REVIEW: Magic Study

Magic Study
Maria V. Snyder
MIRA Books
ISBN-13: 9780778323921
ISBN-10: 0778323927
Fantasy
October 1, 2006

Poison Study, book one in the adventures of Yelena’s precarious and often dangerous life, introduced a heroine worth giving more than a second look at. Put through hell and back, she refused to let abuse and foul black magic to take her life as a child. As a young woman, she conquered the challenges of becoming the poison taster for the ruler of Ixia and managed to secure the heart of its most dangerous assassin. Through many tests, Yelena has already walked, but there’s one left that she’s only dreamed of and it may prove the most difficult for her to overcome yet.

Fourteen years have passed since Yelena was taken from her family, kidnapped from the southern country of Sitia. As those possessing magic are put to death in Ixia, Yelena must take herself, along with her newly budding powers, to the only place left for someone such as her. The first challenge of her once again new start at life? Her family. When she meets up with them again, it’s a culture shock for both parties. Determined to rekindle something of her past though, Yelena gives it her all with the large Zaltana clan. Treachery is never far from home though, and soon she’s having to watch her back around a close family member. Even in the capital city, where Yelena travels to learn how to control her magic, she can’t gain a moments respite from danger. There, she become embroiled in the machinations of a would-be king, the treachery of an evil magician and the stigma of a power so great, others fear the very mention of one who wields it. Looked upon with suspicion wherever she goes, Yelena must once again fight for a place in a society that has no place for her. True to her nature, she makes a place for herself, and soon is hot on the trail of the evil magician as well as her constantly unfolding destiny.

Yelena’s first person voice leads the reader straight and true throughout the twists and turns she encounters. This is the type of story, the kind of adventure, where nothing slows down, nothing stops till the end. From her boisterous and unique family, to the stringent atmosphere of the Citadel, where Yelena begins her magic study, I was entranced by every word, hungry to know as much about Yelena’s past and abilities as she was. The addition of an Ixian delegation and with it, Yelena’s assassin lover, Valek, only heightens the strenuousness and level of difficulty for her. Magic Study, like its predecessor, is a book uncluttered by unnecessary elements. Every character mentioned counts. Every action holds weight. I wanted to yank Yelena back a few times and rail at her to accept the help of her friends (besides Valek), and in this the frustrations some characters in the book have with her are completely understandable. But too, Yelena’s had no one to depend on but herself for years, and no chance to adjust to all the new developments in her life before the next comes hurtling at her. She is still by this book’s end very much growing into her own skin. The twist to this installment will lead readers right into the next book, into the next stage of Yelena’s ever entangling life. I look forward, very much, to the continuing growth of such a strong, engrossing and heartfelt character. I would suggest reading the series in order. If you’re new to the books, you’ll glean enough info about the first one to be moderately enlightened, but likely left yearning for the first anyway. The next book, Fire Study, releases March 1, 2008, where we’ll learn more about the terrifying power that Yelena may be the first to wield in centuries.

Rating: Five Scoops