Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

Book 2 in the Study series.
Grade: A
Status: Library Book
Genre: Fantasy

If you read my previous post you know I gave the first book in this series an A as well. This book has the same strong world building, fascinating characterizations and intriguing plotting that made the first book a win for me.

When we left Ylena at the end of "Poison Study" she was setting off for the next phase of her training to the neighboring land of Sitia. While Ixia, under the Commander, is more of a socialistic/communistic regime, Sitia is under a council based on magical ability and birth rights. There is an interesting contrast between life in Sitia and life in Ixia that I thought added to the book. The differences between the two governments is underlined by Cahil, someone Ylena grows to know over the course of the book who feels that he is the rightful leader of the Ixian people. I definitely formed an opinion as to which was the better way of life but I didn't feel the author really had Ylena do that -- and that was a good thing. Her neutrality forms a back drop for the individual reader to decide what they like best (or if they even care).

I don't want to give away much of the plot since it would include spoilers for "Poison Study" so I will say: Read Poison Study first. This is most definitely a book two and while it may stand alone it will certainly be a more confusing experience than it needs to be if you read book one. Also, most of the back ground information on the secondary characters is contained in book one and that information is needed to keep them from looking one dimensional.

What I can tell you about this book is that Ylena, an orphan, learns a great deal about her family back ground in this novel. It is less of an ordeal than Ylena fears and yet it is definitely rife with challenges of its own. As she struggles to discover who she is and who her friends (and enemies) are in this new environment she is also struggling to learn the basics of her new course of study, namely magic. A point in Snyder's favor as a writer is that she walks the line between too much and too little information very well. She doesn't overwhelm us with the how and why of Ylena's abilities but she does fill in what we need to know.

New characters are of course introduced and a challenge is presented that eerily mirrors something that Ylena had a taste of in book one. We don't spend as much time as I would have liked with characters from Poison but they definitely make an appearance. This book has more action and some of the new characters don't add much to the overall story but I was still very impressed with this sophomore effort.

If you like poison study you will not be disappointed in its sequel.

The Tea: I've made a surprising discovery. After years of drinking Celestial Seasonings Chai offerings I have become a lover of all things Lipton. I especially enjoy their basic decaf blend which serves as a nice conduit for my International Delight creamers. Unlike the Chai, which has a flavor of it's own, Lipton Decaf is a subtle taste that blends well with just about any creamer flavor -- especially the Hershey's rich chocolate. Enjoy!