Magic Study

By Maria V. Snyder

Discovering her fate could prove deadly…

Yelena Zaltana has been found guilty of possessing magical powers. The Code of Behaviour that rules the land of Ixia states she must be executed. Escaping to the south and seeking sanctuary from the family she hasn’t seen in fourteen years could be her only hope.

But even with her family behind her, the freedom Yelena has fought for is once more in jeopardy. With only her magic to protect her, she must fight to find a place for herself in this new realm. With only one year to prove herself Yelena’s future is uncertain, when magic is involved one mistake could mean sudden death.

A CHRONICLES OF IXIA NOVEL

'A compelling new fantasy series’ – Rhianna Pratchett, SFX on Poison Study

The Chronicles of Ixia

Poison Study

Magic Study

Fire Study

Storm Glass

Sea Glass

Spy Glass

Shadow Study

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Feb 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781472011084

Maria V. Snyder

Maria V. Snyder is the New York Times bestselling author of the Study series, the Glass series, the Healer series, Inside Out, and Outside In. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Meteorology from Penn State and a Master of Arts degree in fiction writing from Seton Hill University. Unable to part ways with Seton Hill, Maria is currently a teacher and mentor for the MFA program. Find her on the Web at MariaVSnyder.com.

Reviews for Magic Study

[avoraciousreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5*Book source ~ Purchased from AudibleGuest Reviewers A ~ My 17-yr-old daughterT ~ My 15-yr-old sonK ~ My 14-yr-old sonYelena has vanquished her enemies and is on her way to Sitia to meet the family she doesn’t remember and learn how to control her magic. But growing up in Ixia and being the Commander’s food taster has made her ways strange and suspicious to the people of Sitia. Still, she perseveres. However, soon she is embroiled in a bad situation and must use her newfound abilities, her new friends and the unexpected arrival of old friends to get ahead of the game. And stay alive. Will her life ever be simple?While not as rousing as the first book, this story has a decent plot with a new world, new enemies, new friends and an appearance of old friends. Everyone still likes Yelena and Valek is still a favorite. Though T said Yelena and Valek having sex all the time is bad. I had to laugh because they aren’t doing it like bunnies. In fact, it’s closed door, not described at all and it’s only a few times. It’s just the fact that when Valek is around they do what couples in love do especially since they’ve been separated for months, but it’s not to the detriment of the plot. LOL Anyway, the magic is fascinating and the Sitia world is interesting. We all loved having the Power Twins back for a bit and the addition of horses is cool. T & K love that the horses call Valek “Ghost.” An apt name indeed. No one likes Yelena’s brother Leif. I agree that he’s an ass though by the end of the book he’s a bit better. T likes Yelena’s dad Esau because he knows so much cool stuff about the jungle. And everyone wants Cahil to die. That would be nice. We’re looking forward to book 3, Fire Study.Favorite quotes:“Pushing magic toward the candle, I willed it to light. Nothing happened.Irys made a strangled sound and the candle burned. “Are you directing your magic to the candle?”“Yes. Why?”“You just ordered me to light the candle for you,” Irys said in exasperation. “And I did it.”********************************************************************************“I gave him a bored look. I had been threatened many times before and had learned that the men who didn’t make verbal threats were the most dangerous.”******************************************************************************“Of course, you didn't want our help. Now I have to go beat up some soldier just to keep my ego intact.”

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Magic Study" continues to follow the adventures of Yelena, the apprentice magician. Back in Sitia with her family, Yelena manages to find herself in all sorts of situations where her life is at risk. In a completely different world with new characters, adventures and magic, this book failed to captivate me in the way "Poison Study" did. Sadly, the wonderful relationship between Yelena and Valek is missing. Whilst Yelena remains the feisty heroine of the first book, Yalek's character is severely lacking. In "Poison Study" he was a fabulous hero, but in this book he has been robbed of the humour, strength and passion that made him so attractive originally. He only appears in the second half of the book and is too syrupy sweet for my liking.However, despite my disappointment in "Magic Study" I intend to read the final book in the series in the hope that it delivers in the same way as the first book did.

[iris0boekenplank · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*Originally Reviewed at Witchmag's Boekenplank*As soon as I finished reading the first book, Study of Poison, I ran to the library to get my hands on this book. I just had to know how the story continued. After a couple of pages, it was obvious that I, once again, had found a real page-turner! I even took it with me when I went to visit my sister, so I could continue to read. It was so hard to put this book down! Maria V. Snyder has yet again managed to write a captivating story about a most intriguing world. This time you’ll get to discover the South. To Sitia, the place where Yelena was born and magic has not been banned. No, instead it is embraced and encouraged. However, something is wrong. A ruthless murderer is on the loose, leaving lifeless bodies of young girls in his wake. Then there is Cahil, the cousin of the dethroned king of Ixia…Despite everything thrown her way, Yelena stood tall, but sometimes took on too much. She was also focused too much on fixing things by herself. I understand that for years she has been on her own and that her trust was shattered and stomped on. Still, not everyone is out to be your enemy. Sometimes it comes in handy to share things cause some people might know more than you. So why not tell them? The worse that could happen is one scary and life threatening situation less, so why not go for it?Notwithstanding Yelena’s behavior at times, it was a delight to discover new characters and re-acquaint the old. I was especially happy to see Janca and Ari, Yelena’s “big brothers”, again. Their antics always make me smile. While reading, though, I noticed something: we hardly get a detailed description of the characters. At first I thought I must have missed them, but with every new character Yelena encounters there was still no description. Even though my mind has already created an image, I’d still like to have some handles, something more than the most beautiful blue eyes she’s ever seen or a bunch of blond curls.I also noted that I could not really feel the connection, the emotional bonds between the characters. There are not many words spent on describing the emotions Yelena feels, the focus here is more on the adventure. A vast difference between all the Young Adult and New Adult books I’ve read, where feelings are THE most important thing. It’s not annoying, though, just different. Still, at some points I totally wished I could see a bit of her real feelings. It felt a bit dull now (I think you understand WHICH scenes I’m talking about don’t you? *wiggles eye brows*).Conclusion4 HEARTS. Although it looks like I did not enjoy the book much, with my focus on less stellar moments, as I said in the beginning, I LOVED reading this book! Yelena continues being an amazing and strong woman, who is not afraid to make her hands dirty. She has some control and trust issues, but she’s learning to cope with them ^^ It was great to return to my beloved characters and meeting new ones. There are some things I noticed, like the lack of a detailed character description, but they did not have any influence at all on the joy I felt while reading. Therefore I can heartily recommend this book to anyone who likes a good adventure with a strong female lead. Now on to the next book!

[humouress · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book in Yelena's story, and events follow almost straight on from the end of Poison Study (so I'm trying to write this review without spoilers for the first book). Yelena is taken, along with the survivors from her 'orphanage', to find her family and - since she must learn to control her magic before it kills her - to study with Master Magician Irys. She finds herself in an unfamiliar situation with people who are not sure of her motives.Yelena not only studies magic at the Magicians' Keep - it would have been nice to see more of her life there - but learns about different types of magic practices in different parts of Sitia. She discovers that she is strong in a magic that has not been seen in a long time, which makes people more suspicious of her. She also meets the last member of the royal family of Ixia who, having escaped the assassination of his family, wants to use Yelena to help him get his throne back.While she is at the Keep, she is asked to try and help a girl who has been horrifically treated, and is the only surviving victim of an unknown killer. Yelena, and the magicians, then do everything they can to save the girl and catch the killer before he strikes again.I thought this was a stronger book than the first one, though the plot was more straightforward and not quite as interesting. The world-building is quite solid.Although I picked this up from the YA section of the library, I should warn you that, once again, the evil magician gets his powers through torture and rape. Though we are not given gruesome details, we do get told about some of the devices and the torturers' intents.This was fun to read, and was more detailed than Poison Study. I liked meeting Yelena's family, although her mother did have an annoying habit of disappearing up the nearest tree when stressed. This series is not a 'must read' for me, but rather 'if I see it on the library shelves, I'll pick it up'.Three and a half stars.

[alcarinqa_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After being exceptionally impressed with Poison Study, I eagerly dove into Magic Study. I must say it is, if anything, better than its predecessor. Magic Study still has all the things I loved about Poison Study - great characters, riveting plot, lots of action and romance - and improved upon the previous book because of the level of world building. Yelena's return to Sitia and her family opens up Snyder's world so that the politics of Ixia and Sitia can be compared. To be honest, I see the merits of both types of political system and didn't mind one bit that Yelena stood up for the old home.I thought that Valek and Yelena's separation would play out like similar situations in YA, but Snyder minimises any sappy pining and ensures that no stupid decisions are undertaken through a feeling of abandonment, and most importantly, that Yelena never even glances at another man. Their eventual reunion was much-anticipated for me, and I was gratified to find that Valek's regard for Yelena had not dimmed. However, his ready acceptance of Yelena's magical powers after dedicating his whole life to eradicating magicians continues to mystify me, and I hope this aspect will be examined in the next book.The long-awaited reunion of Yelena with her family is one of the most interesting aspects of the novel because it examines how she deals with the familial burdens that are suddenly thrust upon her. The destructive hatred her brother harbours for her is offset well with the easy and open relationship Yelena cultivates with her father. I loved the gradual development of love and trust between Yelena and her family, but also liked that some members (like Nutty) easily accepted her.Overall, Magic Study is a great follow-up to Poison Study, and a book I thoroughly enjoyed. I still don't agree with it being marketed as YA, and believe many fans of more traditional, adult fantasy will enjoy this series as well as young adult readers.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.

[quigui · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a good sequel to Poison Study, the story continues where it was left off on the first book, with Yelena going to Sitia, ready to start to learn about magic. Of course, with Yelena being Yelena trouble does not take long to appear. This means that there is a plot full of action, danger, and Yelena doing what she does best – saving the day! This book reminded me somewhat of the English tests I used to take, where I was asked to compare and contrast two photos. Here I have two countries to do just that, each with its problems and differences. The southern country of Sitia is nothing like Ixia – it is a much warmer country, where there are no military districts (actually there seems to be very little military) but clans, ruled by a council, and where magicians are treasured and educated instead of hunted down and killed.Like in Poison Study, I liked that the author showed that no place is perfect, that people in power have different motivations, and, above all, that nothing is as simple as black and white. And just like the previous book, this one also features very good characters, that you wish you could spend more time with. This is true for both new and old characters, even if the latter (with the exception of Yelena and Irys) take some time to appear. While I was engrossed with learning about Sitia, having a lot of fun with my new charcters, in the back of my mind I was always wondering what was happening in Ixia, and how my favourite characters were faring. And yet, to me, the best character on this book was a horse. This shows how good Maria V. Snyder is at creating great characters!Being set in Sitia, where magic is not outlawed and is actually a predominant part of its culture, meant that I got to learn more about the magic in the series, the hows and whys. Unfortunately I wasn't entirely convinced about it, it seemed to me a bit vague, and unformed. Also, for something that is seemingly random, that you either have it or not, a lot of the characters appeared to be lucky on that aspect (although the fact that most part of the book is set on a magic school contributes to this), and it did irk me a bit that all of them were such powerful magicians.I liked Magic Study as much as I did Poison Study, it was a good follow up book, where I got to know more about the those two lands, and was presented with more great characters. Also at Spoilers and Nuts

[jdifelice-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well, now that was a good book! It was well-paced, with excellent world building, and awesome characters! Super enjoyed it :)

[lauren2013_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Magic Study
4 Stars

Exiled from Ixia, Yelena travels to Sitia for a reunion with her family. Unfortunately, things aren’t all rosy as Yelena soon finds herself struggling with the difficulties of getting to know parents who are virtual strangers and a brother who resents her return. Upon beginning her studies at the Citadel, Yelena learns some troubling truths about her magic and a sadistic serial killer sets his sights on her. As she becomes embroiled in an age old struggle against evil, Yelena’s strength and ability will be put to the test.

As with the first book in the series, Magic Study contains harsh themes including rape and torture. As such, it might not be suitable for younger or impressionable readers despite its apparent categorization as Young Adult.

While not as fast paced or original (not unexpected as this is a sequel) as Poison Study, Yelena is an engaging and resourceful heroine, and accompanying her as she begins her magical training and investigates a series of brutal crimes is quite entertaining. She does seem to get ambushed, kidnapped, tortured and beaten several times and one hope she would be more careful but apparently not...

The secondary characters are an interesting mix from Yelena’s agoraphobic mother and obnoxious brother to the arrogant heir to Ixia’s throne and the enterprising street urchin who comes to Yelena’s aid on more than one occasion. There are also other more familiar faces: the Commander is as enigmatic as ever and Yelena’s camaraderie with Ari and Jenco is wonderful. It is, however, disappointing that Valek takes his time putting an appearance, but he is ultimately well worth the wait and things heat up in more ways than one upon his arrival.

One a final note, Gabra Zackman's narration is very good although she does sound older than Yelena's 20 years. Nevertheless, this doesn't bother me as Yelena is very mature for her age.

All in all, an enjoyable installment and I look forward to continuing with the series particularly as Snyder is planning additional books.

[rozziereads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So far this is a series I would re multiple times.

The first book had an old world feel to it. But at the same time I don't know if it's just me or not, but it kind of gave me an Alice in Wonderland feel. When I say that I don't mean the trippy colors, creatures talking, flowers singing, and all that. No, but it did give me that impression. Could just be me, but I loved it.

So in Magic Study, she's in a whole new land. Completely different. Almost as if you Canadian going to Peru. Different cultures, and different rules, is something you learn pretty fast. You meet Yelena's family, and her "tribe" (clan is what they're called in the book, but some of the clans were more of a tribe than a clan. I know that doesn't make sense but to me it does. HA!)

Anyways, she meets her tribe, and her long lost brother. Only to have his announce that her soul is stained by the blood on the people that she has killed and she doesn't feel like his sister anymore. Yea, fourteen years in different countries had nothing to do with that. Especially with all that she went through... So right off the back you think, "Wow, her brother is a D-Bag." The only thing that saves you from hoping he dies, is the fact that he uses his magic to find criminals.

- BONUS ROUND -

Her mother helps find the criminals too. Her mother is a little odd. She reminds me of someone but I can't put my finger on it. Perl, the momma, creates perfumes and is little clingy and emotional. I think with a dash of eccentric, not sure though. :P (I'm so bad with words, I can't never remember the real word I'm looking for til it's too late.) So the perfumes that perl creates are to help jog memories. Sometimes, hearing, feeling, or smelling certain things with bring back a memory. So, they use this technique to help the victims remember stuff about their killer.

Yelena's father, is a neat character that I would really like to see him integrated into more of the future story. I would like to see him in cross country relations, that would be a HEA idea. He is a man who believes they can find anything they need in the forest. That the forest provides all. (forgot to mention, their tribe lives in the forest. ) He finds plants in the forest and uses them to find out what they can help or destroy. And also he supplies the flowers and stuff for the perfumes.

So Yelena gets into A LOT OF TROUBLE again. I really like how everything goes down. Some of the books that I've read over the years, where there's kidnappings, murder, and espionage, the scenes arn't written smoothly. Now, when I say that I mean about roughly 25% of them are like that. I'm not saying the other books are bad, I'm saying this story flows perfectly. From meeting everyone, to the build up of their distrust/love, to abushes, to magical attacks, to mental plane linking (i don't even know what to call that, but that's close enough), it all runs very well together. Your anticipating what's going to happen, at the same time, it's like watching an action movie. Your guessing who the bad guy is, knowing every other corner something is going to {insert magical blow, sword fight, sneaking around, getting caught, chase scene... here

This book reminds me of traveling. Like it's some creepy subliminal thing. JK LOL. But just not realizing the chance the enjoy what you have when you have it. Oh, and to not be selfish. Even from the first book that's something you know about Yelena. She has always put herself in danger, with nothing more than the thought of others.

Can't wait to read the next book!!

[hunybadger · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After loving Poison Study so much, I tore into Magic Study. I hoped it would be as wonderful. Magic Study had moments when it lived up to my expectation but in the end, I felt it just didn't strike the same high note. The plot felt off. The ending was too open and was rushed to find a good stopping point for the third book.

SPOILERS ****
I have a gripe with Fantasy genre with lead female characters..actually two gripes. Either they are too tough as nails and headstrong (Parrish Plessis in Nylon Angel) or they're no logic, puppies that are taken advantage of (Dany in Game of Thrones, Bella in Twilight). I had hoped Yelena would be a nice combo of both, with enough kick@ss to hold her own but have a soul-searching side as well.

However, I got frustrated with Yelena's headstrong insistence on doing everything herself, even when she knew she shouldn't. It annoyed me too that she was "saved" a lot more by others in this book. I suppose this was Snyder's way of showing Valek's love for Yelena but once again the Fantasy genre fails women, a heroine is unable to save herself and must have others, especially her love interest, do it for her (i.e Twilight series). Why can't Yelena be strong enough to handle the situations she encounters herself? Why can't she choose to ask for help, instead of getting in over head and needing the help?

I didn't feel Yelena grew as much in this 2nd novel. She could have, especially when it came to understanding (not just using) her powers and it would have been a richer ending. Her relationships with her family and the other Master Magicians barely scratched the surface. Why? Why include them at all, if they are not important to the book?

All in all, for all my gripes, I still enjoyed reading Magic Study. I just had higher hopes for it and was disappointed when they were left hoping for more.

[jeannemarkert · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellant!

[ahnya-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really like where the author is taking the story. The first part was a little slow, but it got better once all the good characters came back. Can't wait to see how it ends.

[katie1802 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So as a sequel to a great book, how does it compare? Not as good as I would have hoped. Don't get me wrong, its great, but I just don't like how different it is to the first book. It's set in a completely different place, the nature of the story has totally changed and an army of new characters are introduced, not all of them that interesting. However, I do like getting really far into Yelena's background, one she didn't even know she had.

The real problem though? Way too little Valek. I know it makes sense considering how events in the last book finished, but still, hes a favourite, he needs more pages devoted to him.

[rosecrossed · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was really impressed with this novel. It is very different from the first, but has an interesting plot and wonderful new characters (as well as old ones!) I think I might have even liked it more than the first, mainly, I think, because we learn more about Sitia in this book which I really enjoyed. Sitia is absolutely fascinating. Yelena learns a lot about herself and her family in this book. Self-discovery is weaved throughout. There is also much danger and action, of course. Yelena never seems to have it easy! I loved this book and recommend it fully to others.

[lyssa73 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A solid 6/10 because I had as many problems with the story as things I enjoyed.

It's a page turner and the plot keeps moving enough to keep you interested. But it had been over a year (maybe a year and a half?) since I'd read Poison Study and to be honest, I remembered next to nothing of the first book (which I really enjoyed) probably because I had read Graceling around the same time and there were a lot of similarities. Anyway, I only remembered bits of Poison Study after Yelena would refresh my memory, and this probably kept me from getting annoyed that the storyline was so similar.

I like when mysteries and pasts are uncovered, so I liked the baseline for Yelena returning to her roots. I thought the release of her childhood memories was suspiciously uncomplicated, though.

The biggest problem I had was that the villains were all so one dimensional: sick, twisted evil maniacs who favor torture and rape. Evil exists in many forms and to many degrees and this just got old.

I still don't understand the commander. I just don't get it.

I appreciated Valek's presence, though I'll agree that his role was very limited. If I only had one night left with my soul mate, I don't think I'd spend it on sex and sleep, but hey that's just me. I still don't understand how he escaped the noose. Or how he is able to give all of his energy or whatever to Yelena. These are things I felt were shoddily explained at best.

I thought Cahil's sudden flip to jealous admirer and then back again to lethal, suspicious enemy was unbelievable. And why wasn't Yelena suspicious? He asks her to accompany him to a ball *what?* and then she's all, -freeze, taken aback- giggle, what do I wear? *I.Can't.Even.*

I agree with other readers that Yelena got herself into too many disasterous predicaments and frequently seemed to escape thanks to dumb luck.

I can't think of any specific thing that was well done. The one thing I can say, though, is that I don't regret reading it. I requested the book from my library and then read reviews and decided that when I got the book, I'd probably just return it; it sounded like it would be a waste of time. But I did end up reading it, and I'm glad. There were things that bugged me, but not enough to impede the flow of the story line, making me too frustrated or angry to get caught up in it. In the end, I just feel confused. I will read the last book because, although I have a bad feeling about it, I am interested in seeing what Yelena becomes.

[margaraawr-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“Living is a risk...Every decision, every interaction, every step, every time you get out of bed in the morning, you take a risk. To survive is to know you're taking that risk and to not get out of bed clutching illusions of safety.”

I still liked this book! I devoured it pretty fast because it was that good! Yeah, Poison Study is better than this one but that does not mean that this is a bad book. I just felt like there is just too much happening and one thing is not even finished or solved and then there's another something going on, etc. It was action-packed like seriously but I wish the author gave me time to breathe.

Brief Summary:

Yelena was on her way to Sitia because magicians are not welcome in Ixia. She was looking forward to training in the Magician's Keep for her to learn to control her powers and maybe, she can meet her family, too. She did not want to be away from Valek but she have to. But what she found in Sitia is not what she expected. She met all kinds of people, good or bad, funny or annoying, and soon, she saw herself kind of softening to Sitia.. Some evil things happened and she dies everything that she can to help. But some people are stopping her. And sometimes she wonders if she should trust these people's plans or just trust her own instinct...

The Characters:

Yelena. Ha. This girl is always looking for trouble! She is so stubborn that sometimes I want to shake some sense in her. Yeah, she does those things for others but I just wish she would listen for once! But I don't know.. sometimes, I liked her recklessness. It was making things interesting.

How cool is it that she can communicate to horses? I just adore Kiki, Yelena's horse. I wish I could feed her peppermints myself. Haha.

I liked how Yelena helped those poor beggars without just giving them what they want. She helped them, taught them how to move and function on their own. It was touching.

Valek. Ehhhh. Though he was not in the book most of the time (and just appeared in definitely unexpected and cute moments), I appreciate his presence nonetheless.

“When I carved this, my thoughts were on you, love. Your life is like this snake's coils. No matter how many turns it makes, you'll end up back where you belong. With me.”

Valek is confident, cocky, mischievous, reliable and many other things. I like all of them about him.

Cahil. Duuuude, I want to strangle this guy. He was so annoying! Gaaah. -_- But, I pity him actually. I think he was just being used as a pawn of other people to pursue their personal agendas.

Leif. He is Yelena's older brother and he is another guy that I wanted to choke to death. But.. before I do that, I wonder about some things.. It was not explained why he was experiencing so much guilt, why he is living in so much pain. I want him and Yelena to restore their relationship.

The other new characters that are introduced are pretty interesting! They absolutely add spice to the book, making it more entertaining.

The ending was okay. I was excited to see where will Yelena go from here. ;)

“My future appeared to be a long twisted road fraught with knots, tangles, and traps. Just the way I liked it.”

Final Rating: 3.5/5 stars

[cynical_ames · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful sequel to [Book:Poison Study], which I read this from start to finish in one session. The natural progression of the story as well as great character development hold this book to the same standards as it predecessor.

Janco and Ari who appear in the first book provide the comic relief in this one, a new character Cahil provides some mystery and becomes a short-lived love interest, and new friend Dax who loves to tell Yelena of the astounding rumours about her as they crop up.

I loved Yelena's close relationship with Cahil's horse Topaz and her own incredibly loyal horse Kiki and their love of apples and peppermints.

I felt the Commander was ingenious in his/her disguise as an Ambassador visiting Sitia, with only Yelena knowing the truth of his/her identity. I also liked the way the Commander handled Yelena's order of excution - a very wise decision was made.

Valek was as ruthless as always still protecting Yelena the best he can at risk to his own life. Yelena's ability to get below Valek's tough magic-immune exterior is nice but we still do not know much about Valek's past for me to truly love him as a character.

As for Yelena herself, her Soul-Finder status was brilliantly put across. Her compassion towards the beggar boy Fisk and his friends, the way she reached the catatonic Tula when others had given up on her, her ability to forgive her brother Leif and helping him heal his soul and her extraordinary ability to comfort and heal others is what makes this book worthy of all the praise it deserves.

[mathewbridle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

That’s part two of the Yelana Zaltana trilogy read. Much like its predecessor: fun, fast paced and a few good twists to keep it interesting. I have but one complaint though. There is an instance where the characters are searching through a citadel and the distance is given in blocks (twice). Now, if you are an American, living in a city that would be fine, except most of the world are not. The real issue with this measurement is that it is so out of place it spoils the moment. That aside this is a very worthy sequel / continuation as it picks up right where the last one left off.
I shall now go and read the last one in the series: Fire Study.

[cathishaw · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book in the Study series by Snyder and I loved it as much as the first! And that's saying a lot when it comes to books in series (usually I'm disappointed with the second book).What I liked the most was that we got to follow Yelena's continuing story, with some familiar characters along with a whole group of new characters. As with her first book in the series, Magic Study is a fast paced read. There is plenty of action and tense moments. That, along with Yelena's development as a character made it hard for me to put down. I was keen to see what would happen.One of the questions I get when reading a series is whether the first book is essential to understanding the second book. I think that I would recommend you read the first book, for sure, but that it isn't required to enjoying and understanding what happens in the second book.This is one of my favourite series at present. I would strongly recommend you check it out!

[yona-414000 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Everything I said in comment about Poison Study holds true here. This is my favorite adventure to date. I liked Poison Study better but that by no means is a negative comment on Magic Study. I'm very much looking forward to Fire Study - already on order at B&N. I should have it this week.

[__lindsey__ · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this one! I've never read anything like this. The world was unique. I thought reading about characters involved in a militaristic government would be boring but not at all. Luckily it was mostly Yelena's personal story instead of a bunch of boring governmental details, but even the history and details of how Ixia was run turned out to be interesting. The romance was very well done. If romance isn't your thing, this book would still be an excellent choice; there's just barely a sprinkling of it in here. I'm looking forward to reading the next book. I like that Yelena is going to be in a whole new situation and setting in that one. I'm not sure if I want to add this to my favorites shelf yet. It's close.

My favorite part of the book was when Yelena learns about magic from Irys. It reminded me so much of my favorite series, Sword of Truth - how Richard has to receive training on how to control his magic within in a year or it will kill him. I love when you get to go through an education with characters.

[ritastradling · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book started slow but it picked up in the middle. I would have liked more detail about her studying magic... which was barely even a sub-plot. At times I was engrossed, but mostly not.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Poison Study (by Maria V Snyder) is light reading. It's part-fantasy, part-romance. I did enjoy the fantasy parts, such as it was, but I felt it was very light in general. Despite being in first person, I don't feel like you really get to know the main character, Yelena. I don't feel pain for her past abuse, I don't understand why she falls in love, I don't feel hurt for her when she's betrayed or glad when she triumphs. It's not that I don't like her, or that I dislike her, just that I don't know enough about her to care, despite 400 pages of supposedly being in her head. I feel the same about the other characters. I got to like some of them, Ari, Janco, Rand and Valek in particular, but I didn't particularly care if they died, either. While I sort of idly liked Velak, I didn't care enough to be surprised about certain developments in his character. I actually snickered and rolled my eyes at the love scenes, too.

Where there is world-building, it's quite interesting. Having this kind of political set-up in fantasy writing is interesting, since I usually associate it with dystopian sci-fi, but again, it's very light and what is explained is just kind of dumped in there for background instead of really being used.

The plot is also... rather unsurprising. I was several steps ahead of it all the time, including the revelations about Butterfly's Dust.

The writing is also rather light. It doesn't trigger my synaesthesia much at all, so I wouldn't agree with the quote on the cover that this is "magic, excitement and adventure you can almost taste". I didn't bother to whisper much of it to myself.

It's an easy, quick read, a decent sort of book to relax with, but it doesn't offer much that's new or surprising or challenging.

[mlleehreen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really loved this book. I thought the premise was great - when the king's food taster dies (which happens regularly, for obvious reasons) the next person scheduled to be executed is offered the opportunity to take his/her place. When the heroine, Yelena, is offered the job she says that only a fool wouldn't accept, and that she is no fool.

The state of Ixia reminded me an awful lot of Plato's Republic - in many ways fair and just, in others tyrranical and joyless. Yelena has a job that requires spending a lot of time around very important people, including the head of state, the Commander, and his head security advisor...but because of her position, as a pardoned criminal and relative nobody, she is treated with little respect and a great deal of mistrust.

Not only that, she's a sort of dead man walking - she samples a lot of poison so that she can recognize it in the Commander's meals; if that doesn't kill her, it's only a matter of time before somebody actually trying to kill the Commander does.

There's a lot to like about Poison Study. The way the plot is structured, it's more like peeling the layers off an onion than going from point A to point B. Yelena, and the reader, find out more and more about what's going on around her - the characters involved, the intrigues at play - and each new revelation changes the whole landscape, makes you see everything that's happened in a new way. You think you understand what's going on, and then you find out that you didn't, that it's something entirely different.

I really admired the way that Snyder introduced new characters - by the end, there are a lot of people running around but each individual appears gradually, and they're never hard to keep track of.

I liked Yelena, who has suffered through a lot of abuse and only grown stronger for it. Although she's relatively powerless, she uses what power she does have intelligently; and although the atmosphere of the book is very dark, Yelena still manages to make friends and appreciate what beauty and happiness does come her way.

I can't wait for the sequel.

[tommcgreevy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A readable tale with engaging characters and a plausible plot. A very pleasant distraction in fact...

[pagemasterzee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Snyder has an interesting writing style. Simplistic but still enthralling. I personally like this book and others that this author has written. Warning although the characters are great and creative, the author speeds up personal relationships to get to more dramatic events, (which knocks you out of the "reading zone") There are some excellent scenes in this book, that are just priceless, classic but beautiful written. I would recommend this to anyone who is in need of a simple read and who is into female heroines that kick butt.

[aaishah_6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. Just...wow. *takes a second to compose herself*I can't tell you the number of times I've picked up this book in the library, read the blurb and then just replaced it on the shelf. This was both before and after reading the author's Inside Out duology. Sure, I liked those books, but not enough to read anything else of hers. I looked at ratings, reviews, still I chose not to read it. I think part of it was that it involved magic. Any magic books I've read so far were average, not particularly impressive. But. Eventually I decided to give it a chance.How this book deserved that chance.Yelena (beautiful name) is not your average girl. She goes from homeless girl to lab rat to murderess - although technically, I would in no way hold that against her considering the circumstances. This is before the book even begins. On the day of her execution, almost a year after the fateful deed, she's given a choice: she can either be hanged, or she can become food taster to the Commander of Ixia. Desperate for a chance to live, she chooses the latter option. To ensure that she doesn't escape, she's made to drink a poison which she can only survive by turning up every day for the antidote. Yelena's choice, however, then leads to a whole series of problems, including her ability for magic, which is also punishable by death, and several attempts to kill her, followed by a planned takeover of Ixia.I was taken in by this book from the first; its opening, with Yelena in the dungeons, immediately grabbed my attention. This only deepened the further the book went on and the more I got to know the protagonist. Despite her brutal past, Yelena remains strong and only grows stronger throughout the course of the book. She's tough, determined, tenacious and ingenuitive. Now and then we see the more vulnerable aspects of her, aided by well-woven flashbacks. She proves to be someone who refuses to allow self-pity to take control and that, combined with her memories, makes her someone you can't help but want to know. I think perhaps in some cases I would have liked to see more reaction from her - there were times when she should have been as confused as I was and asking herself far more questions - but this was touched upon enough for me to overlook it. Here's a little snapshot:'Poisoned, pursued and living with a psycopath.'That's basically one overview of Yelena's life.The love interest is, perhaps, not immediately obvious. There is no sign of the infamous insta-love - just the opposite, in fact. He begins as a deadly assassin whose loyalty to the Commander is total and unflinching, and from there we see more of his character; there is a constant contrast between his hardened exterior and the person he is underneath - not only a fighter, but an artist and someone who has suffered great loss. Snyder paces out these revelations well. He is most definitely not your typical guy. As someone who's read...shall we say, a lot, of YA books by now, Valek was very refreshing; the relationship between him and Yelena, also. I think through the first half of the book I was waiting for there to be some signicant development in that aspect - and there was, but not in an overt way. It was far more subtle, and intense. There are a few amusing moments between him and Yolena, and two of the secondary characters, Ari and Janco, further develop the humour. These two are a brilliant mix of strength, mischief and sweetness.Overall, Poison Study is well-paced, well thought-out and wonderfully engaging. As well as the plot the book invites some political considerations. Developed characters and world-building are two more ticked boxes. Imagery is great, with even a little bit of extended metaphor (English Lit student - force of habit to use such technical vocab ;)), which I found worked really well! I was definitely far more impressed with this book than I ever thought I'd be, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one.

[tlhelen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book kept me awake instead of usually sleeping. I highly recommend it to EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!! >:D The series is AWESOME!!!!!!!!! :3 In case you didn't notice, it's a book :O Yelena takes us through her journey, a journey of wonder and magic. She is unique in her own way, able to control magic, strong and powerful magic >-< So when she is given a choice to either be beheaded or become a poison taster, she chose the one that allowed her to live. Which one would u have chosen?? But she didn't expect to fall for her master, the one who is nearly wanted in every country and who is her master. Read and find out about the wonders of this beautiful, highly addicting, able to keep us awake, making us feel what Yelena feels, enjoyable to read and making us unable to put it down for a single second book (Y) You MUST read it.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I did enjoy this--mildly. But to me it feels like a routine YA paranormal romance. Yelena is likeable, and her dilemma certainly original. Sentenced to hang, she gets a reprieve--but there's a catch. She must become a food-taster for the Commander. She's given a poison for which she'll daily receive the antidote--putting her on a short leash. But neither Yelena nor this world ever quite came to life for me and I don't see enough "spark" in the characters, the world-building or the style to justify the sales and praise this book has received. To me Snyder just isn't in the same league as a Kristin Cashore or Tamora Pierce.

[mooqielove · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I bought this book on a whim in my junior (or senior) year oh high school (4-5 years ago) and this book has been my favorite read since. I have read this book at least 20 times and it does not get old. It is not so deep that I discover new things with every read, but the story is so magical in itself that I cannot get tired of it or the characters.Yelena is a headstrong young girl that finds she has enormous power within her, but she must control it before it kills her (one way or another). Valek is the smart, agile, deathly dark soul that you can't help but love in spite or how much you know you shouldn't. Ari and Jacob are the best friends you wish you had or those goofy brothers that you can never get to leave you alone. Every character has been fully developed and get tied into the story beautifully. Every character serves a purpose, which I have found is not always the case. When I learned this was a series, I was disappointed/saddened because I was afraid that if I kept on reading, I would not treasure Poison Study as much. I have read the others and while I enjoy them in their own way, I don't find them as compelling or enjoyable. Poison Study comes with me wherever I go.