is. I loved how intune with eachother they are and how fierce they are...together. I mean, apart their love never wavered but together, they are such a force to be reckoned with.

It was fantastic meeting Yelena's long lost family. I loved Perl and Esau, I loved reading about their reunion with their long lost daughter. I loved that they accepted Yelena for who she was and what she became and I loved how Perl wanted to make up for the fourteen years that Yelena was away from them. I loved how she worried Perl was when Yelena had to go and I loved Esau's intense faith in his daughter. I loved how instead of trying to keep her from the things she needed to do, they accepted that she had to do these things and even helped her with her mission. I loved how they had faith in her ability to get through all these complicated things and I just loved them.

They were a great family.

And then there was Leif. This guy totally annoyed me a lot throughout the book, with his crap toward Yelena. He was more of a hinderance to Yelena than anything else and that bothered me a lot during this book because I swore this guy was a bad guy...but I was glad that I was proven wrong with him because he proved to be a strong ally at the end with Valek and Yelena so I was glad that he was there to guard their six. haha.

The Master Magicians didn't prove to me that they were all powerful since Yelena was supposed to be no match to their all greatness and yet she singlehandedly took care of all of the problems that Sitia faced.

And she was the outsider.

What's really going on?

I loved all of the other characters that I met in this story, except Rose. I even liked Cahil up until the end, ooh, now I'm hoping that Valek will end him and rid his crap from Sitia and Ixia. I loved Mrs. Snyder's little world she's created with Yelena and Valek, I'm loving all of this magic business and cannot wait to get my hands on Fire Study.

The ride is not done and I'm so anxious to continue the ride in Fire Study. A total two thumbs up, get this book and read it, you'll love it!