Maria V. Snyder - Shadow Study

I love Maria V. Snyder's books especially her Study series so I was thrilled when I found out she was continuing it in another trilogy and bought it the moment I could find it.  Unfortunately, I was delayed in reading it because I was busy with other aspects of my life but I have had a chance to sit down and relax.

Shadow Study is the fourth book in Maria V. Snyder's Study series as well as the seventh in the first in the Soulfinders series, a new trilogy on its own, and The Chronicles of Ixia series; The Chronicle of Ixia series is the Study series which focusses on Yelena and her supporting cast and the Glass series which is a spin off from the Study series featuring Opal, a young girl who Yelena meets in the second book of the Study series.  The Study series focusses on Yelena Liana Zaltana, a young woman who becomes the Commander of Ixia's food taster after an offer made to her by the Commander's Chief of Security, Valek, after she murdered her former master a year ago; though she has opportunity to escape, Yelena is forced to stay in the castle under the pretence she is poisoned and has to have an antidote every day.  While working as the food taster, Yelena makes friends with at least two of the Commander's soldiers, Ari and Janco who help train Yelena to defend herself.  It comes to light that Yelena is in possession of some very strong magical powers which she doesn't understand which could threaten both her life (because of herself and because all of those who have powers in Ixia are killed by Valek) and the existence of magic if not learnt to control.  However, Yelena learns how to control her powers just enough so to help save the Commander's life when it is threatened by a magician who is working for one of the Commander's generals, bringing his soul back to his body, simultaneously learning the Commander's secret.  Due to magicians being banned from Ixia, Yelena has to escape to Sitia (and away from Valek who has become incredibly important to Yelena) with the help of a Sitian magician, Irys, so she won't be killed and returns home to a family she doesn't remember.  Once back in Sitia and in the Zaltana compound, Yelena is faced with family she doesn't remember and she receives mixed reactions to her reappearance - elation from her mother and father but hatred from an older brother she can't remember who believes she is an Ixian spy.  Before she can properly get to know her family again, she has to go to the Keep where all magicians are trained to control their power where she is met with fear from the First Magician and some of her fellow students.  Fortunately, she proves that she is not a spy or a danger to magicians everywhere when she stops another magician from sacrificing young girls to gain more power by using the unusual powers that she possesses.  Yelena is told that she is a Soulfinder, a rare type of magician who can help ferry souls on to the next part of their journey, a role she has to learn to accept with the assistance of not only the magicians of the Keep but her brother - Leif, Valek, and someone who says he is her Story Weaver, a guide if you will for her life when she is faced with the challenge of a Fire Warper, a magician trapped on another plain who threatens the existence of magic in the real world.

I have tried to sum up the first three books as much as I could in a condensed version, it was longer before I edited it down, but if you want all of the background, go read them.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Maria V. Snyder fans; fantasy fans

Favourite Characters: 

Favourite Part: "Oh, my, you gave me such a fright!"  Petal ushered us inside.  "Come in, come in.  What kind of trouble are you two in now?"
"Seems like you have a reputation, dear sister," Leif muttered.
"I believe she was referring to you as well, dear brother." - Page 129

Good Points: Multiple point of views; Yelena and Leif; character development; twists and mystery

Bad Points: Ending seems rushed; really need to read the other books too

Set six years after the end of Fire Study, Yelena is working as an ambassador between Ixia and Sitia, keeping the peace between the two lands.  However, there is chaos is approaching and Yelena and Valek are on a romantic break, or at least trying to have one, when Valek is forced to return to Ixia just as Yelena's magic mysteriously disappears.  With Valek solving the smuggling problem in Ixia that he had to come back for and Yelena and her friends trying to work out what happened to her powers, there is plenty of adventure to lose yourself in.

Unlike the previous books in the Study series as well as the Glass series Snyder has brought three point of views to the story, making it stand out from the others as it brings new perspectives to Ixia and Sitia other than Yelena's who could be biased because of her past.  Adding Valek's and Janco's perspectives to this world allows the reader to learn more about both men - such as their pasts through memories they recall and their abilities (both physical and magic related).  A great decision on Snyder's behalf is choosing to have Valek's and Janco's chapters in the third person while Yelena's are in the first person because she has written what she knows as she has never really written from the point of view of a man and it could seem forced if she tried and I'm she didn't try with characters I love.

Close sibling relationships are always a draw for me and something I love because I can identify with them as I am close with my own kid sister and I can understand the need to protect my sister - though I don't have to worry too much about threats on her life - as well as the bickering with and making fun of one another.  I love that Yelena and Leif's relationship has fully flourished after the years apart as children as they do everything I've already mentioned and there is trust between them so they protect each other; when they initially met, Leif was stand-offish because of what happened as children but now he has become more accepting of Yelena and her choice in life (Valek for example) and less shut off since his introduction in Magic Study, making him a much more likeable character.

Snyder has always been very good at developing her characters over the course of a series and I loved how all of the characters have developed; just a few examples are that Yelena doesn't run like she used to, both Leif and Valek have become friendlier over the years, Janco thinks more before he acts, and Valek's loyalty to the Commander isn't as used to be.  It makes the characters more realistic as they grow and change because they continue to change in seemingly small ways while still maintaining their overall personalities that I have loved since their introductions.

It's impressive that we are now seven books into a series/world, including the Glass series with the Study series, and Snyder can still surprise me.  Shadow Study had a lot of plot points that I found to be mysterious and surprised still which is excellent and it didn't feel repetitive; there was little, if any major, predictable that moments throughout which I am thrilled about.  The twists that were included which brought a number of characters together from the previous six books were excellent as I wasn't expecting them at all and now I can't wait for the next two books in the series, Night Study and Dawn Study.

I have always been fascinated by Valek, ever since Yelena met him in Poison Study and he started to train her as the Commander's taster.  Over the series, the readers have been able to get to know him as he gets closer to Yelena but this time around, we got to know him even more intimately as we get to see the world from his point of view and he gives insight into his life as the Commander's second-in-command, his past as an assassin, and he even provides his feelings on moments in his life through his chapters, something not seen before.  This made him even more interesting because even though he was a mystery to me and unpredictable, I still felt a connection being formed and I am anticipating learning more about him as he and Yelena come to terms with their current states.

While it isn't compulsory to do so, I personally think that you need to read the other books in the Study series as well as the Glass series because there are random references from both that come up in Shadow Study that can seem vague and random but add to the backstory of the characters.  While I have read all six books years ago, I still had to reread them recently because I needed to remind myself of past events that have influenced this story and it's been so long since the initial reading of these books that I can't remember every detail.  If people haven't read any of the previous books, it could confuse them as other that have read Shadow Study have said so if you decide to pick this book up, read the others first as it provides a more in-depth history to all of the characters that have been in it before and the seemingly vague references to past events make a lot more sense especially in regards to Yelena and Opal.

As with many books that have many point of views that cover the same events every so often, I found the ending of Shadow Study happen very quickly.  The final events of the book were built up through the different point of views who can see different moments, providing a larger perspective of the world, then as the climatic fight happens, the events are just retold which means a moment can drag while the book can feel rushed as the end approaches quickly.  While it all comes to a conclusion at an accelerated rate because of the three point of views, Snyder has left the story wide open for the next two books.

"Oh, my, you gave me such a fright!"  Petal ushered us inside.  "Come in, come in.  What kind of trouble are you two in now?"
"Seems like you have a reputation, dear sister," Leif muttered.
"I believe she was referring to you as well, dear brother." - Page 129

After the first couple of books with Leif and Yelena being at odds because of their past, the part sums up their playful relationship perfectly, just like siblings who have been close for years would be.  It seems natural and endearing as well after everything that they've been through a lot over the years, since her kidnapping then being reunited as adults and Leif was reluctant to open up to Yelena as it illustrates their sibling bond.  I especially like moments like this as it reminds me of my relationship with my sister, who I am really close to; I long for them to remain close throughout the next two books as, other than Yelena's relationship with Valek, it is one of the most important relationships in the series, even topping her relationship with her parents as she spends more time with her brother than anyone else.

If you haven't read the other books in the Study series and the Glass series, some of the vague references will be lost which is a shame and the ending escalates rapidly so it felt rushed but these points are minor for me but I felt I should bring them up as I loved Shadow Study.  The multiple point of views are a wonderful point in Shadow Study as it provides new perspectives to the world Snyder has created and this has allowed her to develop the numerous characters that live in this world as they have grown up since Poison Study.  As well as general character development, the way that the sibling relationship between Yelena and Leif has developed naturally and they have become close since their reunion - bickering and making fun of one another as well as protecting and caring about each other - as sibling should be and is something I love about the book and the series.  On top of these good points, I love the twists and turns that the story took as it added to the mystery and surprises; this is great seven novels in.  While it could be possible to read Shadow Study without reading the first three books of the Study series, I would highly recommend doing so because you'll get to know the characters better and be better prepared for a wonderful book.

Predictions

1. Valek and the Commander come to the end of their relationship because of Valek's attachment to Yelena

2. Yelena returns back to Zaltana compound to speak with her family again

3. Yelena continues to put herself in danger despite others, especially Valek, trying to protect her

The last one may be too obvious but given what happened at the end of Shadow Study I feel she'll be under even more protection and rebelling against it even more than normal as she is stubborn.